Most of my summers have been spent cottaging in the lovely town of Haliburton on Lake Kashagawigamog. I remember fondly, on hot summer days, my dad sucking back a concoction he called a red-eye. As a child I couldn’t fathom why anyone would combine beer with tomato juice – like gross me out. Fast forward to the adult me and this is one of the drinks I crave while sitting on the dock on a hot summer’s day. So with that in mind, I created LB’s (Larry Buckett’s) red-eye, a cross between a classic red-eye and the Canadian classic, the Caesar. Pair it with this salty sweet bacon snack and everyone at the dock will be happy campers – or cottagers.
LB’s red-eye
juice of 1 lime
Caesar rimmer
1 wedge of lime
Ice (4-5 ice cubes per drink)
3-4 dashes tabasco
1-2 dashes of Worchestershire sauce
4 oz tomato juice
12 oz light lager
Garnish: lime, pickles, pepperettes etc..
Rim your beer glass with lime followed by the Caesar rimmer.
Squeeze your lime wedge into the glass and add the wedge to the glass.
Add your ice, tobasco and Worchestershire followed by the tomato juice and give it all a good stir.
Stream in your beer along the side of the glass. Gently stir with a spoon, garnish and enjoy.
Maple-Chili peanut bacon
10 slices bacon
3 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/3 cup of finely chopped roasted unsalted peanuts
Preheat oven to 350F
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and top with a metal cooling rack.
Place the bacon strips on the rack and brush each strip with maple syrup. Turn the bacon over and repeat.
Sprinkle each bacon slice with chilli powder.
Sprinkle one side of each bacon slice with peanuts and pat down so they will adhere while cooking.
Place pan on middle rack and cook for 25-35 min. Bacon should look well done but will be tacky and still somewhat pliable.
Remove from the oven and let the bacon cool slightly before serving.
For a printable version of this recipe click here.