Caramelized Pear and Blue Cheese Soup

It's time for another warm comforting bowl of soup for these cold winter days! At first this pear and blue cheese soup might sound a little strange but the combination of pears and blue cheese can be a magical one; the trick is that you need to be careful not to overpower the delicate flavour of the pears with the strong flavour of the blue cheese. This soup starts off by caramelizing the pears in butter and brown sugar to add a little to their sweetness and to bring out more of the pears flavours. From there the recipe is pretty much a simple soup recipe where you cook some onions, garlic and thyme before adding the broth along with some potatoes to thicken the soup a bit, simmer until tender, puree and add the blue cheese along with some cream. I have to say that the sweet pear and savoury blue cheese combo is an absolutely fabulous one and it works amazingly well in this soup! As good as the soup is just like that it benefits from the saltiness from a garnish of some crispy fried pancetta or bacon; a must in my books! No matter how you make it, this soup is pure comfort food that will warm your soul through the dead of winter!

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Chipotle Sweet Potato and Black Bean Hash with Guacamole

Up next for my menu for the Big Game is a hearty, tasty and healthy sweet potato and black bean hash topped with a simple guacamole for breakfast to ensure that you start the day off right! (Although I will be making this for the big game it is perfect any time of the year!) This hash is super simple to make, it starts with bacon (omit for vegetarian), followed by onions, garlic, cumin, chipotle chili powder, the sweet potatoes and finally the black beans before being topped with a simple guacamole. The key to a quick cooking time is to dice the sweet potatoes small as the larger the sweet potato cubes are the longer it will take to cook them until tender. I like to keep things simple and go with an avocado topping with lime juice and salt but if you want something a little more complex you can go with a more robust guacamole. Of course pretty much everything is better when topped with a fried egg so I like throw some on as well and that gives me a trio of my favourite foods: bacon, eggs and avocado all on a tasty bed of sweet potato and black bean hash! Feel free to add any other extras like sour cream, salsa, cheese, etc.

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Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Double Smoked Bacon

It's time for another side dish and this time it's one using one of my favourite fall green vegetables, brussels sprouts, in a parmesan roasted brussels sprouts dish. Ever since I discovered just how magical roasted brussels sprouts are I try to roast them every chance I get! Roasting the brussels sprouts brings out their flavour, mellows the slight bitterness and caramelizes the edges and those caramelized bits are the best part! This roasted brussels sprouts dish could not be easier to make, you simply slice or quarter the brussels sprouts (I prefer to slice so that there is more surface area to caramelize but quartering is quicker.), toss them in some oil along with chopped garlic, roast them, sprinkle on the parmesan and return them to the oven until the parmesan is all melted and good. Given my bacon addiction and how well bacon and brussels sprouts go together I almost always add bacon and a touch of lemon zest brightens things up a bit! In addition to being super easy to make, you can do most of the prep work a few days ahead of time and even roast the brussels sprout a few hours early and return them to the oven briefly to warm when ready to serve so this side dish is perfect for large meals like Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner!

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Slow Roasted Tomato Bacon Jam

With all of the filed ripened tomatoes around right now it is the perfect time for making sauces but I was thinking about something a little different, a tomato jam and with bacon day coming I was thinking that a tomato jam / bacon jam hybrid would be perfect! As nice as the field ripened tomatoes are they can be made even better by roasting them to caramelize them and bring out their flavour so I threw them into the oven and slow roasted them until they were starting to shrivel up and caramelize but still juicy on the inside. (Roasting the tomatoes also allows you to use those dull and drab winter hot house tomatoes to good effect!) Up next of course was the bacon followed by some of the usual jam suspects including brown sugar and maple syrup as sweeteners, a bit of vinegar for some tang and I threw in some chipotle chilies in adobo for a touch of heat. Once everything has simmered for a while on the stove all that is left is to puree to the jam desired consistency. Of course this slow roasted tomato bacon jam is absolutely fabulous on toast topped with a fried egg for breakfast and if you are looking for other ways to use it, take a look below the recipe for some more ideas.

