Christmas Dinner Green Beans

Christmas dinner should be a time of celebration and joy. The food needs to reflect the feelings! Serving the same old tired green bean casserole from Thanksgiving is just boring. This Christmas, try a new and tasty twist for your green beans! This recipe for sweet and spicy green bean bundles is a wake up call for your taste buds. And who doesn't like bacon? Bacon makes everything better. Serve these green bean bundles as a side dish with your traditional turkey, ham or pork roast. You can also serve these as an appetizer although I feel they are better served as a side dish.

2 pounds of fresh green beans, trimmed

½ pound bacon, cut in half ( I prefer an applewood bacon as it gives a great flavor)

1 cup of brown sugar, firmly packed

½ cup of butter, melted

1 Tablespoon of chili powder

1 Teaspoon of garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Use a baking sheet with a lip or even a cake pan. You do not want the liquid and grease to leak off of the pan.

Fill a large pot with water, add a bit of salt and bring to a boil. Add your fresh green beans and reduce the heat. Simmer the beans for about 3 minutes or until the beans are just blanched. You want them still crisp. Drain the hot water and plunge the beans into ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain the beans again and pat dry.

Take about 5 - 7 beans and wrap a half slice of bacon around the middle. Place the bundle seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat the process until all of the beans have been bundles. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder and melted butter. Spoon the mixture over the green bean bundles. Make sure that each bundle is covered in the mixture. You can sprinkle a little extra brown sugar over the top of the bundles for some added sweetness.

Bake for approximately 30-45 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked completely. Remove the bundles to a serving dish and serve warm. These bundles can be eaten either with fork and knife or picked up and eaten like an appetizer. You can also used canned, whole green beans for a quicker fix. Just skip the blanching step and go one from there.