I love bacon.

There I said it.

And because I love bacon I love to try an incorporate it into many of the dishes that I make (it’s a sickness I know). While I may not like it enough to dip it in chocolate or mix it into my cupcake mix (that takes it a little too far if you ask me those people need even more help then I do) I do like to add it when a dish is missing a little something.

A while back I had picked up some fresh scallops that had arrived at the local grocery store and made myself some seafood primavera. While the dish turned out pretty good I felt as though it was missing something. Which is probably why it didn’t turn out to be a post on my blog despite the fact that I took the time to photograph the dish in the first place.

Well this weekend I was looking back though some of my “close but not good enough” meals that I had made in the past and came across my seafood primavera recipe and remembered that there was just something about it that didn’t make me go “YUM!” And for some reason (maybe it was because I had just eaten a bacon filled breakfast) it hit me why not use bacon wrapped scallops?!?

So I ran to the grocery store and got everything that I needed for dinner that night. Then instead of just pan searing the scallops for the pasta primavera I wrapped them in bacon and that definitely did the trick!

Bacon wrapped pasta primavera is now one of my favorite dishes. I think it’s funny how sometimes you can change a dish from okay to fantastic with the addition of one or two ingredients. Maybe this is why I love cooking so much. I love to take recipes and try them out and then think about what I could add or take away to make the dish just a little bit better. While many dishes I make seem to be perfect in nature there are just as many that I feel could use a little tweaking.

This dish is best served with a little white wine on a beautiful fall afternoon. It is light in flavor and hearty enough to fill you up. Jess and I filled ourselves silly with this dish and still had some leftovers!

Bacon Wrapped Scallops Primavera

Ingredients:

• 10 Fresh Scallops
• 10 Slices Hickory Smoked Bacon
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Green Bell Pepper
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
• ½ Pound Spaghetti Pasta
• ½ cup white wine

Directions:

1. Wrap each scallop with 1 slice of bacon securing with a tooth pick.
2. In a separate pan begin to boil water for pasta.
3. Add Pasta to boiling water cook according to directions.
4. Pan-sear the bacon wrapped scallops until bacon has fully cooked.
5. Slice Peppers and place in pan on medium heat. Add wine and simmer until soft. Approximately 7 minutes.
6. Dain cooked pasta and combine with peppers and wine in a separate bowl. Plate spaghetti and top with bacon wrapped scallops.

The guys over at Bacon Today are seriously obsessed with bacon. As a fellow bacon lover I fully support and endorse this sites concept. Not only does it contain tons of great recipes such as Turbaconducken – which is an ingenious recipe where chicken is wrapped in bacon then stuffed in a duck which is wrapped in bacon and then stuffed in a turkey which is also wrapped in bacon! (I would love to see the nutrition facts on that one, but hey, when you’re dealing with bacon who really cares?) It also has a bacon themed throw pillow! I believe no bacon lover’s home is complete until they have a bacon throw pillow on top of their sofa. I think it screams delicious!

I understand that New Year’s was a few days ago and that this post is way to late for you to be able to impress your guests with an appetizer that is both delicious and sexy but this year (or would that be last year) we decided to try a new recipe and I just couldn’t wait an entire year to tell you how awesome these little meat stuffed pastries are! Empanada (which simply means “Breaded”) can be filled with any of your favorite stuffing to make a quick, easy and delicious snack! So I’m sure by now you realize the deliciousness potential of this pastry but what about the sexy part? Say it with me Empanada – conquer the world?  …. Or is that just me?  Well without further ado, here is the recipe enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped, cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup chopped bacon
• 10 count Goya Disco (or bread dough flattened and cut into 6” circles)
• 1 (8-ounce) package shredded 4 cheese blend (Preferably Mexican)
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Water

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the chicken bacon, cheese, cream cheese, bell pepper, jalapeno, ground cumin, salt and pepper. Mix until all ingredients have been mixed evenly. Place Goya Discos or bread dough circles on a clean, flat surface. Lightly brush the edges of crust with water. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of chicken and bacon mixture in the center of the round. Fold the dough over the filling, pressing the edges with a fork or pastry cutter to seal. Repeat with the remaining rounds and chicken mixture. Arrange empanadas on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.