Tonight I made bacon wrapped lil' smokies. Yum! I had not eaten, or even thought of them for that matter, in years. I was only recently reminded of their wonderfulness in late January , when I ate one at my aunt's house for a birthday party thrown for my mom and cousin. These were one of the many snacks along the table, so I only placed one on my plate. When I finally bit into it, I decided it was the yummiest item on my plate. I have been dying to make them myself since. Tonight I Googled a simple recipe to get me started, then I got busy. First, I cut bacon into thirds, then wrapped each each smokie with a third of a piece of bacon. Hold the bacon in place and pierce a toothpick through the entire piece to keep it together. Then place them in a single layer in a pan and sprinkle with a generous amount of brown sugar. Cook at 325 degrees for 40 minutes (brown sugar should be bubbling at the bottom). Viola! Bacon wrapped smokies!!
I paired this, for no rhyme or reason as far as pairing goes, with Almaden Vineyard's Heritage Moscato. I'd tried this wine once, when Brian and I visited his friend in Chicago. We had never heard of the brand and we knew we like Moscato. This time I bought it because the Beverage World was out of the wine we usually sip on, and this box, close to the hole on the shelf shined up at me as if to say,"Hey! Do you remember me. The wine from Illinois!!"
This wine comes in a yellow and black box. Even if you think boxed wines are cheap and unclassy, please consider that the packaging is better for the environment and the absence of glass allows the wine to be sold at a less expensive price. That's classy in my book! My first thought about the specific brand itself was that the company should have chosen a different pour spout. If you are a drinker of boxed wine- you know what I am talking about. Some have the button and some have the twist... this had a twist spout, and did not have an extension at the opening to allow the wine to drain easily into the glass. But enough about the spout... it's what's beyond the spout that I'm here to tell you about.
The wine first hit my lips with the sweetness of a sugary white grape juice; It was smooth. At the point of swallowing I felt a tangy burst of slight carbonation. The acidic fruitiness of the wine was pleasing. It is definitely a wine for sipping, as the sweetness can become overpowering as more is consumed. I don't think I'll drink much tonight, but since it has the airtight spout, it will stay good for up to six weeks in the fridge. I am sure it will all be consumed soon enough...
As for the smokies- they were good! I didn't follow the recipe's brown sugar amount since I had broken the batch into two: a few in small pan for me and Brian tonight, and even more in a larger pan in the fridge for when we have company. The brown sugar and the bacon grease do indeed mix for a pleasant sweetness. The tops were just crispy enough and the bottom were moist (but not soggy) from sitting in the bacon grease. The only thing I plan to change for next time is how I sprinkled the sugar. I just used my hands tonight to allow chunks of brown sugar to rest on top of the appetizers. When they came out, the brown sugar clumps sat almost like candy on top of the bacon. Had I used a sifter, there would have been a smooth sweetness over all of them, instead of clumps here and there.
I would call my adventure tonight a success, both the wine and the dine were good. I hope you will join me for my next wine and dine at home experience!
simple recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/bacon-wrapped-smokies/
my picture of the wine box: http://pinterest.com/pin/112660428148384644/
smokies before the oven: http://pinterest.com/pin/112660428148384639/
after the oven: http://pinterest.com/pin/112660428148384642/
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