Grilled Pepper, Bacon and Brown Rice Salad with Dill Dressing

Interesting summer salads are key to quell summer boredom. I'm a huge fan of greens and urge you to get them into your daily intake.  But for a little variety try moving away from the world of lettuce and toss in something grilled.

A sticky brown rice mingling with grilled peppers, all coated with bright fresh dill dressing - it's hearty, fresh and delicious with a touch of smokey. A great option that matches anything else you're grilling.

Kiss your salads with a taste of the grill- your guests will thank you for it.

Spiced Candied Bacon on a Stick with Chocolate Drizzle

The end of summer is near and that means everyone is going to try to get in a final few barbecue parties before the first snow. Okay, maybe it really is too early to actually reference snow, but what I'm getting at is that you need look at these next few outdoor parties with reckless abandon. Go out with a bang. Throw caution to wind and get ready to WOW with bacon on a stick.

Bacon on a stick isn't exactly the healthiest thing I've ever made, but  everything in moderation is key. A little maple syrup, a thick slice of bacon and a dollop of chocolate - it's an appetizer and a dessert all rolled into one. It's a bacon bouquet. It's food art.

Fire up the oven or grill, warm the chocolate and tape your mouth shut so you don't accidentally eat all the bacon sticks before you get them to the party. These Chocolate Maple Bacon Sticks WILL be the hit of the party. We need more meats on sticks.

Pink Peppercorn, Cherry and Bacon Compote

       Yes, I've made bacon jam before.
   Yes, I do realize these are supposed to be the dog days of detox.
Yes, I anticipate reinventing bacon jam at least one more time. Maybe two.

In this version of bacon compote (or jam), the pink peppercorns reign supreme while the bacon gives that subtle, smokey pork thing that gives depth and makes us temporarily lose our wits enough to spout drunken marriage proposals to stubby legged animals. Fresh cherries are stewed into a luscious, rich sauce binding it all together.

Serve with a tangy goat cheese for an amazing bacon jam bruschetta, add to sandwiches, top burgers, dollop on roasted chicken, mix into meatloaf and chili or inhale with a spoon... just get this in your belly!

In small doses, bacon compote will give you a little reprieve from your New Years diet and the fat and happy strength to carry on.

Thanksgiving Leftovers - Leek, Turkey and Horseradish Mac n Cheese with Cripy Speck and Potato Chips

Leftovers are hands down the best thing about a giant Thanksgiving feast. It's important to be creative so boredom between two slices of bread doesn't take away your eating enjoyment.


This macaroni and cheese recipe is the perfect place for leftover turkey. But don't stop there- use up onions, celery, peppers, even cranberries... have fun with it! The horseradish gives it a peppy zing.

Keep your holiday eating fest going with this yummy fat and happy horseradish macaroni and cheese. Just be sure to get in your workout, this one is worth it.

Autumn Maple Ice Cream with Sugared Pancetta

Contrary to popular belief, beer and ice cream do mix. Last year, The Bruery released their version of a pumpkin beer called Autumn Maple and I couldn't wait to cook with it.


Rather than pumpkins, this beer is brewed with 17 pounds of yams along with spices and maple syrup. Consider it a bold sipping beer with a big nod to the booze. The warm fall flavors made me think of a holiday ice cream, a holiday beer ice cream. Genius.

Reducing the beer concentrated the spice while the maple syrup adds that remembrance of home. The crispy, candied pancetta adds a smoky, earthy layer along with a little crunch.

Because this beer has the full Autumn feel, I added a couple of coffee beans to help achieve that fantastic part of dinner where dessert-meets-after-dinner-drink-meets-coffee time. Enjoy Autumn through a bowl of creamy Fat and Happy ice cream.

Mahi Mahi over Orange Glazed Swiss Chard

Dave and I have had a tradition of Friday night fish dinners for some time now. When or how this started is a faded memory, though it may have to do with deep seated roots of Friday night fish fry's in small Midwestern towns.

I love a good fish fry, though I can do without all the breading and oil these days. So the challenge is to enhance the fish with a few less calories as well as with fresh, bright flavors.

Tonight mahi mahi sits on a cloud of Swiss chard with a simple orange sauce. Fish and greens can leave a person wanting a little more, pasta fills that void. It gives the dish body and texture. Fresh ingredients shine through without using overpowering seasonings. Sure there is a little bacon grease being used in this dish, but sparingly. And pancetta sounds healthier and fancier than than bacon anyway.

