breakfast is my number one meal time, if i didn't make that clear on tuesday. and wes and i make no secret of the fact that when we do open our restaurant it will be breakfast oriented. so it should come as no surprise that we eat a lot of bacon. 

but lately, wes has made a small tweak to our usual bacon practices that is an absolute game changer. one of the things about cooking that captured my heart is the crazy idea that you can add just a little bit of one ingredient to completely enhance and change the way something tastes. in this case, a little brown sugar makes already delectable bacon, irresistible. 

want to step up your bacon game? here is how. 

brown sugar bacon
serves: 4 pieces
prep time: 10 minutes (or as long as it takes your oven to preheat)
cook time: 20-25 minutes
total time 30-35 minutes
ingredients: 4 pieces thick cut bacon. 2 tbs brown sugar. rimmed baking sheet. parchment paper. 

start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment and lay the bacon flat.

sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the bacon. 

cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes, starting to check the bacon at 20 minutes and then every minute or two until it is crispy and the edges are caramelized. 

remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack until cool enough to enjoy.

xo, a

brown sugar bacon
serves: 4 pieces
prep time: 10 minutes (or as long as it takes your oven to preheat)
cook time: 20-25 minutes
total time 30-35 minutes
ingredients: 4 pieces thick cut bacon. 2 tbs brown sugar. rimmed baking sheet. parchment paper. start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment and lay the bacon flat. sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the bacon. cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes, starting to check the bacon at 20 minutes and then every minute or two until it is crispy and the edges are caramelized. remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack until cool enough to enjoy.

i'm not going to lie to you. the food coming out of our kitchen lately has been pretty insane. wes and i are really hitting our stride as far as taste and technique go and the results have been magic. and in my world, lots of good food comes with lots of good photos.

so i'm doing that common dance many of us do. deleting things from our phone to make space for new music, photos and apps. so i've been rummaging through old photos, deciding what i need and what i don't, and i stumbled upon this gem. 

we like to bust this recipe out for easy sundays in, or catering brunches. it is easy, a real crowd pleaser and is a stunning centerpiece to any breakfast buffet.

maple + bacon + bourbon monkey bread
total time: 1.5 hours
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 80 minutes
ingredients: 2 16 oz packages refrigerated biscuit dough. 1 cup white sugar. 2 tbs cinnamon. 1 cup butter, divided. 3 slices crispy cooked bacon, roughly chopped. 1 cup brown sugar. 2 tbs bourbon. 2 tbs maple sugar. angel food or bundt pan. aluminum foil.

start by cooking your bacon. you can cook it two different ways. you can place the strips on parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake at 400 f for 20-22 minutes till crispy. or you can cook your bacon in a large frypan over medium low heat for 20-30 minutes until they are crispy. flipping a couple times. either way, when your bacon is cooked, pat it dry and roughly chop it into pieces. 

while your bacon is cooking, combine bourbon, brown sugar, butter and maple syrup in a small saucepan. cook over medium high heat until the sugar dissolves. about 5-7 minutes. set the sauce aside to cool. whatever you do not use can be stored in the fridge for a month or two.
preheat your oven to 350 degrees f. 

slice your biscuit rounds into quarters and lightly butter your pan. combine your white sugar and a cinnamon in a medium bowl. 

a few at a time, dunk pieces of biscuit into the remaining smelted butter. when lightly coated with butter, dump them into the sugar and cinnamon mixture and then create a bottom layer in your baking pan. 

when you have a complete layer, sprinkle one third of the bacon over the top and drizzle with some of the brown sugar sauce. 

continue on with another row of biscuit dough. sprinkle with one third of the bacon and some more of the sugar sauce. 

finish off with one more row of dough, the remaining bacon and an additional drizzle of brown sugar sauce. 

cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes covered. uncover and bake for an additional 15-25 minutes till golden browned and cooked through.
remove from the oven and allow to cool, covered, for about 10 minutes. turn the pan upside down on a cake stand or plate and serve hot with additional sauce for those who like it extra sweet. 

xo,a

maple + bacon + bourbon monkey bread
total time: 1.5 hours
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 80 minutes
ingredients: 2 16 oz packages refrigerated biscuit dough. 1 cup white sugar. 2 tbs cinnamon. 1 cup butter, divided. 3 slices crispy cooked bacon, roughly chopped. 1 cup brown sugar. 2 tbs bourbon. 2 tbs maple sugar. angel food or bundt pan. aluminum foil.
start by cooking your bacon. you can cook it two different ways. you can place the strips on parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake at 400 f for 20-22 minutes till crispy. or you can cook your bacon in a large frypan over medium low heat for 20-30 minutes until they are crispy. flipping a couple times. either way, when your bacon is cooked, pat it dry and roughly chop it into pieces.
while your bacon is cooking, combine bourbon, brown sugar, butter and maple syrup in a small saucepan. cook over medium high heat until the sugar dissolves. about 5-7 minutes. set the sauce aside to cool. whatever you do not use can be stored in the fridge for a month or two.
preheat your oven to 350 degrees f.
slice your biscuit rounds into quarters and lightly butter your pan. combine your white sugar and a cinnamon in a medium bowl.
a few at a time, dunk pieces of biscuit into the remaining smelted butter. when lightly coated with butter, dump them into the sugar and cinnamon mixture and then create a bottom layer in your baking pan.
when you have a complete layer, sprinkle one third of the bacon over the top and drizzle with some of the brown sugar sauce.
continue on with another row of biscuit dough. sprinkle with one third of the bacon and some more of the sugar sauce.
finish off with one more row of dough, the remaining bacon and an additional drizzle of brown sugar sauce.
cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes covered. uncover and bake for an additional 15-25 minutes till golden browned and cooked through.
remove from the oven and allow to cool, covered, for about 10 minutes. turn the pan upside down on a cake stand or plate and serve hot with additional sauce for those who like it extra sweet.