Spinach Salad

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound bag of baby spinach
  • 1 red onion, half sliced in 1 in. piece and other half reserved
  • 4 roma tomatoes diced
  • 5-6 button mushrooms, sliced
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
  • 1 pound bacon, fried and crumbled with grease reserved
Hot Bacon Dressing

 

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup bacon grease
  • ½ cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • ¼ red onion finely diced
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, finely diced
  • ½ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup bacon crumbles from salad

Directions:

  • Pour spinach into large bowl. Top with Salad toppings except for eggs.
  • Serve salad in individual bowls. Serve salad topped with eggs and drizzled with dressing.
Dressing
  • Pour ⅓ cup warm bacon grease through a coffee filter lined strainer into 2 or 4 cup measuring cup.
  • Add vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper.
  • Saute onions and garlic for 1-2 minutes in a tablespoon of bacon grease. Add onion and garlic to mixture of bacon grease and vinegar.
  • Whisk together. Add a splash of water if needs to be thinned a bit.
  • Add bacon crumbles and stir before drizzling over salad.

 

Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

  • 6 hard- boiled eggs
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon of mustard
  • 1 tablespoon of relish
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • Paprika for garnish

Directions:

  • Place your eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water.
  • Bring to a boil for one minute, remove from heat and cover for 12 minutes.  After 12 minutes, remove the eggs and place in a bowl of ice water.
  • Peel and remove the shell. Slice the egg in half and remove the yolk and place in a bowl.
  • Mash the yolk and add the remaining ingredients.
  • Spoon or pipe the filling into the egg. Garnish with paprika.  Keep chilled.

Tomato Pie with Cheese and Pesto

Ingredients:

  • 4-5 large tomatoes
  • 1 pie shell
  • 1/3 cup of thinly sliced sweet onions
  • 1/4 cup basil pesto
  • 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese – shredded
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese – grated
  • 4-5 large basil leaves – sliced into thin strips
  • 1/2 cup good quality mayo – not salad dressing
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

  • Slice 4-5 tomatoes with skin on and place on paper towels to drain – about an hour or longer if you have time.
  • Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Roll out pie dough and place in pie or tart pan and trim edges.  Prick pie shell to prevent rising.  Bake for 8 minutes, remove from oven and let cool for about 20 min.
  • Layer onion on bottom of pie shell then sprinkle on grated mozzarella and Parmesan cheese to form an even layer.
  • Spread pesto over cheeses.
  • Layer half the tomatoes over pesto in a circular pattern overlapping.
  • Mix mayo with grated cheddar cheese and spread on top of tomatoes.
  • Sprinkle on fresh basil.
  • Layer remaining tomatoes over basil.
  • Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes minutes.  If the edges get brown early, put a pie ring on top or use a homemade one made out of tinfoil.
  • Remove pie from oven and sprinkle on additional Parmesan cheese.
  • Allow pie to rest at least 30 minutes, sprinkle on basil, slice and serve.

 

Recipes adapted from Donya from A Southern Soul.