logo by Heather at farmgirlgourmet.com
“And …I said YESSSSS!”
It happened one November midnight, in Twitterverse, we saw this tweet from our dear Nelly @nella22. Without missing a beat, we all knew Nelly had “said YES” to her beloved “M”, as she sweetly calls Brian Murray, her fiancé.
So here we are, Nelly dear, your friends in the food world, wishing you and Brian, all the best. And with our wishes, a simple recipe with an easy formula for a life of bliss, rich with EVERYTHING in it!
BLOGGERS’ RECIPE FOR NELLY’S WEDDED BLISS
Mix together: A lot of Love, Patience, Perseverance, Respect, Courage, Strength, Trust, Kindness, Honesty, Compromise & Great Sex.
Stir in : Equal Parts of Love, Support, Faith, Fidelity, Hope, Validation, Friendship, Forgiveness, Communication.
Cook over slow simmer for the rest of your life. Dot daily with a Sense of Humor.
Leave out the nagging, sarcasm, skepticism, doubts and stubbornness.
Serving Suggestions: Best prepared daily. Serve with flourish because Married Life is a FEAST. Live it with flavor, spice it with unconditional love, enjoy its richness.
Recipe Notes: Some ingredients won’t always be fresh or available. Or the heat may flare up and the anger spills over. Simmer down and douse the flames with all the LOVE you can throw in.
Enjoy the feast of marriage, love and life!
(Written by : Elizabeth @Mango_Queen)
If you’re into food and you’ve spent any time at all on Twitter, you probably know nella22. Writer of Cooking with Books, she is an incredible wealth of culinary information–and about as warm of a person as you could find. Spend an evening chatting with her and you’ll feel like you’ve been friends your whole life. What a girl!
What a lucky girl, too, for Saturday is her BIG day! Nelly’s getting married!
This past May, my husband and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. In August, we passed the 16-year mark for our dating anniversary. So what words of wisdom can I offer you, Nelly, on the eve of your nuptials?
- Set aside time for just the two of you, one-on-one, with no distractions. This is easier to achieve before children, but if you do decide to have them, it becomes a necessity. You must nurture the couple to keep the love alive.
- Everybody makes mistakes; those mistakes don’t have to define us. Learn to forgive and let go and just about every problem you’ll come across in your marriage will be covered.
Congratulations, Nelly and Brian! All my best to you both!
It would have been wonderful if we all could have gotten together and thrown a real shower for Nelly. Seeing as her love spreads worldwide, we had to settle for a virtual version instead. This is for you!
I really wanted to combine bananas, Nutella, bacon, and chocolate into a delicious treat fitting of the guest of honor. Nelly has a bit of a reputation with these ingredients. Instead, she’ll have to settle for the flavors of Nutella, bacon, and chocolate–I hope that’s okay! And if not, she could always try sprinkling crumbled banana chips over the top. 
- 12 ounces (3/4 pound) Hormel Black Label Bacon
- 4½ ounces Kerrygold Unsalted Irish Butter (roughly; see below)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 Tablespoons warm water
- 2 Tablespoons Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)
- 1½ cups Guittard milk chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, grease it, and set aside.
- Line another baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange the slices of bacon evenly on it.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until nice and crispy.
- Place bacon on a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Measure out bacon fat and add to it enough butter to equal 8 ounces all together (in my case, I had 3½ ounces bacon fat, so I only needed 4½ ounces of butter).
- Crumble up bacon and set aside. (I used my kitchen shears to cut it up finely.)
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, combine the bacon fat, butter, sugar, and warm water. Attach a calibrated candy thermometer and cook over medium heat until it reaches hard crack stage (about 30 minutes), stirring constantly with a silicone spatula. You can use a silicone brush dipped in water to try to wash down sugar crystals from the sides of the pan in the first few minutes of cooking, but try not to scrape too much after that to prevent crystallization.
- Once the mixture has reached hard crack stage, remove from heat immediately.
- Remove the candy thermometer and add to the mixture about half the bacon crumbles and the Frangelico. It will bubble up once the Frangelico is added–be careful!
- Stir until the foaming mostly stops, then spread in the prepared baking sheet.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top and let sit for a few minutes.
- Spread the melted chocolate chips over the top of the toffee and sprinkle over it the remaining bacon crumbles.
- Let sit until chocolate is set, then break into pieces. (I was impatient and popped the sheet into the fridge to set.)
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
This is a Blog Hop hosted by Sanjeeta kk at Lite Bite! Let’s see who else is attending Nelly’s Shower!
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25 comments
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Heather | Farmgirl Gourmet
9 December, 2011 at 1:36 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
This looks fantastic! But how could it not, it has bacon!
Great post.
Heather | Farmgirl Gourmet recently posted..Sriracha & Bacon Deviled Eggs: A Virtual Bridal Shower for Nelly (#NellysBigDay)
diabeticFoodie
9 December, 2011 at 1:49 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Sounds like the perfect recipe for Nelly! So nice to “meet” you at the shower.
diabeticFoodie recently posted..Pesto Chicken Salad with Grapes for #NellysBigDay
Sanjeeta kk
9 December, 2011 at 3:11 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Thanks for joining the fun, gad to have you aboard for the virtual shower! You did it here..Nelly loves Bacon & chocolate and here we have a perfect treat for her in the shower
Hugs.
