Just the word alone, conjures up wonderful smells, popping sounds, and salty mouthwatering flavors.  So if you’re looking for a little bacon diversity you’ll love these bacon recipes and ideas from three of the B&B Inn Owners, who are part of the wonderful eight women who own award winning inns around the U.S., and call themselves the eight broads, and who wrote a fabulous cookbook, “Eight Broads in the Kitchen”.  Who better to share bacon advice? Visit their web site.

Bacon Tips from Yvonne Martin, The White Oak Inn

Here are just a few of my favorite ways to prepare or use bacon.   Please feel free to add more ideas of your own.

Peppered Bacon:    Lay bacon slices flat in a skillet or on a baking sheet.   Sprinkle with 6-pepper blend and black pepper.   (Six pepper blend can be found in the spice section of many stores).   Fry or bake as usual

Candied Bacon:    Take about 12 slices of thick cut bacon.  Put in a zip-loc bag along with a teaspoon of black pepper and 1/2 cup of brown sugar.   Close the bag and shake to thoroughly coat the bacon with brown sugar.    Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.   Arrange the bacon in a single layer.   Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes or until crisp.  (the length of time needed will vary depending on the thickness of the bacon.)

Bacon Bits. I often cook bacon very crispy and then break into small pieces and store in the refrigerator.   I add bacon pieces to egg salad or chicken salad sandwich fillings.   I also sprinkle on my salads and mix in with guacamole or chip dips.

Bacon and peanut butter sandwich.

Speaking of sandwiches – two of my favorite bacon sandwiches  – peanut butter and bacon on toast, and BLT made with fried green tomatoes.

And even though I KNOW it’s artery-clogging, my favorite accompaniment to a traditional bacon and egg breakfast is red tomato slices fried in the bacon grease.

Darn, I just made myself hungry.

Yvonne Martin, The White Oak Inn

Skewered Bacon from Debbie Mosimann Swift Woods Inn

Our favorite way to make it is on skewers, baked served as a side to a sweet breakfast of waffles or pancakes with variations include a sprinkling of coarsely ground pepper before baking, or topping with brown sugar and pecans. I am sure as I make my way through this book I will find numerous other ways to showcase this favorite breakfast treat. Just a note to using good quality bacon. Well cured bacon has less water content than its less expensive alternatives. It will shrink less and works much better for these skewers.

Skewered bacon

INGREDIENTS
2 slices well cured bacon, per skewer

1-2 bamboo skewers per person

DIRECTIONS
Thread 2 slices of bacon onto each bamboo skewer. Do not soak in water prior to using as the fat from the bacon will work fine. The ends of the skewers brown some but they do not burn.

Place on a baking pan propping the one end of the skewer on the edge. This allows the fat to drain off as they bake.

Bake 25-30 minuites in a 325-350 oven. Check after 15 minuites as bacon differes greatly and thinner slices will brown more quickly. It is finished when uniformly brown and crisp.

 Bacon Glazed with Dijon Mustard and Brown Sugar from Kristie Rosset Lookout Point Lakeside Inn

Guests always request seconds of this uniquely topped bacon. The recipe is so easy!

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 pound bacon, thick sliced

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lay bacon strips on foil lined rimmed baking sheet (15x10x1). Brush each bacon slice with dijon mustard. Heavily sprinkle brown sugar on top of the dijon. Bake approximately 45 minutes or until desired crispness of bacon. Remove bacon to a plate lined with bread to absorb the grease and keep warm until ready to serve on fresh plate.

Hint: We always cook bacon in the oven on a foil lined baking sheet. Clean up is a breeze! Simply remove bacon, allow grease to cool, then carefully fold up foil to discard.