Friends! Family! // Friends?... Family?...

Remember me? I'm the girl that was eaten by her small, gray, cubicle months ago, never to be seen or heard from again. Well I'm back to blogger land, and if I may say so myself, it feels pretty good.

It has been quite the eventful past few months! Ben and I finished our summer with three weeks of visitors, including a great time with my parents, and his mother. There have been camping trips, projects completed (and a few awaiting their completion), books have been read, school has begun, job promotions, culinary adventures, and work. Lots and lots of work.

family snuggle party

There's loads I could write about that's happened in the last few months, but I'll skip straight away to the most important of events, which of course has to do with food. In this case, Bacon Jam.

That's right, you heard me read correctly. Bacon Jam.

A friend send me a link to a recipe which I tweaked and now wonder how I've lived so long without experiencing the joy that is minced bacon spread. Think of it as Bacon Pâté, and it suddenly seems like a delicacy. And I assure you, a delicacy it is!

It's actually a really simple process. 

Cook up some bacon (I used 1.5 lbs).

Crumble, and set aside.

Saute a chopped onion and a few cloves of garlic in a tablespoon or so of bacon grease.

Add in 1/3 c of cider vinegar, brown sugar, and coffee (you can buy single serve instant coffee which works great in instances such as this).

A few Tablespoons of maple syrup (I used a praline maple syrup)

A few twists of fresh ground black pepper

a few drops of liquid smoke (this is a new addition to my spice rack, and I love it. Everyone should have liquid smoke in their kitchen.)

Simmer until it comes to a boil. Boil two minutes, reduce heat, and add bacon.

 Simmer 5-10 minutes until liquid evaporates down to a syrup consistency.

Cool five minutes.

Blend in a food processor.

Ta-da!

 

So far it's been tasted on:
toast with a poached egg, bagel with cream cheese, triscuits, and a piece of dark chocolate. The possibilities are endless! Ben has requested it appear on a chocolate cheesecake, so that will most likely be appearing in the near future. Give it a try! You will not regret it.