Brianna Paulette: Bacon & Puppies

Hello Blog People!

So this past weekend was a busy one! I spent the weekend back at home with my lovely family; soaking up the fabulous weather Nebraska graced us with this weekend, and cooking! Along with writing, I LOVE to cook! A couple of weeks ago I was creeping Pinterest, and found an amazing recipe. Two words. Bacon. Jam. To me, anything with bacon is a winner, and this recipe just happened to have brown sugar and maple syrup in it, so obviously it would have to be a home run. So this weekend I finally had time to whip up this new recipe. I did a few tweaks, and trust me… this one is definitely a home run! No… more than a home run... a GRAND SLAM! This stuff can go on anything! Toast, fried egg sandwiches, grilled chicken… the possibilities are endless! So without further ado… I give you the recipe for BACON JAM!

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
2 medium yellow onions, diced small
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup brewed coffee

Directions
Step 1 In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is lightly browned, about 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet (reserve for another use); add onions and garlic, and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup, and coffee and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up browned bits from skillet with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes. Add bacon and stir to combine.

Step 2 Transfer mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker and cook on high, uncovered, until liquid is syrupy, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Transfer to a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Let cool, then refrigerate in airtight containers, up to 4 weeks.

BACON!!

Simmering those onions and garlic

All mixed together...

Kinda looks like vomit... or poop.. not sure which one... but it tastes SOO good!

Final product! Mmm Mmmm GOOD!

My special tweak to this recipe was instead of using regular bacon… I used Chipotle bacon. Fortunately, my parents own a meat processing plant, so it was very good quality bacon and flavored perfectly! It also gave the jam a little zing, which balanced out the sweetness. I do plan on trying this with regular bacon though, and I’m pretty sure that’s all I will be eating for the next year…. Oops.

On a side note, my family just got a new puppy! I’m sure you figured that out from the name of the post (no I did not use puppies while making my jam… yikes!) Her name is Penny, and she is the most adorable puppy on the face of this planet!! (Even though she can be a pain… and literally chews up everything she gets her cute little paws on!) So... I leave you with her adorableness…