So yea... this post was finished about 5 days ago, but then I got super busy with lots of Christmas stuff: shopping, parties, some cookie baking, and I even played in an awesome Christmas Brass Quintet Concert that raised awareness and food/toy donations for the wonderful organization Lighthouse Mission. It was a great night for a great cause. Have I ever mentioned I play the trumpet? Anyway, so I finally went to post this recipe yesterday morning and what surprise did I find?! Somehow the post didn't save properly, was erased, and I had to start all over again. Don't you love it when that happens? So let's try this again...
We are officially in a bacon craze. It seems like everywhere we turn lately, it's bacon this and bacon that. They've got bacon wrapped, bacon filled, bacon infused, topped with bacon crumble, cooked in bacon fat, and even bacon desserts. Yes, bacon dessert! Have you tried the Brown Butter - Candied Bacon Ice Cream at the Coolhaus Ice Cream Truck? It's divine.
Although I'm a huge fan of bacon and am not certain that this is just a passing culinary phase, some people feel like it's being over done, kinda like the recent cupcake obsession (but really, you do need to check out Molly's Cupcakes in the village for the most unbelievable cupcakes). I'm really not bothered by the bacon overload. I welcome it. And to add to this bacon overload, welcome these little lovely Sweet and Spicy Bacon Wrapped Chicken bites, which are as addictive as that amazing TV series that Asheley and I are currently hooked on, Breaking Bad (we literally watched the first 4 seasons in the span of 1 month).
This recipe actually comes from... cover your ears Anthony Bourdain... Paula Deen y'all. I’m not really a big fan of Paula Deen and I hardly ever make any of the butter-laden recipes, but this one actually caught my eye as I was browsing the google one night for party apps. It's really the perfect party finger food: no utensils required, not even a plate, and it a single perfect bite of sweet, salty, and just a little kick of spicy. It's also lightning fast to make and can even be prepared ahead of time.
Sometimes you are in the mood for that fancy, elusive dinner at the newest trendy restaurant that every blog and social media outlet are buzzing about. But then there are those times when you want some cheap, filling, totally satisfying, down-to-earth, honest-to-goodness comfort food. It still has to be really tasty, but the chefs don't need tweezers to plate the food and you don't need a reservation several months ahead of time (or, like the newest "trendy" restaurants, hope for a table because they don't even take reservations).
That familiar 
In the weeks following my return to New York, I thought I was destined to never again have another taste of the amazing French baguette I was so accustomed to enjoying daily while in Paris. I visited several self-named "French" bakeries in my area, but let's face it. They were all impostors.
After being good tourists and doing touristy things: taking a strol through the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens, viewing the Paris panoramic from atop Montparnasse Tower, and visiting the crypts within the Pantheon, we were absolutely starving for some lunch. Luckily not too far away and within walking distance were two places I wanted to check out: Franck Kestener Chocolatier (which you can read about in my post 
One look at the Faicco's storefront sign and you immediately think pork. Rightfully so, as Faicco's is known for their various homemade sausages as well as the numerous cuts of great looking meats they sell.... but pork is absolutely not on my mind when I walk up to Faicco's. When I'm passing by that glorious sign on Bleeker Street in the heart of Greenwich Village, I think of one thing and one thing only: rice balls.
