Is bacon love?

I'm not usually the sort to celebrate holidays like Valentine's Day, but this year, I found reason to do just that. It's been a time of much change for me and my fiance, but finding routine and so many ways to make one another laugh has been amazing. And then ... there's bacon! Instead of planning expensive gifts or fussy dinners, we both agreed that there exists a perfect way to celebrate this light-hearted greeting card holiday: Bacon-Bleu Cheese Burgers!

Now, I know Valentine's Day is past, but there is no reason you can't and shouldn't work to keep this special love alive. For our part, we made sure to procure some apple-smoked, thick cut bacon and I opted to oven-fry it, because it's a fantastic method, in my opinion. I found a reasonably priced bleu cheese from Trader Joe's. Feel free to splurge as you're able, but a little bleu cheese goes a long way, so keep that in mind. We opted for soft onion rolls for nestling our burgers into, and I highly recommend something similar. Brioche would also be excellent.

Alongside the burgers, we enjoyed cheddar-jalapeno kettle chips and homemade dill pickles. And, here's the super amazing part: beer. Now, this might not seem like a strange combination to nearly everyone out there, but what makes it unusual is me. I hate the taste of beer. When I was itty bitty, I was given a nearly empty bottle of beer, which I then emptied. Moments later, I threw up on my father's shoe. I was not given beer again! Even as an adult, it's never appealed to me. However, on that special night, with that special menu, I shared a beer with my fiance. I highly doubt I'll ever be someone that really enjoys beer, but it really worked with that burger. And I'm of the opinion that bacon had its role in making that work, too!