Pancetta, and the joy of the muses!

Well, the summer has arrived. The kids are home now, teens sprawled out all over the house, watching TV. That's OK, it is only the second day of vacation, so they haven't started to sprout moss yet... And the shows of choice for today's viewing have been cooking shows, go figure! My son has hinted at wanting to become a chef when he gets to his career, so no surprises here. The theme for these shows has been pancetta. Now, pancetta is something new to us, a bit mysterious and a tad exotic, but it sure looked good!

When I went to the store to pick up dinner, there, lo and behold! was pancetta ~~ on sale! It is these lovely bits of serendipity that makes me know all is right in our world. If you take the time to look and you believe in a touch of magic, you can find these lovely surprises presented to you. It went into the basket, of course.

Now, for those of you who are also unfamiliar with pancetta, it is Italian bacon. This was sold in paper thin rounds instead of strips, and is not smoked like American bacon. It cooks almost immediately once it hits the pan, and that paper thinness gives the cooked meat a divine crunch. Although it is a bit too salty to be simply eaten by itself, it makes a heavenly quiche. I would say that pancetta is one of those flavors best used as an accent rather than the star of the meal.

I hope that today you find your little gift of surprise that the muses leave for you. We all need that bit of joy to savor. It isn't always immediately available, sometimes it is designed to make you stop, and take some time out to enjoy it. Life is simply too short not to look for these gifts! Good luck, I hope it brings you peace!