IT’S NATIONAL BACON DAY!!!

Now that’s what I call a holiday! National Bacon Day will be celebrated today, Monday, December 30th. In honor of this great day, I am sharing the many ways that bacon can easily be incorporated into almost every food you will eat today, tomorrow and every day. And I’ll share a couple of specific recipes including one of my favorite recipes that I have been making for years!

How to Incorporate Bacon into Everything!

You may not need a specific recipe to make some of these items, and feel free to let your imagination run wild with bacony possibilities!

You can add/incorporate bacon into the following:

  1. Sandwiches – Whether it is a BLT, a turkey sandwich or a melty grilled cheese, feel free to throw in some cooked up bacon to make it extra special.
  2. Salads – Pick a salad….any salad. Just add that bacon!
  3. Meat – Well, duh. Meatloaf, hamburgers, meatballs, chicken, pork and fish…yes fish! Surf and turf it up, baby!
  4. Eggs – Omelets, scrambles, quiches, casseroles…
  5. Pasta – Oh yes, bacon in the mac and cheese is like a bowl of heaven. Try it with your tortellini recipes, pesto, Alfredo or make a bacon marinara! Cold pasta salads can also use the smoky, crunchy bits of heaven.
  6. Potatoes – Scalloped, fried, mashed, baked…take your pick, just add the bacon.
  7. Soups – Lentil, bean, chicken noodle, split pea, stew, chowder, potato, tomato, tortilla…if you have a soup recipe, it is fully eligible for a dose of bacony goodness!
  8. Bacon Wrapped Anything – Shrimp, scallops, dates, jalepenos, sausages, muffins, tater tots, chicken, asparagus, pork, water chestnuts, pineapple chunks, mushrooms, breadsticks, corn on the cob, hotdogs, potatoes, filet mignon, apricots, apples….just wrap it all up like the perfect package that it truly is!
  9. Mexican Food – Nachos, burritos, tacos, enchiladas
  10. Baking – Cookies, muffins, bark, brownies, French toast….come on! The best combination of salty savory and sweet.

And now onto some recipes…..

Bacon Wrapped, Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos

The fun part about this is that it’s like playing Jalapeno Roulette! Some are mild and some are just plain smokin’ hot! And you never know until you bite into it. I used local bacon from Black Pig Meat Company and it really makes a difference! It is made with spices and brown sugar, so you get extra flavor!

Ingredients:

12 Fresh Jalapenos (pick medium size so they are easier to stuff)
8 oz package Cream Cheese (room temperature)
1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese – Shredded
2 Tablespoons milk
12 slices of Bacon – Black Pig Bacon
1 tablespoon bacon grease
Salt & Pepper

Toothpicks

Directions:

  1. Cut off the tops of the jalapenos and remove the gill and all seeds with a small knife.
  2. Rinse the insides of them with water to be sure you have removed all of the seeds. Set aside.
  3. In a cast iron pan, heat the bacon grease to just barely smoking. This means the pan is the right temperature.
  4. Place the cleaned peppers into the pan and turn them occasionally to get a good blister on them. This will help dissipate some of the heat of the jalapenos.
  5. Mix cream cheese, shredded cheese and salt and pepper together.
  6. Add milk slowly to the cheese mixture for a frosting texture.
  7. Place the cheese mixture into a large Ziploc bag and squeeze to one corner.
  8. Cut off the corner of the bag allowing an opening big enough to squeeze the cheese into the jalapenos.
  9. Stuff the cheese mixture into the hollowed out jalapenos using the Ziploc bag.
  10. Wrap each stuffed jalapeno with bacon and secure with a toothpick.
  11. Place them on a tray and freeze them for about 15 minutes. This will keep the cheese from melting out completely when grilling.
  12. Remove from the freezer and place them on a hot grill or place the tray into the oven for baking.
  13. If on the grill – turn them several times until the bacon is cooked, then remove from grill.
  14. If in the oven, bake for approx 20 minutes keeping an eye on the bacon. When the bacon is cooked, remove the pan.
  15. Let them cool for about 10 minutes (trust me, you don’t want to bite into these babies right off the grill!)

Bacon Maple French Toast

Breakfast never tasted better than this! I personally wanted more of the topping on my piece. That means more bacon per bite! I may try to make more topping and add some bacon in between the slices of bread the next time I make it. You simply cannot have enough bacon! Happy National Bacon Day!

Ingredients

8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half cream
1 cup 2% milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Dash cayenne pepper
1 loaf (1 pound) sliced sourdough bread

TOPPING:

10 thick-sliced bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
2 tablespoons agave syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Maple syrup

Directions

1. Grease a 13×9-in. baking dish; set aside.
2. In a large shallow bowl, whisk the first 10 ingredients.
3. Dip each slice of bread into egg mixture. Arrange slices in prepared dish.
4. Pour remaining egg mixture over top.
5. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
6. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°.
7. Don’t forget to toast your pecans!
8. In a small bowl, combine the first eight topping ingredients. Spread over top.
9. Bake, uncovered, 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Place a tray underneath the pan in case of drips.
10. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
11. Drizzle with maple syrup on your personal serving.

 

 

 

 

 

I have many more recipes that include bacon, so I believe I will be celebrating National Bacon Day several times in the coming weeks. Next up….bacon with blue cheese recipes!

Cheers!