Crunchy Baked Shrimp with Grits

It's been a while since we have had seafood around here - well, not that long I suppose, I made a whole fish dinner for Christmas Eve - but not since then.  See, I grew up on the New England Coast and we ate seafood all the time, but since living in Texas I have spent more time focusing on what is local here.  So beef (duh) and pork are more constant staples on our dining room table, since I can get really good quality, organic and local meats.

However, I have been having a hankering for some light seafood dinners and going back through my cookbooks and magazines today during the boys nap, I came across a ton of Shrimp and Grits suggestions (thanks, Southern Living) and a few different variations on Baked Shrimp.  I'll be honest, I have never baked shrimp before, but I liked the idea because I could pop it in the oven and make the grits in the mean time.

The timing worked out just like I thought and this meal came together beautifully.  I added veggies to the plate with some Lemon-Basil Broccolini, added a hearty spoonful of Jalapeno Cheddar Jack Grits, and then put that crunchy, delicious baked shrimp right on top.

Crunchy Baked Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. raw jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried parsley

Preheat your oven to 425°.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the garlic and wine.  Add the shrimp and toss to coat.  Pour the contents of the bowl into a large rectangle or oval baking dish (or a rimmed baking sheet would be fine, too).

In a small bowl, melt the butter.  Add the panko, basil and parsley.  Mix together with a fork and then crumble with your fingers.  Sprinkle the mixture over the shrimp, distributing evenly.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Bake until shrimp are cooked and pink and the topping is golden brown, about 12-15 minutes (or less depending on the size of your shrimp).

Serve over Cheddar Jalapeno Grits with Lemon-Basil Broccolini.

Trucks, Trucks and Firetrucks: Hondo's First Birthday Party

Celebrating Townes' first birthday was so normal - most about having Townes has been so normal really - and his first birthday party was adorably average.  We had friends and family, cake, and a pinata.  However, the same can absolutely not be said about Hondo.

For those of you that don't know, Hondo's birth was a totally insane experience.  Long story short, he was born at home, on our floor, and just barely caught by a fireman who just walked in the door.  I had been sent home from the hospital, being told I could have all night ahead of me, and about an hour and a half later Hondo arrived on our floor about 45 minutes after we arrived back home.  All the while, Townes sat downstairs in the living room with his grandma watching Finding Nemo.  The firemen were even able to pull up to the house without their sirens on, not scare Townes, and sneak up the stairs without him noticing.

#babyonthefloor

It's the kind of thing you don't really believe happens, until it happens to you.  In any case, we don't have many photos from his birth the way we do of Townes.  Aaron was prudent enough to step back and take just one photo - he was even scared to tell me later because he thought I would be mad, but he also thought if he didn't do it, I'd be upset I had nothing to remember it by.  When I saw it, I was really glad he did, I chose to announce Hondo's birth the next day with this photo and the hashtag #babyonthefloor was born.

Suffice it to say, since that day, nothing with Hondo has been ordinary, including his first birthday party.  I planned it just the same as T's - we invited family and friends, I planned a kid-friendly menu, it was a simple brunch with a fun activity and a smash cake. But of course, that wasn't going to be enough for this kid. 

Hondo being re-introduced to the men who delivered him.  Rodger (bottom left) was the first face little Hondo ever saw.

I had thought a truck theme would be fun for him - firetrucks, construction trucks, garbage trucks haha - he loves them all, so it seemed to fit.  It seemed even more perfect when I reached out to the firemen who delivered him (who have stayed in touch with and are the most wonderful men, in my humble opinon) and invited them to join us, they all happily accepted.  And on top of it, their home station (AFD Station #10) said they would bring him a birthday surprise in the form of a real FIRE TRUCK.

If all of that wasn't enough, when the heads of the fire department found out that all five of them would be coming to his little birthday party, their Public Relations department reached out and asked if they could do a press release about it and I said sure - those men deserve all the kudos in the world for doing what they do!

What I didn't anticipate was the news crews that showed up at the party too! Four of our local news stations came to interview us, and film Hondo smashing his cake and seeing the firemen.  Someone even told us that the story made the news in Houston - I'm not kidding when I said this kid does not do anything average.

Besides all of that craziness, the party was great! So lets get down to the real business at hand here: the party itself.  Now you know where I got the theme from, trucks, of all kinds. I didn't want to make it all about the fireman, he has enough stuff that's all fireman related, and he really seems to love any truck he comes across anyway.

