St Anthony The Great, also referred to as 'the Abbott' was an Egyptian Christian in the pre-Islamic period, who lived in the desert as an anchorite (religious hermit) for part of his life.
His relationship with pigs and patronage of swineherds stems from his work to treat skin diseases. Skin diseases were sometimes treated with applications of pork fat, which reduced inflammation and itching.
Swineherds took Anthony as their patron, and he thus became the patron saint of charcutiers (pork butchers) and also the patron saint of bacon. St Anthony is normally portrayed in pictures with a pig nearby.
Showing posts with label Bacon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bacon. Show all posts
Feb 17, 2012
Feb 3, 2012
More Salt Less Bacon
I think not. Some people are beginning to say that salt is the new bacon. However, bacon is not so hoidy toity. Bacon lovers love bacon and do not need fancy names and additional flavors to make it better. The price of bacon has gone up over twenty percent in the past three years, but that is nothing compared to the price of specialty salts.
New salt types include Himalayan or alder-smoked and many more. Salt is in chocolate, on caramels, and even chocolate covered bacon.
SaltWorks sells Black Hawaiian sea salt, Bolivian Rose salt, Merlot-infused crystals, and Yakima apple wood smoked sea salt. It even has salt and pepper tastings. Some specialty salts can cost $8 per ounce, or $128 per pound. Bacon salt is much cheaper.
New salt types include Himalayan or alder-smoked and many more. Salt is in chocolate, on caramels, and even chocolate covered bacon.
SaltWorks sells Black Hawaiian sea salt, Bolivian Rose salt, Merlot-infused crystals, and Yakima apple wood smoked sea salt. It even has salt and pepper tastings. Some specialty salts can cost $8 per ounce, or $128 per pound. Bacon salt is much cheaper.
Jan 27, 2012
Overdone Bacon
Now I know I must have crossed the line with so many bacon comments. LINK This site page title from Grupthink is 'Mmmm. . . Bacon' and my Bloginalia 2010 book is posted with two other food books.
One more completely useless bit is a comedian talking about bacon (with no reference to me or the book), just bacon. LINK
Sorry, looks like I might have to tone it down a bit in the future. Oh well, publicity is publicity.
One more completely useless bit is a comedian talking about bacon (with no reference to me or the book), just bacon. LINK
Sorry, looks like I might have to tone it down a bit in the future. Oh well, publicity is publicity.
Jan 24, 2012
Jan 3, 2012
A Look Back to 1912
How have things changed in the past one hundred years?
New Mexico and Arizona joined the US as 47th and 48th states.
Here is a political quote from that year, "Former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt wins all the Republican primaries, but party bosses beholden to Wall Street block his nomination by the convention."
Here are a few prices from 1912:
Federal spending 690 million dollars
World Series tickets box seat $5 (Bleacher seats 50 cents)
Chevy six cylinder $2,150
gas 7 cents gallon
Loaf of bread 8 cents
Pound of coffee 15 cents
Dozen eggs 22 cents
Pound of butter 35 cents
Milk 12 cents quart
Ham 15 cents pound
Bacon 16 cents pound
Oreo cookies came to market in 1912
New Mexico and Arizona joined the US as 47th and 48th states.
Here is a political quote from that year, "Former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt wins all the Republican primaries, but party bosses beholden to Wall Street block his nomination by the convention."
Here are a few prices from 1912:
Federal spending 690 million dollars
World Series tickets box seat $5 (Bleacher seats 50 cents)
Chevy six cylinder $2,150
gas 7 cents gallon
Loaf of bread 8 cents
Pound of coffee 15 cents
Dozen eggs 22 cents
Pound of butter 35 cents
Milk 12 cents quart
Ham 15 cents pound
Bacon 16 cents pound
Oreo cookies came to market in 1912
Dec 7, 2011
Bacon and Boobies
We all like bacon and we all like boobies. For some reason, many years ago man introduced pigs to tiny uninhabited Clipperton Island, about 800 miles off Acapulco Mexico.
