Jan17
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LOOK!!! Snow!!
It’s been snowing for about 2.5 hours and it’s actually sticking. [It rarely snows in Winston Salem, let alone stick around on the ground.] After growing up with tons of snow in Utah, I surprise myself that I still get so excited about this fluffy white stuff. Granted, I’m glad to not have 4 months of cold and snow like every Utah winter. NC weather is still the best. 70s last weekend and snow this weekend. Perfect for a girl who loves surprises.
Maizey likes the snow much better than the rain we’ve had for the past 5 days.
But let’s rewind a bit. I was up almost all night last night. Finally at 2:15 AM, I turned off my normal 5:25 workout wake-up call. I finally fell asleep around 4 and woke up at about 7 to get ready for work. Ugh.
I hate nights when I can’t sleep and hate the feeling at work where I’m in a fog. So the solution? Red lips and Krankies coffee. Works every time. Red lips are my secret trick to looking wide awake. 😉
After work I came home and ventured back out into the yucky weather (pouring, cold rain before it turned to more pleasant snow) to grab a few things at Whole Foods. I heated up leftovers from last night and settled in with some Modern Family.
I’m loving this wintry weather tonight, but I know in a few days I’ll be yearning for beautiful weather again. The beautiful weather that just beckoned to eat salads. Like this one that I ate four days in a row when we were in the 60s.
When I started introducing meat back into my diet, one of the first things I bought was bacon. Because, well, because it’s bacon. And bacon is the best. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like bacon, except my sister-in-law Ashly, who, other than not liking bacon or dogs, is one of my very favorite people. And this is one of my very favorite salads.
Warm Spinach, Bacon and Egg Salad
- 2 slices bacon
- 2 hard boiled eggs
- 3 c baby spinach
- 1 t reserved bacon grease
- 1 t olive oil
- 1 t red wine vinegar
- 1/4 t. dijon mustard
- 1/4 t sugar (maple syrup, agave, whatevs)
- salt & pepper to taste
1. Cook the bacon over medium high heat until crispy. Transfer to paper towels and blot to remove excess oil. Reserve 1 t of the bacon fat and set aside.
2. Peel and slice the hard boiled eggs.
3. To make the dressing, combine the reserved bacon grease, olive oil, red wine vinegar and sugar in a small bowl and microwave for about 20 seconds until warm.
4. Place the spinach and eggs on a plate and crumble the cooked bacon over top. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and season with salt and pepper.
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This salad is always good, but it’s particularly good on a day that’s trying so hard to pretend to be spring. So if you’re in a place with weather like that right now, enjoy this for me. And if you’re not, just heat the dressing all the way to a boil over the stove, and then toss with the spinach to coat thoroughly until wilted for a very warm, wintry salad. The warm dressing and wilted greens turn this wannabe-warm-weather salad into comfort food for a cold day.
Is there something you don’t like that people think is weird? I HATE cucumbers and I know most people think I’m crazy for that.
Snow: yay or nay? YAY, in limited doses. 🙂
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28 responses to “Warm Spinach, Bacon and Egg Salad”
Arugula. Ew.
whaaaa?? plain arugula, i might give you is Ew. but with an awesome vinaigrette?? soooo good!
maizey keeps asking when you are coming to cheer her up. 😉
Hahaha! I know, I know, I’m a freak! It just tastes like dirt to me! I can handle a piece or two if it’s unavoidable but I would never order anything I couldn’t pick it out of.
Maybe Miss Maizey and I can plan a play date next week 🙂
I am so sick of the gloomy weather here. I just want some snowwww!
Coconut! More the texture than the flavor, except that strong coconut flavor can make me think of the texture, which gags me. I have finally come to appreciate coconut milk (if it is very smooth) in, for example Thai food and LOVE So Delicious coconut ice cream. I would rather eat a worm than eat a Mounds candy bar, however. I don’t like slimy okra, either. Those are really the only two things, except for being vegetarian.
ha! that’s funny. I LOVE coconut! Slimy okra is the WORST. But crispy fried okra? mmmm 🙂
Agree about crispy okra! The best I have had was at Sweet Potatoes. Tried to make oven baked okra–not completely successful. I’m a yankee, so okra is a new thing to my family.
I am so sick of the gloomy weather here. I just want some snowwww! Or sunshine.
i’m voting for sunshine!
Ahh pretty snow! They were forecasting snow in Atlanta this evening too, but it didn’t happen. I’m not a big fan of snow (I like the heat!) but it’s nice to have every once in a while since it’s so pretty.
