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Forget Groucho Marx. Club Bacon is Calling My Name

By on July 8, 2014

 

 

I always thought Groucho Marx had it right when he said, “I refuse to  join any club that would have me for a member.”groucho-marx-quotes-2x

That’s been pretty much my stand on clubs for a number of years.  But I don’t know.  I may have to reconsider.  A bunch of smarty-pants marketing guys have figured out that the one thing bacon lovers needed was their own club.  Hence,  on May 12, 2014, a new club known as The Farmland Bacon Club went live.  All the lonely lovers of bacon could come out of the closet, and join the club.  And join they did.  Within 6 weeks of launch there were 25,000 members, and the site, www.farmlandbaconclub.com/, had enjoyed 150,000 page views.  Should you care to shed your cape of secrecy and join,  just go to your computer,  yes you can go in the dark of night and not tell one soul that you know.  Join up.  Bacon Lovers Unite.  Cause whether you fry it,  or bake it,  or make lardons out of it for salads or sautés, bacon these days is hot.

bacon closeup

What is it that makes bacon so delicious?  Its become kind of received wisdom that bacon was bad for you,  so of course,  we all wanted it more than ever.

And as the Paleo diet has gained credibility,   almost everybody wants their favorite forbidden food,  bacon.

A friend of mine, Joanna Pruess,  wrote a swell cookbook called  Seduced By Bacon.  She even includes a bacon ice cream ercipe that she swears is delicious.

And we haven’t even discussed the bacon roses,  which can be made by rolling up bacon, putting cheese in the bottom of muffin tins then adding the bacon and baking it.  Flip it over. Voila! A bacon rose you can actually put on a stem and create your own bacon bouquet.  Ah yes.  The porcine wonders.bacon-rose-tipped-2

Or the actor who loves bacon so much he took it for his stage name.  Kevin Bacon!  And he even has a band.  Such is the power of bacon.

Kevin Bacon

And if you want to read deeply about bacon and its natural partner,  brown whiskey,  check out this fabulous website called, whiskeybacon.com/

 But for me,  the best use of bacon is in a salad.  While the original calls for raw broccoli,  I prefer to nuke it in the microwave about a minute then put it into ice water to retain the bright green color.  That just works so well against that gorgeous bacon.  Check out the flavors.  I like the one with pepper.  You may prefer the one with maple syrup.  there are lots of choices.

bacon farmland peppered thick cut bacon

 

Bacon and Broccoli Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 8
• 2/3 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 (16-oz.) pkg. Farmland® Hickory Smoked Bacon – Classic Cut
• 2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 6 cups (about 1 head) chopped fresh broccoli
• 1 (8-oz.) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1/2 cup lowfat mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup plain, lowfat yogurt

Preparation
1.Cook bacon until crisp; drain and crumble. Combine bacon, broccoli, onion and water chestnuts in mixing bowl.
2.Blend mayonnaise, yogurt, sugar and vinegar together in separate small bowl. Add mayonnaise mixture to broccoli salad; mix thoroughly.

Notes
Salad may be made ahead and refrigerated 2 to 3 days.

Nutrition Info Per Serving

Calories 196

 

 

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About Linda Eckhardt

Linda West Eckhardt, is an award winning journalist, food writer, and nutritionist. Her more than 20 cookbooks have garnered prizes including the James Beard prize for the best cookbook for a text she wrote with her daughter, Katherine West DeFoyd, entitled Entertaining 101, Doubleday. Their follow-up book, Stylish One Dish Dinners, Doubleday, was also nominated for a James Beard prize. Their next book, The High Protein Cookbook, Clarkson Potter, remains a best seller after 12 years. That book was designed to accompany low carb diet plans. Her ground-breaking book, Bread in Half The Time, Broadway Books, was named the Best Cookbook in America by the prestigious IACP, The Julia Child award. Her award winning radio work with Jennifer English, for a national show on the Food and Wine radio network, was nominated for a James Beard Prize for a show called, “I Know What You Ate Last Summer.”