Bacon mmmmm

Jon loves bacon. Seriously. His life would be so dull if he didn't have bacon. He tells me his goal to to be like "Pops" from the movie Grumpy Old Men. At one point Pops is grocery shopping with his son and grabs about a dozen packs of bacon, throws them in the cart, and declares, "I'm done."

This is Jon's idea of grocery shopping as well. We stand at the wall-o-bacon for a good 5-10 minutes every single Monday when we go get groceries. If you are ever looking for us in a grocery store, check the bacon wall first. (Followed by the cheese wall, which is my favorite...)

Jon constantly quotes this scene from Grumpier Old Men between Pops and his son John to me:

Pops: Well let me tell you something now, Johnny. Last Thursday, I turned 95 years old. And I never exercised a day in my life. Every morning, I wake up, and I smoke a cigarette. And then I eat five strips of bacon. And for lunch, I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack?
John: Bacon.
Pops: Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. Now according to all of them flat-belly experts, I should've took a dirt nap like thirty years ago. But each year comes and goes, and I'm still here. Ha! And they keep dyin'. You know? Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me. Just goes to show you, huh?
John: What?
Pops: Huh?
John: Goes to show you what?
Pops: Well it just goes... what the hell are you talkin' about?
John: Well you said you drink beer, you eat bacon and you smoke cigarettes, and you outlive most of the experts.
Pops: Yeah?
John: I thought maybe there was a moral.
Pops: No, there ain't no moral. I just like that story. That's all. Like that story.

I suppose it's the simple things in life right?

Well, I try to incorporate bacon into things for him once and a while. I found a recipe for an appetizer that has bacon and cheese wrapped in puff pastry. I made it, changed it a bit, and now proudly present it to you :)

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friend. Cheers!


Bacon & Chicken Pockets
Makes 32
56 calories per pocket

8oz light Chive & Onion flavor Cream Cheese
1/2 c shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
12oz can dice chicken breast in water, drained
1/3 c cooked crumbled bacon- Oscar Meyer real bacon bits work well
2 TBS finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
32 wonton skins, such as Nasoya (usually found in the produce section)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Warm cream cheese in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to soften.

Place in a mixing bowl with mozzarella cheese, chicken, bacon, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir to combine and set aside.

Get a small bowl of water and set to the side near a clean work surface. Take out 3-4 wonton skins. Place 2 tsp of filling on each wonton. Dip clean fingers in the water and run along the edges of the wonton. Fold corner to corner to make a triangle shaped pocket. Press the three seams to seal. You may want to gently press the seams with a fork to secure.

Place on a prepared cookie sheet. Repeat until finished. Spritz lightly with cooking spray. Bake 10-15 minutes until the wontons are golden brown and the filling is bubbly.