This dish is not limited to Friday nights, so go crazy and try it on a Tuesday! It's a fat and happy fresh fish un-fry.

Portabella and Proscuitto Quesadilla with Red Pepper Tomato Soup

Even in the dog days of summer we are typically greeted with one day of impending chilly fall weather. It's a rare opportunity to let summer produce warm us from the inside.

This proscuitto and portabella mushroom mixture is absolutely fantastic! I don't want another quesadilla without it. But its more than just a filling, I could see this as an omelet filling or a topping for bruschetta or on a big fat juicy steak.

The soup is a simple one chocked full with nutritious veggies; adding the summer squash gives a hearty freshness not found in a typical tomato or pepper soup.

Make any time of the year fat and happy with this delicious soup and quesadilla combo.

Beer Mac n Cheese with Bacon Avocado Topping

Macaroni and cheese. Mac and Cheese. Mac n cheese. Cheesy mac. Doesn't matter what you call it, we are talking about pasta in a cheesy sauce. It's hard to screw up, but there are hundreds of thousands of variations.

This is a go to dish in our house and every time I make it, it ends up different based on available ingredients. In this one, beer becomes a substitute for buttermilk and gruyere gave way to blue cheese.

But without a lick of bread in the house for a crunchy topping, that's where I needed to get creative. All the makings of an avocado salad stared at me and I started to wonder how this would be in a cheesy macaroni? In a beer cheese macaroni? Bacon and tomato, sure that goes with pasta, cheese and beer. Avocado certainly works too. But could an avocado salad sit on top of mac & cheese?  There was only one way to find out.

Pork Tenderloin Wrapped in Bacon

For a while I tried to tell people that bacon 'jumped the shark'. Everybody seemed to be diving on the bacon bandwagon head first- bacon popped up in drinks and chocolate chip cookies, bacon air fresheners were hanging at coworkers desks and bacon gum was offered after meals. I felt like people were intruding on my private bacon love fest and I didn't like it.

So I turned to chorizo- which is spicy Spanish sausage and fun in its' own right. But the truth is, bacon is irreplaceable. The salty, smoky, sweet, crunchy, chewiness cannot be achieved with sausage, or turkey bacon and certainly not a tofu-bacon.

So to add to the deluge of pork recipes, I'm sharing with you my classic pork wrapped bacon (is that an oxymoron?) The bacon seals in the pork and it comes out with finger licking, dripping down the arm juicy.

Yes, there are times that sausage can suffice, and even be the right choice on occasion. But do not overlook the glorious under belly of the pig. And I'm here to tell you that bacon has not jumped anything... certainly not my fat and happy mouth!

Sweet Potato, Pancetta and Blue Cheese Grilled Beer Pizza

A box arrived the other day cradling my first fall beer of the season. Thinking about crisp autumn weather may not be on everyones mind just yet, but for the team at The Bruery, they've taken it off their minds and bottled it already.

Autumn Maple is a bold, seasonal beer made from a traditional Belgian style strain. Brewed with yams (instead of pumpkins) this beer has a serious boozy punch.

Ideas swarmed my head with potential recipes but the flavor of the beer led me down the pizza path. This easy crust recipe offers an earthy warmth to my classic Fat and Happy thin grilled flatbread. The tangy blue cheese sets off the creamy sweet potato and crisp pancetta. The whole concoction is a gorgeous fall mix with a yeasty beer overtone.

When the cool winds arrive, warm from the inside out with a glass of Autumn Maple and a Fat and Happy Beer Pizza.

Eggplant and Bacon Burritos

This is a follow up post to the Chorizo Eggplant Tacos recipe posted earlier this month. Similar to the tacos, these burritos use fresh, organic eggplant to create a super simple, healthy dinner.

The spongy eggplant texture offers an almost mild, mushroom essence that compliments the bacon and tomatoes.

Fat and Happy burritos that are nutritious and delicious!

Bacon Jam, Avocado and Tomato Bruschetta

Hello, my name is Monique. It's been one week since I first made Bacon Jam and I'm addicted. I've eaten it every day for seven days straight in some way, shape or form.

And now I'm going to be an amazing blog friend and share this recipe with you. Actually, the recipe is already on the blog from last weeks Homemade Bacon Roll post, but you'll find it below as well. This Bacon Jam / Jelly / Marmalade is deep, rich and dark with a hint of sweet and spice. It's divine and will change the way you think about about jam!

One of my initial thoughts was how great this would taste with fresh garden tomato. That thought led me to a BLT which ultimately brought me to this Bacon Jam, Avocado and Tomato Bruschetta. I was testing these out as an appetizer and ate so many I couldn't eat dinner!

