Bacon Explosion

Heard of the Bacon Explosion yet?

I mentioned it the other night, thinking it sounded pretty good and should be one of those things you try, just for fun, but Bethany didn't quite agree.

I'm not quite sure my gut would either, but still.

Basically,
2lbs thick bacon
2lbs pork sausage
1 jar bbq sauce
1 jar bbq rub



1. Create a bacon weave. Make it tight.
2. Add the bbq rub to the top of the weave.
3. Press the 2lbs of sausage on top. Keep it within the confines of the bacon square.
4. Cook the remaining bacon to your preference. Chop it up and add it to the top of the sausage.
5. Add some of the bbq rub and some of the bbq sauce.
6. Carefully roll the sausage & inner bacon layer tighly together. In a log fashion.
7. Roll the sausage forward, this time including the bacon weave.
8. Glaze the outside of the log with the bbq sauce.
9. Place in a smoker. 1hr per inch of thickness.
10. Slice in slivers and place on biscuits.



After some more reading, this has been determined to be one the biggest platters for this years superbowl entertainment. Personally, I wouldn't mind. Don't worry, if you split it among friends, you won't be responsible for consuming all 5000 calories in this thing!

Photo Credit: BBQ Addicts-Bacon Explosion

Oddities of the Radio

On the way home the other day, I heard a random commercial sponsoring some sort of local event...I wasn't paying attention. But, you could go to their website, fill out the application, and possibly win a $50 gift card to McDonalds. Yea, McDonalds.

Now, I don't eat at McD's too much, and I don't really pay much attention to them either. I do know that they have the McChicken for $.99. So, for the $50, I could get roughly 45 of those things (gotta factor in tax).

Have we, as a society, gotten to the point that we can be paid off in Fast Food? I mean come on! Personally, had I paid attention, I may have entered the contest, but not for the chance of winning a gift card for fast food!

I would prefer the $50 though, I could definitely spend it elsewhere.

Unbelievable.

Things I learned this morning...

It's not unusual for me to get up and get to the gym before work. I've been going after work, but now that Bethany has a new job, the morning works better! It's more fun to share dinner and the evenings with my wife. And I feel better throughout the day.

This morning was no different, except I was supposed to join up for a "trial swim" with the Masters Swim Group. Seeing as how they start at 0500, I set my clock a few minutes earlier than usual, so I'd be on time.

I arrived and was in the water just after, so the timing is fine. Not such a bad thing. But what I did learn:

1. There are some really great swimmers that show up at 0500! I thought I was good, but I was relegated to the "beginner" lane. I am a beginner, but compared to others, I'm a fish out of water! Holy Cow. For comparison, I swam 3000yrds (1.7mi) while several others cleared 4000yrds easy.

2. I need to start making a checklist of items to put in my gym bag. I pack the night before and run through a mental list, but as of late, I've been forgetting plenty. This morning an extra trip to walmart between the gym and work was necessary.

3. To go along with the checklist, I need to check over my clothes a little better. I picked up what was supposed to be a good pair of jeans for today (casual) only to realize that there was a worn hole in the leg. Note to self: these jeans are no longer suited for work.

4. I can eat a horse. After this morning's swim, by the time I got to work, I was absolutely starving. For breakfast, an orange, two dozen grapes, oatmeal, 1/2 bagel with peanut butter and 2 cups of coffee. I still could've eaten more.

If I'm going to keep this up, I'm definitely going to have to change some the schedule of my workouts, so that I can get home early in the afternoons. We'll have to see though.

First Trail Miles of '09

It's nice getting out and getting some hiking miles in. It's really nice when you can do that the first month of the year!

Over the last weekend, I met up with the scout troop, which is working on their backpacking merit badge, and enjoyed a nice 10 miler with them. We decided to re-hike the Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail around Lake Martin; last year's effort fell short.

It was definitely chilly. The temps started out in the low 30's with a light breeze. Almost everyone was bundled up and layered, which proved to be a problem. The sun broke through the clouds, then everyone realized they were wearing just a few too many clothes. But that's ok - it's a learning experience.

Due to the cold, there were quite a few rock faces that were covered in ice, which made the hike that much better!

Pardon the picture quality, but we all had to gather under some of the larger icicles.

A really neat site was walking under the rock cliffs with icicles hanging overhead. We went ahead and knocked the larger ones down (so they wouldn't fall on us) but still enjoyed the views as we passed.
Overhead:

Ground level:

The highlight was walking parallel to the famous Acapulco Rock on the lake and seeing just what it looks like in the winter.

All in all, it turned out to be a great trip. Six boys, four adults, and ten more miles marked off their requirement.

Next up is the 20miler requirement...

Final Virtual Run

The new year has begun and I've finished the Virtual Tour of 2008.

As of the end of 2008, the stats looked something like this:
Running: 42:06:25 - 247.9mi
Biking: 40:37:58 - 654.39mi
Swimming: 10:52:49 - 15.33mi
Walking: 1:23:50 - 6.24mi
Hiking: 23:50:00 - 43.52mi
Rowing: 0:23:32 - 3.08mi

Grand Total - 119:14:34 - 976.71mi

The total between the year end and the map is different, simply because I haven't started over yet. If there's anyplace you'd like to see me travel to, let me know and I'll put it on the itenerary, and pick it up on the way, or I'll just start over with a new map. I'm open to suggestions...