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Bacon Day Recipes

I can't believe that it's here already, one of my favourite days of the year, Bacon Day! This Saturday bacon day where we celebrate one of my favourite foods, bacon! On this most hallowed of days bacon addicts people gather together to enjoy dishes that include bacon and if you were wondering what you are going to serve at your bacon day party, boy do I have some ideas for you! From the more than 150 bacon recipes that I have shared on my site I have selected some of my favourites that are sure to make any bacon day party great! Bacon isn't just for sitting next to your eggs for breakfast, it's a really versatile food and this roundup includes everything from sandwiches to pastas, soups, salads, dips, snacks, sides, pies, pizzas and even sweet things like pancakes and cookies so you can easily eat bacon all day long! No matter what you decide to serve at your bacon day celebrations I hope that it's baconlicious!

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Strawberry Bruschetta with Bacon, Candied Pecans and Goat Cheese with a Balsamic Drizzle

These strawberry bruschetta with bacon, candied pecans and goat cheese with a balsamic drizzle combine some of my favourite flavours and they are perfect for summer entertaining! Normally I would use these ingredients in a salad but they also work well in bruschetta form as finger food when entertaining. The juicy strawberries pair perfectly with the creamy goat cheese, the salty bacon and the tart balsamic vinegar and I like to top everything off with a touch of fresh basil to brighten things up! The candied pecans add a nice sweet crunch, though you could easily substitute regular pecans.

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Blackened Shrimp and Fried Green Tomato Po Boy Salad

The blackened shrimp and fried green tomato po'boy is one of my favourite sandwiches and when I found myself thinking that it would also make a great salad I just had to try it. The po'boy submarine style sandwich can have pretty much much anything in it with common ingredients being fried seafood but this flavour combo is what I usually go with so that's where I started the salad out. The shrimp are simply tossed in some creole seasoning and then cooked at a high temperature in a pan and the fried green tomatoes are just sliced green tomatoes that are dipped in buttermilk followed by flour and/or cornmeal and fried until golden brown. The rest of the salad composed of lettuce and ripe tomatoes and I could not resist throwing some bacon into the mix! The final component of the salad is a tasty remoulade sauce thinned down a bit with buttermilk to make into more of a dressing. The po'boy sandwich salad experiment was a complete success with all of the flavours working well together and working well in salad form; I know I will be making this salad a lot in the future!

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Strawberry and Avocado Salad with Strawberry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

It's time for another salad recipe and this time it's a strawberry and avocado salad with strawberry poppy seed vinaigrette! Strawberries work so well in salads and I find myself making them on a near weekly basis all summer long! This salad combines so many of my favourite ingredients from the strawberries to the avocados, the BACON, and feta and the dressing is just so tasty and summery fresh! The strawberry poppy seed vinaigrette uses fresh strawberries with white balsamic vinegar, honey, tamari, mustard, garlic and a touch of sriracha for some spicy heat and it is just perfect on this strawberry salad!

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Roasted Asparagus and Mushroom Carbonara

The other day I found myself thinking about making one of my favourite summer dishes, asparagus carbonara, and I thought that if I was making it anyways why not update the photos for the older recipe? I was all set to go when I remembered the roasted cauliflower and mushroom carbonara and I knew that a roasted asparagus and mushroom carbonara would be amazing since asparagus and mushrooms are such a fabulous combination! This carbonara recipe is pretty easy where you just need to cook the bacon while the vegetable roast and the pasta cooks and then you mix everything together with the sauce. As much as I enjoy the cauliflower version I think I like this asparagus one even better and it just screams summer!

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Eggs Benedict with Bacon, Avodaise (Avocado Hollandaise) and Harissa

Avocados have to be one of my favourite foods so when I came across the idea of an avocado hollandaise sauce I just had to try it! A hollandaise sauce is a lemony sauce that is made by emulsifying eggs with a ton of butter that is decadently good but a little rich so a lighter and healthier version using avocados sounded amazing! This avocado hollandaise, I am going to call it an avodaise sauce, is a super simple mixture of pureed avocado and lemon juice along with some water to thin it to the consistency of a sauce and simply irresistible.

One of the classic dishes that a hollandaise sauce is used in is eggs benedict, consisting of english muffins, ham and poached eggs in addition to the sauce, and it was the perfect dish to try the avodaise sauce on. Although ham is great in eggs benedict, bacon goes so well with avocados so I could not resist going with that instead and I added a hit of harissa for a spicy kick. I have to say that this avodaise sauce is even better than the original and it is absolutely divine in bacon eggs benedict!

