BACON KEEPER RECIPES

Steps:

• Cook and stir bacon in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until bacon starts to brown, about 10 minutes; drain grease, retaining 1/4 of the drippings. Stir onions into bacon and drippings; cook and stir until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in brown sugar; cook until onions are sticky and browned, about 5 more minutes. Mix in garlic, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook and stir until garlic is soft, about 5 minutes.
• Mix in bourbon whiskey, coffee, sherry vinegar, and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook until the bacon jam is thickened but not completely dry, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, about 35 minutes. Mix in ketchup and cook 5 more minutes.
• Remove from heat, let the bacon jam cool, and pulse in a food processor to a slightly chunky, spreadable consistency. Bacon jam will store in the refrigerator, covered, up to 2 weeks.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon slices to paper towels, reserving bacon drippings in the skillet. Crumble bacon when cooled.
• Remove stems from mushrooms and set stems aside. Place mushrooms, hollow sides up, on a baking sheet; brush the insides with melted butter.
• Chop mushroom stems; cook and stir chopped stems, black olives, green onion, and crumbled bacon in the bacon drippings over medium heat until mushroom stems release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper; stir to coat.
• Tilt the skillet slightly; move vegetable-bacon mixture to one side, allowing the bacon drippings to pool to the other side. Whisk flour into bacon drippings until smooth and paste-like; slowly stir in milk until gravy is smooth. Mix vegetable-bacon mixture into the gravy. Add American cheese and Parmesan cheese; cook and stir until cheeses melt, about 5 minutes. Spoon filling into mushroom caps.
• Bake in the preheated oven until mushrooms are tender and filling is lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Remove mushrooms from baking sheet and cool on platter for 2 minutes before serving.