The Invitations

So lets start with the invites: as usual, they were printed through Minted.com.  These are the Party Trucks design that I paired with the Persimmon envelopes from Paper Source and a hand stamped yellow and white polka dot wrapping paper for a liner.

I addressed the envelopes simply with a white paint pen which contrasted really well against the darker envelope.  I liked the color scheme that the invitation led us to, so we stuck wit that for the rest of the party (red, yellow, orange and blue).

The Decor and Activity

Again, this is a birthday party for a one-year old, so I wasn't super concerned with needing a crazy exciting type of entertainment, however, he does have a big brother and our friends who were coming had kids ranging in ages from newborn to four, so I had to do something to keep all the kids happy.

We decided to let trucks do what trucks do best and put a bunch of sand out on a tarp and made a temporary sand box right in the middle of the backyard and set out all the trucks we had for the kids to play with. 

To give the kids a favor to take home and something that felt special for them, Chanel (who happens to be Hondo's very special godmother) and I personalized some $1 construction hats from Party city with a black oil-based paint Sharpie and oval labels from Paper Source that we printed with a cement truck and "Hayes' Party Crew."

Chanel even decorated the back yard with life-size fire hydrants and traffic cones (you can see them by the play set)! She drew them onto red and yellow poster board with black paint pen, cut them out, and taped a wooden dowel to the back and stuck them in the ground to line the play area and the front walkway outside the house.

Finally, we had the cutest photo booth for people to take photos!  Chanel, again, made the most fantastic kid-size cardboard bulldozer for the kids to pose in and snapped the pics out in the yard!  You can find a tutorial for how to turn your old boxes into cars and trucks here.

Oh yeah, and there was a FIRETRUCK!  So in the end, I think the kids were well entertained.

The Menu

Finally, to the best part of the party - the menu! This being a party celebrating my sweet baby boy, I decided to shape the menu around what he likes and what would be a brunch food that functioned well in this setting.

I needed to choose foods that would travel well - kids this age move fast, so I didn't think most parents would be sitting down and enjoying food that required a plate and utensils, and neither would the kids - so everything on this menu meets three requirements: easy to grab and go, a breakfast food, and Hondo-approved.

I started with a homemade granola/snack mix of oats, shredded coconut, raisins, pretzels, etc. (recipe to come) that we divided up into individual paper bags so that kids could grab one and carry it around with them.  Then there was a double batch of lemon-ricotta-blueberry bread (recipe to come), cut into bite sized pieces. 

For the main "meal" I made two dozen mini-bagels using my regular bagel recipe (just using half the dough per bagel).  I pre-sliced them and set out butter, cream cheese, and even the toasted right there on the bar.  They were the perfect size for the kiddos to carry around and nosh on.  I also made mini english muffins and served them as a breakfast slider with a sausage patty and cheese in the middle.  I rounded it all out with some of Hondo's favorite breakfast food: sweet potato hash.  I diced up some peeled sweet potatoes small, diced some onion, seasoned them and sauteed them on the griddle in the leftover sausage fat. 

Of course, for dessert we had some very normal offerings (something had to be regular at this party)!  I made basic vanilla cupcakes with vanilla and chocolate buttercream.  I used the same recipe to make him a tiny four-layer vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream to dig into on his own.  We even found some cute semi-truck cupcake decorations at Party City!

No-Sew Tufted Bench Tutorial

This is so exciting! My first tutorial on the blog!  Anyone who has been in our house knows that I love to make things myself.  I think it comes from the fact that once I get an idea in my head of what I want in a space, sometimes its hard to find exactly that thing or I'm not patient enough to wait and just keep looking until something close enough comes around.

So far, since we moved back into the house, I have designed and had Aaron build two ottomans for the living room and a new entertainment center/toy storage for the TV and the boy's toys.  He is really great at the woodworking so unfortunately I can't give too much guidance in that department (though I will include pictures when I can).  However, I can tell you all how to upholster things, and even do some sewing projects (I have made curtains and pillows and the like to go in the house and some stuff for the kids).

This project however, has been a long time coming, and I have changed my mind probably 15 times about exactly what I want and how I want it to function.  We remodeled the entire house, but the entry room is the only room that remained more or less the same.  We widened the front door so I could get the strollers in and out easier, but besides that, we weren't able to add anything substantial like a mudroom to help keep the shoe-coat-backpack-keys-etc clutter under control.

