Cherry and bacon rolls..and happy Valentine!

I suppose everyone thinks “chocolate” when in February and especially around the 14th. I’m breaking the rules a bit here…these small cherry and bacon rolls are much more popular in our home under my loved ones than chocolate. In fact, I’m the only chocolate fan around here! So, when I make my people these little rolls, they know it says something about my love for them.

Very easy, so much so that it doesn’t require any recipe. I’ve had this “recipe” for as long as I can remember. It is sort of my “signature” snack and I have not yet come across a single person who sticks to only one or even two.

  1. Simply roll some sweet “cake cherries” as we used to call them in strips thin bacon. Secure with a toothpick
  2. Bake in a 200 degrees C (356 degr F) oven until the bacon is caramelized. In a preheated oven, this won’t take longer than 12-15 minutes.

Suggestions:

  • Use some prunes or apricots instead of cherries.
  • Use a leaner ham, like prosciutto or Serrano ham, cut in think slices and roll around the cherries. I’ve tried them all, but our favourite stays bacon strips.
  • The bacon rolls can be fried in a pan(without oil), but they are crispier and tastier(and healthier) baked in the oven.
  • Use simple toothpicks.. fancy ones will burn in the oven.
  • Eat warm from the oven.

…cherries in syrup, strips of bacon, toothpicks…

…May you all have  a cherry sweet Valentine’s day!..

…à bientôt

 from Chérie here in Corréze!

Ambiance – love on line 12.

Her name is Leyin. I am Julien. For  6 years we were together until she left me, 7 weeks ago. If you will allow me, I will share this story of love and passion with you, a piece a day, for as long as my faith keeps up or  until she comes back to this line 12, which she takes regularly. My wish? To touch her, move her and at the same time, bring some beauty to this world of the Paris metro.

For this Valentine weekend ambiance, I want to share this Paris metro love story with you.

Chéri called me last week one day, early morning, from Paris. “I miss you and I just quickly want to tell you how much I love you. Later, during  the weekend I found out what stirred his emotions on that early morning. He found a letter on his seat on the metro, line 12, the one he takes to work every day. It is a love letter from Julien to his lost love Leyin. It is written with passion and sadness and a hope that she’ll take line 12 again, find his words of love dedicated to her and be so touched by it that she returns to him. He ends his letter with a poem and a request that the letter not be destroyed, but left on the seat where you found it, as it is more than just a letter…it is a symbol of love.

So…I know many will immediately think this is a hoax, scam…or a joke…or anything else, except honest and real. Maybe it isn’t real. Maybe it is a joke. Or a scam. But then, in my opinion, it is a positive one. One that leaves you with a smile and a twinkle in the eye…a dream…. and one that has your husband of 30 years  call you early morning to quickly tell you that he loves you. THAT is honest and real.

Have a passionate Valentine weekend!

from the hopeless romantic!

Updated Saturday, 11 February. This reply showed up  in my comment box…

“Hello,

I am the author of the papers for Leyin on line 12.
It’s not a hoax or something like that.
It’s real, it’s our story, and I hope she will come back.

It’s funny. You’re the second english spoken people who think it could be not real.
I’ve received reactions on my mail (darling_jf@yahoo.fr), and all reactions in french don’t enven think about a hoax, joke… For french people, it sounds like it is , a romantic way to find again my love.

The paper you show is the number 7. I finished the week on friday with the number 11.

Thank you very much for your interest. With many good vibrations, I think we (leyin and me) will be soon together.

Sorry for my english.

Darlin JF

11/02/2012 at 13:0″

**I’m so happy to hear from Julien and so this is for him...let’s ALL hope and wish together that he’ll find this love!!