I’m the same way – I don’t love snow but once in a while it’s nice. Bring on the heat! 🙂
it’s snowing here in Charlotte too but it’s not sticking. I hate not getting a good nights rest either. Red is your color!
xo, jin
thanks Jin!
Oh, snow! It snowed big, beautiful snow flakes nonstop here until 2pm and then the sun came out after DAYS of nasty gloomy/rainy weather and melted it all away. Also a perfect day for someone who likes surprises–snow and then a pretty sunny afternoon. Ha!
You are one of my favorite people too! Despite the fact that you cuddle with a dog. Your salad does look good though – I might just try it if I can figure out how to keep my house from smelling like bacon. Bleh.
the smell of bacon is almost the best part! second to the crispiness in my mouth 🙂
I wish I could pull off red lips like you! You look gorgeous 🙂
thanks Miranda! I think anyone can pull off red lips – you just gotta find the right shade and formula (e.g. lipstick, gloss, stain). 🙂
I’d like to think so, but I don’t know about me! The problem is that I have red cheeks and chin due to rosacea. I wear foundation and coverup to cover it up, which works, but I still have a somewhat red tint to my skin that gets even more pronounced when I wear red lipstick or even reddish lipgloss. And it does not look good 🙁 I find I do well with soft pinks or clear gloss, though, and I try to play up my eyes instead. But I do wish that there was some red that would work. Maybe a dark burgundy-ish red? But I get nervous about wearing something so bold, especially since I’m already self-conscious about the whole skin thing.
I feel your pain about the skin thing. I don’t have rosacea but I had really severe acne for the past two years and it’s just now started to clear up. For me, I felt the red lips distracted from the acne. Try to find a red with more blue undertones, so one that is a little less bright red and more muted. Sorry about the skin though…seriously sucks, I know. 🙁
Try the line Simone France, if you haven’t. I think it’s a wonder line! It’s the only skincare line – and I’ve tried dozens – that cleared my skin. They do custom product matching so they may be able to help you too! Here’s my referral link – you’ll get 20% off your first order.
http://simonefrance.refr.cc/CFWZCVG
Wow! I can’t believe all of the snow you all got! This Florida native is jealous!
it was fun, even if it didn’t stick around long!
Love spinach salad – and I really had no idea it was so easy to make the dressing. I have all of those things in my pantry! I’m thinking I could pour the oil our of the skillet – surely a tsp would stay behind – and mix the dressing in there to get up all of the yummy bacon-y bits left behind. Although I’ve never tried anything sugary in the hubs’ beloved iron skillet… And yay for any way to eat boiled eggs that’s not deviled eggs. My cousin makes a mean “mexi” variation on deviled eggs – perhaps I should post about that sometime (on my poor, neglected blog).
Re: snow – limited doses. And it really should be enough to keep me inside for a couple of days so I can bake non-stop. And eat lots of soup.
ooooh that’s a good idea to just mix it in the skillet to get the yummy bits left behind!
i love deviled eggs but always forget about them! I’d love to see your recipe!
I have made this 2 nights in a row now! Muchas gracias. I also just learned how to “hard boil” eggs in the oven so this was a perfect way to test my new skill out.
I hate tomato slices on a sandwich. Totally find with salsa, bruschetta, caprese salad… But a tomato slice on a sandwich ruins the whole thing.
I’m so glad you like the salad! Hard boil eggs in an oven? I’m so intrigued? Is it on your blog?
haha. I’m hit and miss with tomatoes on sandwiches. Sometimes I love ’em, sometimes I hate ’em.
I’m back – wanted to let you know that I made this today and the dressing is delicious! I went the microwave route because I had to finish cooking the rest of the bacon and I was in a hurry to eat. I’m going away with friends for a weekend really soon, and I think this would be a really easy lunch salad (or in smaller portions as a side) to make for a group. I also tried the Trader Joe’s uncured bacon for the first time with the salad – trying to slowly make healthier choices! – and it was good. Yep, I had an extra piece just plain 🙂 I do think I will go with thick cut next time.
Also – I don’t like meatloaf. (Obviously I can’t comment without writing a book!)
so glad you liked it! and thanks for the tip on the TJ’s bacon – I’ve never even looked at their meat section. I’ll check out the uncured stuff. But yeah, thick cut is the way to go if you can. 🙂 I’m usually too cheap.
I love your bookish comments!