Trader Joe’s does it again with Black Forest Bacon
Posted by Mike Farley (05/02/2013 @ 5:25 pm)
It seems like every week when we visit Trader Joe’s for a family grocery shopping experience, there are new products that catch my attention and somehow become pulled by gravity into the shopping cart. This can be good and bad–good because more often than not, it’s something delicious and unique or both. Bad because it’s typically something we want to eat and not stop eating.
Such is the case with Trader Joe’s Black Forest Bacon. You know what’s crazy though? There is almost no information on this stuff online. It’s like they are sort of trying to keep it top-secret. Which is fine, because that means more for me and for my wife. But mostly for me (shhhhh). I did find this contest on Food & Wine and while there are some TJ’s bacons on here, I don’t have to try anything on this list to know that the Black Label will whip their bacon asses all up and down that page.
Why is it so good? Well, it crisps up beautifully, meaning it’s tender and the fat becomes something of a liquid pork rind (which is, well, what it is), and the bacon slice itself is bursting with flavor and crispness. It also has no fake taste whatsoever, as it’s real smoked and uncured and has a nice dry rub, but it’s even more remarkable that even if you slightly burn it (which you almost have to to get it crisp), it doesn’t even taste burnt. I don’t know how they do it, but they do, and they do so in my house almost every day lately. We now buy two packs at a time, and might ramp up to three this weekend. I mean, you never know when you will have a bacon emergency, right?
Posted in: Grocery stores, Product Reviews, Your Kitchen
Tags: bacon, bacon contests, bacon for guys, best bacon ever, best bacon on the planet, crispy bacon, delicious bacon, food for dudes, Grub For Guys, guilty pleasure, midnight snack, Trader Joe's, Trader Joe's Black Label Uncured Dry Rub Bacon
Bacon and egg torpedo
Posted by Mike Farley (12/20/2012 @ 11:16 pm)
Sometimes you just gotta eat a pile of bacon. I didn’t know what I wanted for breakfast this morning, and pulled out some bacon. I took four thick slices out and cut them in half, and put them on the bacon tray. So that meant 8 short slices of delicious bacon. Now what? I spotted some hot dog rolls, and then it came to me–a little sub of sorts…..a torpedo. Of course, sometimes you have to accent the bacon with a scrambled egg, and you have to then accent that with cheese. So I stacked the bacon on the bun, put the egg on top and the cheese on top of that, and closed it up.
Bam–the bacon and egg torpedo. If I would have thought about it, and if I wasn’t so hungry that I didn’t have time to look for them, I would have thinly sliced up some jalapeno too for some good, clean heat. But hey, it was still pretty good.
Posted in: Food on a Budget, Ingredients, Recipes, Tailgating, Your Kitchen
Tags: bacon, bacon and egg sandwich, bacon and eggs, bacon egg and cheese, bacon sandwich, cheese, delicious bacon, easy breakfast, easy breakfast sandwich, eggs, hot dog bun, Jalapeno, lots of bacon
Nick Offerman’s Slam Poem to Bacon
Posted by Mike Farley (09/20/2012 @ 10:09 pm)
This is hilarious. I don’t watch Parks and Recreaction, but I do eat bacon. And I love bacon. I also love funny videos, and funny poetry videos. Funny poetry videos about bacon are even funnier. Anyway, watch Nick Offerman’s “Slam Poem to Bacon” and see if you don’t want to go “slam” some bacon immediately afterward.
Posted in: Food TV, Video
Tags: bacon, bacon video, College Humor, funny bacon videos, funny video about bacon, funny videos about bacon, funny videos for dudes, Nick Offerman, Nick Offerman Slam Poem to Bacon, Parks and Recreation, Slam Poem to Bacon, slam poems
Easy Awesomeness: Trader Joe’s Bacon Wrapped Dates
Posted by Mike Farley (04/13/2012 @ 11:13 pm)
 You are likely getting tired of hearing me pimp Trader Joe’s, but their awesomeness became even more awesome when my wife got me a Trader Joe’s Companion Cookbook for my birthday. Then last week we got the Trader Joe’s cookbook, the bigger one. And the recipes are insanely good. We tried a few already but one that is truly great and easy is the bacon wrapped dates.
I found a link to the recipe at a gluten free website, which is interesting because we are researching a gluten free diet as a possibility for our son with autism. And hey, he loves bacon too, so maybe he would like this recipe, as picky of an eater as he is.
Seriously though, I made some of these the other day and they are as good as they look and as good as they sound. Make sure you have foil under the rack so that the grease drips down onto something disposable. And you don’t have to shop at Trader Joe’s to make these, although the dates they sell are perfect for this recipe.