Sanjeeta kk recently posted..Molten Lava Chocolate Cupcakes & Cake – Virtual Bridal Shower for Nelly
The Poet Herself
9 December, 2011 at 8:52 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
This has been so much fun! Thanks for coordinating this!
Baker Street
9 December, 2011 at 5:21 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
You got bacon to the party! That’s perfect! Toffee and bacon are a lovely combination!
Baker Street recently posted..Mocha Walnut Marble Bundt Cake
Rachel @ Not Rachael Ray
9 December, 2011 at 7:44 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Nelly is going to LOVE this! Wish I had some right now too, actually!
Rachel @ Not Rachael Ray recently posted..Spinach Pizza Bites {Nelly’s Big Day}
Jenni
9 December, 2011 at 7:45 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
The perfect smackerel for Nelly’s shower!! I’m already married, but maybe you could bring that to an anniversary party sometime?
Jenni recently posted..Coconut Banana Pound Cake with Nutella Glaze (or The Perfect Cake for #NellysBigDay)
The Poet Herself
9 December, 2011 at 8:52 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
It does make a great gift, doesn’t it?
@Mango_Queen
9 December, 2011 at 8:45 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Yes, we must have bacon! This is perfect….Nelly would love it !
@Mango_Queen
9 December, 2011 at 8:47 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Ooops, clicked too early. Sorry…I was going to say, what a great friend you are to Nelly to combine the flavors she loves best…Bacon & Toffee. Wish this shower was live, so we could eat and enjoy all these!
@Mango_Queen recently posted..PANCIT CANTON for #Nelly’s Big Day
The Poet Herself
9 December, 2011 at 8:51 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
That would keep me from eating it all by myself, that’s for sure!
Jessie
9 December, 2011 at 9:49 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
This looks so delish! Nelly is going to love this!
Jessie recently posted..Nelly’s Big Day & The Murray (Nutella) Martini
Patti @ Easton Place Designs
9 December, 2011 at 10:21 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
What, the what?? ZOMG! If only I could have just a nibble of such an amazing concoction
This is perfect for our Nelly!! Toffee, Chocolate & Bacon…. mmmmm
Alan Cooke
9 December, 2011 at 10:25 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Awesome! That looks more addictive than crack…lol I would need to sample it before I reccomend it, though!
;)
Alan Cooke recently posted..Pasta ‘N Chicken Marinara for #NellysBigDay
The Poet Herself
9 December, 2011 at 10:34 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Well get to work!
I need to go grab some… right now.
juniakk @ mis pensamientos
9 December, 2011 at 10:42 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
this is nelly’s perfect idea of snacking – bacon and chocolate together!!! i love this pearl of wisdom you shared: “Everybody makes mistakes; those mistakes don’t have to define us. Learn to forgive and let go and just about every problem you’ll come across in your marriage will be covered.” So true!
Barbara | Creative Culinary
9 December, 2011 at 12:03 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Oh my goodness. I just happened to have finished making 11 pounds of my own brown sugar cured bacon. You realize this will now HAVE to happen. Again, OH MY!
Barbara | Creative Culinary recently posted..Tequila Smash – A Tequila Cocktail and Homemade Maraschino Cherries for #NellysBigDay
The Poet Herself
9 December, 2011 at 2:15 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Sounds like you have the perfect use for some of that tasty homemade bacon!
EA-The Spicy RD
9 December, 2011 at 1:01 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Oh my goodness…this looks absolutely amazing! I am a fellow toffee lover myself, and I’m definitely game to try some topped with bacon
Nelly will love this! So happy to celebrate the big day with you 
rebecca
9 December, 2011 at 7:03 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
lovely post and amazing recipe so nelly
Amanda
10 December, 2011 at 1:47 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Your toffee disgusts and intrigues me at the same time. Like, it’s extra fat in an already decadent dessert, but, it’s not like I can resist bacon in toffee, right?
Amanda
Annapet
11 December, 2011 at 11:37 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
This is perfect and mail-friendly, Carrie
. I love toffee, too! Happy to be partying with you!
Annapet recently posted..Mint Macarons with Cacao Nibs: Despedida de Soltera for Nelly
Aimee @ Food, Je t'Aimee
11 December, 2011 at 5:48 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
OH MY GOSH. Swoon alert! Carrie – your toffee looks INCREDIBLE. What glorious ingredients! I love how you incorporated so many of Nelly’s favourites. Excellent advice, too. I’m taking notes from all these posts!
Vianney Rodriguez
12 December, 2011 at 4:02 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
This is amazing!! I know I would devour the entire bathc, thanks for sharing and thanks for stopping by!!
Vianney Rodriguez recently posted..Polvorones de Chocolate
Erik Eats
31 December, 2011 at 10:58 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Yes Please! Chocolate & Bacon… Enough said. My wife Kate and I also celebrated our 10 year anniversary this year. Your words of advice were well said and have worked for us. We try to go out on a date night, alone no kids at least once a month.