Superbowl of Food

As the big game approaches, people who are hosting a Superbowl party are frantically trying to pick what food they will make. Personally, I have always made dark chocolate brownies and cookies.  We always went to a family-friends house and they made pulled pork, potato salad, chips and of course mac and cheese.  Recently though, I have noticed a new growing tradition of creating a stadium out of food for the Superbowl. In 2012, for the Giants and Patriots game, the Huffington Post posted the 11 Amazing/ Disgusting Stadium Snacks.  I had no idea people were taking hours and hours building these massive creations that are just going to get eaten.  Some of these are smaller with rice crispy treats as the walls and chip-dip as the field, while others have massive walls of deli meat and cold cut sandwiches.  Some even get so detailed they put advertising in the stadium and players on the field. What Superbowl snack are you most looking forward to?  Comment below and share your favorite recipe or snack for the big game. 

My Secret Mentor(s)

As somebody who is not an avid reader of any kind really, I don't really have a favorite author.  I know that sounds really weird having a journalism major who doesn't like reading, but here I am.  It's not that I don't like reading, I just can never find anything I really enjoy reading. For me to sit down and read something of any real length, it has to grab my attention and keep it.  I know you are thinking right now, "That's what all writers have to do", but with me it's on a different level. Even now, just trying to write this blog post, I am getting distracted by everything. I hate the fact that everything distracts me.  I guess that means when I write things they should be able to keep anybodies attention because they were written to keep my attention so, that works out pretty well actually. So I guess what I am saying is that I like all authors who can grab my attention and keep it for the entire article.  When I send an article to my sisters on Facebook or to my Dad in an email, it grabbed my attention. In a way then, everybody is my secret mentor... Any author that has gotten my attention and kept it, has inspired me to write like them.  I like the authors that can get the point across when it's news related or when it's not news related, they have lots of details. One good example that I check quite often is fire station websites. I know that sounds kind of weird but it keeps my attention.  One of the sites I check almost everyday is the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department 33 website.  I have a really close friend that is a firefighter there and I like to keep an eye on the big fires they have (plus I love Murphy, the "Station Chief").

Murphy, "Station Chief" of Kentland 33 

Even though you have to know their lingo a little, for example they say, "Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta" as sides of the building.  Alpha or A-side is normally the side that is facing the street or the side that the apparatus (or truck) is parked on.  Bravo is the right side of the building, Charlie is the back and Delta is the only side left. Also, they say first due, 2nd due, and 3rd due, this just means when the call goes out, dispatch might call for one fire truck (1st due) then if the fire is big enough or they need a different kind of truck they call for another truck (2nd due). It's really when the trucks arrive so it could also be when the call goes out to each engine.  So the 3rd engine called would be the 3rd due.  All of the trucks are named so Tower 33 is the ladder truck (see the Apparatus tab for all the info of each rig).  These are more like blog posts but it tells you what happened and gets all the information to you that you need to know.  I kind of went off on a tangent but, I think I got my point across.  If it can keep my attention, then I like the author.  So I don't have a favorite author, I like them all.

My Sites Explained

Bacon Today 

This unique site is your one-stop-shop for everything bacon. Established in July of 2008, it was one of the pioneers bringing bacon to the world. Bacon Today is now a source for all bacon related news, reviews, and recipes, including the Top Ten Bacon Recipes of 2013.  Also available through Bacon Today is the Bacon Shop, where some of the different categories are "Swine and Wine", "Bacon Coffee", "Bacon Clothing", and "Bacon Gift Bundles".  In fact under the "Why Bacon?" tab on the site it states,
 "If you have to ask "why bacon?" then we're glad you're here.  Bacon Today was founded on the simple principle that a world of bacony goodness exists out there for all to discover and enjoy.  Here's what we believe: The most versatile meat on the planet deserves some respect.  Breakfast is not the only meal for bacon.  Fashion, Art, Music...all industries seriously devoid of bacon.  Bacon is a treat for all the senses.  Frozen bacon should not be used as a weapon (although it happens).  As some folks have said - it's the candy of meats!"

