HAPPY INTERNATIONAL BACON DAY!

Today is International Bacon Day--for BDJ Labs, it's the most wonderful time of the year (sorry, Jesus--your birthday's nowhere near as cool).

You don't have to buy a tree, wear a costume, hide eggs, give your current boyfriend/girlfriend/lover/spouse chocolate, or wear green and drink yourself in a stupor to celebrate the momentous occasion. No, sir and/or ma'am. All you have to do is EAT BACON. If you're really committed to celebrating, eat bacon in EVERYTHING. Bacon in your morning pancakes. Drink a Bacon Mary. Have bacon-PBJ sandwiches at lunch. Munch on some of Bleeding Heart Bakery's Chocolate Peanut Butter Bacon cupcakes for a snack. Bacon Explosion for dinner. At night, pop in a Kevin Bacon movie and pop up some Bacony Popcorn (see recipe below). You get the idea. Bacon it up, son.

If you want to go all balls and host a bacon party, click here for some inspiration. This woman had a bacon-themed party at which every guest had to bring "creative bacon"--everything from bacon-wrapped Twinkies to deep-fried bacon. Mmm, baby.

Bacony Popcorn

Ingredients:
4-6 slices of bacon
1/3 C unpopped popcorn kernels
1/4 C butter, melted
Bacon Salt

Special equipment:
Hand-crank, stovetop popcorn maker (you can get 'em at Target and such)

Directions:
Fry the bacon up crisp, then transfer the grease to your popcorn popper. Crumble the bacon up real good and set it aside. Pour the popcorn into the greasy popper and cook/crank until the popping noises pretty much stop. Transfer the popcorn to a bowl. Quickly add in succession the butter, crumbled bacon, and a liberal amount of bacon salt. Eat.