Maple & Bacon Spiced Almonds

 

I always make spicy candied almonds (or pecans) for salads,

but the addition of bacon...oh my!!!  I just know you will 

love this one!

What you need:

2 1/2 cups raw almonds

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

5 strips of  center cut bacon, chopped up

Generous cracks of sea salt

 

Use kitchen shears to rough cut 5 strips of bacon and place in

a pan over medium/high heat.  

Separately:  preheat oven to 325

 Brown the bacon bits thoroughly, then remove the bacon 

from the pan. Center cut bacon does not render much fat

so there will be about a tablspoon of bacon fat in the pan. 

Leave it in the pan.  

IF YOU ARE USING LEFTOVER BACON FOR THIS

RECIPE, ADD 1 T. OF BUTTER TO THE HOT PAN AND 

CARRY ON WITH THE RECIPE.

Add the raw almonds and maple syrup to the bacon fat, in the

pan over medium/high heat.

Stir and coat.  Allow the maple syrup to bubble and reduce, 

while stirring constantly for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, all of the almonds should be coated in thick

maple syrup reduction. 

Turn off heat and return the bacon bits to the pan, along with

cayenne pepper (if you want a bigger kick, add more), and

a very generous dusting of sea salt. Stir to incorporate.

Pour the mixture onto a parchment paper lined sheet tray and

spread the almonds and bacon out into a single layer

Place the sheet tray in the preheated oven and cook for 7-9 minutes.

Remove pan from the oven and allow the coated almonds 15-20 

minutes to cool.  Then, try not eating them all.

 

Allow to cool completely, at least 1 hour before packaging up.

I am packaging up the almonds to give as gifts.  

This time of year you can find adorable containers in every store, 

otherwise, store the almonds in a sealed container or bag at room temperature.

Enjoy!

xo

Layered Spring Salad

Sorry for this ridiculously generic post, but I put a photo of this salad on Instagram and my friend, who talked me into blogging in the first place asked me to please blog the salad, step by step.  So, I must oblige.

What you need:
zucchini
bag of salad greens
tomato
fresh mozzarella
maple spiced pecans (recipe link below)
baguette
olive oil
balsamic reduction
sea salt
garlic (optional)

Steps:

Cut zucchini on the diagonal and brush with olive oil and cook on the grill (or pan saute, if you do not have a grill or grill pan). Once the zucchini is a bit tender remove from heat and sprinkle with sea salt. Set aside to cool.

Slice tomatoes

Slice fresh mozzarella

Toast baguette (cut chunks of baguette roughly the circumference of the tomato and mozzarella you sliced). To toast the baguette, generously brush the bread with olive oil (or, place a bit of olive oil on a plate and dip one side of the bread) and sprinkle with sea salt and crushed garlic (optional), bake at 350 for 10 minutes (the bread with be crunchy, like a crouton) **you can do this step a several days in advance, just place in an air tight storage container until needed.

Now you are ready to build on the platter.

Start by piling a  heap of your favorite greens (I love the spring mix blend) on the platter

Top the greens with Maple Spiced Pecans (recipe) **this can also be made days in advance.  I always have a jar of them in my pantry.

Around the edges of the platter create stacks, topping the toasted baguette with the mozzarella then the tomato.  Sprinking sea salt and a light drizzle of olive oil atop the tomato stack. 

Tuck a slice of grilled zucchini between each baguette stack, around the edges of the platter.  

Generously drizzle with a balsamic reduction.  I used to make my own, but my daughter told me it makes her eyes burn, so I started buying it at Trader Joe's.  You can find it at any market, in the balsamic section!!!

Again, many apologies for this crapTastic blog post.  But for my sweet Tanya, I hope this helps. 

Elvis Pancakes...OMG

Everyone should be so lucky to know a pregnant lady like me (so says me).  I have crazy dreams every night, but two mornings ago I woke up nearly embarrassed to share one dream with the hubs.  I dreamed about Elvis.  Not the cute, young Elvis...but the older, chubby hunk-o-chunk of burning love...wait, it gets better.  I was his cook!!!  The dream continued on that I made him his favorite sandwich...pancake style. 

 OMG, I better have this baby soon, I am for sure turning into a truck driver!!!  I have nothing against truck drivers, I just fancy them to be crazy eaters too, since they hit up truck stops galore...ya know?!?

What you need:

Pancake Mix (do what you like, but I love me some Krusteaz, just add water)

I used 2 cups of the pancake mix to 1 & 1/3 cups water (mix as directed)

1 banana, cut length ways then across into bits

5 strips of well cooked (crunchy) bacon, crumbled

Peanut Butter Syrup Topping:

2 T. butter

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup natural peanut butter

(heat in microwave safe glass bowl for ~45 seconds) 

ladle batter into a pan well heated, over medium heat.

Top the batter with pieces of bacon and banana.

Wowza, yum!!!  Just wait for the delish topping! 

The heated butter, maple syrup and peanut butter (as

stated at top) thickens a bit and becomes the consistency

of scrumptious caramel.  I just decided this would be

equally delish on apple slices. 

Beautiful stack of Elvis Cakes.  Topped with peanut

butter syrup and garnished with a few chunks of banana

and bacon.  Just because. 

Yum!  Dare you not to lick the plate!