Thursday, September 27, 2012

For the Love of Bacon

In honor of what we may soon pay a fortune to indulge in, I offer the following.



Not creepy at all. Nope.



Cocky bacon. I'd still eat it.



Where's the rainbow?



Better question: how stoned are they?



How is this news?



For... war.



Now we're just lying to ourselves.



Bacon-wrapped... extra long french fries?



What could possibly go wrong?


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

All Hail, the Shortage of Bacon

As if the election hubub weren't enough, the panic mill is screeching about a potential bacon shortage. Or at the very least, skyrocketing prices.

My advice: buy now, thaw later. And while doing both, please sing this song.


Thursday, September 13, 2012

Goodness How Delicious

A few years ago in Florida, while driving from Jacksonville to the center of the state to visit my mom, I came across an entirely new culinary masterpiece. A southern tradition:


Yep, that's right: boiled peanuts.

They were sold off the tail gate of a pickup truck in a dusty spot on the side of the road.

I liked them. A LOT. They are salty, oddly meaty, slightly strange, and weirdly delicious.

They are also very easy to make if you can find raw peanuts in your neck of the woods. All you do is take 4-5 pounds of peanuts in the shell, cover them with 6 quarts of water, add a cup of salt, and boil them for 2-4 hours (or longer if you like them sooooooofffftttt.)

But don't take my word for it. Just listen to Burl and Johnny:


Goodness how delicious!

More Food Holidays! Pshew.


I hunted through nearly all my vintage cookbooks and couldn't find a single entry for Grasshopper Pie. Thought that would be a shoe in for Creme de Menthe day, but no luck. Must be a newer invention than I'd thought!

Turns out that there are multiple national food holiday calendars, and thank goodness, I found two additional days for this week!


Luckily for me I found out that today is National Peanut Day. Peanuts should be easy. Plus Saturday is National Linguine Day.

With these new entries, I'll head back to my cookbooks and post something later today.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Hot Cross Buns and Other Treats of the Week


 This week's national food holidays include:
  • September 11 National Hot Cross Bun Day 
  • September 12 National Chocolate Milkshake Day 
  • September 14 National Cream-Filled Donut Day 
  • September 15 National Creme de Menthe Day
Check back soon for a celebratory recipe. Which food item do you think I'll pick?

Saturday, September 8, 2012

National Cheese Pizza Day Take 2

All right, so I'm not quite over National Cheese Pizza Day. I'm declaring it a week right here from my little corner of Massachusetts.

Today's version doesn't include hot dogs, which may relieve you. It comes from Betty Crocker's 1967 New Outdoor Cookbook (reprinted in 1973.)


Here's the title page, which includes an illustration of a groovy patio that I'd like to own some day.


And here's a photo of the finished result.

  
It looks pretty amazing, doesn't it? Reminds me of the grilled pizza fad from the last few years. Plus it looks like simple, classic, "real Italian" pizza, the kind I imagine enjoying in an osteria in Naples.

Sadly, looks can be deceiving. Take a peek at the recipe and you'll see what I mean.


Yep, you read it right. Catsup. Or Ketchup, if you prefer.

And bisquit mix. Again.

The page itself is bumpy and dimpled from some sort of exposure to water. Perhaps it was left open on a picnic table in the rain, while Mom fried bacon for Squaw Corn. Or perhaps they are the marks of tears, shed from a heart that yearns for cheese pizza.

Real cheese pizza.