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. 

saturday, wes and i catered our biggest event to date. and let me tell you, prepping and cooking for fifty people is no joke. i'm not sure my kitchen stove will ever be the same. 

we celebrated my uncle's seventieth birthday in fiesta style. complete with salsa bar, homemade mole sauce and of course a piñata. 

every party has been a wonderful learning experience. wes and i get more comfortable and confident as every custom menu is completed. and our self trained asses are learning a ton of tricks with every party in the books. 

one of the things that i learned over the weekend is that this salsa is a wonderful and versatile dish that is PERFECT for a party. because the only real instructions are chop, smash or grill, it is not super time consuming, but you can make a ton at one time. ideal for your next fiesta, or your upcoming labor day/end of summer parties. 

i also learned that wes and i are pretty darn good at this food thing and you should probably hire us for your next party. then i can just make this salsa for you. wink. wink. 

fire roasted tomato salsa
serves: 8 cups (this recipe yields a lot of salsa as it is meant for big parties. if you are making it at home, you could easily half or quarter the recipe with out issue)
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes
total cook time: 40 minutes
ingredients: 2 lbs roma tomatoes, sliced thick. 2 yellow onions, sliced thick. 1 red onion, sliced thick. 5 garlic cloves, smashed. 1 large jalapeño. 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped. 1 tsp fresh oregano, roughly chopped. 1 tbs brown sugar. 1 tsp cumin. .25 c olive oil. 2 cups chicken stock. 1 tbs salt. .5 tsp pepper. your favorite chips for dipping.

start by heating your grill to a medium high heat. 

in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, both types of onions and the jalapeño. drizzle everything with the olive oil and season with almost all the salt and pepper, the cumin and the brown sugar. toss everything well to coat. 

head out to your grill. working in batches so that you do not over crowd your grill, place the contents of your bowl onto the grill. place the onions and jalapeño on the hottest part of the grill with your tomatoes on the cooler areas. grill until everything has good grill marks and the onions are cooked. about 4 minutes a side for the tomatoes and about 8 minutes a side for onions and pepper.

when your fruits and veggies (tomatoes are fruits not vegetables) have been grilled, return them to the bowl and take them back to the kitchen. remove the stem and chop up your jalapeño and return it to the bowl. toss your grilled produce with the garlic, oregano and cilantro and add them to a large, heavy pot. 

place the pot on the stove and bring the burner to a medium high heat. start to sauté your ingredients until the contents of the pot begins to sizzle. stir in the remaining salt and pepper and chicken stock. 

bring the liquid to a boil, allow to simmer 5 minutes and remove the pot from the heat. allow the salsa to cool slightly.

when the salsa has cooled a bit, blend everything together with a hand emersion blender or in your blender.

serve at room temperature with your favorite chips or over a delicious enchilada or taco.

xo
a

fire roasted tomato salsa
serves: 8 cups (this recipe yields a lot of salsa as it is meant for big parties. if you are making it at home, you could easily half or quarter the recipe with out issue)
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes
total cook time: 40 minutes
ingredients: 2 lbs roma tomatoes, sliced thick. 2 yellow onions, sliced thick. 1 red onion, sliced thick. 5 garlic cloves, smashed. 1 large jalapeño. 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped. 1 tsp fresh oregano, roughly chopped. 1 tbs brown sugar. 1 tsp cumin. .25 c olive oil. 2 cups chicken stock. 1 tbs salt. .5 tsp pepper. your favorite chips for dipping.
start by heating your grill to a medium high heat.
in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, both types of onions and the jalapeño. drizzle everything with the olive oil and season with almost all the salt and pepper, the cumin and the brown sugar. toss everything well to coat.
head out to your grill. working in batches so that you do not over crowd your grill, place the contents of your bowl onto the grill. place the onions and jalapeño on the hottest part of the grill with your tomatoes on the cooler areas. grill until everything has good grill marks and the onions are cooked. about 4 minutes a side for the tomatoes and about 8 minutes a side for onions and pepper.
when your fruits and veggies (tomatoes are fruits not vegetables) have been grilled, return them to the bowl and take them back to the kitchen. remove the stem and chop up your jalapeño and return it to the bowl. toss your grilled produce with the garlic, oregano and cilantro and add them to a large, heavy pot.
place the pot on the stove and bring the burner to a medium high heat. start to sauté your ingredients until the contents of the pot begins to sizzle. stir in the remaining salt and pepper and chicken stock.
bring the liquid to a boil, allow to simmer 5 minutes and remove the pot from the heat. allow the salsa to cool slightly.
when the salsa has cooled a bit, blend everything together with a hand emersion blender or in your blender.
serve at room temperature with your favorite chips or over a delicious enchilada or taco.