Each year, the Saturday before Labor Day is the time to celebrate all things smoky and crisp. Yes, bacon! This year, Aug. 30 is International Bacon Day. And just how do you enjoy a holiday that’s all about bacon? By eating bacon all day long: for breakfast, lunch, dinner – and dessert. For starters, make up a batch of bacon breakfast cupcakes with a side of crispy cornmeal-bacon waffles. For lunch, have some bacon-wrapped smokies – and dinner is bacon-wrapped meatloaf with a homemade bacon milkshake. Finish your day with a bowl of candy – hello, bacon brittle!
Bacon Breakfast Cupcakes
Crumble bacon into shredded hash brown potatoes and whisked eggs along with a sprinkling of cheese to bake up these bacon breakfast cupcakes from Betty Crocker. These muffins have all your kids’ favorite breakfast ingredients in one handy dish.
Crispy Cornmeal-Bacon Waffles
Add in crumbled bacon into another popular breakfast food – waffles! These crispy cornmeal-bacon waffles from Epicurious are a clever alternative to the sugary sweet variety. Drizzle pure maple syrup over the top of these waffles as the final touch.
Bacon-Wrapped Smokies
Slice bacon into thin strips before using the pieces to wrap mini sausage links. These bacon-wrapped smokies from Kraft have a final ingredient to ensure they come out crisp and sweet: brown sugar. You place the sausages in a plastic bag with brown sugar and shake to coat. Saute until cooked through and serve warm.
Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf
You’re not done wrapping just yet! For a moist, smoky dish for dinner, try this bacon-wrapped meatloaf from Baked by Rachel. The meatloaf is made with ground beef, veal, pork and sausage that’s flavored with chopped onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, oregano and basil. Once you’ve formed the loaf, cover with – you guessed it – slices of bacon.
Homemade Bacon Milkshake
Bacon milkshakes have become all the rage in various food joints – from fast food places to fancy restaurants. This homemade bacon milkshake recipe from Kitchen Report includes bacon, walnuts, vanilla ice cream, maple syrup,and milk.
Bacon Brittle
Homemade candy can be tricky to make but this recipe for bacon brittle from Food52 is worth the effort. You make a dark, rich brittle base using cooked butter, sugar and light corn syrup. The bacon is added into the sugary mixture. Once cool, break apart into brittle. Chewy, yet crunchy equals candy perfection.