Spicy Maple Bacon Popcorn Topping

I found this Maple-Bacon Popcorn on Pinterest, and adapted the wonderful Saveur recipe to create a  simple topping that could be spooned over the top of fresh popcorn without making a mess.

Saveur Maple-Bacon Popcorn Recipe

Spicy Maple Bacon Popcorn Topping, plus six other Popcorn Toppings Recipes, was served at a church event which included a Popcorn Bar.  It was a crowd favorite.

Here is my version:

Spicy Maple Bacon Popcorn Topping

2 12-ounce packages John Morrell Rath Black Hawk Smoky Maple Bacon
1 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp bacon drippings

Preheat oven to 375°.  Separate bacon into individual strips and divide into four equal sections for frying.  Put one section of bacon strips into skillet and fry on stove top over medium heat until crisp and brown. Do not layer bacon.  Remove bacon from skillet and drain on paper towel. Place next section of bacon into skillet and repeat process, until all four sections are done. Reserve 2 tbsp bacon drippings for your topping.

When bacon is finished frying and well drained, crumble it up into very small pieces. ( I used kitchen shears to cut mine up into tiny little strips.  Then I put them all inside a clean paper towel, wrapping it around the bacon crumbles to form a ball that covered the bacon, and squeezed the ball gently to crumble it up really well.) Place bacon crumbles into bowl.  Add syrup and pepper.  Stir well and set aside.

Completely cover bottom and sides of a 7"x11" baking  dish or similar size deep, oblong baking pan with Reynolds Wrap Non-Stick Foil .  Pour 2 tbsp bacon drippings into the  foil-lined pan and spread evenly. Add bacon crumble mixture to pan and spread evenly over the top of the foil and bacon drippings.  Place in preheated oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes.  Then, check your results.  Topping mixture should be simmering and bubbly across the top.  Once it is simmering and bubbly all across the top, turn off your oven. Do not remove topping mixture yet. Let it set inside the oven for about 30 more minutes. (Monitor the baking process carefully because bacon grease and maple syrup will ignite when overheated.) Then, remove the mixture from the oven so that it will continue to cool. 

When it has cooled sufficiently to handle,  remove popcorn topping from baking dish and place it into a container for serving or storing.   You should end up with enough topping to fill a 12 ounce jelly jar.
Use one tsp topping per cup of fresh popped corn.  Spoon over the top of lightly buttered popcorn and enjoy. Refrigerate any leftover topping.  It tastes great cold, too.

Diary of 5

Diary of 5

 Welcome to my Diary of 5.  We'd love to have you join the community.  Click here to for details about joining the Diary of 5.

Vase Collection

I am seeing...beautiful antique vases inherited from my Nanny.  The cabinet they are in was custom-made by my father when I was a child.  I remember being small enough to lay down between the shelves.

Gigi

I am hearing...music from the movie Gigi. I love movie musicals.  Did you know that Maurice Chevalier starred in this movie?  It won 9 Academy Awards in 1958, including Best Picture.  I love the elegant sets, the music, and especially the glorious Victorian costuming.

I am smelling...barbeque sandwiches and kettle potato chips.

I tasted...organic dill and chili powder that I added to my ranch dip for the potatoes.

Our family fun day  Hawaiian Falls 2011

I am feeling...happy about seeing my family this weekend. We have so much fun together.

Organized Life Free Giveaways Ends Soon - Enter Now!

Wonderful news!   The 52 Week Organized Home Challenge has some wonderful organizing freebies to give away.  Hurry, registration is still open for almost everything, there are just a few days left!!!

How To Organize Your Life Celebrating 25,000 Subscribers Giveaway

Giveaway Number One is:

Free eBook giveaway: Plan It Don't Panic: Everything You Need to Successfully Create and Use a Meal Plan

Taylor says:

"Family meal planning is such an important part of living an organized life, because eating meals together with your family is such a special and important daily event in our lives.
That's why I'm so excited that Stephanie Langford, from Keeper of the Home, has offered to give 10 Home Storage Solutions 101 readers a free copy of her recent ebook, Plan It Don't Panic: Everything You Need to Successfully Create and Use a Meal Plan."

