Two words: Bacon Grease

Oh man. I found another salad recipe that I made for this past weekend. Talk about yummy! I don't think I was the only one who enjoyed the salad, but I also think that I may not have made enough food for everyone that came over.....I had to order pizza for dinner! Ack. I felt like a failure. We had such a big family, and I just wasn't thinking about 2 meals. When Tommy said he wanted to grill, I kindly suggested that I make a ham. He insisted-er, suggested that "it will be fine." Well, I should have just made this ham from Joy of Cooking (scroll down), and I would have felt better. But, I didn't listen to my angel, so I had to order pizza (hangs head in shame). Still, I am probably the only one who noticed and even if I wasn't, Tommy's family is so nice that they wouldn't have said anything anyways!

Anyhow, back to that salad.

The Pampered Chef ®
Wilted Spinach Salad with Candied Pepper Bacon

Bacon and Salad
4 slices thick cut bacon
1 tbsp packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 package fresh baby spinach
1 medium Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced into thin wedges
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion wedges
Salt and pepper
2 hard cooked eggs, peeled and cut into wedges

Dressing
1 tbsp reserved drippings from bacon (aka BACON GREASE)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp Dijon Mustard

1. Line bacon on parchment paper on a microwave safe plate, sprinkle with brown sugar and pepper. Cook in microwave for 3-5 minutes, or until crispy. Drain on paper towel and reserve that BACON GREASE. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Set aside.
2. Combine spinach, apple, onion in a large bowl. For dressing, whisk bacon drippings (GREASE), brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and mustard in a microwave safe bowl. Cover, microwave on high 2 minutes or until bubbly. Pour dressing over salad to serve, and toss gently. Season with salt and pepper. Top with egg wedges and bacon. Serve immediately.

Serves: 4 (obviously I made more than this for the army, I mean family that came over. ;)
The Pampered Chef Spin on Salads cookbook.