Posted in: Food on a Budget, Grocery stores, On the Grille, Product Reviews, Recipes
Tags: bacon, bacon recipes for guys, bacon wrapped dates, cooking for dudes, cooking with bacon, dates, easy appetizers, easy bacon appetizer, easy bacon recipe, Grub For Guys, guilty pleasures, midnight snacks, Trader Joe's, Trader Joe's cookbook
Sometimes ya gotta love the French
Posted by Mike Farley (03/26/2012 @ 8:01 pm)
Sometimes the French get a bad rap. Even sometimes in our American minds, when the stereotype of skinny, stuck up wine-drinking cheese eaters conflicts with the vision of our core audience on Bullz-Eye.com, which is more chubby, loud, beer-swilling, bratwurst and Velveeta folks.
But let’s face it–the French make some damn good food, and we sometimes need to give them some love for it.
Such an instance reared its head in my world this past Saturday, as I was heading to the eye doctor. I’d never been to this doctor, and his offices are located in a strip mall here in Madison. Before I walked in, I noticed a French bakery next door, and it was hopping. So as I’m having flashing lights shone in my eyes, and puffs of air shot at my eyes, and having to read these tiny letters on a chart, and picking out glasses (by the way, when did the price of eyeglasses become akin to buying a television?)–all the while I’m thinking about that bakery and wondering what they might have. It didn’t help that my eye appointment was at noon and I was starving.
I went into the bakery and literally the women behind the counter all had thick French accents. This place was REAL. It’s called La Baguette, by the way. First I noticed some fruit tarts….something I don’t normally eat, but they looked amazing. Then I noticed these croissants…real ones, not the thin grocery store croissants. But next to those were something sort of round and croissant looking. I asked one of the ladies behind the counter what they were and she replied in her French accent, “chocolate croissant.” Are you kidding me? Count me in. I bought one of those, two plain croissants and a pear tart. Then I noticed the row of baguettes, and had to have one. It was warm and right out of the oven. Wow. I told the lady I would buy more if I stood there longer, and she said, “Please take your time!”
Needless to say, the baked goods from La Baguette were amazing. I managed to not eat all of it on the ride home, so my wife and I made a nice sandwich with the baguette, and we ate the chocolate croissant for dessert. The next morning we split the pear tart, and then while my wife ran out to an appointment, I made a fantastic breakfast sandwich using a croissant (see photo). I made some bacon, and cooked an overeasy egg and put those right on the croissant, and it was amazing. It helped that I had the perfect vehicle, but the bacon and egg came out perfectly, and that doesn’t always happen.
So hey, for right now anyway, I salute the French and their food. I also salute La Baguette, where I will return when I pick up my glasses next week.
Posted in: Chefs and Restaurants, Grocery stores, Product Reviews
Tags: awesome French bakery, bacon, baguette, breakfast food, breakfast sandwich recipe, chocolate croissant, croissants, easy breakfast sandwich, eggs, eye doctor, food, French Bakery, French bread, French food, guilty pleasure, La Baguette, midnight snack, pear tart, sandwich
Maple cheddar
Posted by Mike Farley (12/26/2011 @ 9:03 pm)
Okay, so if you don’t live in Wisconsin, this might be a bit more difficult to relate to. But on a recent visit to the most awesome Brennan’s Market, I came across a new flavor of cheddar–maple cheddar. It’s cheddar cheese literally infused with maple syrup. I was a bit skeptical but when one of the employees asked me if I needed help and then saw the maple cheddar in my basket, she said that was her favorite. Okay, if I was ambivalent before, now I was sold. And I was already imagining what to do with this cheese.
I had also picked up some thick cut bacon at Brennan’s, and so my breakfast the next morning was an open faced bacon/cheese melt using the bacon and the maple cheddar. And as you might expect, it was awesome. Of course, you can make this with any type of cheese, but this maple cheese gave it that hint of sweetness, and it was subtle, as if you were eating pancakes and some of the syrup slid onto your sandwich. Yum.
And it’s simple–just cook 2-3 slices of bacon. Cut a thick slice or two of crusty Italian bread, top with the bacon and some shredded cheese, and broil or toast for about 2-3 minutes or until the cheese melts and is bubbly.
Posted in: Grocery stores, Ingredients, On the Grille, Recipes, Your Kitchen
Tags: bacon, bacon and cheese, breakfast food, breakfast sandwich, cheddar, easy breakfast, easy breakfast sandwich, food for dudes, Grub For Guys, Italian bread, maple cheddar, thick cut bacon
Quick breakfast frito pie
Posted by Mike Farley (11/21/2011 @ 11:08 pm)
Don’t tell your cardiologist about this one. Also, don’t tell my doctor, either. But I whipped this up this past weekend and it was too delicious not to share with you. And it’s real easy. It also was the perfect breakfast after I had a few beers Friday night.
First, take a generous handful of Frito’s and put then in a shallow bowl. Cook 2 slices of bacon in the microwave (or as you would normally cook bacon) for about 2 minutes or until crisp. Cut 3-4 slabs of Velveeta off a hunk and cut that into smaller cubes. Sprinkle over the Fritos and nuke for about 30 seconds. Crumble bacon on top of Frito mixture. Meanwhile, spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and warm over medium heat. Crack an egg (or two) into the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the whites are set and yolk is still runny. Slide egg(s) onto the top of the Frito mixture and sprinkle with hot sauce. Serve with a big glass of OJ or big mug of coffee, and enjoy (trust me, you will!).