The finished product!

I built cabinets in underneath the stairs (they come down right at the front door) for larger items like stroller bags, extra shoes, coats, hats, etc, but its not the most convenient place to put things you use every day.  I thought about a hat rack, or hooks, or bins and so on, but needed to figure out how to make the space as open, neat and functional as possible.

The solution to build a bench made the most sense; it gives everyone a place to put on shoes, drop a back pack, or look out the window at the garbage truck.  It also is just high enough to put some baskets under to corral kids shoes (and keep puppy noses out of) and kick flip flops and sneakers under.  Finally, it also meant I could get rid of the table that was next to the door and replace it with hooks on the wall to organize coats, backpacks, hats and dog leashes (so finally, things weren't hanging over the stair rails anymore.

Hondo exploring the new shoe storage!

For a while I kept making the design more complicated than it needed to be - I wanted a solid bench, almost like a chest, with a shoe shelf and cubbies for stuff - it got very involved.  But then I was walking by a furniture store with Chanel the other day and saw the most lovely upholsted, tufted bench for the end of a bed and I thought, "That's so pretty! I love it! Where could we use that?"  Well, I immediately thought of the front door! 

This bench was not gonna work, it was like $800 and purple velvet.  But the idea was in my head and I came right home and told Aaron what I wanted.  Now I can give you a solid tutorial on how to UPHOLSTER the bench, but I can not really give any one a guide to building one - I leave that up to Aaron.  These types of projects are always a team effort on that front.  So you can proceed in doing the same thing in one of two ways: find a bench at a vintage store or resale shop and upholster it or attempt building one (I can say that this one was not difficult).

Aaron is quite adept at building me things that I come up with, but I really couldn't tell you how.

Step 1: Prep and materials

Once you have a bench you want to work with, you will want to detach the seat from the legs and remove any existing upholstery.  If you can not remove the seat from the legs, I would suggest purchasing a piece of wood, cutting it to size to attach directly on top of the existing bench instead of trying to work around the legs - I promise it won't look good and you won't be happy with it.

Here is what you need for making an upholstered bench:

• 6 inch thick foam, cut to size (I buy the "green foam" at Joann fabrics)
• Quilt batting
• Spray adhesive
• Power drill
• 2-inch #8 deck screws
• 3/4 inch washers
• X-acto knife and serrated knife
• Heavy-Duty Staple gun
• Button Making Kit
• Super Glue
• T-Square Ruler or yard stick
• Fabric for upholstery

Before getting started you will want to pick out a fabric that you like and have it ready before assembling your supplies.  To figure out how much fabric you need will depend on three things: the length and width of your bench seat and what size foam you are adding. 

This is what Aaron made - the top layer of plywood is not yet attached to the frame and legs.  After we upholster it, he will attach it with L-brackets.

Here is how you will calculate it: 1) measure the surface area of your bench (length and width, this case the bench is 54 inches long and 20 inches wide), 2) measure the height of your base (the piece of wood you are attaching the foam too, in my case it was 3/4 inch ply) and add it to the thickness of the foam you are adding on top (in my case, 6 inches), so my sides are about 6.5 inches high.  Your fabric will need to cover the entire surface and generously tuck underneath to be stapled.  So I would need a piece that is at least 60.5 (54 + 6.5) inches long and 26.5 (20 +6.5) inches wide, plus extra for stapling.  Let's add a generous 10 inches to ensure you have enough to tuck into the tufts and staple: Now you need a piece that is 80.5 inches long, 60.5 + 20 (10 for each end), and 46.5 inches wide.

Most upholstery fabrics are sold on bolts that are already 50 or 52 inches wide, so I was going to be fine on width, so I calculated my yardage based then on the length I needed.  80 inches is 2.22 yards so I rounded up to ensure that I would have plenty of extra to make the buttons, I bought 2.5 yards and was ready to go.

The last things I would recommend doing (if you have kids or pets) and are making something that can't be washed, is to Scotch Guard it before working.  Scotch Guard is most effective with two coats that are well soaked and dried between applications.  So buy a can or two of Scotch Guard and treat the fabric twice and allow it to dry completely before starting.  You can always add more coats later, after you have upholstered but this makes sure you don't miss an inch.

