Schyler and I are spending Christmas apart this year (I will be with family in Eastern Washington and he will be with his family in Seattle) so we had a special, early Christmas dinner. With the help of Farmer John, I made a honey roasted pork dish with their pork shoulder and maple roasted Brussel sprouts with bacon using their classic bacon slices. I served these plates with delicious herbed Yukon gold potatoes. Keep reading for these delicious recipes!

I wanted to make our table special so I gathered greenery from a pine tree, pine cones, and red holly from a bush in my back yard to place in the center of my table for natural and simplistic decor.

I also used the pine branches and red berry stems to make these mini Christmas wreaths. You can find out how to make them in this post. I bought two small bowls at the dollar store, filled them halfway with water, and placed berry and pine stems inside. A single floating candle was the perfect finishing touch to these pretty centerpieces!

Maple Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Bacon

Ingredients:

Makes 4 servings.

-1 1/2 lbs brussel sprouts

-6 pieces of bacon

-1/4 extra virgin oil

-3 tablespoons maple syrup

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

-Line a baking sheet or pan with tin foil. Place the 6 pieces of bacon on the pan. Cook for 20 min rotating the pan halfway through.

-While the bacon is cooking, remove outer layer of brussel sprouts, trim off ends, and halve brussel sprouts.

-Place brussel sprouts in a single layer on a baking pan or baking dish. Line with tinfoil if desired. Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup. Season with salt and black pepper. Toss to coat evenly.

-Place the brussel sprouts in the oven and roast for 45 min. While the brussel sprouts are cooking, chop the bacon into fine pieces.

-After the brussel sprouts have finished cooking, toss the bacon in until mixed.

-Serve while fresh.

Honey Roasted Pork

Ingredients:

-1 cup soy sauce

-1/4 cup granulated sugar

-1/4 cup chopped scallions

-6 cloves garlic chopped

-2 to 3 pounds pork shoulder

-2 tbsp olive oil

-1 cup brown sugar

-1/2 cup honey

-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

-Combine the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and scallions. Add pork in and toss to coat evenly. Let the pork marinate for about an hour.

-Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

-Place the marinated pork on a baking pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

-Turn up the heat to 500 degrees.

-Combine the brown sugar, honey, and remaining soy sauce in a small bowl. Stir until smooth.

-Spread the honey glaze over the top of the pork. Bake for another 15-20 minutes until the sugar is caramelized.

-Slice the pork into small slices and serve with side dishes.

Would you like to win fresh pork and bacon for your Christmas dinner?! You can enter the Farmer John giveaway here.

A special thank you to Farmer John for collaborating with me on this post. 

XOXO