Chew and I treated ourselves to a little Sunday Brunch - I worked all weekend and he studied so we took ourselves out to Tattooed Moose! I went once when they first opened but haven't been back in years. I had the Cuban and we split their duck fat fries - delicious! Chew has a minor obsession with biscuits and gravy and absolutely cannot avoid ordering it if its on the menu. While I loved mine, the B and G wasn't high on Chew's list of the best Biscuits and Gravy. It took me 3 years to make this dish for him and he jokes he had to give me the ring first! Haha I suppose I subconsciously knew it would be a deal breaker. Thankfully he highly approved of my version! I had Westbrook's Gose to drink, it was my summer beer, I love it! Most people make a face when I order it but I love the salty sour flavor. Have you tried it? After we ate too much we headed home and relaxed!
We had a pork tenderloin that Chew wanted to grill for dinner and we had sweet potatoes and spinach that needed to be used. I made Spicy Balsamic Brown Sugar Sweet Potatoes and Spinach Sautéed with Bourbon Bacon Jam! They both were so delicious! Nothing like adding booze and bacon to your spinach to really kick up the healthiness! Seriously though this jam is The Jam! The first time I made this was for Easter last year at The Perks! It topped my deviled eggs and was divine. Last week it topped butternut squash fritters and there were leftovers so it went into spinach! Honestly, its bacon, what does it not go with?!
Bourbon Bacon Jam
Makes 1 cup
12 oz. Applewood Smoked Bacon
1 large White Onion, minced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
¼ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
¼ Cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
3 Tablespoons Brewed Coffee
3 Tablespoons Bourbon
Cook the bacon over medium heat until starting to crisp. Remove and let cool. Discard the bacon fat from the skillet and reserve 1 tablespoon in the skillet. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently until the onions are translucent. Add the vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup, coffee and bourbon. Bring to a boil and cook for two minutes, then reduce to low heat. Rough chop the bacon into small pieces and add to the mixture.
Let cook for about an hour or until the mixture is a deep brown color and thickened. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Let cool and then store in a glass jar. The jam can be refrigerated for up to one month.
For the spinach I sautéed a tiny splash of olive oil with some garlic in a large sauté pan and then added a large box (11oz) of baby spinach leaves. Added about 2 spoonfuls of the jam and cooked on low until the spinach was wilted! Yummy greens!
Spicy Balsamic Brown Sugar Sweet Potatoes
1 large sweet potato, cut into large cubes
1 apple, cut into large cubes
Garlic Powder, a pinch
Ground Red Pepper, a pinch
Maple Pepper, a pinch (regular black pepper would be fine)
Smoked Salt, a pinch
Brown Sugar, 1 tbsp
Olive Oil, 1 tbsp
Balsamic Vinegar, 1/2 tbsp (I used my blackberry ginger olive oil!)
Sage Leaves, 6 rough chopped
1. Place cut potato and apple in a mixing bowl and add in the rest of the ingredients
2. Mix well completely coating the potato and apple with the syrup
3. Spread out on a baking sheet and place in a 375 degree oven
4. After 15 minutes stir around to keep syrup on the potato and apple and not caramelizing on the baking sheet
5. Continue to bake about another 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft
This side was a perfect compliment for pork! I will definately be keeping it in our menu rotation for the winter.
On a non food note I'm sad to report that after all of my excitement awaiting my Tory Burch Fit Bit Bracelet I had to send it back after one week of wearing to work! The gold started rubbing off exposing the metal below...pretty sad for a $200 bracelet! I'm really bummed because it was nice to have something that looked nice for work and going out vs the rubber Fit Bit band. Luckily TB's customer service was awesome and made the return process easy. I do hope someone develops a bracelet that can hold up though. I am loving Fit Bit's new challenges, I did the Weekend Warrior that past two weekends, the extra incentive with friends encourages a few more steps!