Step 2: Foam and batting

Now that you have your materials together and your fabric ready, you are ready to go.  Take the wood base of your bench and place your foam on top of it and using a serrated knife (like a long bread knife) trim around the base to make sure its flush.

Then, using your T-square or yard stick and a sharpie you will want to make a grid on the wood and the foam to mark where you want your buttons to go.  I divided the short side of my bench into four sections (6-4-4-6 inches) so there was an extra on each end. Then to ensure my buttons were evenly spaced apart, I made each end section start 6 inches in and then marked every 4 inches.  Once the lines are drawn, mark with big x's or circles which intersections will have buttons - they should alternate like checkers.  The outer two on the first row, then the center one on the second row, then the outer two on the third row, and so on.

Using your drill, make small pilot holes in the button spots on the wood base.  Then, using an Xacto knife cut wide x's across the button spots in the foam and cut out a small circle in the middle (about half the diameter of your buttons) - See photo below.

These cuts will allow train the fabric to fold in the right places when you are tufting.  It will also mean there is less resistance against your fabric and will be easier on the fabric long term.

Next, attach your foam to your base.  Place the base, pilot holes UP, onto your work surface.  Spray the top (the side with the pilot holes) with a light coat of spray adhesive.  Then place your foam, button holes side UP also, carefully on top of the wood, making sure that your holes line up.  You should be able to push your finger through the foam button hole and feel the pilot hole below it.

Finally, lay down the batting.  Unroll the batting and play it on top of the foam in one layer.  Trim off the excess with scissors - you will need enough to tuck underneath each side and be stapled to the bottom.

I poked my finger through each of the pilot holes and stuffed a tiny bit of batting in, training it so it wouldn't bunch when I added the fabric.

Step 3: Fabric and tufting

Next, you will lay your piece of fabric on top of the batting, exactly the same way.  Starting in the middle, you will drill a screw with a washer down through all the layers into the pilot hole. 

Aaron says to make sure your drill torque is LOW - "you don't want to drill through and rip everything, you want it to grab the wood and fasten" so go slow, especially at first until you have a feel for it. This will also let you get a sense for how deep you want your tuft - Don't screw the washer all the way to the wood.

Make sure you work from the inside out - so do the button in the middle and then the ones directly to its left, followed by the ones to the right, continuing to alternate until you get to each end.  This will just make sure that your fabric is distributed evenly because each tuft will pull in a bit of fabric.

Step 4: Staple and trim

This part will probably require two people. Carefully, flip the bench over and have one person pull the fabric and batting over the side and onto the bottom of the wood, until it is equally as tight as the fabric between each tuft - you will be able to tell by looking.  Then the second person can staple the fabric and batting onto the wood.

Just like before, start in the middle of a long side and work your way out.

I made one row of staples about an inch from the edge that went through batting and fabric.  Then when it was stapled all the way around, I used scissors and cut the batting back to the staples (as shown above), but not the fabric.  Then I trimmed the fabric to give my self enough to fold the unfinished edge under (like making a seam) and then adding another row of staples. KEEP ALL THE TRIMMED FABRIC!

At the corners, I folded the fabric like I was wrapping a gift and they came out great!

Step 5: buttons

After we were done with the upholstery, I cleaned up and settled down to watch some TV and make the buttons.  The button kit will come with instructions on how to cover the buttons with your chosen fabric.  In my case the fabric was a bit thick so I used some super glue to give the fabric extra hold.

Once all your buttons are covered, apply super glue to the back of each button and around the rim, then put some glue on the washer and screw head you are attaching it to.  Then push it directly down onto the screw and washer - you will feel the metal back of the button hit the screw.  Follow the directions on your glue, and hold the button down as long as the directions say (the Gorilla Glue I used said to hold each piece down for 1 minute and 30 seconds).

We have now had our bench in the front hall for over three months and only one button has popped off - due to a dogs nail getting stuck underneath and popping it off. It did no damage to the fabric or the button and it glued right back in and hasn't budged.  If you are comfortable at sewing buttons, you can definitely sew these on and then secure with glue as well.

Step 6: finish the bench

Since Aaron made the bench, my last step was to stain the frame and legs and then attach the seat with L-brackets.  I chose the Minwax Espresso stain with polyurethane. I applied three coats, according to the directions and allowed it to set overnight before attaching the seat.

I can't say enough how much I love having this bench.  The baskets underneath keep all the shoes corralled - each family member has their own.  Aaron then installed four hooks next to the front door to keep backpacks, coats, scarves, and the like to be organized.  It worked out that we had room for four hooks, too - one for each person also!

