The eternal American breakfast question is “savory or sweet?”  Do I have a hearty scramble of eggs with sausage or bacon and home fried potatoes, or do I essentially have dessert for breakfast, a.k.a. the tower of fluffy pancakes covered in fruity topping and whipped cream?  Some brave souls have tried to eat both.  Generally such attempts lead one into food comas spanning lunch and dinner and lasting well into the night, causing the victim to awaken bleary-eyed and bewildered, lips still sticky with syrup. Others have gone a separate route.  Could it be possible to combine the essential elements of both savory and sweet and create a new hybrid breakfast food?  Yea, cried some, and the bacon pancake was born.  Recipes abound on the internet; here I include one of the myriad forms of this morning treat. Maple Bacon Pancake Courtesy of AllRecipes.com Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 5 “A sweet and savory oven pancake with cheese, bacon and maple syrup.” INGREDIENTS: 4 ounces bacon (turkey or pork or soy as preferred) 1 cup baking mix 1 and 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup maple syrup 2 tablespoons white sugar 2 eggs DIRECTIONS: 1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 2.  Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Spray a 9 inch pie plate with non-stick cooking spray. 3.  In a large bowl, beat together baking mix, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, milk, maple syrup, sugar and eggs until only small lumps of cheese remain. Pour into prepared pie plate. 4.  Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into...

Seriously, isn’t that cool, colorful picture absolutely mouthwatering on this hot summer day?  During my trip to New Orleans, I was introduced to Snowballs, a most refreshing dessert.  They’re much more than just syrup and water!  While many cities have their own version of Sno-cones, the south does them best! Let me know if you can find one of these in a city near you! Snowballs are well known in the southern United States.  A Snowball is not a slushie, not sherbert, and not your standard ice with flavoring.  The consistency is just like new fallen snow. Fresh ice is shaved superfine from a brick of ice, and then doused with home made flavorings. Hansen’s Sno-Bliz was the location I visited to sample the dessert.  According to their website, the stand located at 4801 Tchoupitoulas Street in New Orleans opened in 1944; after selling the dessert on the street since 1938.  The ice is still served the very same way as it was in the beginning.  A worker shaves each cone from a massive block of ice, for every customer’s unique order, using a specially designed, saw-like machine. Standing at the counter waiting for your treat, you can see the gloved man shaving away.  From what I’ve been told, it’s hard job, so cold the ice shaver must wear gloves to avoid frostbite on his fingers. Each and every one is home made.  No machine pushing syrups with CO2.  There are also a massive variety of sizes, from a tiny cup to a giant trash can size that was for a frat party! The dessert can be served with multiple home made fruit flavored syrups, or a splash of condensed milk, marshmallow, crushed pineapples, crushed strawberries or whipped cream. Even ice cream can be added.  I...