Um, Bacon Jam?

Wanting to get my crock pot back in action, but unsure what to make, I was browsing a round up of crock pot recipes from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. I was mostly trying to decide if I would rather make a hearty beef braise, spicy chicken chili, or some sort of vegetarian soup. But when the words "Bacon Jam" appeared in front of me I decided I had no choice. I wasn't even sure if the idea appealed to me; but I had to try it. I love fruit jams (my current favorite is apricot) and am a fan of sweet and savory chutneys, but what exactly would bacon jam be like? What would you eat it with? The recipe suggested it on bread, which seems a little obvious but boring. I decided not only would I make this odd sounding jam, I would also experiment with a few different uses for it.

And as if it were meant to be, every single ingredient is one I have sitting on hand at home in my pantry (well, the bacon is the fridge...) How could I not give this a try?

Penne with Goat Cheese, Asparagus and Bacon

There is a pasta dish that has recently become a  favorite in my family that features only 4 ingredients: olive oil, garlic, goat cheese and asparagus. The sharpness of the goat cheese and crisp sauteed garlic add enough interest that no other ingredients are needed.  Despite that fact, I can't help but add something. And lately, the thing I want to add (to almost any dish, I was planning to add some to the cornbread I was going to serve with my Sweet potato and black bean chili were it not for the fact that 2 of the guests who I made that meal for are vegetarian...) is BACON. Yes, crispy, salty, fatty bacon. What could be better? And what was I thinking for all those years that I refused to eat bacon?