EVERYTHING is Better with Bacon

I have this co worker who when we first met was a vegetarian. She went off and had babies and was on extended family leave. I was thrilled when she returned as she has been  “my person” at work for a long time now.  I remember when she came back,  in conversation I asked if she was still a vegetarian. Her response: “No, the bacon got me! ” I laughed pretty hard and I still think about her and that conversation when people tell me they are vegan or have gone vegetarian.

Before COVID, I took a bread making class at a local cooking store that offered hands on cooking classes after hours. It was fun, but it’s always easier when you are “in the environment” and getting hands on coaching from a Chef. When COVID struck and we were all on lockdown, I, like many, wanted to try making bread from scratch. The problem with that was that at that time everyone decided to do the same thing and yeast was virtually impossible to find. When yeast showed back up on the grocery stores shelves, I realized I had a fear about making bread. I think it was and still is my uncertainly about whether I am kneading the dough hard or long enough. So I got scared off.   I tried a pretty easy Focaccia recipe a few times. But honestly, the desire to bake bread disappeared (although my desire to EAT fresh bread has certainly not dissipated). 

There is one exception to that:  my recipe for Buttermilk Cheddar Bacon Chive Bread. I believe the first time I tried this was before Easter one year and I took it to an Easter potluck dinner. It is also a fav of my son, although he has since moved out, so I haven’t made it very much. Probably because as I have said in previous posts, I prefer to cook over bake. Having said that every once in a while I pull out the Kitchen Aid and whip up a batch of this heavenly goodness and smother it (while still warm) with butter.

Tell me what you think.