Pancetta Green Beans

Why I liked this recipe:

1. Loved that it was a side dish. Most days I just want to grill/bake some meat and have a couple of sides. This is perfect for me.
2. We are from the south....so that usually translates to all our vegetables having absolutely no bite to them at all if they are cooked. I liked that these green beans were crisp tender, but my family would eat them because they were so flavorful with the pancetta.
3. It was easy.

Why I didn't like this recipe:

1. Unfortunately.....I don't like pancetta. I never had pancetta before, but I knew what it was (sorta like a non-smoked bacon). Well, around here we have a lot of country ham, and at a certain time of year we can obtain "hog's jowl" (or hog's jaw). That is what pancetta tastes like to me...and I just don't love country ham or hog's jaw. I loved the recipe as long as I ate around the pancetta.

Would I make this again? Yes, but I will be using thick cut bacon.

Basque Potato Tortilla

This was a very simple recipe. You slowly cook some potatoes, onions, and garlic in some olive oil until the potatoes are tender. Then, you add some eggs and let them set up on the stove top. Lastly, you run it under the broiler for a couple minutes to brown the top. I added some shredded white sharp cheddar to it after I got it out of the oven. It was pretty good. We all ate it, but it wasn't something my kids were clamoring for me to make again.

If I did make this again, I would cut the potatoes much, much smaller and use less. The potatoes were too much the focus for me. I wanted more egg. Also....I kind of don't like well done, browned egg. So, it wasn't a winner for me. I might do something similar to it again, though. We love breakfast for dinner!