Children’s Bacon Book

I recently received a message on Facebook about a Kickstarter that was quite intriguing. Ken Skinner told me about a children’s book series he and his wife Jessica plan to start. “A children’s book that is fun for parents and, best of all, about bacon! Colorful, adorable and sure to give your family the giggles.” The name of the book is “I Want To Be Bacon When I Grow Up”. The series will also include ‘Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!’ ‘Can I Be Bacon Too?’ and ‘My Food Eats Your Food.’

My attention was caught immediately. But I knew I needed to check out the Kickstarter video first. You can always tell how involved people are with how their video is put together. It always says a lot about them. And after watching their video, I knew I wanted to support them by sharing with you all. Their video was comical, a little cheesy, and definitely for bacon nerds. Even their pledges are hilarious.

I reached out to Ken to ask a couple serious and no-so serious questions. He was nice enough to cater to my awkward request:

Elle: What inspired you to write this book and start this amazing series?
Ken: It actually started as a joke between my wife and I. I had one of my son’s toys in hand and starting making stuff up and next thing we knew, we had the story. I knew about kickstarter and thought we should give this a try.

Elle: Have you written any other books already (even if not published)?
Ken: Writing has always been a passion for me. I’ve tried in the past to get my work out there without success. And as you grow older and start a family you settle into a “day job.” So this is my be my last go at being a writer for a living.

Elle: What is your favorite way of cooking bacon? Do you prefer stove top fry, oven baked..?
Ken: Stove top for sure.

Elle: Do you have a favorite type of bacon? Hickory, maple….? Thick cut, center cut…?
Ken: I never met a piece of bacon I didn’t like. My favorite kind of bacon is the one on sale. I’m not picky

Elle: Do you prefer your bacon to be chewy, burnt to a crisp or just right?
Ken: I like it to be a little fatty/chewy.

Elle: What are your thoughts on veggie/soy bacon?
Ken: I actually once was a vegan and even then I didn’t kid myself into thinking fake meat tasted any good.

Elle: What is your favorite bacon dish you make at home?
Ken: If I make it then simple eggs, bacon and toast with a glass of OJ. Otherwise its pizza with bacon.

Elle: Do you have a favorite “bacon moment”?
Ken: Actually filming my Kickstarter video for the book. We ate bacon in so many different locations! We felt like such dorks. It was a blast!

Elle: Have you ever celebrated International Bacon Day? If so, how did you celebrate?
Ken: I didn’t even know it existed until this year. Which is a shame because we launched our kickstarter a couple days after Bacon Day.

HOW DO YOU SUPPORT THEM?

They need to reach a goal of $3,001 by November 11th at 10:02pm EST. They have various gifts involved with each pledge. At the time of this post, they have already reached over $2,000.

KICKSTARTER PAGE:

FACEBOOK PAGE:

– Elle.

Hickory Sweet Bacon Glaze

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 cup bacon grease

* shot of Bakon Vodka

* 6 cups of powdered sugar

* 1 cup brown sugar

* 1/2 cup orange juice

*** SIDE NOTE: I would recommend to have extra powdered sugar, brown sugar, and orange juice on hand in case you want to adjust the consistency or flavor.

DIRECTIONS:

* Mix your sugars together first.

* Now add your bacon grease, a splash of orange juice, and your shot of Bakon Vodka.

* As you mix your ingredients together, you will begin to see the consistency and know if you need to add any more of your ingredients.

*** SIDE NOTE: This recipe is not meant to become thick as an icing, but you may be able to make adjustments.

NOTES ON THE RECIPE:

* You have many opportunities to make adjustments to this recipe. You can chose to use any flavor of bacon for your bacon grease, different type liquor, or even different juice.

* This recipe can taste strong when tasted on it’s own. Try with a sweet bread or cupcake. I used it on my “Pumpkin and Bacon Cakes“.

* I’m also hoping to try this glaze on oven-baked chicken breast or baked ham. I think the hickory/sweet flavor would be great as a glaze for dinner.

* I am open to any suggestions or ideas on how to improve this recipe.

– Elle.

Pumpkin and Bacon Cakes

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 box of Pillsbury’s Perfectly Pumpkin Cake Mix

* 1/2 cup water

* 1/2 cup Bakon Vodka

* 1/2 cup applesauce

* 1 pkg Jones Dry Aged Bacon, Cherry Hardwood Smoked, 8 oz, cooked and crumbled

* 3 medium eggs

* cupcake/muffin tins and paper liners

** Side Note: I always replace my oil with ‘no sugar added’ applesauce.

DIRECTIONS:

* Preheat your oven and follow directions on the box as directed, but make adjustments to ingredients as shown below.

NOTES ON THE RECIPE:

* You have many opportunities to make adjustments to this recipe. You can chose to use any flavor of bacon, different cake mix, or different liquor.

* I found that this recipe made for a great dessert but also a wonderful sweet bread for chili or stew. The sweet and smokey flavors were wonderfully paired with a spicy chili my husband and I enjoyed for dinner.

* I am open to any suggestions or ideas on how to improve this recipe.

– Elle.