Posted in: Food on a Budget, Grocery stores, Ingredients, On the Grille, Recipes, Tailgating, Your Kitchen
Tags: bacon, breakfast, breakfast Frito pie, cheese, easy breakfast, easy breakfast recipe, eggs, food for dudes, Frito pie, Fritos, Grub For Guys, hangover food, hot sauce, Velveeta
Bacon woes
Posted by Mike Farley (10/11/2011 @ 8:25 pm)
I had good intentions with another bacon recipe to post this past weekend, but lo and behold, not every recipe I develop is any good. My plan was to take refrigerated crescent rolls, and fill them with bacon and sausage and cheese. Mmmmm, breakfast-y goodness, right? Well, not really, and this makes me wonder how many recipes out there that are really good actually fail sometimes and fail as miserably as my breakfast sandwich.
I cooked a bunch of bacon, and our 4-year old son ate more of it than I needed. That’s my boy. I was left with two slices. I cooked a link of turkey breakfast sausage. Then I took the rolls out or should I say, Mrs. Mike and I (mostly her) had to fight to open the package, which should have been our first sign. I won’t say the brand, because I don’t want to throw anyone under the bus here, but I will say this–the crescent rolls I bought were butter flavored. Now, you’d think that anything’s better with butter, right? The catch here is I don’t think it’s real butter we’re talking about.
Anyway, I assembled the roll by pinching two triangles together to make a rectangle, and then I laid down some cheese, bacon and the sausage link and rolled that sucker up. I baked it for a few minutes longer than what the recipe suggested, and took a bite. B-L-E-C-H. I took another bite. B-L-E-C-H. It was the butter flavored roll, not anything else that made it disgusting. I imagine that with normal crescent rolls or biscuits, this sandwich would taste really good. But I haven’t recovered from that vile butter taste to give it a go.
I will say this, though…..it’s been fun writing about bacon and coming up with recipes, so why not extend bacon week for another little while? I’ll be preoccupied for a few days but will deliver more bacon posts next week and into the following week before turning our attention to Halloween candy. Sound good? I thought so.
Posted in: Grocery stores, Ingredients, Recipes, Your Kitchen
Tags: bacon, Bacon Week, biscuits, breakfast sandwich, butter, butter flavored crescent rolls, cheese, crescent rolls, dude food, food for dudes, Grub For Guys, sausage, turkey sausage
Maple-y bacon breakfast sandwich
Posted by Mike Farley (10/06/2011 @ 9:47 pm)
Psst, don’t tell your cardiologist about this one.
Last week, I saw Eggo French Toast Waffles, which are more of a waffle and less like French toast (the key is there is maple syrup baked in), in the freezer case at the grocery store. I thought our 4-year old would like these, so I picked them up. Then of course, I realized it’s bacon week and anything goes.
So this morning, I toasted two of these “waffles,” and scrambled some eggs. I cooked up two slices of thick cut bacon in the microwave. When the pillows of maple goodness were toasted, I put a slice of cheese down on one of them, then topped with the scrambled eggs and the bacon slices and put the other waffle on top. And there you have a breakfast sandwich that is every bit as tasty as it sounds, and looks (above).
Posted in: Grocery stores, Ingredients, On the Grille, Recipes, Tailgating, Your Kitchen
Tags: bacon, bacon egg and cheese, breakfast, breakfast sandwich, breakfast sandwich recipe, cheese, dude food, easy bacon sandwich, Eggo waffles, eggs, food for dudes, French toast, French toast waffles, Grub For Guys, maple bacon sandwich, maple syrup
Classic BLT
Posted by Mike Farley (10/04/2011 @ 8:48 pm)
One of the best things about bacon is the BLT–bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich. I’m not quite sure why it all goes together, but it does. You can come up with all kinds of variations, but to me, the simplest form of BLT is the best–bacon, iceberg lettuce, ripe tomato, and mayo on white bread or a white roll. Today I bought some white sandwich rolls and ate two of them, pictured above.
Here is how to do it. First, cook some bacon (yesterday we went over a few ways to do this). I chose to make two kinds–Oscar Mayer center cut bacon and a maple bacon I found today. I mixed the two on my sandwich and they came out amazing. After cooking the bacon (2-4 slices per sandwich), spread some mayo on the bread. Layer cooked bacon, tomato and lettuce, and that’s it! You can add a bit of salt and pepper if you like, or use rye or wheat bread, or even use a wrap, but the basic flavors are key.
Okay, on to come up with more bacon ideas!
Posted in: Food on a Budget, Grocery stores, Ingredients, On the Grille, Recipes, Your Kitchen
Tags: bacon, bacon lettuce and tomato, bacon recipe, bacon sandwich, Bacon Week, BLT, BLT recipe, lettuce, maple bacon, mayo, Oscar Mayer, sandwich, sandwich recipes, tomato
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