The uses for this delectable preserve are endless - spread it on a sandwich or burger, top a fresh tomato or smear it on toast and top with a sunny side up egg. Or enjoy it the Fat and Happy way - with a spoon!

Bacon Jam Stuffed Bread Rolls - Recipe Swap

This month's recipe swap is a Jelly Cake - two layers of a spice cake with jelly between the layers. The goal of the swap is to modify the recipe by at least 3 ingredients or modify the method. I wanted to play pretty close to the original ingredients but really deviate from the the idea of a sweet cake.

Two words: Bacon Jam. Or you can call it Bacon Jelly, which is also two words. Either way. My first step was to get away from the sweet, fruit jelly - that's where the bacon jam comes in. Next, my goal was to create a non-cake-like-layered item while using the base cake ingredients.

Add in some yeast, remove the baking soda and cream of tartar, move the spice ingredients to the bacon jelly and WAMO - a rolled homemade bacon jam bun. Successful? Hell yes! It's a Fat and Happy homemade bacon bread recipe that I highly suggest trying today.

Grilled Pork Kabobs and Red Potatoes with a Spicy Tomato Aioli

An afternoon of Spanish tapas and sangria is a favorite way to waste away a day. What seems hard about making tapas at home is the variety you would typically order at the restaurant. That, and the fact the you don't have someone waiting on you refilling an empty glass!

If you think about narrowing down the at-home-tapas night to just two or three dishes at a time, you'll find it more manageable. Once you have those dishes under your belt, you can add more dishes each time you do tapas.

Today I made Grilled Spicy Pork Kabobs, which in the tapas world can also be know as Brochetas de Cerdo (essentially pig on a stick) or Pinchos Morunos (mini meat appetizers served in tapas bar that are heavily spiced). Served with simple Grilled Potatoes and a Spicy Tomato Sauce (which is also known as an Aioli even though this is not technically correct) it's a fun tapas-esque meal.

Cooked on the grill, the pork will achieve a nice crusty spice layer while the insides will remain juicy. With the Spicy Tomato Sauce and marinated pork, the potatoes can be kept pretty simple with just olive oil, salt and pepper.

Mix up a pitcher of sangria (red sangria or white sangria will do), invite the friends over and settle in for for a Fat and Happy Spanish afternoon

Traditional Pasta Making Party

Making homemade ravioli with a house full of friends and family is a tradition from my upbringing. Though miles from home, this custom is alive and well in my house. The goal is to have fun, enjoy the company of friends and make a little pasta. 

Imagine a room full of people working toward a common goal - to eat pasta! Some people need a little coaxing to get their hands dirty and some have flour in their hands before wine.

Wasabi, Bacon Blue and Pesto Deviled Eggs and How to Cook the Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

Like it or not, hard boiled egg season is upon us. Though short, this season is best known for bright and colorful eggs, happy screaming munchkins and overflowing buckets of smelly, green rimmed eggs.

My goal is to put an end to this season. Well, pink and yellow painted eggs - okay, I'll deal. Crazed kids - sure, once a year is fine. But the over-boiled, rubbery, stinky egg has got to stop!

Below I've detail out exactly how to avoid this tragedy ... cue the chirping birds and singing angels. Ok, now you have beautiful, edible hard boiled eggs - what do you do with them? Classic deviled eggs are back in style (did  they really ever go out of style??) and I Fat 'n Happy them up with pesto, wasabi powder and bacon and blue cheese.


Rejoice at this Fat and Happy 'eggxcellent' egg season, it will be gone faster than the candy coated malted milk balls you hide in your sock drawer.

Tips and Techniques: These are loose recipes, taste and adjust according to your own preference. For a creamier filling use a food processor to mix the yolk fillings. I wanted a more rustic feel with a little texture so I mixed mine with fork; for the the pesto I used the mortar and pestle to keep a it little on the chunky side too.

How to cook the most perfect hard boiled eggs and then what to do with them after.

1. Place your eggs in deep saucepan, fill with enough cold water to cover the eggs by about one inch
2. Set the pan over high heat and bring just to a boil
3. Turn the flame down to a slight simmer
4. Simmer for 10 minutes
5. Immediately place the eggs in a bowl with ice water for a minute or two
6. Remove each egg, crack it leaving the shell on and place back in the ice water for about another five minutes
7. Peel your gorgeous eggs and proceed below.


