...of Hearth and Home and Who I Am.: Bacon Roses

I saw a link on how to do these a few months ago, and finally had the reason and the will to try them - Valentine's Day!

Really, they weren't that hard, once I had the components.

You need:

Bacon (obviously) - regular or thick cut, about 1 lb.
The metal parts from around several tea-light candles. (make sure there's no wax.)
roasting pan/rack
oven
fake rose stems

Start by preparing your tins for baking. The original tutorial I saw on these said to drill holes in the bottom of a mini-muffin tin. That's expensive, though, especially if you're only doing them once. Instead, use the metal bits from around tealight candles, and poke holes in the bottom with a pushpin. The idea is to let the fat drain as the bacon is cooking.

Next, get the bacon ready. Roll it tightly, starting at the larger end. Place it in your prepared tin with the fat side down.

Next, place them on a roasting pan, or on a rack over a cookie sheet. Remember, you want the fat to drain away from the bacon as it's cooking. Place in a 375 degree oven, and bake for about 40 minutes.

While your roses are baking, prepare the stems. Carefully pull the silk rosebuds off the stem. Then, disassemble the rosebuds, so you have the green part from the bottom. You may also need the green stick from the center of your flowers, but that may vary depending on the type of stems you have. You want the green base of your flower to actually stay where you put it on the stem, with the bacon.

These are the parts you'll need, once your buds are baked. Put the green flower base back on the stem, pushing it down an inch or so. (Be careful...I sliced my thumb doing this, because it didn't slide easily, and there was a sharp wire in the point of the rose stem I used.