What can I say about International Bacon Day 2009? It was so fun. It was muy delicioso! I am too exhausted to really even think about it. I CAN tell you that no fewer than 43 pounds of bacon went into the event, and no one left with an empty belly. I will tease you with a few photos here, but a more full and informative report will be forthcoming. Likely over the course of many days.
These bacon caramels made by Naseem were the #1 hit of the day. There have been a ton of hits to this page since the event…everyone wanted the recipe. They melted slowly in the heat of the day, but that didn’t make them any less scrumptious.
The bacon goat cheese lollipops got mixed reviews. What did I learn while making them? Grinding bacon, toasted pecans and fresh basil together makes your whole house smell like heaven.
Finally, the chocolate fountain. You simply cannot go wrong with a bubbling fountain of warm, semi-sweet chocolate. And yes, chocolate-dipped bacon is delicious. The big debate was this: Does that prove that everything tastes better with bacon? Or that anything tastes good dipped in chocolate? There was much disagreement.
I hardly know where to start with my thank yous. Wendy was my hero, my champion, my getter of all needful things. Thank you, Wendy. This event would have been a disaster without you. My co-conspirator Naseem. Thank you for planning and shopping and cooking and designing all the t-shirts and signage and EVERYTHING! Your work really took the event up a notch or fifty. The Genesis West team, Maurie and Holly. Thank you for inventing and baking the amazing array of bacon cookies (more to follow…you’ll want these recipes!) And of course our army of volunteers who manned the door and the bar and helped with set-up and tear-down: Cameron, Parry, Sarah, Sheri, Krista, Julia, Brian, Natalia, Ryan, and my brother Matt. You were like a dream come true.
Last but not least, thank you to all those who attended! It was great to meet you and share the beautiful day. And for those who didn’t get to RSVP before it sold out, mark your calendars for next year: September 4, 2010. I’m already in talks with Nicolaysen Winery about their potential involvement…I promise you, you will NOT want to miss it!
