Bacon, Kale & Onion Sauté

When I was a kid, breakfast foods were for breakfast and everything else was for lunch or dinner. As I’ve grown up, I’ve slowly come to find that all foods taste good all the time. I love “brinner” (breakfast for dinner) and dinner foods for breakfast.

This is one dish that can be served any time of day, on its own or as a side dish. I love this recipe for its simplicity and its ability to use in a variety of situations. It’s so fast and easy to make—it’s perfect for a quick meal any time of day. I’ve eaten it alone for dinner and with eggs (scrambled, fried over hard, and even poached) for breakfast. You might also want to serve it as a side with a roast chicken or pork tenderloin or even steak. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

“Nashville” Hot Garlic Chicken

Near our house, en route to the local metro station, is a Kentucky Fried Chicken. While I love their commercials, and their coleslaw, it’s been a very long time since I’ve eaten at one. I also don’t appreciate all the chicken bones littered on the streets in the immediate area (admittedly not their fault). Walking by the restaurant lately, I’ve seen advertisements for Nashville Hot Chicken. I love chicken, and I love hot things—this was a no-brainer to try.

Our recipe is not an exact replica, and we’ve never tasted KFC’s, but we guarantee it’s finger lickin’ good. Fun fact: when KFC first expanded to Asia, one of the translations of their slogan didn’t go quite as planned. As it turned out, the translation was the equivalent of, “so good you’ll eat your fingers off.” Not exactly an appetizing proposition. Don’t worry, you’ll have a full stomach and all of your fingers after this meal. We served it with cauli-mash from Real Life Paleo and it hit the spot.

Chicken and Fig Tagine

Having a tagine, or tajine, was always a lofty dream for us—it is a piece of cookware historically from North Africa, and is super cool looking. If you’d like a more in depth review of its history and use, check this out. Imagine our surprise when we received one for Christmas, and our dreams came true. We hadn’t asked for one, but it’s had good use since. You can use a tagine on your cooktop as well as in the oven, and it’s a great conversation piece when hosting dinner.

Do not fear, those of you who are tagine-less, you can cook similarly in a covered dutch oven or crock pot. There is some magic lost in the appearance and cooking process (the conical shape of the tagine collects and condenses steam back down the center), but you’ll still be able to enjoy this recipe. That said, if this is the impetus to go buy a tagine, DO IT! We guarantee you’ll enjoy this new way of making food at home.

Cider-Braised Boneless Short Ribs With Figs

If you’re like us, you often put extra meat into the freezer and then promptly forget. We try to be good about this, but when we received a great selection of meats from Butcher Box, we could only use so much at once! One of the remaining cuts we had were these boneless short ribs. Boneless short ribs are not a regular buy for us, but we are now loyal converts. See for yourself how you can get high quality, sustainable beef, chicken, and pork on a regular basis without buying a full side of beef with Butcher Box.

We decided to braise these short ribs with raw apple cider vinegar, onions, and fresh figs. Our tree won’t stop producing these figs, so we keep using them. If figs aren’t your cup of tea, or are not in season, feel free to substitute figs for an equal amount of peaches, apricots, or plums. These tender, delicious short ribs will allow you to eat like royalty for the entire week, and smell fantastic while cooking. We know you’ll enjoy.

Arugula and Fresh Fig Salad

Did you know that figs are a flower, not a fruit? It’s actually the “infructescence” or “false-fruit” in which the flower and seeds are born. Fruit or not, I think figs are delicious! If you pick them a little green, they are plump, firm and almost savory or tart. Pick them once they’ve ripened to a deep purple, they are soft, luscious and incredibly sweet.

This salad plays the sweetness of the figs against the peppery arugula and subtly sharp red onion. The walnuts add a nice earthy flavor and crunch. The creamy, slightly cream-cheesy dressing rounds out the whole thing. I hope you love it as much as I do!