Ash Wednesday

Day 1: Ash Wednesday

After gorging ourselves on sugary treats, fatty meats, and all of those other worldly vices on Fat Tuesday, another Lent is upon us.  And while Ash Wednesday is traditionally a day of fasting, it falls on February 14, the feast of Saint Valentine.  This year, I decided to take Susan to a place we haven’t dined at yet – CHE!!! in Delray Beach.  It is an Argentinian steakhouse with a beautiful location – right on the Intracoastal with a beautiful view of the water.

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I’m a sucker for Argentinian skirt steak with chimichurri, and Susan had the filet mignon – both medium rare.

We split a side of garlic shrimp, to build our own surf ‘n’ turf dinners.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

First Day of Lent – Ash Wednesday

It’s the first day of Lent, yo.  Maybe you ended up here because you decided to do something crazy like give up bacon for Lent.  Or maybe you just want to see what kind of fool would do so.  Either way… welcome!

I started this blog last year as a distraction to the craving for that savory meat candy.  I talked about what I would eat for breakfast, and how to substitute something lesser like sausage or ham for our favorite of breakfast meats.

I also featured a lot of non-bacon options, especially all those crazy fish sandwiches the fast food giants try to cram down our throats every Friday of Lent.  You can’t have any fried, cured pork belly, so why not have some fried processed fish?  C’mon man.

So if you really decided to give up bacon for Lent, I hope you went out with a bang.  Yesterday was Fat Tuesday – the day when people gorge on sweets, fatty foods, liquor, and other bad stuff before taking 40 days off to purify the body and soul in an attempt to bring you closer to Jesus.  Yeah, right – no way anyone can compare giving up [FILL IN THE BLANK] to what Jesus went through, but it sure makes us feel a little better about ourselves, right?  🙂

Yesterday started out like any other Fat Tuesday – I dug into a King cake, which is a deliciously sugary Mardi Gras confection.

That's a plastic baby Jesus in the middle....

That’s a plastic baby Jesus in the middle….

Later on in the day, I realized, “Tomorrow I need to give something up for Lent”, and panicked… for I had at least half a package of delicious Smithfield Thick Cut Bacon in the fridge which I did not want to go to waste.  So I immediately threw it on the griddle.

Photo Feb 17, 7 56 05 PM

Smithfield Thick Cut Bacon

Smithfield Thick Cut Bacon

It was late last night and I was a little drunk… and again it was late last night, so I didn’t really now what to do with the bacon.  I had already eaten dinner, so only thing left to do was eat dessert.  And then it came to me – I had some King cake left, so what else would come to mind?  Bacon, King cake, and ice cream.

Yes... I did this.

Yes… I did this.

That would be Heavenly Hash ice cream with the King cake, sprinkled with chunks of bacon.  Yes, I did that.  I hope you went out with a bang like I did!

Day 0 – Ash Wednesday

Last night, I laid in bed pondering what to give up for Lent this year.  Well, actually last night I was on a Bourbon Street-inspired journey along Atlantic Ave celebrating Fat Tuesday by tossing beads and tossing back beers, glasses of wine, and vodka sodas.  So, this morning I laid in bed pondering what to give up for Lent this year, and wondering why I had such a terrible headache.

I believe whatever you give up for Lent should be something meaningful and something you regularly enjoy – you shouldn’t give up meat if you’re already a vegetarian, or give up stone crab claws because you love them, but in reality you only have them once every year.

In previous years, I gave up liquor – but with St. Patty’s Day coming, and March Madness having my beloved Florida Gators destined for a #1 seed, that’s just not going to happen.  So I thought, “What else do I love – on a regular basis – that I can give up for 6 weeks and not go crazy and shoot somebody Pistrorius-style?”  Then I came upon the most beloved of pork product – that which can be enjoyed for breakfast, or on a burger for lunch, or wrapped around scallops for a scrumptious dinner appetizer, or sprinkled on top of fudge and soft ice cream for a dessert sundae – BACON.

When I announced this to my girlfriend Susan, she proceeded to whip up a delicious breakfast featuring some Hormel Black Label bacon, which I gobbled but savored, and headed to church for Ash Wednesday services.

baconThanks Susan!  Hopefully these 3 strips will get me through the next 6 weeks.  Hell – will they get me through the next hour of mass?  Off to church….