Salivary Salvation

One might say I am slightly obsessed with food and I suppose I will allow myself the label of "foodie". Most of my addictions are those subtle, yet meaningful morsels which we refer to as garnishes. Delectable toppings that adorn our main courses which not only add a pleasurable visual experience, but take us to a new level of euphoria once they slide over our taste buds.

I seem to have taken a few of these garnishes a little more serious than others, but I love each one the same. Scratch that. I do have a few favorites, one of them being Bacon. I have loved the salty, chewy consistency of bacon since I was a kid, but the novelty of it started less than a decade ago.

I was eating dinner at my sisters house following my nephew's football game. We were talking about the game and my sister was describing the play of my nephews teammate as I was taking a sip of milk:

Sis: "Did you see that kid fumble, he flopped over like a piece of bacon."

Nephew: "A piece of bacon?"

Me: "Pfffffffffffffffffffffffffftttttttttttttttttttttt!"

Milk sprayed everywhere, even out of my nose, as the three of us bellowed out in laughter! I have never seen my nephew laugh so hard, it was rip-roaring hysterical!! So, to this day, we randomly use the phrase, "A piece of bacon", and the three of us will crack up as we reminisce about the hilarity of it all. I randomly buy my nephew bacon gifts to remind him of the fun filled dinner when his crazy aunt spewed milk out of her nose!

In the last few years, I have been digging up all kinds of bacon items on the Internet and came across a blog dedicated to bacon, called Bacon Unwrapped by Heather Lauer. Once I was turned onto her blog, it was like hog heaven. Most of my bacon finds somehow are connected back to her site, kind of like 6 degrees of Bacon Nation. Since then I have found a few other blogs on bacon, which are on my favorites list, and also purchased Heathers book, Bacon: A Love Story. Imagine that! A book about bacon!

Bacon is just one of the tasty garnishes that I do so enjoy with a main course. I could spend hours listing them all, but I will highlight a few that I use most often, besides bacon, of course:

1. Cheese: I love all types of cheese, but my main squeeze is the tangy sensation I get with a sharp tasting blue or a tangy Gorgonzola!

2. Avocados: Creamy, cool, and versatile, this green fruit is a blessing from above!

3. Olives: My little round friends can join me with almost any meal, and especially if they come stuffed with Blue!

Garnishes are a wonderful addition to an otherwise bland and uneventful meal. It does not take much to spruce up a burger, chicken breast, or bowl of pasta with all the tasty garnishes available for use. I hope to bring you some inspiration for cooking or tasting along the way while I explore the delicious world of garnishes!