The pigs soon turned feral and began eating the eggs of the nesting Boobie sea birds. A few years ago, Ken Stager came to count the wildlife on Clipperton and brought with him a shotgun to shoot some birds for a museum. Instead, he saw what the pigs were doing to the birds and used his shotgun to kill all the pigs. True story.
Today Clipperton is host to 40,000 Masked Boobies and 20,000 Brown Boobies, among others, but no pigs and no men. Just goes to show you that if that island had been inhabited by man, who is naturally predisposed to bacon, then man, boobies, and pigs would have all lived in peace and harmony.
The pigs soon turned feral and began eating the eggs of the nesting Boobie sea birds. A few years ago, Ken Stager came to count the wildlife on Clipperton and brought with him a shotgun to shoot some birds for a museum. Instead, he saw what the pigs were doing to the birds and used his shotgun to kill all the pigs. True story.
Today Clipperton is host to 40,000 Masked Boobies and 20,000 Brown Boobies, among others, but no pigs and no men. Just goes to show you that if that island had been inhabited by man, who is naturally predisposed to bacon, then man, boobies, and pigs would have all lived in peace and harmony.
Nov 26, 2011
Bacon Turkey
In case you missed it, here is a nice pic to make your mouth water all over again.
Also, warm up your leftover turkey in the oven with a few strips of bacon draped on top. It enhances the flavor. Partially cook the bacon first, so you do not overheat the leftover turkey.
Update - Bud sent this along to one-up me - Bacon covered Turducken, chicken stuffed in duck stuffed in a 15 lb. turkey, all nicely packaged in pork bacon. The bacon isn't just on the outside. The chicken pieces were wrapped in it then the duck was bundled in bacon, and then the turkey was lovingly covered in more bacon, resulting in a total of five pounds of the porcine product. Mmmm!
Also, warm up your leftover turkey in the oven with a few strips of bacon draped on top. It enhances the flavor. Partially cook the bacon first, so you do not overheat the leftover turkey.
Update - Bud sent this along to one-up me - Bacon covered Turducken, chicken stuffed in duck stuffed in a 15 lb. turkey, all nicely packaged in pork bacon. The bacon isn't just on the outside. The chicken pieces were wrapped in it then the duck was bundled in bacon, and then the turkey was lovingly covered in more bacon, resulting in a total of five pounds of the porcine product. Mmmm!
Recruiting With Bacon
Another reason why I love Google. This week, it set up tables outside of Amazon headquarters to recruit new employees. It hired the ad agency Wexley School for Girls to find a solution.
They set up a food cart outside of Amazon.com’s headquarters and invited workers there to have some free bacon. A bunch of bacon lovers braved the rain for free strips of pepper bacon. They also had toppings of spray cheese, peanut butter, maple syrup and chocolate sauce. Serious candidates can even get a bacon air freshener. How can you not appreciate the unique way to steal employees.
They set up a food cart outside of Amazon.com’s headquarters and invited workers there to have some free bacon. A bunch of bacon lovers braved the rain for free strips of pepper bacon. They also had toppings of spray cheese, peanut butter, maple syrup and chocolate sauce. Serious candidates can even get a bacon air freshener. How can you not appreciate the unique way to steal employees.
Nov 18, 2011
Baconator Dumpling
Just saw this on the web, peanut butter baconator dumpling. Put a gob of peanut butter and some cooked chopped bacon in a potato dumpling and deep fry. Am searching to see if the cook is a long lost relative.
Oct 14, 2011
Bacon Candy
Speaking of natural flavors, for the true bacon lovers, bacon candy has arrived.
If you want something smoky, meaty, and sweet you should try Bacon Candy. 12 bacony treats for $5.95. Mmmm.
If you want something smoky, meaty, and sweet you should try Bacon Candy. 12 bacony treats for $5.95. Mmmm.
Sep 21, 2011
Another Use For Bacon
Cook other meals with bacon as a nonsticker. One bacon strip is all you need to keep your meatloaf from sticking to the pan while it cooks. Place a strip on the bottom of a cooking pan to stop meatloaf and other casseroles from sticking. Works great for flour or bread dishes to also make them less sticky.
