While flipping through the pages of the latest edition of Departures this morning, something caught my eye. Now, please don’t judge me by my reading material; the magazine comes as a part of the very generous annual fee I pay to American Express for some great travel benefits.

And, let me be clear…almost all of the outlandish escapades covered in Departures are way beyond our budget. But this one is not. It’s a very simple recipe that would be baking in my oven right now if I had bacon in my fridge. It’s a good thing I didn’t.

Bill Blass’s Caramelized Bacon

1/2 pound thick-cut bacon

1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Dredge individual bacon slices in brown sugar, patting sugar down on both sides to make it stick. Place the bacon slices on a heavy baking sheet. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the bacon is caramelized and crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool. Break them into bite-sized pieces to serve as hors d’oeuvres.

Thanks, Bill.