What can you get for the bacon lover?

There’s the Bacon Of The Month Club, but that’s $400.

There’s always an assortment of the finest artisanal bacon brands from small producers who craft premium bacon the old-fashioned way: hand-rubbed spices, slow curing methods and real wood smoke.

They can be double or triple the price of supermarket bacon, so it’s a gift most people wouldn’t buy for themselves. Check out some of the best brands, below.

But this year, we’re recommending a DIY Bacon Curing Kit from Urban Accents. Just add a pork belly from the nearest butcher shop, and the recipient can have homemade bacon in just seven days. This DIY kit has everything you need!

Just pick up a five-pound pork belly from your favorite meat counter and put the meat, curing salt, maple sage seasoning (if you like) into the curing bag. Refrigerate for seven days and you’ll be cooking up your own homemade bacon.

The kit is $17.15 at Urban Accents.

A five-pound pork belly is needed to make the bacon. Depending on your area, you can pay about $3.00 to $6.00 a pound. Heritage breeds are pricier.

WHAT ARE THE BEST BACON BRANDS?

According to a review in Food & Wine, you should try, in this order:

[1] Make five pounds of bacon with this DIY kit (photo courtesy Urban Accents). [2] Pork belly not included (photo courtesy Slap Yo Daddy BBQ).

 
Read the full review for more recommendations.

[1] The Christmas Cheese Ball, festive with cocktails. This recipe, from How Sweet Eats, is made with with white cheddar, mascarpone and sage (photo © How Sweet Eats).

[2] The cheese ball at The Café Sucre Farine is made with Monterey Jack, pecans, rosemary and thyme. Minced parsley accents the arils for an even better holiday effect. Here’s the recipe (photo © The Cafe Sucre Farine).

[3] Our original inspiration was this red and green cheese ball from Go Bold With Butter (recipe below).

Deck the hall with this festive almond-Gruyère/Swiss Cheese cheese ball.

Parsley colors the interior green, while the pomegranate arils create a crimson cloak.

Bonus: Prep time is 15 minutes, and you can make it two days in advance. Thanks to Go Bold With Butter for the recipe.
 
 
RECIPE #1: CHRISTMAS CHEESE BALL

Ingredients

 
For Serving

 
Preparation

1. PAT the arils dry with paper towels, ensuring removing as much moisture as possible. You can do this an hour or more in advance and leave the arils on paper towels on the counter to further dry.

2. PLACE the cheeses and butter along with almonds, horseradish mustard, parsley and seasonings in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for 1-2 minutes, scraping the bowl frequently until ingredients are well combined.

3. SHAPE the mixture into cheese mixture into a large ball and refrigerate. can be made up to 2 days ahead, wrapped and stored in refrigerator. Before serving…

4. ROLL the ball in pomegranate arils until fully coated. Gently press the arils into the heese ball to adhere. To serve, place on plate with breads, crackers and spreaders.
 
 
RECIPE #2: HORSERADISH MUSTARD

We tend to keep sugar away from where it doesn’t need to be—in savory foods. We just don’t enjoy sugary potato chips or wasabi-flavored mustard. (Honey mustard gets a pass.)

Numerous recipes for cheese balls contain a sweetened condiment: honey, maple syrup, sugar brown sugar. It’s the same with horseradish mustard.

We don’t mind a brief hint of sweetness; but if a cheese ball tastes sweet (and it isn’t a sweet style, e.g. with dried fruit, or a dessert ball), it’s too sweet for us.

Since the cheese ball recipe requires just 1-1/2 teaspoons of the mustard, you can adjust the amounts below accordingly.
 
Ingredients

Preparation

1. DRAIN the horseradish in a fine strainer or cheesecloth, pushing down with the back of a spoon to remove the excess liquid.

2. COMBINE with the mustard, mix well and taste. If it’s too strong for you, you can add a bit of sour cream to remove some of the spiciness.But remember, mixing the mustard with the cream cheese will temper the heat.
 
Variation

Make a mustard horseradish sauce for meat or poultry, simply by adding one cup of sour cream to recipe above.
 
 
MORE CHRISTMAS CHEESE BALL RECIPES

[2] and [3] Prepare your “logs” and lay the foundation. See the rest of the “construction” below.

[3] If you want a sweet house but don’t like gingerbread, here’s a chocolate house, made with molds from King Arthur Flour.

How about a vegetable cottage instead of a gingerbread house?

Created by Green Giant; we found it on

It was originally posted on Green Giant’s Facebook page.

Here’s the rub:

The bloggers who re-posted provided the ingredients, but instructed the reader to “Click here for the directions From Green Giant’s Facebook Page.”

Alas, “Click here” delivers a “Page Not Found.”

Conspiracy: Maybe there never were directions! At best, we have some step-by-step photos to the left and below.

It isn’t hard for anyone who likes craft projects to follow them.

> The history of the gingerbread house.
 
 
RECIPE: VEGGIE LODGE

Ingredients

 
For The “Landscaping”

 
For The Dip

 
Ingredients
 
Or, ditch the healthy house and make this chocolate version from King Arthur Flour (photo #3).

[4] Cut the celery “beams.”

[5] Slice the cucumber “roof tiles.”

[6] Arrange the carrot “logs” with the cream cheese “mortar.”

[7] Create the gables from celery. Add the bell pepper “door” and the other house elements. Then add the “landscaping.”

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.