it's friyaaay! today i'm sharing our new favorite recipe for fig, bacon and brie grilled cheese sammies. [perfect for an upcoming football sunday or maybe a valentine's day brunch?!]

this recipe may sound kind of gourmet, but it's surprisingly accessible. just a couple ingredient swaps (all of which can be easily found and are totally affordable at heb) and you're elevated from a traditional grilled cheese, onto something that can be eaten at all hours. and it's just as quick and easy to make.

but to back it up, here's where we started: pinterest has been my go-to for finding recipes for a long time, but even better, it provides a great way to gather inspiration. as a newbie cook i find it to be a really helpful tool in figuring out which ingredients and flavors will blend well together without having to go through the painstaking process of trial and error.

in my recent search for bacon and brie yumminess, i stumbled across a whole bunch of ideas: a version of this sandwich where you use waffles instead of bread (zomg.) a flatbread that contained similar ingredients, and was topped off with arugula. ultimately, it was a fig, bacon and honeycrisp apple salad that helped us pull the whole meal together.

| ingredients |
sandwich
multigrain bread, freshly sliced (for valley locals: HEB carries some great options, or you can pick up a fresh loaf from breadsmith)
brie, sliced
fig jam*
bacon
butter, softened

*not feeling figs? i think that flavor nicely toes the line of savory and sweet, but you can always swap it out for strawberry, raspberry, jam etc.

salad
mixed greens
honey roasted pecans
honeycrisp apples
salad dressing

| method |

cook bacon over medium heat until crispy, and set aside on a paper towel lined plate to drain. smooth butter on top of both sides of bread and flip the slices over. add a thin layer of jam to the opposite sides of the bread. top one of the slices with brie and bacon pieces and top with the other slice of bread to make a sandwich.

drain the bacon drippings from the pan and add a pat of butter. place your assembled sandwich in the pan, and cook over medium heat on both sides until bread is toasty and cheese is melted.

serve alongside greens, toasted pecans, honeycrisp apple slices and your favorite dressing.

it's no secret that we're big on pasta, with white sauce pastas being my favorites. i've been making a variation of this with whatever i have in the house - sometimes with leftover chicken or bacon instead of pancetta, once i added the lemon zest and juice as suggested by the original recipe (didn't care for it as much), and of course, you can also add a glug of white wine to the cream before simmering if that's your thing.

the original recipe called for proscuitto, which is yummy but we prefer pancetta. (the difference between the two is a bit like bacon compared to canadian bacon...aka ham.) i think pancetta, being more bacon-esque lends itself better to this pasta.

adapted from martha stewart

| ingredients |

1 box fettuccine, pictured (you can also sub bucatini)
1 package frozen peas
1 tbsp butter
1 package (4 ounces) chopped pancetta
2/3 cup heavy cream
optional: 1/4 cup of white wine
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
parsley (for serving)

| method |

in a large pot, boil the fettuccine and cook according to package directions. in the last minute or so of cooking, add the frozen peas. reserve 1 cup of pasta water and strain the pasta and peas in a colander - set aside.

meanwhile, in a large skilled over medium heat - melt the butter and cook the pancetta until slightly browned. add the cream and wine (if using) and bring to a simmer for a couple minutes, stirring until you notice the alcohol smell recede. simmer sauce until thickened, then remove from heat and add in the parmesan stirring until smooth.

season with salt and pepper to taste. add the peas and cooked pasta and stir, using the reserved pasta water to thin if needed.

serve topped with a little extra parm and parsley.