Just Add Bacon.

It should be no surprise to any of you that I love bacon. It is one-third of the name of this blog. I believe that bacon is an integral part of any meal. If eggs aren’t sitting on the same plate as several delicious strips of bacon, then what is the point? If scallops aren’t wrapped in a mouthwatering, thick cut of meat, don’t bother offering them to me. If a cheeseburger doesn’t have juicy, greasy strips of bacon on top of that cheese, you might as well send it back to the kitchen because I am not interested in eating it. I like bacon on top of bacon wrapped in bacon with a side of bacon. Why? Because it is delicious. It is as simple as that.

One of my favorite things about bacon is it’s versatility. One of my favorite things about my friends is their creativity and general enthusiasm for parties with ridiculous themes. I decided to combine the two and create an event simply titled: Bacon Bourbon Fest. The only requirement for guests was to bring an item involving either bacon or bourbon. The results were heavenly.

Caramel bacon chocolate marshmallow whiskey bark. See picture above. As civilized adults, we began by cutting pieces of bark with a knife. That lasted about 2.5 seconds before we began digging in with forks and finger, shoveling the gooey, incredible bark into our mouths.

Bacon wrapped Ikea meatballs. The best thing about going to Ikea is, well, everything. However, the most delicious thing about Ikea is the meatballs. One guest wrapped these bad boys in bacon, turning what was already enticing into something incredible.

Bacon wrapped scallops. Ron Swanson once described bacon-wrapped shrimp by saying, “That’s my number one favorite food wrapped around my number three favorite food.” and while I respect his love of shrimp, bacon-wrapped scallops are far better.

Bacon wrapped lil’ smokies. Cocktail wieners wrapped in bacon covered in brown sugar. HOW CAN ONE NOT LOVE THIS DISH?! These disappeared before most of the guests even arrived. I may or may not have eaten a dozen of them. You can find the recipe here.

Homemade pita chips cooked in bacon fat. Probably one of the best items at the party. The pita chips had just a hint of bacon to them. It didn’t take long before guests began dipping the pita chips in the bark, simultaneously causing all of their organs to shut down.

Bourbon balls. Bourbon, vanilla wafers, cocoa. Yes, they’re that simple. This guest had a heavy hand when making his dessert. Each ball was bourbon with a hint of chocolate. It was like an explosion of flavor in your mouth. I can’t stop thinking about it. You can find the recipe here.

Vanilla bourbon cupcakes with a bacon surprise. The best kind of bacon is surprise bacon! These cupcakes looked like regular old vanilla cupcakes, however they had a bacon center. Incredible. Just incredible.

Chocolate Jack Daniels cupcakes. These cupcakes call for equal parts coffee and whiskey, however, I was concerned the coffee flavor would overpower the whiskey. So I tripled the amount of whiskey. You can find the recipe here.

Candied Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies. These cookies are the classic Nestle Tollhouse cookie recipe with a twist. First, you cook up candied bacon (which is incredibly easy!) then add the bacon pieces to the cookie dough and bake. Simple and delectable. You can find the recipe here.

The party was a huge success. An abundance of food and bourbon combined with a great group of friends. We all crashed by 1 AM and woke up the next day with a whole new kind of hangover: the result of too much meat, too much sugar and just enough booze. I highly suggest you invite a couple friends over and test out these recipes on them, if they don’t already love you, they will after you shove whiskey soaked cupcakes in their mouths.

- Suzie Robb
@suzierobb