Dear Mary Beth: When dining at a German restaurant in the Midwest, I had a wonderful spinach salad with hot bacon dressing. The dressing was thickened and a little sweet.

Do you have a recipe to share? I would enjoy preparing this salad during the winter months as spinach is so readily available and this is a hearty accompaniment to many beef or pork entrees.

Answer: I do have a spinach salad with hot bacon dressing. There are many different kinds of dressing. The dressing below is thickened with cornstarch and is sweetened with a little brown sugar as you describe.

I like to use the large-leaf spinach that is available in bulk bundles or pre-washed in bags. The large leaves need to be stemmed and torn, but this more mature spinach is very flavorful. If you can’t find the large leaf spinach, baby spinach will do nicely.

Spinach with Hot Bacon Dressing

8 cups fresh spinach, torn is using the large leaf

3 bacon strips, diced

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon celery seed

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/3 cup cold water

Chopped hard cooked eggs, optional

1. Place spinach in a large bowl.

2. In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve drippings.

3. Add onion to drippings and sauté until transparent. Stir in sugar, vinegar, salt, mustard, celery seed and pepper. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water; whisk into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened.

4. Just before serving, pour warm dressing over spinach and toss to coat. Garnish with eggs, if desired

Makes 4-6 servings

Dear Mary Beth: Brown rice takes so long to cook and I don’t always have the 45-50 minutes it takes. Do you have a trick that shaves some of the time off the cooking?

Answer: Sometimes you just don’t have the 50 minutes to cook brown rice. I have several suggestions that I can offer. First of all, brown rice freezes very well once it is cooked and cooled. So, on a day when you have the time, cook a batch of rice. Allow it to cool and freeze it in serving size portions. The frozen rice can be defrosted in the microwave or defrosted in the refrigerator earlier in the day. Then, reheat in the microwave oven.

Here’s a little tip from cookbook author Marie Simmons for cooking brown rice fast: Place 1 cup of brown rice in 3 cups water in your saucepan; cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day you can cook the soaked rice in the soaking water with salt, if desired. Now your cooking time is just 20-25 minutes. Presoaking eliminates half the cooking time.

Dear Mary Beth: What are crostini? I see it mentioned in soup and appetizer recipes and I gather its toasted bread. What kind of bread is best and what is the proper way to make crostini for appetizers?

Answer: Crostini in Italian means “little toasts." They are usually made from crusty long bread, such as French and Italian, that is sliced about 1/2-inch thick depending on how you are going to use it. It can be grilled on both sides until lightly golden. It is then rubbed while warm with the cut side of a garlic clove and drizzled with good olive oil.

You can also brown the sliced bread in a toaster oven, the broiler (you will need to turn once) or even a conventional toaster until it is lightly browned. While hot, rub with garlic and brush with olive oil. You can also make an oil and garlic mixture that is brushed on one side of the bread. Serve crostini warm or at room temperature.

Now you can spread your crostini with many different first-course spreads, float them in soups or serve with salads.

Mary Beth Jung is a Hendersonville resident. She is a freelance food writer, recipe developer, cookbook author and the founding food editor of Taste of Home magazine. Email your culinary questions to Mary Beth at mb_jung@yahoo.com for this monthly column.