Bacon Shortage!

The Mayan calendar predicts 2012 to be the last year that bacon will ever be available…. Well, not really, but it will  be more scarce and thus more expensive due to the recent drought.  While the National Pork Producers Council promises that we will not see “bacon lines”, personally, I do not plan on taking any chances.  I’ll be placing my order for this handy home appliance to ensure that I always have at least 7.0 cubic feet of frozen pork at the ready.

Tourist in my own city

   Have you ever spent a day being a tourist in the city you live in?  After being out of town weekend after weekend for friends' wonderful weddings all summer long, Whit and I thought it was about time for a little vacation in our own favorite city... Chicago.

Bearded Beers

If you have not tried this beer yet, do yourself a favor and pick one up today.  While I'm not usually the biggest fan of New Belgium's lineup, I've really been digging their Belgo India Pale Ale. This addition to the Explore series is perfect for summer drinking with a nice balance between bitter and sweet. Nicely carbonated to keep the drinking smooth, and with a 7%ABV it packs a punch that tends to sneak up on you.

I picked up my sixer at West Lakeview Liquors ,aka The Rooster, on Addison and Leavitt.  This place has an amazing selection of craft brew.  Stop in next time you're looking for some killer beer.

Thank you for the donut, Beaver.

If you see the Beaver's Coffee + Donuts food truck, I highly suggest you give them a try. You can click on the link to see when they will be in your area. Looks like they'll be in River North tomorrow at Flair Tower (Erie/Franklin) from 7-10am.

Bacon Sprouts

I think we all know the one surefire way to always make veggies delicious... add bacon.  I happen to dig Brussels sprouts, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I dig them much more when they're cooked in bacon grease. This is a spin off of the Broccoli side dish at PumpRoom at Public Chicago which is outstanding, and reasonably priced for the area.

Bacon Sprouts:
1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1/2 lb bacon
1/4 cup pistachios shelled and finely chopped
1/4 to 1/2 (depending on desired heat level) medium jalapeno diced 1tpsp ground cayenne
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of cane sugar

Cook bacon (not too crispy) in large pan, drain and set aside. Do not dump bacon grease! Place trimmed and halved Brussels sprouts directly in pan with grease on medium heat. Add jalapeno, pistachios, cayenne, salt, pepper, and sugar.  Cook uncovered until sprouts are carmelized but still firm in the middle, about 13-15 minutes. Chop bacon in 1/2" pieces and mix in to sprouts while in pan.  

Mr. Eggs and I

Whit had to study tonight, so it was on Mr. Eggs and I to cook up something delicious.  There was some sauce and pasta in the cabinet and some spare veggies in the fridge. Nice easy way to make a slightly lame pasta sauce outstandingly delicious.

This is actually one of my weekly go-to sides.  We usually have a loaf of sourdough laying around, so it's nice and easy to cut up some slices and turn them into crispy garlic bread. Credit to my wonderful step mom, Tracy, for this delicious recipe. Sorry for no exact measurements, but I always just apply ingredients to taste.

Sourdough Garlic Bread:

-1 loaf fresh sourdough, sliced thick

-Salted butter

-Extra virgin olive oil

-Coarse ground salt

-Coarse ground pepper

-Garlic salt

-Paprika

Preheat oven to broil. Apply ingredients in order listed to desired taste, I go even distribution of all ingredients. Place sliced bread on broiler pan and slide into broiler for 2-3 minutes.  Keep a close watch on this as the bread can go from perfect to completely burnt in a matter of seconds while in the broiler.