Bacon and Parmesan Cheese Sautéed Spinach

Start to finish: 45 minutes
Impresses: 4

Ingredients
4 slices thick-cut bacon, sliced into 1-inch strips
1 tablespoon salted butter
1 shallot, diced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
5-ounces spinach (or any other green)
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method
Cook bacon in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease from the pan. Add in butter to melt, followed by shallot. Saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in crushed red pepper and spinach. Cook, stirring constantly, until spinach is wilted and all moisture has evaporated. Stir in ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese and half the bacon. Transfer to a serving dish and top with remaining Parmesan cheese and bacon. Serve immediately.

Smoked Cheesy Grits with Sausage and Peppers

Start to finish: 35 minutes
Impresses: 4

Ingredients
For the sausage and peppers:
2 bell peppers, any color
1 red onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1-pound fully cooked andouille sausage links

For the grits:
2 cups water
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup instant grits
1 tablespoon salted butter
¼—½ cup heavy cream
¾ cup smoked cheddar, freshly shredded
¾ cup smoked Gouda freshly shredded

Method
For the sausage and peppers: 
Heat oven to 400 F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Core and slice bell peppers into 1-inch-wide strips and place on prepared baking sheet. Peel onion and cut in half. Slice into strips and place on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Slice sausage into discs and place in an even layer on same baking sheet. Bake undisturbed 25–30 minutes, or until peppers and onions start to brown. Serve atop smoked cheesy grits.

For the grits:
In a large pot, bring water, milk and salt to a boil, keeping a close eye so it doesn’t boil over. Stir in grits and cook to package instructions. Once cooked, stir in butter, ¼ cup heavy cream, cheddar and Gouda. Stir to combine until cheese is fully melted. If too thick, stir in additional ¼ cup heavy cream. Serve immediately topped with roasted sausage and peppers.

Peanut Butter and Roasted Banana Pudding

Start to finish: Active: 1 hour | Inactive: 4 hours
Impresses: 8

Ingredients
6 bananas, ripe or unripe
2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups whole milk
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
2 cups heavy cream
1 8-ounce block cream cheese, softened
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons peanut butter 
1 package peanut butter sandwich cookies

Method
Heat oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel and slice bananas and place on prepared baking sheet. Toss with melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until fully coated. Bake 30 minutes, or until bananas have started to caramelize. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

While bananas cool, pour 2 cups cold whole milk into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk in instant pudding until thickened. Refrigerate 5 minutes.

Pour heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Scoop whipped cream into another bowl and set aside. 

Replace the whisk attachment with the paddle attachment and beat together cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter and 2/3 of roasted bananas on medium speed until smooth. Slowly beat in prepared pudding. Using a spatula, fold in whipped cream.

Layer peanut butter sandwich cookies in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Spread half of the pudding mixture onto sandwich cookies. Top with another layer of sandwich cookies followed by remaining pudding mixture. Crush remaining sandwich cookies into crumbles in a zip-top bag. Top final pudding layer with remaining slices of bananas and crumbled sandwich cookies. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.