he most versatile meat on the planet deserves some respect. - See more at: http://bacontoday.com/about/#sthash.ZdxOj8JT.dpuf

glad you’re here. Bacon Today was founded on the simple principle that a world of bacony goodness exists out there for all to discover and enjoy. Here’s what we believe: - See more at: http://bacontoday.com/about/#sthash.ZdxOj8JT.dpuf

glad you’re here. Bacon Today was founded on the simple principle that a world of bacony goodness exists out there for all to discover and enjoy. Here’s what we believe: - See more at: http://bacontoday.com/about/#sthash.ZdxOj8JT.dpuf

glad you’re here. Bacon Today was founded on the simple principle that a world of bacony goodness exists out there for all to discover and enjoy. Here’s what we believe: - See more at: http://bacontoday.com/about/#sthash.ZdxOj8JT.dpuf

If you have to ask “why bacon?” then we’re glad you’re here. Bacon Today was founded on the simple principle that a world of bacony goodness exists out there for all to discover and enjoy. Here’s what we believe:

• The most versatile meat on the planet deserves some respect.
• Breakfast is not the only meal for bacon.
• Fashion, Art, Music…all industries seriously devoid of bacon.
• Bacon is a treat for all the senses.
• Frozen bacon should not be used as a weapon (although it happens).
• As some folks have said — it’s the candy of meats!

Thanks for stopping by!
- See more at: http://bacontoday.com/about/#sthash.ZdxOj8JT.dpuf

If you have to ask “why bacon?” then we’re glad you’re here. Bacon Today was founded on the simple principle that a world of bacony goodness exists out there for all to discover and enjoy. Here’s what we believe:

• The most versatile meat on the planet deserves some respect.
• Breakfast is not the only meal for bacon.
• Fashion, Art, Music…all industries seriously devoid of bacon.
• Bacon is a treat for all the senses.
• Frozen bacon should not be used as a weapon (although it happens).
• As some folks have said — it’s the candy of meats!

Thanks for stopping by!
- See more at: http://bacontoday.com/about/#sthash.ZdxOj8JT.dpuf

If you have to ask “why bacon?” then we’re glad you’re here. Bacon Today was founded on the simple principle that a world of bacony goodness exists out there for all to discover and enjoy. Here’s what we believe:

• The most versatile meat on the planet deserves some respect.
• Breakfast is not the only meal for bacon.
• Fashion, Art, Music…all industries seriously devoid of bacon.
• Bacon is a treat for all the senses.
• Frozen bacon should not be used as a weapon (although it happens).
• As some folks have said — it’s the candy of meats!

Thanks for stopping by!
- See more at: http://bacontoday.com/about/#sthash.ZdxOj8JT.dpuf

Audience: People who love bacon and are looking for bacon themed items.  Or people who just bought too much bacon and want to get rid of it.
Link:Bacon Today

Bacon Unwrapped 

Launched in June 2005, looking for a creative outlet outside of her professional life, Heather Lauer sat down with her brother to enjoy some cocktails and the rest is history. "After countless vodka tonics, we came to the conclusion that 1) everyone loves bacon and 2) there aren’t nearly enough websites dedicated to the topic of bacon (boy, have times changed since then…)".  One night in 2005, started the greatest journey of Heather's life.  Since then she has written an entire book about bacon, "Bacon: A Love Story", traveled the world on her book tour and to speak about bacon, and started her own digital marketing agency. 

Audience:  Bacon lovers everywhere! People who are looking for new and different bacon recipes.
Link: Bacon Unwrapped

The Food Network

It only seems fitting that a blogger who is writing about food would love the Food Network. Although not exclusively bacon themed, the Food Network has countless recipes, numerous articles, and 20 different techniques to cook bacon. Headquartered in New York, the Food Network has a growing internationally with programs in more than 150 countries, including 24 hour networks in Great Britain, India, Asia and Africa, as well as here in the United States.

Audience: The food lover in all of us.  Anybody can use this website regardless of cooking ability, age and location.
Link:Food Network

The New York Times

The New York Times has been a reliable source for news for over 162 years.  With almost 10 million homepage views in the last 24 hours, it is ranked the second newspaper in the United States based on circulation. The New York Times has been the first to publish breaking news multiple times in history.

Audience: People who want the most up to date news from around the world.
Link:The New York Times

The Washington Post

The Washington Post is the main newspaper of the Nations Capital.  Growing up in the Washington DC area, we always had the Post in the house.  It was always my go-to newspaper when I wanted to know more information about anything, I would go to the Washington Post. 

Audience: People who want the news of our Nations Capital.
Link:The Washington Post