I understand branding. It has a subtle and almost invisible power capable of creating a resonating and almost permanent impression. No one at work knows about my blogging life, but last week I was in a meeting and someone commented that the room smelled like bacon. Everyone then turned to look at me. I’m serious.

I accept, for the most part, that I am the “Bacon Guy.” To me, quite candidly, it’s a step up from being the “computer guy” or, nightmarishly, the “comic book store guy.” I just have that “look.” At least bacon is accurate.

But still people make assumptions, which are frequently off-base. I don’t pour bacon into a bowl every morning and eat it like cereal, or use bacon-scented hygiene products or anything like that.

Nonetheless, I think it’s time I branched out. Here is what I’m going to do.

This next week, I will be preparing several dishes straight out of my favorite food blogs. I will adhere to the following guidelines.

1. The dishes I choose will fit in with my overall lifestyle. A lot of cooking on Sunday, with quicker dinners on sunday that provide room for leftover lunches. I will prepare a mixture of elaborate dishes, quick meals, sides, and one wonderful dessert.

2. I will push my comfort zone. Ingredients I don’t often choose, methods I may not have mastered, and cuisines that I may have ignored.

3. None of the dishes contain bacon or pork product, and at this point I have no plans to add bacon to any dish. This will present a stern test with at least one of the items.

4 I will choose my dishes from blogs I have read for a long time, respect, and enjoy.

5. I will stay as close as i can to the original recipe, even if it means a quick last-minute trip to the IGA.

So I’ll see you guys next sunday with a full debriefing and a bunch of pictures.