Click here to enter the free giveaway for Plan It Don't Panic Hurry, you must register on or before February 23, 2012 to be eligible to win Plan It Don't Panic.

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Free one year subscription giveaway: Plan to Eat - Simple Meal Planning  - Your Recipes, Monthly Planner ,Grocery Lists

Taylor says:

"Plan To Eat is an online meal planner resource you can use to handle all the portions of planning your meals, from recipe organization, creating your grocery shopping list, and, of course, planning your menu for the week.Since it can help with so many aspects of the organizing and planning process I'm excited to announce this giveaway of at least 2 annual subscriptions, each worth $39. Plus, everyone can sign up for a 30 day free trial to check it out and see how it works for yourself! I say at least 2 annual subscriptions will be given away because the more entries received, the more subscriptions Plan to Eat will giveaway, so make sure to enter, and tell your friends and family to enter too!"

Click here to enter the free giveaway for Plan To Eat Hurry, you must register on or before February 23, 2012 to be eligible to win Plan To Eat.

Giveaway Number Three is:

Free eBook giveaway: Personal Time Management Skills: Tell Your Time

Taylor says:

"Personal time management skills are something we all need to work on, especially if we're on a quest to get more organized. That's why I'm pleased that Amy Lynn Andrews is giving away three of her ebooks, Tell Your Time, to Home Storage Solutions 101 readers."

Click here to enter the free eBook giveaway Personal Time Management Skills: Tell Your Time Hurry, you must register on or before February 24, 2012 to be eligible to win Personal Time Management Skills:  Tell Your Time eBook.

Giveaway Number Four is:

Free Binder giveaway:  Eco-Friendly Recycled Naked Binder

Taylor says:

"Naked Binder is a company that believes in organizing, the green way. They make eco friendly recycled binders, tabs, labels, folders, and CD holders. All of their binders are made from 100% recycled board (97% post-consumer waste). In addition, every component in the binders can be recycled again. Finally, not only are the binders designed to be friendly to the Earth, but also are made to last. In fact, the hinges of the binders have been tested to 250,000 flexes. Naked Binder is giving one Home Storage Solutions 101 reader, who enters the giveaway below, a notebook Binder with tab set and a project binder with a round spine in flare red with a tab set, which has a retail value of $25.50."

Click here to enter the free giveaway for the Naked Binder Hurry, you must register on or before February 26, 2012 to be eligible to win the Naked Binder.

Giveaway Number Five is:

Free online software giveaway: Pear Budget - Really Simple Budgeting

 Taylor says:


"PearBudget is a really simple online budget software system, using the principle of the envelope system, to help you budget for the future and track where your money really went during the month. Since taking care of your finances is such an important part of an organized life, I'm excited to share that PearBudget is giving away 3 annual subscriptions, worth $49.50 each, to Home Storage Solutions 101 readers. Plus, everyone can sign up for a 30 day free trial to check it out and see how it works for yourself!"

Click here to enter the free giveaway for Pear Budget Free Online Software Hurry, you must register on or before February 26, 2012 to be eligible to win the Pear Budget Software.


 Giveaway Number Six is:

Free Rubbermaid giveaway: Bento Organizing Storage Boxes

Taylor says:

"Rubbermaid Bento Boxes are designed to not only store objects, but to keep the contents organized at the same time. These are a new type of decorative storage boxes that not only look nice in your room, but also have flex dividers within them which allows you to customize the inside of the box, so you can make space for all types of items. That's why I'm excited that for the last day of the How To Organize Your Life Week of Giveaways Rubbermaid has agreed to give one set of these boxes, in the paprika color, to one Home Storage Solutions 101 reader. This prize has a retail value of $113.93."

Click here to enter the free giveaway for the Rubbermaid Bento Boxes Hurry, you must register on or before February 26, 2012 to be eligible to win the Rubbermaid Bento Boxes.

 

This is so exciting!  Good luck, and PLEASE tell me if you win!

Speaking of winners, Taylor is giving away a TON of super organizing freebies to everyone that would like to have these jewels.  Click here to go the site and claim your freebies.  There is no registration required or any gimmick for these, everyone wins.