Today is Bill’s birthday. He decided to skip celebrations involving dessert until the girls are here for Spring Break.
They are excellent bakers!
The choice for this day… pork products.
For brunch, a spring time tradition at our house.
Fresh roasted asparagus, local sustainably raised eggs, and “paleo” bacon, new from our friends at Pine Street Market.
Paleo bacon is pork belly cured with salt and pepper, without sugar.
An excellent thing for many reasons!
We oven roast it in a cast iron skillet (just like traditional bacon) at 400 F. for about 25 minutes, adjusting a bit as desired for crispiness.
The asparagus, tossed with olive oil and S&P, also roasts at 400 F. We like it rare… about 8 minutes.
Fry your lovely eggs in the bacon skillet.
A smidge of grated lemon rind is a delightful addition.
For dinner, one of his favorites. Sausage and peppers.
We’ll brown a rosemary scented sausage (Thanks, again, Pine Street!) in an iron skillet and finish it in the oven.
Served with organic sautéed orange bell peppers and onions, over a bed of baby arugula, it’s an easy celebration feast.
And it all supports clean local food and the friends who bring it to our table.
It doesn’t get much better than that.
In the meantime, the asparagus is taking hold in our garden.
I saw the first bee of the season yesterday.
My baby basil plant has recovered from a bit of a chill night before last and is looking forward to hanging on the deck in the sun for at least a couple of days until it gets too chilly again.
I’m plotting my next vat of bone broth. To go with our theme, probably pork.
Not for the faint of heart chef, it’s my go-to choice for so many soups we love.
Though we did get some calves’ feet in the delivery from White Oak Pastures last week which make beef broth even better…
Bone broth is, perhaps, a rather strange creative outlet but it makes me happy.
With the right ingredients, it’s over the top healthy as well as good for the budget, the local economy, and the planet.
For this moment, though, Bill’s birthday.
And time to start cleaning up the basement.
Spring break comes soon!