Homemade Hot Pockets

For those of you who don't know, my husband, Aaron, is a professional chef.  Ironic that I am the one with a food blog, isn't it?  In any case, after we had kids he got out of the kitchen and into the other side of the restaurant and bar business - but I digress - the point is, in the last five years, I do the majority of the cooking.

This hasn't come as much of a surprise though to those who worked and cooked with Aaron for the last fifteen or twenty years because he was notorious for putting out the most gorgeous, sophisticated plates and then sitting out back and having a frozen corn dog or hot pockets for dinner.  It would drive executive chefs crazy that they had all this wonderful food in their walk-ins, stacked next to frozen corn dogs.

So as much as I can impress Aaron with some of the dishes that I produce in our kitchen here, there is also always a family-size box of Hot Pockets in our freezer.  And, don't get me wrong, I can totally understand their appeal - I have the occasional need for a Hot Pocket or Taco Cabana burrito myself, but as a mom, I don't love the idea of feeding it to my kids.

When I cook at home I use as much organic produce and ingredients as are available, and try to make things as scratch as possible.  It feels really good to know exactly what's going in my kids - there isn't a lot we can control as parents so this feels like a nice attempt at it for me.  So over Christmas break I decided to jump in a tackle the ever-present Hot Pocket.

Not only were these insanely delicious but they were completely organic! I even managed to finagle some vegetables into one version (though Aaron condemned this variety as blasphemy).  On top of all of that, they were hand-held, un-messy, kid-pleasing, and easy to make!  The dough came together well and then you just fill it with whatever you want - we made the regular pepperoni, sausage and cheese variety for Aaron, and a second one with sausage, bell pepper, mushroom, and spinach.  But get creative - anything you would put on pizza would be perfect!

Homemade Hot Pockets

Serves 6-8

For the Dough:

• 1 cup warm water (100°+)
• 1 pkg. active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 tbs. vegetable oil
• 2-3 cups bread flour
• Egg Wash (1 egg whisked with a bit of water, dried basil and dried oregano)

For the Filling:

You can use whatever you want - but we used these two variations:

Italian Medley:

• 1 lb. ground Italian sausage
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced small
• 6 oz. baby bella mushrooms, diced
• 2 cups spinach, chopped
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• Shredded mozzarella cheese (2-4 cups, depending on your cheese addiction)
• Prepared pizza sauce (1-2 cups)

Pepperoni and Sausage:

• 1 lb. ground Italian sausage
• 8 oz. pepperoni, chopped
• Shredded mozzarella cheese (2-4 cups, depending on your cheese addiction)
• Prepared pizza sauce (1-2 cups)

Prepare the Filling

For the Italian Medley version: In a large skillet, warm some olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the garlic and saute for a minute or two until fragrant.  Add the vegetables and saute until spinach has wilted.  Push the vegetables to the side and add the sausage.  Breaking up the sausage with your spoon as it cooks, cook the meat through before mixing it into the vegetables.  Once mixed, then cook for just a minute or two more, season with salt and pepper and then remove from heat and set aside.

For the "traditional" version:

Saute the sausage in a skillet until cooked through, breaking up the meat with a spoon as your go.  Remove from heat and toss with the chopped pepperoni.  Set aside.

Make the Dough

Preheat your oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the yeast and the sugar.  Add the warm water and let stand for five minutes until foamy, so you know the yeast is live.  If it doesn't foam, toss it and start over with new yeast.

Add half a cup of the bread flour and mix well with a spatula or with a mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Add another 1/2 cup of flour and the salt and mix well. Continue to add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough is no longer sticky.  If using a dough hook, it will have formed a ball around the hook.  If mixing by hand, it should be elastic enough to knead easily with your hands without sticking to your hands and coming apart.

Take it out of the bowl and knead it by hand on a floured work surface for just a few minutes.  Roll the dough into a ball and then pat it gently into a 1 inch thick disc.  You may want to use a floured rolling pin, but careful not to roll it too flat.

Then using a biscuit cutter or drinking glass, cut out 6-8 circles of dough. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a circle 1/4 inch thick. 

In the middle of the circle, layer cheese, filling, then drizzle sauce over top.  Go lighter with the sauce, it gets super hot inside (as any Hot Pocket aficionado knows) and you want the filling to stay in there, not spew out if there is too much liquid.

