Day Fifty: Everything's Better With Bacon

Tonight was quite the night for food adventures.

First: I made a wonderful treat out of dates, cheese, bacon, and maple syrup. This is, without a doubt, the best way possible to eat a date. It's salty and sweet, creamy and a little crisp: the all-around perfect bite. I shared these stuffed dates with quite a few friends (this weekend, I'm on an annual ski trip with friends from college) and it was a definite crowd pleaser. So while dates have not been my favorite thing (whether fresh or dried), stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon, they are absolutely great.

Second: we went to the restaurant at the foot of the mountain for dinner, and the husband and I shared a plate of pesto shrimp alfredo, which is exactly what it sounds like it is. Noodles, a pesto alfredo sauce, and shrimp. Bigger shrimp than I've been accustomed to, too. Somehow, I thought larger shrimp would have less shrimpy flavor—like they would have the same quantity of shrimpiness as a small shrimp, but distributed through more flesh—but I was wrong. It was fine, but I still can't seem to make myself love that shrimpy flavor. Dangit! Someday I will crave those suckers. I will! I will!

Third: As is becoming tradition on these annual ski trips, a couple of the guys built something called the Bacon Explosion, which is a log of pork composed of bacon, sausage, and more bacon. Last year, its inaugural year, I couldn't bring myself to eat it. As it was cooking, it smelled delicious; once it was done, it smelled like dog food. To me. Others loved it. But this year, I was determined to try it. In theory, I should find it delicious. And (surprise, surprise) I did! Actually, it was one of the most amazing pork products I've ever put in my mouth. Part of this, I think, is owing to the fact that superior sausage was used this year. At this point, I'm already looking forward to next year. This weekend may end up bacon-themed. There may be bacon cake involved (if you had anything to do with the Mira Costa College 2000-something production of The Merry Wives of Windsor, you totally get that joke).