Grilled Asparagus and Red Pepper Toast {a trip to the ranch with The Pioneer Woman and Land O’Lakes}

This Grilled Asparagus and Red Pepper Toast with Bacon and Egg is great any time of day…breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

What started out as a craze in San Francisco last year, the fancy toast trend has finally reached the tall grass prairies of northern Oklahoma. I joined Land O’Lakes last week as they gathered a few of my butter-lovin’ friends at The Pioneer Woman‘s ranch. And we made toast.

Sweet toast, savory toast, and double-decker toast (which is not a sandwich in toast language, by the way). In a toast-making competition featuring Land O Lakes® tub products, we were challenged to create anything from indulgent breakfast to afternoon snack to dessert. We had so much fun!

I’m sharing my (winning!) artisanal toast recipe with you here, my Grilled Asparagus and Red Pepper Toast with Bacon and Egg. Since visiting The Ranch, I’ve enjoyed this at home for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Its versatility and deliciousness are its greatest assets. Plus, it looks great on Instagram. ;)

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Nestled into the side of a bluff, cut into beautiful rolling pasture land, the lodge is where we stayed and played and ate. With sweeping views to the east, the sunrise each morning was breathtaking.

I grabbed a cup of coffee, warding off the early morning chill, and stepped out onto the deck to soak up the peaceful stillness each day.

After enjoying breakfast dishes that some members of our Kitchen Conversations team had created with the Land O Lakes® tub products, Ree took us on a ranch tour. Left to right are Maria, myself, Joanne, Sommer, Ree, Julie, Sadie, and Bridget.

(Be sure to check out by recipe for Blistered Teriyaki-Ginger Green Beans that I created for this event, too!)

Then we headed into Pawhuska to see the progress at The Building. So much had been done since we visited last year. A newly revealed original marble column at the entrance, new windows, and a finished office and meeting space that takes up half of the upper floor, with a couple gorgeous bathrooms. I loved staring into each of the black and white canvas prints, of which there were many, curious of their stories.

Then it was back to the lodge for the toast bar competition I told you about earlier.

Toast is the perfect vehicle for almost any flavor and type of meal, so it was a great subject to play with. We gathered our ingredients from a plethora of choices set out on the counter, and got to work. My finished plate of grilled asparagus and red pepper toast is the one illuminated with rays of sunshine. :)

The only criteria for our toasts was that we use one or more of the Land O Lakes® tub products, pictured in the upper right photo. While at the lodge, we learned that these tub products have been growing quickly in popularity. So much so, that Land O’Lakes has been meeting the higher demands of consumers by offering larger sized tubs, like the two shown on the bottom of each stack in the upper right photo above.

All who participated in the toast bar competition also judged, voting for the best in four categories. In the lower left photo you’ll see me (best savory), Tiffany (best presentation), Julie (most creative, with her “double decker” toast), and Joanne (best sweet).

I also have to share with you a new favorite recipe at our house. In the lower right photo is the toast created by Ann from the Land O’Lakes Test Kitchen. I especially wanted to remember this combination, as I knew it was going to be a hit with our girls at home. And I was so right. Hatti and Tessa have loved this new breakfast and after school snack. To make this yourself, simply spread Land O Lakes® Cinnamon Sugar Butter Spread over warm toast, and top with banana slices and grated chocolate. I’ve made it even easier for busy mornings by substituting the grated chocolate for a few mini chocolate chips. We’re also cinnamon freaks at our house, so I always sprinkle some additional cinnamon over the bananas. Delish!

After dividing and conquering those delicious toasts, Ree hosted a cocktail and butter hour out in the pasture. European Style Super Premium Butter, that is. Officially revealed this past week, this new product from Land O’Lakes is rich and creamy and delicious, with a great mouth-feel. A schmear of this premium butter is all a cracker needs!

Then, as cocktail hour was wrapping up and we approached Ree’s vehicle for a ride back to the lodge, she said that she had “a little something for us” in the back. When she opened up the rear door, there was nothing but the glorious smell of leather, in a variety of styles, patterns, and colors. Ree had hand-picked boots for each of us, what a super special treat! As she handed my size 7’s to me, she described them as “natural with a bit of flair, just like you”. I absolutely love them!

How fun is that?!

Thanks, Ree, for a wonderful, personal keepsake from time spent at your Oklahoma home.

I want to leave you with the recipe for my grilled asparagus and red pepper toast with bacon and egg. Well, it’s more about a general list of ingredients, plus a how-to in putting them together, than an actual recipe. But it’s super easy. I promise.

When I accepted the challenge to create one of these so-called trends of toasted artistry, my sights were set on savory as soon as I saw those beautiful little spears of asparagus. I grabbed a tub of Land O Lakes® Garlic & Herb Butter Spread and a few more of my favorite ingredients, placed a grill pan on the stovetop, and lit the burner. I was set. You can easily recreate this delicious toast at home, too. Go ahead, make your first meal of fancy toast.

Grilled Asparagus and Red Pepper Toast with Bacon and Egg

Yield: 1 slice of toast

prep time: 15 minutes mins

cook time: 10 minutes mins

total time: 25 minutes mins

This Grilled Asparagus and Red Pepper Toast with Bacon and Egg is great any time of day…breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

5 Stars (1 Review)

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Ingredients

• 1 small red sweet pepper cut into 1/4″ thick rings
• 4 small spears asparagus trimmed to approximately fit the bread
• Land O Lakes® Garlic & Herb Butter Spread
• 1 slice of hearty tasty artisan bread
• 1 slice of hard boiled egg about 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick
• chopped fried bacon
• shaved Parmesan
• fresh thyme leaves
• coarse salt
• freshly ground pepper
• red pepper flakes optional

Instructions

• * Note that this is a very general how-to in creating this toast, with not many ingredient measurements included.
• Heat a grill pan over medium-high to high heat. Place pepper rings and asparagus on a plate and rub a bit of the Garlic & Herb Butter Spread all over them. Add pepper rings and asparagus to hot grill pan and let sit without turning until they develop some char, then flip and char the other side. Remove pepper rings and asparagus to a plate.
• Toast your bread and then spread a good amount of Garlic & Herb Butter Spread on one side. Add grilled red pepper rings and asparagus, arranging them in a pretty way.
• Place a slice of hard boiled egg on top of the asparagus, and then sprinkle the whole toast with bacon, Parmesan, and a bit of fresh thyme leaves. Sprinkle with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. And if you like a little bit of kick, go ahead and add some red pepper flakes. It’s delish!

Notes

from a farmgirl’s dabbles

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 Calories: 451kcal Carbohydrates: 28g Protein: 25g Fat: 27g Saturated Fat: 14g Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 85mg Sodium: 1672mg Fiber: 3g Sugar: 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.

Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment below. And share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #afarmgirlsdabbles or tag @farmgirlsdabble!

© Brenda | A Farmgirl’s Dabbles

Cuisine: American

Course: Breakfast

Disclosure:  Land O’Lakes paid for my travels to Oklahoma, but this is not a sponsored post. I just wanted to share this recipe that I came away with because I liked it so much. All opinions are my own.