I don't eat chocolate.
So when my church put on a function entitled "Chocolate Lover's Delight Night," I wasn't exactly .... thrilled. There would be a prize for best tasting, best presentation, and best combination.
My lack of passion, I suppose, is understandable. If I can't eat even one morsel of the incredible spread of chocolate, why go to all the trouble of making a fancy schmancy chocolate dish? For sheer torture, or what? So I told my husband I was going to make a pan of brownies. Better yet, Andrew would make a pan of brownies. Just plain. Ol'. Brownies.
As said hubby and I got to talking, I remembered hearing men were to be the judges. So I started immediately thinking of hearty foods I could possibly put with chocolate. Peanut Butter came to mind, but there would likely be many other chocolate/p.b. combinations. To try for best presentation just made me laugh. I don't have the tools or patience to enter that. Best taste? Meh. Possibly.
Then I remembered a recipe I spotted a few months back ...
chocolate covered bacon!
It was hearty.
It was salty.
It was sweet.
It was a done deal.
And I won the prize for best combination!! Woohoo!!
What did I win?
This:
Serves me right for having a bad attitude about serving others with delicious chocolate, huh?
Nothing a teenage boy won't help get rid of, I suppose ...
Although I can't tell you how the bacon tasted, I will tell you that several men were in favor of it, and not a single piece was left. One teenage girl liked it, and one didn't. So women, eat at your own risk. :)
Here's the recipe, for those of you who are interested in trying it out:
- 12 Servings
- Prep: 20 min. Bake: 20 min.
Ingredients
- 12 thick-sliced bacon strips (about 1 pound)
- 12 wooden skewers (12 inches)
- 6 ounces white candy coating, chopped
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon shortening
- Optional toppings: chopped dried apple chips, apricots and crystallized ginger, finely chopped pecans and pistachios, toasted coconut, kosher salt, brown sugar, cayenne pepper and coarsely ground black pepper
Directions
- Thread each bacon strip onto a wooden skewer. Place on a rack in a large baking pan. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until crisp. Cool completely.
- In a microwave, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Combine chocolate chips and shortening; melt in a microwave and stir until smooth.
- With pastry brushes, coat bacon on both sides with melted coatings. Top each strip as desired. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 1 dozen.
Nutrition Facts: 1 bacon strip (calculated without toppings) equals 212 calories, 14 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 252 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 5 g protein.
Do not, I repeat ... do NOT use cheap, thin sliced bacon or else you'll end up with it looking like the last picture I've posted of the bacon. The thin sliced bacon doesn't thread on the skewers well, and they end up looking like beheaded, sickly cows.
Disturbing, I know.
The beheaded, skinny cows!!
And for your pleasure, here are some of the other entries that night. We've got some super duper bakers at our church!!! Isn't this first one gorgeous?
This one below won best taste!!
Made by my friend, Lynne. So pretty!!
And this won best presentation, of course. Our Pastor's daughter, who recently became engaged, was practicing for the wedding. Haha! You go, girl!
P.S. If you would like to know more about why I'm unable to eat chocolate or bacon, click
here. I didn't want to goober up my pretty post by talking about health problems!
