paleo mashed sweet potatoes, spinach and a fried egg aka breakfast

do you know what's in that little jar up there? c'mmmmonnn, you know. 

vegetarians and vegans, please look away, lest you be repelled by my little jar of bacon fat.

getting closer

these dry little pinto beans are so humble and unassuming. they are a blank slate, mine to season and beautify any way that i see fit.

i have been striving to achieve refried bean nirvana (yah, it's a real thing) for years and am getting closer and closer to that place with each batch of beans that i make.

potato + bacon + thyme soup

i love that i can make a creamy and rich soup that has zero heavy cream in it. i didn't even need to use full fat milk in this recipe and the results still seem sinfully comforting.

yay, me!

gobble, gobble

this year, my husband and i did a quiet thanksgiving at home, just the two of us. it was a peaceful, mellow day full of love, a couple bottles of fruity pinot noir and delicious food.

it was exactly what we needed.

roasted butternut squash stuffed with rice, thyme, bacon + gruyere

it is squash season, hooray! i adore all things squashy- pumpkins, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and especially, butternut squash.

cut squash in half lengthwise. scoop out seeds and stringy flesh. cut each half into 2 or 3 smaller pieces. it's flesh gets all sweet and intense when roasted in the oven @ 375 degrees for about 45-50 minutes, or until a fork slides easily in and out. don't forget to rub it all over with olive oil, salt and pepper first!

sweet + salty (a love story)

"paired sweet and salty flavors is why we love kettle corn, chocolate-covered pretzels and snickers bars. from that perspective, chocolate-covered bacon and bacon cupcakes suddenly seem, well, right."

that is a quote from this article from npr's kitchen window. bacon in a cookie? or in a brownie? or on a scoop of creamy caramel ice cream?

droooooool. oops, sorry!

you had me at oink.

(piggy print via drywell on etsy)

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pork chops and chorizo and bacon, oh my!

hot potato!

for whatever reason, i've been on a major freezer meal kick lately. these super stuffed potatoes freeze beautifully, are easy to make in large quantities (i made 12) and are an easy weeknight dinner paired with a salad or roasted vegetable.

i chose to stuff mine with sharp cheddar, butter, sour cream, scallions and what else? bacon!