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Strawberry, Bacon and Goat Cheese Strata with Balsamic Syrup

This weekend is Mother's Day and over the next few days I will be trying out some new recipes for breakfast in bed for mom or a special brunch and up first is this sweet and savoury strawberry strata! (A strata is essentially a bread pudding where bread is soaked in a custard filling of milk and eggs and baked until it sets.) For this strata I was going for aspects of both sweet and savoury by combining strawberries with bacon and goat cheese. I start the recipe off with a loaf of King's Hawaiian Sweet Bread which is perfect as it's sweetness complements the strawberries! This recipe is super easy to make; once you have everything mixed up you simply need to bake it; anyone can make it for mom! The strata is finished off by topping it with fresh sliced strawberries and a balsamic syrup made by reducing balsamic vinegar and sugar until it thickens and it's sweetness and tartness perfectly complements the sweet and savoury strata.

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Jalapeno Popper Deviled Eggs

Looking for a last minute Easter appetizer idea? You can't go wrong with deviled eggs and why not make them a little more interesting by making them with all of the flavours of bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers? These deviled eggs are stuffed with the mashed egg yolks, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, jalapenos and bacon and then they are sprinkled with even more cheddar cheese before some brief time under the broiler to melt the cheese! Who says you can't enjoy one of your favourite game day snacks at your family holiday? These deviled eggs taste just like jalapeno poppers and they will make the perfect addition to any holiday spread!

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One Pot Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole

I guess I missed the whole one-pot craze that went around awhile ago but I did bookmark a few recipes to try including this one-pot cheeseburger casserole from Damn Delicious. What's not to love about one-pot recipes? I am all for anything that helps cut down on the number of dishes that I need to wash and I am really into using cheeseburger flavours in interesting new dishes so this one-pot cheeseburger casserole was right up my alley. I started the casserole off with, you guessed it, bacon, because no self respecting burger can go without bacon! Up next is the beef and onions followed by a tomato base, pasta and beef broth for the liquid to cook the pasta. The casserole is seasoned with some common burger garnishes including ketchup and mustard and I like to add a hit of worcestershire sauce to my burger patties so that was in as well. Overall this cheeseburger casserole is super easy to make, you simply cook the bacon, cook the beef, throw everything into the pot and simmer until the pasta is cooked before throwing on the cheese to melt on top. The cheeseburger casserole would be amazing all by itself but why not garnish it with some fresh toppings and I like to go with some of my favourite burger topping including fresh tomatoes and diced pickles.

Check out below the recipe for more bacon cheeseburger recipe ideas!

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Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Carbonara

Carbonara is an Italian pasta dish consisting of egg, bacon, fresh cracked black pepper and cheese and I am a huge fan of it; it's so quick and easy to make and so amazingly good! One of the things that I like about it is that you can easily add things, like vegetables, and I figured that it was past time to make a carbonara with my new favourite vegetable, cauliflower. Of course, I could not resist roasting the cauliflower to give it that caramelized flavour and I also brought cauliflowers best fried, mushrooms, to the roasting pan! Once the vegetables are roasted you really just need to cook the bacon (I used pancetta this time) and pasta and toss everything together! The trick to carbonara is that you want to mix the egg sauce with the hot pasta, bacon and pasta water so that the eggs 'cook' without scrambling, which is actually pretty easy! This roasted cauliflower and mushroom carbonara might just be my favourite carbonara yet!

Check out below the recipe for some more carbonara pasta recipes!

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Spinach and Artichoke Dip Pasta

After making the spinach and artichoke dip soup I could not help but think that it would also make an amazing pasta, and I hardly need an excuse to fit more of that fantastic dip into my meals! For this pasta I started with mac and cheese style sauce except instead of using cheddar I went with spinach and artichoke dip flavours including cream cheese, parmesan and mozzarella. With the tasty cheese sauce made all that was left was to add the spinach and artichokes to complete the pasta. (I like to go with fresh chopped baby spinach but frozen spinach would also work and it's pantry friendly.) This spinach and artichoke pasta comes together in less than 30 minutes making it a perfect weeknight meal and it's so addictively good! (ps. No, I didn't forget the bacon, scroll down a bit!)