Bacon Blue Eggs
1 - 2 strips of crispy bacon, crumbled
2 tbls blue cheese
1 tsp mustard
2 tbls Greek yogurt
Fresh black pepper
Olive oil or water as needed
3 or 4 hard boiled eggs

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Mix together the yolks, bacon, cheese, mustard and yogurt. Drizzle in a little oil or water to reach desired consistency and add in fresh black pepper.

Taste test; add more or less cheese and bacon based on your preference.

Fill the whites with the bacon blue yolk mixture, top with a tiny crumble of blue cheese and a small bacon crumble. Enjoy the Bacon Blue Cheese Deviled Eggs!

Wasabi Eggs

1 tsp wasabi powder
1 tsp Soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbls Greek yogurt
2-3 hard boiled eggs
1 green onion

Cut the hard boiled eggs in half. Mix the yolks with the wasabi powder, soy sauce, sesame oil and yogurt; drizzle in water until desired consistency is reached.

Taste this, you may want a bit more powder for more heat or more soy sauce for a saltier flavor- Use my measurements as a guide.

Fill the whites with the yolk mixture and top with thinly sliced green onions; enjoy your wasabi deviled eggs!


Pesto Deviled Eggs

These tasty devilish eggs get a kick from basil pesto. Either make a basil pesto or purchase one for ease.
This is just quick version, I used what I had in the house; almonds instead of pine nuts and a little mascarpone for creaminess. Have fun with it!


3-5 hard boiled eggs
3 tbls slivered toasted almonds or pine nuts, save a few for garnish
2-3 tbls Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves (large handful)
2 tbls mascarpone or ricotta cheese
1 garlic clove, chopped
Salt and pepper
Water or olive oil as needed


Make the pesto first. Either in a mortar and pestle or in a small food processor blend the nuts, cheese, basil, mascapone and garlic while drizzling in the olive oil. Season with a bit of salt and pepper as needed.

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise, place the yolks in a bowl. Mix in the pesto and a few drizzles of water or olive oil until the yolk mixture reaches desired consistency.

Fill the whites with the pesto yolk mixture, garnish with a few slivers of toasted nuts and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy the basil pesto deviled eggs!

Bacon and Mustard Greens Pasta

We are heading out of town which means I need to use up all the fridge food. Thankfully I have boxes of whole wheat pasta in the house for such occasions; there are few things as versatile and easy as pasta. You can pretty much pull anything out of the fridge or cupboard and pair with pasta from veggies to meat to wine.

In my fridge is a mixture of a few slices of bacon, a few mustard green leaves and a handful of snap peas along with a few onion pieces and a couple of garlic cloves. Sounds like a tasty bowl of pasta just waiting to be tossed!

This is a loose recipe that should be mixed and matched with what you have available, the amounts are just guidelines rather than hard measurements. No mustard greens?  Use Swiss chard instead. No bacon? How about pancetta or sausage? Because pasta is a basic background staple, you flavor it with what you have available- so it's a great way to use up little odds and ends of vegetables and such. Just saute, toss, top with a little cheese and voila- you have a fat and happy meal and a little cleaner fridge to boot!

Tip and Techniques:  Always save a little of the pasta water to add to your final pasta dish, the starchy water helps to create a sauce and gives it structure.


Bacon and Mustard Greens Pasta

1/2 box of whole wheat pasta
4 slices of bacon
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
4 mustard greens (leaves)
handful of snap peas
handful of cherry tomatoes
2 Tbls fresh thyme
1/4 cup fresh parsley
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper


Cook whole wheat pasta according to package directions.

In the meantime, cook bacon in a large saute pan until desired crispiness is reached. Remove The bacon from pan and set aside. Add the chopped onions to the bacon pan, cook over medium heat until the onion begins to soften and turn translucent. Add in the chopped garlic, pinch of red pepper flakes and the snap peas, toss well. Continuing to cook over medium heat, add in mustard greens and allow them to wilt. Add the tomatoes last along with salt and pepper and thyme, toss well.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Add the pasta, half of the pasta water and the white wine to the mustard green mixture. Simmer for about 5 minutes to meld all the flavors, add in a little more pasta water if needed for a little sauce. Toss in the bacon and parsley. Dress with a good drizzle of olive oil and the Parmesan cheese, serve with a crusty bread.

Recipe Swap: Grandma's Updated Chicken Pie ...aka... BLT Turkey Champagne Pot Pie

The Recipe Swap - take a recipe from a hymnal recipe book and make it your own updated version by changing at least 3 ingredients - sounds right up my alley. The recipe book (Alfred Brumley's All-Day Singin' and Cooking on the Ground) is from the days when exact measurements weren't needed. A pinch of this, a pinch of that and bake till it's done.

