Wow, we go almost a year and a half with out a “Bacon Blotter” and now we’ve got it twice this week…

This from ABC News:

In Minnesota, where hog farming is big business (oinker sales totaled $8 billion in 2010) hog rustling has become a problem.

A rash-or rasher? of thefts has farmers locking barns and installing video cameras. Nearly 750 pigs have been stolen in recent weeks.  Investigators for the Nicollet County Sheriff’s Office confess that they are baffled.

The thieves know the business,  farmer Tim Waibel tells the Minneapolis Star Tribune. They take only mature, market-ready animals, and they’re stealthy enough to get past security.

750 mature hogs??  REALLY???  How do you even “secretly” amass that much pork without someone figuring things out?

So this is Minnesota’s version of “copper stripping”? (I see you Detroit).

story via | photo via

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The leaves are just beginning to take on a toasted golden quality, and the quality of sunlight is changing to a slanted, deeply burnished gold. There is no question that fall is in the air, and what better way to celebrate the changing of this most glorious season that with some bacon love? Okay, so [...]

makes ten servings


8 slices smoked bacon, diced
2 leeks (white part only), chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound kale, chard, greens or spinach, cut into thin strips
1 cup chopped dates
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 cups half-and-half
12 large eggs
8 cups challah bread or brioche cubes
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese

Coat a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a large skillet, sauté bacon and leeks until bacon is crisp and leeks are tender, about 15 minutes. Add garlic, kale, dates, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook until kale is wilted. (You may need to add the kale in batches.) Combine half-and-half and eggs in a large bowl. Beat until blended. Stir in bread cubes, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, rosemary and 1 cup Gruyère. Add vegetable mixture and stir well. Pour egg mixture into baking dish. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 375F. Remove strata from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Top with remaining ½ cup Gruyère. Bake 40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle of the strata comes out clean. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chefs Kathleen and Charlie Schaffer, Relish.com

makes ten servings


8 slices smoked bacon, diced
2 leeks (white part only), chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound kale, chard, greens or spinach, cut into thin strips
1 cup chopped dates
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 cups half-and-half
12 large eggs
8 cups challah bread or brioche cubes
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese

Coat a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a large skillet, sauté bacon and leeks until bacon is crisp and leeks are tender, about 15 minutes. Add garlic, kale, dates, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook until kale is wilted. (You may need to add the kale in batches.) Combine half-and-half and eggs in a large bowl. Beat until blended. Stir in bread cubes, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, rosemary and 1 cup Gruyère. Add vegetable mixture and stir well. Pour egg mixture into baking dish. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 375F. Remove strata from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Top with remaining ½ cup Gruyère. Bake 40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle of the strata comes out clean. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chefs Kathleen and Charlie Schaffer, Relish.com

I guess this is instalment 3 of “What the heck can Chef Rob do with Mac n’ Cheese”. I had some leftover mac n’ cheese from my Grilled Mac n’ Cheese escapade that I knew I could do something creative with. Unfortunately, I was drawing a blank. It is a good thing I have wonderful [...]

serves 4-6


approx. 1 pound cheese tortellini (16-20 ounces)
6 slices bacon, diced and cooked until crisp
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup vodka
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 6-ounce bag baby spinach
1/4 cup water
grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Start by crisping up 6 diced slices of bacon in a large, heavy bottomed soup pot and getting another large pot of water going for eventually cooking the tortellini.

Once the bacon is nice and crisp, pour off at least half of the rendered bacon fat and then add 1 medium diced onion and 1 large minced clove of garlic and cook those to soften up.

Once the onions have softened up, add a pinch of red pepper flakes, 1 cup heavy cream and 1/3 cup vodka and let that reduce down a bit.

After the cream has been reducing along for a couple of minutes, add about 1 pound of cheese tortellini to a large pot of boiling water.

Next, add 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes to the cream and 1 6-ounce bag of baby spinach and continue to cook that along.

Rinse the tomato can with 1/4 cup water and add that liquid to the pan with the tomato, spinach cream and, once the spinach has wilted…and the sauce is nice and hot....and after the cheese tortellini have been boiling along and floating on the surface for 4 minutes or so.....use a slotted utensil to scoop those right into the pot with the tomato vodka sauce.

Serve it up in individual bowls with a little grated parmesan cheese over the top.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Dan Eaton, Finger Lakes YNN, Your News Now, 71 Mt. Hope Avenue, Rochester, New York 14620, February 26, 2011

serves 4-6


approx. 1 pound cheese tortellini (16-20 ounces)
6 slices bacon, diced and cooked until crisp
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup vodka
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 6-ounce bag baby spinach
1/4 cup water
grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Start by crisping up 6 diced slices of bacon in a large, heavy bottomed soup pot and getting another large pot of water going for eventually cooking the tortellini.

Once the bacon is nice and crisp, pour off at least half of the rendered bacon fat and then add 1 medium diced onion and 1 large minced clove of garlic and cook those to soften up.

Once the onions have softened up, add a pinch of red pepper flakes, 1 cup heavy cream and 1/3 cup vodka and let that reduce down a bit.

After the cream has been reducing along for a couple of minutes, add about 1 pound of cheese tortellini to a large pot of boiling water.

Next, add 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes to the cream and 1 6-ounce bag of baby spinach and continue to cook that along.

Rinse the tomato can with 1/4 cup water and add that liquid to the pan with the tomato, spinach cream and, once the spinach has wilted…and the sauce is nice and hot....and after the cheese tortellini have been boiling along and floating on the surface for 4 minutes or so.....use a slotted utensil to scoop those right into the pot with the tomato vodka sauce.

Serve it up in individual bowls with a little grated parmesan cheese over the top.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Dan Eaton, Finger Lakes YNN, Your News Now, 71 Mt. Hope Avenue, Rochester, New York 14620, February 26, 2011

We’ve featured a bacon font before…but never a font MADE of bacon…

Photography and direction by Henry Hargreaves, styling by Sarah Guido.

via Neatorama

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Not to toot my own horn, but I am a pretty darn fine amateur chef. Invitations to my dinner parties are accepted gleefully (or turned down with great regret), and my guests are always generous and effusive in their praise. I find cooking pleasurable and relaxing, and love putting food in front of hungry, happy [...]