Sometimes we just have to have a laugh at what foodies and chefs do when they are bored . . .

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That sounded bizarre, didn’t it? But how could I resist trying two of my favorite flavors? Hell, I’ve taken bigger food risks when stopping at a street taco stand in Mexico. And who could forget that scorpion I ate in Thailand (yes, I have photos to prove it.) When I found out that Vosges Haut-Chocolat, one of my favorite gourmet chocolate makers, has an entire line of chocolate bacon products, I just couldn’t help myself. I ordered, I sampled and I think I’ve become a believer in Bacon and Chocolate Bar Flying Pigs.

I was curious who would think up such a seemingly weird combination. On her website, Vosges Owner/Chocolatier, Katrina Markoff, explains:

I began experimenting with bacon + chocolate at the tender age of 6, while eating chocolate chip pancakes drenched in Aunt Jemima® syrup served aside sizzling bacon. Beside my stack of cakes, the bacon strips would swim in the flowing syrup and melted chocolate chips. That became my favorite dipping sauce for bacon… and so the story begins.

Katrina’s managed to blend two equally obsessive over foods to create an unbelievable taste combination of sweet, smoky and savory. Applewood smoked bacon pieces with alderwood smoked salt, and 45% creamy milk, or 62% deep dark chocolate.  Wanna go whole hog?  (sorry, I couldn’t resist.)  Send somebody a Bacon Chocolate Gift Box so they can discover Flying Chocolate Pigs, too.

P.S.  Yes, Katrina made it easy to taste her inspiration for her spark of culinary genius.  You can order her own Bacon and Chocolate Pancake Mix right here.

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I’ve always celebrated St. Patrick’s Day – partially because it’s my brother’s birthday and mostly because I kinda like the rowdy atmosphere of a bunch of people trying to pretend they are Irish. I don’t know why being Irish equates itself to being rowdy, but I’m glad it does. It’s fun.

However, rather than risk a nasty bar fight with someone who partied too hearty or, even worse, getting a DUI, we’ve decided to celebrate at home this year. But I still wanted to get my brother a gift, and I thought it might be cool to send him something that reminds him of St. Patty.  I was actually surprised that there were so many gourmet gifts related to St. Patrick’s Day.  There are some cool ones at one of my favorite gift basket companies, GourmetGiftBaskets.com. In addition to the cute little Frog, the Kiss Me I’m Irish Gift Basket includes a nice selection of some high-quality snacks and chocolate.

I’ve written about wine gifts and wine clubs before, but this holiday seems more geared for a beer bucket or beer gift basket.  The St. Patrick’s Day Irish Beer Bucket includes six different Irish ales, a big can of traditional Guinness stout and some snacks. That’s going to make anybody happy, whether they are Irish or not.

There’s also some cute, specially decorated cookies that you can send to help somebody celebrate the day.   Have a look at this page of our Gourmet Store and you’ll see that not only beer becomes green on March 17th. We’ve made it easy for you to shop for St. Patrick’s Day Gourmet Gifts.  Just remember to order early if you want delivery in time to enjoy the goodies by March 17th.

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