The Cook and the Camera

This New Year's weekend was my seventh trip to Sapelo Island, Georgia for the Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count. It's a family affair. My dad is the compiler and I'm the cook for the group. The first night we feasted on hearty chicken casseroles, yeast rolls with herb butter, Bacon Vinaigrette with Salad Greens and 10 layer chocolate cake. On Saturday, the famished birders came in to my mama's incredible spaghetti, French bread with caramelized onion butter, and candied pecan salad. We ended the night on another 10 layer cake and a champagne toast to the New Year.
I cook ahead so I can spend a great deal of my time on the breathtaking island outside.When I wasn't in the kitchen, I was roaming around with my camera.

Bacon Vinaigrette with Salad Greens

Serves 8

6 slices bacon, chopped (about 6 ounces)

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup chopped Vidalia onion

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil (about 1/4 cup)

2 (5-ounce) packages mixed salad greens

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until it is crisp.

Meanwhile, combine the honey, mustard, onion, vinegar, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until the liquid is smooth.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve the drippings. When cooled slightly, pour the drippings into a 1-cup measuring cup.

Add enough vegetable oil to the bacon drippings to make 1/2 cup.

With the food processor running, slowing add the drippings and the oil in a steady stream.

Add 2 tablespoons crisp bacon and pulse 3 times.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad greens. Serve the remaining bacon over the salad.

Store any remaining dressing in the fridge for up to one week.

Recipe from Quick-Fix Southern (Andrews McMeel 2011)

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