No one normal can live without bacon

     I have never met a man that did not love bacon.  For that matter, I have never met a person that did not love bacon.  I hear they exists, these bacon haters, but I have never met one.  My precious daughter-in- law has been a vegetarian off and on for quite some time.  She wants to hate bacon, but, she can not.  It is too delicious, too smokey, and too versatile.  Bacon is good on everything.  I have started making my pancakes with bacon bits cooked right into the cake.  Forget serving it on the side.  Put the gift from heaven right in the batter.  Cover it with syrup and cry with delight when you take the first bite.  I have even started substituting the oil in the pancake recipe for bacon grease.  Warning...don't try this if you want to live past 50. 

     The problem is that bacon has gone up so much in the past year.  I used to be able to get a full pound of bacon for $1.99.  Now I will admit this was not thick slices or even consistent slices.  It was a brand called Corn King.  It was very unpredictable, but the taste was consistent.  In the past year they have decreased their package size to 12 oz. and have raised the price to 2 pkgs.  for 5 dollars.  That is if it is on sale, which is the only time I will buy it.  I got to a point that I could not bring myself to buy bacon.   The solution.  Crest and Wal-Mart have a thing called ends and pieces.  It is 3 full lbs. of bacon loveliness.  It is very unpredictable but, I have never ever been disappointed.  You get more meat and less fat.  It is like buying the center cut bacon.  The only thing is you have to sort it yourself.  It is vacuum packed in hunks.  I get it and bring it home and sort it through.  There is a bag for bacon bits, one for seasoning bits, and one for slices.  It takes about 10 min. to sort it through.  I cook the bacon bits all at one time and bag them up and freeze them.  In the long run it saves me time.  I bag up the fattiest pieces in handfuls for beans.  You never have to buy smoked hocks again.  Then I sort out the perfect slices.  This time I have about 2 lbs. of very lean slices.  I have never been disappointed in the amount of meat vs. fat.
     Bacon is not a luxury.  It is very much a necessity.  Men can not live for long periods of time without  bacon.  Don't let the rise in prices stop you from satisfying your man.  They need bacon.