Fold the dough in half and then seal the seam by folding over a 1/2 inch segment at a time, overlapping over the previous section just a bit (see the photo).

Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining circles of dough.  Once all pockets are made, brush the tops with the egg wash and then bake until golden brown, 12-14 minutes.

Dough Recipe adapted from Lovely Little Kitchen

Chipotle Sweet Potato Risotto

I had just finished checking a whole lot of things off my to-do list, like Townes' birthday invitations and health insurance changes, when I realized it was suddenly 3:30 and I had no idea what we were eating for dinner.  I also looked outside and it had gone from a blustery, damp day to pre-storm gloom.  I had to make a decision fast and had no where to start.

I wanted something comforting, but I didn't want another comfort food that was covered in cheese and grease and overly decadent.  I wanted comfort food that would warm my soul but also make me feel good.  I wanted veggies and freshness.  I decided risotto was a great place to start, but my favorite (mushroom risotto) would be a no-go with Aaron.  So while I walked to Randall's with T in the stroller I started deciding what to put together. 

I thought sweet potatoes would be an interesting starch to add to the rice, but wouldn't be savory enough on their own.  I always think bacon marries well to sweet potatoes and would add some kick.  Chipotle and sage would add smoky, spiciness that would bring out the depth of the sweet potato instead of the sweetness.  I decided to up the nutritional factor and add some spinach, along with the risotto staples of onion, shallots and garlic. Finish it off with nutty Parmesan and I was good to go.

The best part about how this came out, is that you can keep customizing it.  Substitute kale for spinach, use prosciutto instead of bacon, vegetable broth instead of chicken.  This can be filled with super foods, its gluten free, and it could be vegetarian!

Chipotle Sweet Potato Risotto

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, chopped into 1-inch chunks
• Olive oil
• 1 tbs. chopped fresh sage
• 1 tbs. Chipotle powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 8-12 oz. bacon, diced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1/2 medium white onion, diced small
• 2 tbs. minced garlic
• 2-3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray or olive oil. 

In a large mixing bowl, toss the sweet potato chunks with the sage, Chipotle powder, garlic powder, season with salt and pepper and 2-3 tbs. of olive oil, until evenly coated.  Spread the sweet potato onto the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven until very soft and tender.  Mine took about 30 minutes, tossing them every 10 minutes to make sure they cook evenly.

Meanwhile, in a large dutch oven, over medium heat, cook the diced bacon.  In a separate sauce pot, warm the chicken broth over medium high heat, if it comes to a boil, turn the heat down and keep it warm.

When the bacon is done, remove it from the pot with a slotted spoon into a paper towel-lined bowl.  Pour out the bacon fat, leaving just about a tablespoon or two at the bottom, discard the rest.

Melt the 2 tbs. butter in the dutch oven into the bacon fat over medium heat.  Add the shallots and onion, sauteing until translucent, 3-5 minutes.  Add the minced garlic and spinach, cook until spinach has wilted. 

Your sweet potatoes should be done around now, just pull the tray out and set it aside and let them cool for a bit.

Add the rice to the pot with the veggies and cook for around 5 minutes, stirring constantly so the rice doesn't burn, but starts to toast.  Add the white wine and stir until the wine has been absorbed. 

Once the wine is fully incorporated, pour in enough chicken broth to just cover the rice.  Stir frequently to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom or burning.  The broth should bubble a bit, but should not be boiling.  After the broth is absorbed, add more broth, just enough to cover the rice and repeat the process until the rice is tender and cooked.

While the rice is cooking, put your sweet potatoes into a bowl and mash until smooth.  Taste and re-season to your preference.  I added more Chipotle powder to kick up the spice factor. Don't forget to keep stirring your rice, though!

Once your rice is cooked and all the liquid is absorbed (you may need more or less than 4 cups of chicken broth depending on your rice), turn the heat down to low and stir in the sweet potatoes one scoop at a time.  My potatoes made about 1 1/2 cups mash and I used it all.  If your potatoes were very big you may not want to use it all. Stir well until the sweet potatoes are well incorporated.  Keep stirring and let it cook for a few more minutes to let the flavors mingle. 

Add the grated Parmesan and half of the cooked bacon, mix well, and turn off the heat. Taste and re-season as needed.  Garnish with Parmesan, bacon and some fresh herbs like sage or parsley.