Sep 16, 2011
Consume Carbs
British researchers found that eating concentrated doses of carbohydrates and protein after some "over indulgence" can speed up your metabolism and provide the amino acids needed to start feeling better. BLT for breakfast, anyone?
Any amateur college biologist will suggest "heavy" or "greasy" food the morning after a long night out, as it "soaks up" the remaining alcohol in your system, or something like that. Newcastle University researchers suggest that age-old remedy is rooted in how the protein provided by bacon and other meats is broken down into amino acids, which in turn replenish the neurotransmitters depleted by a long night of drinking.
Any amateur college biologist will suggest "heavy" or "greasy" food the morning after a long night out, as it "soaks up" the remaining alcohol in your system, or something like that. Newcastle University researchers suggest that age-old remedy is rooted in how the protein provided by bacon and other meats is broken down into amino acids, which in turn replenish the neurotransmitters depleted by a long night of drinking.
Sep 7, 2011
Waffle Bacon
According to some people, waffle irons make the
best bacon. They point out that in a pan, the fat and meat shrink
and cook at different rates. The waffle iron pulls away bacon grease
in its nooks and notches. You can easily pour it off or leave a thin
layer of bacony goodness on for seriously delectable home-style
waffles. Mmmmm!
Aug 13, 2011
Vanilla Extract
Here is a trick that some realtors use to get rid of unpleasant odors and make a house smell better. Put two caps full of vanilla extract in a coffee cup, then place it in the microwave or the oven at 300 degrees for about one hour. Within twenty minutes the whole house smells pleasant. If it gets too strong, turn it off sooner. I found that cooking bacon has the same pleasant effect for many people.
Aug 5, 2011
Fatty Foods and Emotions
A new study published in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation tells why people tend to turn to fatty foods in order to boost their emotional state and reduce feelings of sadness.
Researchers say fatty foods, like chocolate, fries, etc., create a biological change in your body to reduce feelings of sadness.
They recruited 12 healthy and non-obese participants who were shown images of people with sad expressions while listening to one minute clips of sad classical music selections, while hooked up to fMRI scans to monitor brain activity. The participants were also hooked up to a feeding tube, with half fed the fatty acid found in Twinkies, and the other half fed a saline liquid.
During the test, participants were asked at four different times to rate their levels of hunger, fullness and mood. The results showed those who received the saline were twice as sad than the fatty acid group, but there was no difference in hunger of fullness.
The fMRI scans also confirmed the findings that participants who received the fatty acid solution showed dampened activity in the areas of the brain that are connected to emotions and feelings of sadness. I like this kind of study, eat fat, be happy! Maybe that is why bacon lovers are happier.
Researchers say fatty foods, like chocolate, fries, etc., create a biological change in your body to reduce feelings of sadness.
They recruited 12 healthy and non-obese participants who were shown images of people with sad expressions while listening to one minute clips of sad classical music selections, while hooked up to fMRI scans to monitor brain activity. The participants were also hooked up to a feeding tube, with half fed the fatty acid found in Twinkies, and the other half fed a saline liquid.
During the test, participants were asked at four different times to rate their levels of hunger, fullness and mood. The results showed those who received the saline were twice as sad than the fatty acid group, but there was no difference in hunger of fullness.
The fMRI scans also confirmed the findings that participants who received the fatty acid solution showed dampened activity in the areas of the brain that are connected to emotions and feelings of sadness. I like this kind of study, eat fat, be happy! Maybe that is why bacon lovers are happier.
Jul 29, 2011
Meat Labeling
Food manufacturers are now pushing the federal government for more truthful labeling that would allow them to tell consumers clearly that some products contain nitrate and nitrite, from natural rather than synthetic sources. The current rules require products that derive the preservatives from natural sources to prominently place the words “Uncured” and “No nitrates or nitrites added” on the label even though they are cured and do contain the chemicals.
A study published earlier this year in The Journal of Food Protection found that natural hot dogs had anywhere from one-half to ten times the amount of nitrite that conventional hot dogs contained. Natural bacon had from about a third as much nitrite as a conventional brand to more than twice as much.