I personally love the generality of this type of written recipe because truth be told, it's how I cook. I've had to learn to write measurements down and it's always not always easy.

The Recipe Swap is a brilliant idea from fellow blogger Christianna at Burwell General Store and I'm thrilled to be a part. The chosen recipe is Grandma's Chicken Pie and Drop Biscuits, so essentially two recipes are in play for this swap.

My inspiration to affect Grandma's Chicken Pie came from a classic BLT sandwich. With bacon added to the pie portion, swap the chicken for turkey since we don't eat chicken, mustard greens take the place of the lettuce and oven-roasted thyme tomatoes on the side take on the bulk of the BLT sandwich flavor.

Taking change a step farther, I opted to create a sauce from champagne; it's a fun and lightly sweetened twist that marries surprisingly well with bacon (think hangover breakfast with mimosas).

For the biscuit topping, adding a hint of lemon and brie lighten up a typical heavy-laden topping and are ever so faintly reminiscent of a lightly toasted brioche bread with mayo. It's a hearty, warming, fat and happy comfort meal to be enjoyed now before spring has us all looking for lighter fare.

Below I've listed the gang of fearless food blogger participants, please visit their sites to see their take on the chicken pie recipe; and if you listen closely...very closely, I'll bet you can hear the singing in the background.

Recipe Swap participants:

Christianna: Burwell General Store
Dennis: More than a Mountfull 
Mari: The Unexpected Harvest
Nay: Spicy Living
Toni: Boulder Locavore
Sabrina The Tomato Tart
Jennifer: Adventuresome Kitchen
Shari: Good Food Week
Joy: The Herbed Kitchen
Cindy: Cindy: Tyro Tidbits 


Grandma's Updated Chicken Pie... aka...
BLT Champagne Pot Pie

3 slices bacon plus 2 for topping
1 heaping cup diced yellow onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup shitake mushrooms
1 cup cooked turkey
2 cups champagne
1/2 cup cream
1 tbls butter, room temperature
1 tbls flour
1 cup chopped mustard greens
1 tbls fresh thyme

Chop 3 slices of bacon, cook in a large saucepan until nearly desired crispness is reached. Add in the onions, celery, carrots and dried thyme and saute over medium heat until the onions just begin to soften, about 7 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and cooked turkey, saute another 5 minutes.

Pour the champagne into the pan and let that simmer for a minute.  In the meantime,thoroughly mix the butter and flour together (use a fork or just use your fingers.) Add the butter flour mixture and the cream to pan. Simmer the whole batch  until the sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Place the chopped mustard greens and fresh thyme on top, remove from heat.

Pour the bacon-turkey mixture into a casserole dish. Top with the lemon biscuit mixture (below).  Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes; the biscuits will become brown on top and the creamy mixture will be bubbling on the edges.

While the pot pie is baking, fry up the remaining 2 slices of bacon and crumble.

To serve, place a scoop of the BLT Pot Pie on a shallow bowl, add a couple of roasted tomatoes and top with the crumbled bacon.


Lemon Brie Biscuits

1 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbls sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbls lemon zest
4 tbls chilled butter
2 ounces brie cheese
1 cup buttermilk

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add in the lemon zest, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda. Cut the chilled butter into tiny cubes and add to the flour mixture.  Using your hands, mix the butter into the flour until pea-sized are formed.

Chop the brie cheese, as well as you can chop a very soft cheese anyway, add to the flour mixture and toss.

Slowly drizzle in the buttermilk a little at a time; depending on the humidity of the day, you may need slightly more or less liquid. Using your hand, lightly mix the dough just until it comes together; the dough should be somewhat crumbly rather than one big wet ball.

Pick up sections of the dough and lightly place on top of the pot pie. Bake as directed above (@375 degrees for 40 minutes.)


Oven Roasted Thyme Tomatoes

12 small grape tomatoes
1 tbls olive oil
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tbls flaky salt

Line a small oven pan with tin foil. Lay the tomatoes on the foil and drizzle with the olive oil,lightly toss the tomatoes to cover with the olive oil. Sprinkle the thyme sprigs over the tomatoes. Place in the oven along with with the pot pie (@375 degrees for 40 minutes), bake until the tomatoes just begin to burst. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with flaky salt.

