bacon + chocolate = sweet bacon love

Some things are just meant to go together...wine and cigarettes, JT and Timbaland, flying and xanax, bacon and chocolate.

My husband found this sweet treat at Old Town Balducci's, where they carry Vosges, and first of all, I could hardly contain myself when he brought one of these little babies home to me. Freakin genius! Not only that, but it is to die for. It sounds a teensy bit crazy, but it's along the lines of maple syrup and bacon – sweet and savory. And, the bacon in the chocolate bar couldn't be any more perfect. The little chunks of bacon are a crispy/chewy combo, accompanied by morsels of salty bursts. They're a bit pricey at $7 a bar, but the flavor explosion is worth every penny. A match made in heaven.

Find these bacon beauties at Balducci's or Biagio at 1904 18th St. in DC, thanks Erika :)

If You Hate Wedding Food, Clearly You Weren't At My Wedding

Finally, I'm back after a full year of wedding madness, and three months of newlywedded bliss, sustained in part I am certain by the best wedding feast ever. With our devotion to soul-nourishing love grub, me and Jon's wedding menu was a testament to our southern roots and un-heart healthy classics, with an ever so slight gourmet twist. We lucked out with the first unrainy day during this year's crazy May monsoon, and were blessed with a perfectly breezy sunshiny day. Beggar's Banquet, an amazing catering company out of Orange, VA, surpassed every single one of our expectations and then some...hmm, I think that may have something to do with the fact that this place is helmed by two moms with a passion for food – my kinda gals. They started us off with adorable baby cucumber cups piped with blue cheese mousse, garnished with crisp bacon, and fried green roma tomato "stackers" with sliced Granny Smith apple and boursin cream on crisp whole wheat croute. On the line were the real beauties: pulled pork bbq with rolls and three mouth-watering sauces, including a traditional bbq, white horseradish and bourbon-mustard sauce, ooh yeah, and it gets better, if that's possible.

The spread included steamed spiced shrimp with Old Bay, lemons, and cocktail sauce of course; homemade slaw; sliced red potato salad with capers, red onions, fresh herbs and vinaigrette; homemade macaroni and cheese with fresh bread crumbs (this stuff was no joke), the real deal southern-style collards, traditional deviled eggs, and homemade baked beans, with chipotles and topped with practically a whole slab of bacon. Love was in the air and so was the sweet smell of bacon – sweet bacon love at its finest.

Bubba's Not So Hubba

Finding a good barbecue joint in DC is akin to meeting a Cowboys fan that isn't a complete jerkoff. But, that doesn't mean I won't keep an open mind – about the BBQ.

I was craving pork butt again, so me and Jon decided to venture over to Bubba's in Falls Church. I mean, check out their menu. Chili cheese fries are always a draw for me, but with three different versions of pork bbq, I was sold. Both of us got the classic pulled pork sandwich, as if there were really any other option. My plate was a pig pleaser all around, aesthetically. Rosy colored shredded pork piled high on a sesame seed bun, topped with a heap of slaw, two-colored baked beans, white and red, and collards with skinny white onions perched on the vinegary greens, all served on a bright blue plate, with separate baby bowls for the sides – an added bonus in light of the messy melee. The really great thing about this place is that they serve beer, by the pitcher no less.

Okay, let me first say that I hardly believe there is bad bbq, ever, anywhere. Even the driest, most tasteless, unspicy, stale bunned, slawless pulled pork sandwich is enjoyable, at the very least. That being said, Bubba's was somewhat of a disappointment. The slaw that looked like a heap just didn't measure up to the even bigger heap of smoked pig, and was sorely missed. Almost as much as a truly hot hot sauce, the lack of which was even more surprising considering they had several lovely looking sauces on the table, along with trivial pursuit cards, all of which are usually good omens. Of a sweet sticky bbq sauce, a yellow runny mustard sauce, and an orangey vinegar sauce, none had the kick I was looking for. And, Texas Pete just doesn't cut it; it's even less hot than Tabasco, which would have sufficed, but when that's the hottest option, I'm left wanting more for sure. The pork was tender but sauceless, not my fave, not Pierce's, not Buzz N Neds, not even close, yet just good enough to satisfy my craving.

The beans on the other hand were freakin fantastic. Chunky and perfectly chewy bacon knocked these little guys out of the ballpark. Collards are simple, but easy to screw up, and these ones were pretty middle of the road, but at least the vinegar was on point. Throw some of the bean bacon into the collards and jackpot...more fatback please!

All in all, Bubba's is a priceless little pork butt haven, but not quite heaven. If you get a hankering for hog, it just might be the place for a beer and brisket, which I'll be sure to try next time, along with the chili cheese fries.

V-Day Heaven

We all know that Valentine's Day is a mass marketed corporate jackpot, geared towards the lucky couples among us, or unlucky, depending, driving less fortunate single gals into twinkie binges and hapless blind dates with monobrowed geeks who would otherwise be untouchable, only for the sheer terror of being alone on the most romantic holiday of the year.

The thing is, Valentine's Day is romantic – when your lovah isn't spending a ton of money only to take you out to an entirely unromantic and overly packed restaurant, where you can't even hear him whispering sweet nothings to you from across the table. A better bet: stay home, cozy up on the couch, and eat.

Not just anything; eat prosciutto. The fat-laced salty pig heaven is the fastest way to a girl's heart. Preferably on crusty bread, smushed into yeasty crevices with stank bleu cheese, or for milder prosciutto, buttery brie takes it all the way to baconish bliss. Add a splash of bold pinot...holy Saint Valentine.

The sexed-up ham is like country ham sliced feathery thin and injected with lust and ocean water. It's an Italian staple, and soon to be one of mine, served traditionally with melon, figs, or fresh mozzarella. But, it's equally divine balled up and devoured by the mouthful, or wrapped around...anything.

And now for some ham history: there are two types of prosciutto (cooked and raw), and most non-Italians think of the uncooked, air-cured variety known as prosciutto crudo. This type of ham has been made in Italy since Roman times, the name coming from the Latin word meaning "dried of liquid." Prosciutto di Parma, the variety most Americans are familiar with, has been praised for its flavor for over two thousand years. Prosciutto di San Daniele also is one of the best. But, every region in Italy that has pigs makes some variety of prosciutto, but depressingly, only a few are available outside of Italy. Oh well, you and I will just have to go for a visit. And, in the meantime, us stateside minions have a few options.

As with all foods, the taste of prosciutto depends on where it comes from. In this case – pigs. And it takes the best oinkers, eating the right foods, to make a perfect ham. Each type has it's own flavors and aromas that make it unique and insanely delicious. The overall process of making any prosciutto crudo is basically the same: trimming the ham (made from the rear haunches) of skin and fat, salt the ham, air cure, grease with salted lard, and then cure for much longer period ranging from 1-2 years, because all good things take time...love, marriage, friendship, wine, prosciutto.

Even though all prosciutto hams share the process that includes salt and air curing, the length of time and the amount of salt used varies among the regional hams as well. The Prosciutto di San Daniele of the Friuli region uses local sea salt in teeny amounts and stacks the hams on top of each other – genius! Delicate Parma and San Daniele hams are considered sweet, and the Prosciutto Toscano of Tuscany is a savory, rustic ham, with the salt accompanied by pepper, garlic, rosemary, and juniper.

We had Parma, from Balducci's, and it was to die and gone to heaven for. Valentine's Day is for falling in love, in my case, with prosciutto, and all over again with my fiance, for bringing home the bacon, or in this case, ham.