The current U.S.D.A. labeling rules require natural products to indicate there may be naturally occurring nitrate or nitrite, but it often appears in small print. When combined with the more prominently displayed “No nitrates or nitrites added” banner, many consumers are left scratching their heads.
The U.S.D.A. responded by limiting the amount of nitrate and nitrite that goes into processed meats, and today they contain far less than they did 40 years ago.
However, scientists have gained more understanding of the role of nitrate and nitrite in human health and have discovered the preservatives also have benefits, for example, in the healthy functioning of the cardiovascular and immune systems.
Some in the meat industry have seized on these discoveries to dismiss as outdated, the link between nitrite in processed meat and cancer. They insist processed meats are safe. Sounds good to me, bacon and hot dogs need more nitrates and nitrites, like the good ol' days.
A study published earlier this year in The Journal of Food Protection found that natural hot dogs had anywhere from one-half to ten times the amount of nitrite that conventional hot dogs contained. Natural bacon had from about a third as much nitrite as a conventional brand to more than twice as much.
The current U.S.D.A. labeling rules require natural products to indicate there may be naturally occurring nitrate or nitrite, but it often appears in small print. When combined with the more prominently displayed “No nitrates or nitrites added” banner, many consumers are left scratching their heads.
The U.S.D.A. responded by limiting the amount of nitrate and nitrite that goes into processed meats, and today they contain far less than they did 40 years ago.
However, scientists have gained more understanding of the role of nitrate and nitrite in human health and have discovered the preservatives also have benefits, for example, in the healthy functioning of the cardiovascular and immune systems.
Some in the meat industry have seized on these discoveries to dismiss as outdated, the link between nitrite in processed meat and cancer. They insist processed meats are safe. Sounds good to me, bacon and hot dogs need more nitrates and nitrites, like the good ol' days.
Jul 26, 2011
Eleven Bacon Facts
Americans consume an average of 18 pounds of bacon per year.
BLT became popular after WWII when lettuce and tomatoes became available in stores all year.
Oscar Mayer patented packages sliced bacon in 1924.
Over $2 billion of packaged,sliced bacon is consumed each year.
Guanciale is an Italian specialty bacon made from pigs cheeks.
A single serving of bacon is considered three medium slices and it has only 100 calories.
90.4% of the Brits have bacon in their homes.
In USA bacon is eaten 70% breakfast, 11% lunch, 17% dinner, and 2% snack.
A side of unsliced bacon was once known as a flitch, but now is known as a slab.
An individual slice of bacon is a slice or strip.
The term rasher of bacon is occasionally found on restaurant menus and means a serving, typically several slices.
BLT became popular after WWII when lettuce and tomatoes became available in stores all year.
Oscar Mayer patented packages sliced bacon in 1924.
Over $2 billion of packaged,sliced bacon is consumed each year.
Guanciale is an Italian specialty bacon made from pigs cheeks.
A single serving of bacon is considered three medium slices and it has only 100 calories.
90.4% of the Brits have bacon in their homes.
In USA bacon is eaten 70% breakfast, 11% lunch, 17% dinner, and 2% snack.
A side of unsliced bacon was once known as a flitch, but now is known as a slab.
An individual slice of bacon is a slice or strip.
The term rasher of bacon is occasionally found on restaurant menus and means a serving, typically several slices.
Jul 19, 2011
Bacon Guitar
For those who might be interested, here is a LINK that shows how you can make your own, along with a song from the author, "Bacon Loves Blues." Am sure you can play some crispy sounds on this instrument.
Google What Do You Love
Here is another Google feature that is fun. It is called What Do You Love, or WDYL. Looks like a Google search page, but shows results in categories. It has latest news, books, start a discussion group, pictures, dates for events, blogs, 3D, translation, maps, patents, and more. You can enter a name, word, topic, such as bacon, or anything you can search for in Google. Just another fun way to find out about those things you love. LINK
Jul 5, 2011
Beverly Hills Bacon
In an exclusive upscale Beverly Hills hotel bar called simply
£10. Here is the table setting. Notice the center of the table with the bacon in the glass along with the other bar munchies. A bit of class in the glass.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)