Check out these Thanksgiving Sides, that can also be used as the first course!
This Veterans Day honors those in our military. I thank each for their service. The photo is my Dad in the Army in North Africa 1944.
Bring the hostages home.
String Bean Beef-"Bacon" Bundles
Thanksgiving is a great time to showcase some of your favorite recipes and some new ones. I asked my hairdresser for one of her favorites and she described this recipe. As I have a kosher home, I do not eat any pork products and so I used beef bacon. The marriage of the flavors of the spices, the string beans or haricots verts and the beef bacon makes this dish a great choice for a special meal, such as Thanksgiving or meals during Chanukah and Christmas. I’ve included links to a few other favorite sides, which can also be used as a first course. Fall is in the air and I love being in the kitchen!!
Foodie Lit
I asked Marti Healy if it were difficult to write from a male point of view and from a character whose life was so unlike her own. “I… don’t think writing from the viewpoint of a man even though I am a woman is that difficult. I think we are much the same inside. And this is where I write from.”
That we are “much the same inside” is what makes Marti’s writing so accessible, in this novel and in other works of hers. We feel a closeness to main character Kit and those he encounters on the roads of his life. His life was not easy, many choices not good ones, yet inside, we find common ground. She is a writer I want to return to again and again
French String Beans-“Bacon” Bundles
Yield 9 bundles
9 slices beef bacon
1/2 pounds fresh French green beans (haricots verts)
Spice Mix 1
3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Spice Mix 2
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
3-4 small sprigs of fresh thyme
Toothpicks
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange slices of beef bacon in a single layer. Place pan in upper third of oven.
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Bake until the beef bacon starts to render and is cooked, about 11 to 13 minutes. Remove from oven and reserve.
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Transfer the beef bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and let cool slightly. Pour off the rendered fat and discard. Re-line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Place string beans in the microwave with a tablespoon of water. Cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Or heat a saucepan of water to a boil and boil 2-3 minutes. Drain and place string beans into an ice water bath for 30 seconds. Remove and pat dry.
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Strip the leaves of 2-3 small sprigs fresh thyme or until you have 2 teaspoons.
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Mix 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Reserve.
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Divide the string beans into portions of 6-8 beans and arrange into even stacks.
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Assembly: Place 1 bacon slice horizontally. Place a stack of green beans at the edge of the slice vertically with the short side facing you. Then roll up until you get to the end of the beef bacon slice. Secure the beef bacon with a toothpick through the beans to keep it secure. Place on the baking sheet seam-side-down, spacing each bundle evenly apart. Brush the bundles with the olive oil spice rub.
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Place thyme and 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar in a small bowl and combine. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the bundles.
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Bake until the beef bacon is fully cooked and crisp, the sugar has caramelized and the string beans are lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven. Carefully transfer to a platter and serve.
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This recipe can be made a day in advance and be refrigerated until ready to serve. Warm in oven before serving.
Expandthetable suggestions
Asparagus Bundles: Use Asparagus instead of String Beans. Follow recipe.
Lessen the sugar: Use Truvia Briown Sugar or another brown sugar substitute in place of brown sugar
Adapted from the Kitchn.com