Prosciutto-wrapped Tilapia

 How many times have you had a simple fish fillet only to be left wanting more? I do like fish and I'm all for eating healthy, but that doesn't mean flavorless and unfilling.

Wrapping a healthy tilapia fillet with thinly sliced prosciutto delivers a so much flavor you won't be left feeling hungry and you're not tipping the scales with a lot of extra fat (just a tiny bit isn't a bad thing!) 

Lighter than bacon, the prosciutto salts the fish and becomes crispy while keeping the fish moist.  It takes a minute to wrap the fish and less than 10 to cook.  Quick, simple, healthy meals  - Fat and Happy has never been so easy!

Tips and techniques:  Pair this with a salad for a well rounded meal.

Prosciutto wrapped Tilapia

1 tilapia fillet
2 thin slices of prosciutto
olive oil
Pam
pepper and parsley
lemon wedge

Spray a fry pan with Pam and place over medium high heat. Gently wrap the fish fillet with the prosciutto trying to cover most of the fish, place in the hot pan seam side down. Cook on each side just a few minutes until the prosciutto starts to crisp.

Remove from pan, drizzle with olive oil, fresh black pepper and a pinch of fresh parsley. Enjoy with a lemon wedge.
Serves one.

Chocolate Bacon Caramel Popcorn

Everything tastes better with bacon. This is a sneak peek at my planned New Years Eve dinner dessert. I wondered if a chocolate covered bacon caramel popcorn was regal enough to serve for with an elegant dinner, then I wondered why the hell I was wondering that? Who wouldn't love it, and besides - who cares?

I learned something about popcorn today, it does not pop as well using bacon grease in place of oil. My thought was to impart a hint of 'animal fat' flavor in the popcorn, which it did but only half of the kernels would pop. Now we know.

Rather than cover all the bacon in chocolate, I decided the final recipe needed to include some caramelized bacon as well, it's quite a nice way to highlight the bacon through a range of flavors and textures.

There are no rules of what an elegant dinner is, so have fun with yours by serving this bacon popcorn, just do it in a pretty dessert dish. There's no reason this Fat and Happy recipe has to be limited to New Years Eve, either!

Tips and Techniques: The type of bacon you choose will make a difference, choose a quality smokey bacon.  If your bacon is not smoky, add in a few dashes of liquid smoke and black pepper to the bacon while it is cooking.

Chocolate Covered Bacon Caramel Popcorn

4-6 six cups popcorn, popped (see below for popcorn recipe)
1 cup cashews
10 slices of bacon
3/4 cup dark chocolate (chips are fine)
1 Tbls salt, large crystal
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda

Pop the popcorn, see notes below. Cut each strip of bacon in half lengthwise and the dice it into small pieces.  Fry until crispy and drain on a paper towel. Set aside to cool.

Have a cookie sheet ready, and either grease the pan or line the pan with parchment paper. Bring the brown sugar, butter, salt and corn syrup to a boil. Don't stir after it reaches a boil, let boil for 2 - 3 minutes. Then add vanilla and baking soda and whisk together vigorously.  Add the cashew and 1/4 cup of bacon tot the caramel pot, stir. Quickly and carefully pour over the popcorn and toss.

Bake at 250  degrees for roughly one hour. Take the pan out and carefully toss the popcorn every 15 minutes.  After one hour, take a few kernels out, let them cool and taste it to see if the caramel hardens to your liking.  Remove the pan and let the caramel corn cool.

While the caramel corn is in the oven, cover the bacon in chocolate.  Warm the chocolate until it is melted; toss the remaining bacon into the chocolate and stir. Pour onto a large piece of parchment paper and spread out the bacon as much as possible. Allow the chocolate to cool and harden, chop into smaller pieces if need be. 

Toss the caramel corn with the chocolate covered bacon. Enjoy!

Popping Popcorn on the stove:

1/2 cup popcorn
2 Tbls oil (I used olive oil)
Salt

Pour the oil into a deep pan that has a lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Drop a kernel or two into the oil to test the temperature, the oil is hot enough if the corn is sizzling. If the corn is placed into the oil too early, the kernels will soak up too much oil.

Add the popcorn into the pot, cover with the lid, shake every so often to keep the kernels from burning. When you start to hear the popping, shake the pot and crack the lid to help moisture escape.  (Some kernels may fly out of the pot, but this will keep the popcorn from getting soggy.)  Lift the pan above the heat and shake, return pot to the heat.  Continue until the popping stops and you don't hear kernels rattling on the bottom. Pour out of the pan and sprinkle with salt.