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Oysters Rockefeller

Oysters are something that I always enjoy, though I rarely make them at home since they take a bit of effort but for a special occasion like Valentine's Day they are definitely worth it! You really cannot go wrong with raw oysters but I like them even more when they are baked with butter and garlic and if you throw in some spinach and bacon things get even better! Oysters Rockefeller is an oyster dish where the oysters are topped with a mixture of spinach, butter and garlic along with a crispy bread crumb topping and it is surprisingly easy to make at home. Oysters can be a little challenging to shuck but once you get them open everything else is easy, you pretty much just need to melt the butter, wilt the spinach, place it in the oysters, top with bread crumbs and bake! Of course I like to add a little bacon to the mix, and who doesn't? These Oysters Rockefeller are a great way to start off your Valentine's Day dinner and who knows where it will go from there!

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Creamed Corn with Roasted Red Peppers and Bacon

I am always on the lookout for tasty new side dish recipes to add to my box so when I came across the idea of creamed corn, think creamed spinach except with corn, on Picky Palate I just had to try it. I mean, you really cannot go wrong taking sweet corn and placing it in a creamy cheese sauce but then to add sweet and smoky roasted red peppers and bacon really takes this side over the edge! This creamed corn is super easy to make and you can even make it a day ahead and then just reheat it making it perfect for reducing the load for a big holiday meal! I am sure that this creamed corn with roasted red peppers and bacon will be a hit with any meal and it will be one of the first dishes to disappear from the table!

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Bacon in a Mustard Cream Sauce

Although the main course usually gets a lot of focus for special holiday dinners it's also important to have some tasty sides and these roasted brussels sprouts and bacon in a creamy mustard sauce are a great way to go! This brussels sprout side dish is super easy to make where you pretty much just need to roast the brussels sprouts, cook the bacon and make the sauce. You could go with steamed brussels sprouts for this dish but roasting them really helps to bring out their flavour. The sauce is nice and simple and yet it's just packed with flavour! It starts out with some onions and garlic followed by some flour to thicken the sauce, some milk, the grainy mustard and a hit of miso before it is finished off with some parmesan cheese. You really cannot go wrong with this roasted brussels sprout side dish as a side for your special holiday meal!

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Bacon Maple Shortbread

Shortbread has to be one of my favourite cookies for the holidays and you can be sure that there will be several different kinds on my holiday cookie platter! Not only is it melt in your mouth buttery delicious but it is also super easy to make! One of my favourite things about shortbread is that it's so easy to add flavours to it and I always have fun dreaming up new flavour combinations. This year I had a new idea for shortbread and it was to add one of my all time favourite foods, bacon! When I was a kid I accidentally discovered that adding maple syrup to the pan when cooking bacon made for a dreamy combination of sweet and savoury and I could not resist using that combo in the bacon shortbread. The recipe for this shortbread is a pretty basic shortbread recipe with the addition of the bacon and swapping out the sugar for maple syrup and of course I needed to add a bit more flour to compensate for the liquid in the syrup. I think that I have found a new favourite shortbread! This maple bacon shortbread is a fabulous combination of sweet and savoury and they simply melt away in your mouth!

Next I am thinking that a chocolate dipped bacon shortbread is in order!

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Jalapeno Popper Chicken Soup

These days I have been all about soups and it was about time to try a soup that has been on my mind for a while now, a jalapeno popper inspired soup! Jalapeno poppers are jalapenos that are stuffed with cheese and either breaded and deep fried until crispy or wrapped in bacon and grilled and I figured that a soup with a the flavours of these tasty little treats would be simply amazing. With the flavours already set this recipe pretty much writes itself! Everything starts out with the jalapenos, cream cheese, cheddar and of course the bacon which is added to a broth and although this would make for a pretty good soup all by itself I wanted to bulk it out a bit and I decided to do so by adding chicken, white beans and a bit of corn. With this we have almost every aspect of the jalapeno popper covered but we are still missing that crunch of the breaded deep fried popper which I added by serving the soup with tortilla chips, either for crumbling on top or for dipping and scooping!

I just had to make this soup now because we are throwing our friend Bev, from Bev Cooks, a virtual baby shower and I know how much she enjoys spicy food! Congratulations Bev! Check out below for links to all of the other tasty recipes made for Bev's shower!

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