We had the Cook's over for our Bon Appetit dinner last night. It's been months since we've had our last one. Valene always teases me that I practice each dish a hundred times before I make it....so this was the first one that I've done "first try." Just as a refresher, we've been doing this with George and Valene for about a year and a half. One of us hosts and cooks the dinner (trying new recipes)- and the other brings dessert. The next time we switch places.
Last night we grilled salmon on a plank in the BBQ for a salmon salad. Anxious to share that recipe later on the cooking blog. I also made Brazilian Limeade, Savory Monkey Bread, Grilled Lemon Chicken with Kalamata olives (you can leave off the olives if you like), Brazilian marinated pineapple spears and Bacon-Wrapped Green bean bundles. Valene brought a fabulous "No Yo Mama's Banana Pudding." After dinner we always play "Hand and Foot"- girls against the guys....and we girls always win. We fill them up with a yummy dinner and then shoot them down! Good times.
I have already posted the Grilled Lemon (and Olive) Chicken and the Brazilian Limeade (check out labels to the side or do my blog search at the top on the left) but this Bacon-Wrapped Green Bean Bundles is a new yum.
Bacon-Wrapped Green Bean Bundles
11/2 pound green beans (makes 8 bundles) OR
gather a bunch of fresh green beans and the amount that you can encircle your pointer finger and thumb around is a good portion. Times that by the servings you need.
8 slices lean, regularly sliced bacon (no thick slices here)
3 T. butter (don't try the "unreal" stuff....)
1 T. minced onion (I used red)
1-2 cloves garlic (I used minced from a jar)
1 T. rice vinegar
1 T. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
pepper to taste
(I actually doubled the sauce. If a little sauce is good, double is better....)
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Snap the ends off of fresh green beans. No ugly beans here....get rid of those wilted.
Blanch the beans in boiling water for 5 minutes. The beans will turn a bright green. Drain and then immerse beans in ice cold water.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
(although this particular recipe just wrapped the bacon around the bundles, I will pre-cook my bacon next time, half-way cooked, not crispy at all)
Divide your green beans into serving sizes and wrap each serving size with a piece of bacon. Yep, it takes the whole slice. Place on cookie sheet or in baking dish.
Bake 15-20 minutes until bacon is crispy. While the bundles are cooking (and I might add, while they are looking very fancy and cute)- make your glaze. Melt the butter in a small pan, then saute onions and garlic until soft (just a few minutes.) Reduce heat, then add the sugar and s and p and vinegar. Stir the glaze and remove from heat.
When ready to serve, place the bundles on a serving platter and drizzle the glaze over top. The glaze adds so much spunk.....I think it would be delish over asparagus as well.
This particular recipe was adapted from Our Best Bites. Green Bean Bundles have been around forever....and I will also try a Taste of Home version where it has a different glaze.
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon soy sauce
That recipes calls for brushing the glaze over the bundles before putting in the oven. One said she doesn't bundle, but mixes this all together and tosses it with diced bacon. If it has bacon in it, I'm sold.
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