Dressing:
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon fresh basil, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste

Bacon & Peach Pasta:
Cook pasta according to directions on box. Set aside.

In a skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Let drain on a paper towel. When cool, crumble the bacon into bite-size pieces.

In a large bowl, combine the pasta, bacon, peaches, onion, and parsley. Set aside.

Dressing:
In a small jar or bowl, combine the vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. While whisking, slowly pour in the oil. Pour over the pasta and toss to coat.

Yields 2-4 servings.

5 strips bacon
1 onion, chopped
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cups chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3 bay leaves
2 teaspoon dried parsley
1 cup whole milk
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large stockpot, cook the bacon. Remove the cooked strips and place them on plate covered with a paper towel. Do not drain the grease.

Add the onion and saute until semi-translucent.

Add the potatoes, chicken broth, garlic, bay leaves and parsley.

Crumble the bacon and add about 3/4 of it to the soup.

Cook, covered, over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 20-30 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves. Add the milk. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a regular one and puree the soup in batches.) Season with salt and pepper.

Use the rest of the bacon as garnish.

Yields about 4 servings.

1 can (13.8-ounces) refrigerated pizza crust
1/4 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for coating
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
2 teaspoons dried thyme
6-8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
2-3 oranges, peeled and cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly coat a 12-inch pizza pan with with olive oil.

Unroll the pizza crust dough on the pizza pan and press the dough to the edges of the pan. Set aside.

In small bowl, mix together the marmalade, olive oil and parsley. Spread the mixture over the dough. Bake for 8 minutes, or until crust is lightly golden.

Spread the ricotta cheese evenly over the partially baked crust. Sprinkle the mozzarella, thyme, bacon and orange pieces over the ricotta. Return to oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown and cheese is melted.

Yields 8 servings.

1 pound pitted dates
4 ounces goat cheese, cubed
1 pound sliced bacon, cut in halves
4 ounces honey-glazed whole almonds

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Slice dates in half. Stuff with a cube of goat cheese and an almond. Wrap each date with a bacon slice and secure with a toothpick.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the bacon is crisp, turning once after 20 minutes.

I asked my boyfriend to help me think of some side dishes for Thanksgiving. He first suggested a carrot casserole, which I’ve never had before and didn’t sound too appealing. That lead me to think of green bean casserole, which is a common holiday side dish. Wanting to do something other than a casserole I decided that a French green bean salad was the way to go. Bacon, cheese and pecans are personal touches that make this dish super crazy delicious.

4 cups fresh green beans
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 shallots, very finely sliced
5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
3/4 cup pecans, rough chopped
3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium saucepan, bring salted water to a boil and add green beans. Cook for about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a serving dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, thyme, parsley, mustard, oil and red wine vinegar until an emulsion forms. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over green beans. Add shallots, pecans, cheese and bacon. Toss.

Yields 6-8 servings

I wanted something a little different from traditional mashed sweet potatoes this thanksgiving. As bacon seems to be a huge trend these days, I decided to give it a try as I thought the sweet and salty contrast would be a good match. They turned out incredible!

8 sweet potatoes
8 slices bacon
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup orange juice
Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash sweet potatoes, scrubbing off any dirt. With a fork, lightly prick the potatoes in a couple of places. Place on a baking sheet and bake 45-55 minutes or until tender.

Slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the flesh and place in large bowl. Add the beaten eggs, maple syrup, sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange juice and salt. Mash until ingredients are well mixed and potatoes are fluffy. Stuff potato skins with the mixture.

Insert a piece of bacon into the center each potato. Bake for 10 minutes.

Yields 8 servings.

Candied Bacon Cupcakes:
5 bacon strips
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole milk

Maple Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Candied Bacon Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or grease 12 muffin cups. Line a baking pan with foil.

In a small bowl, add the brown sugar. Dredge the bacon strips so that they are evenly coated. Place the bacon on the lined baking pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp. Once cooled, finely chop bacon into small pieces. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture in batches alternating with the milk. Fold in the bacon pieces.

Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Maple Frosting:
In medium bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until blended. Gradually beat in the syrup until smooth.

Yields 12 cupcakes.

1/2 pound Rotini pasta
4 strips bacon
1 cup frozen corn
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to directions on box in well-salted water. When pasta is ready, take off heat and add corn. Let stand for 2 min. Drain pasta and corn, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water.

In a medium skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Remove from pan and let rest on a paper-towel covered plate. Once cooled, tear bacon into bite-sized pieces. Do not drain fat.

Add chopped zucchini to skillet with bacon fat and cook 3-5 min. or until tender. Remove skillet from heat.

Add reserved pasta water and the rest of the ingredients to skillet and toss well.

Season with salt and pepper.

Yields 4 servings.

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