4 beets, peeled, cut into thick wedges
6 thick-cut slices of Hills Own House-Smoked Bacon, chopped
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dark beer (such as Great Lakes Brewing's Edmund Fitzgerald)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon (packed) dark brown sugar
2 small heads of Ohio bibb lettuce, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup raisins

Cook beets in boiling salted water until tender, about 12 minutes; drain.

Meanwhile, sauté bacon in large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 3 1/2 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add onion to skillet; sauté 3 minutes. Mix in next 4 ingredients, then beets. Simmer until dressing coats beets, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Arrange lettuce on platter. Top with beets; sprinkle with bacon and raisins.

7-8 cups fresh spinach
water to boil
ice water to cool
1 TB. minced fresh garlic
1 cup golden raisins, plumped slightly in warm water
1 cup pine nuts, slightly toasted
1 TB. olive oil

Immerse spinach in rapidly boiling water for 8 to 10 seconds. Strain and plunge into iced water. Strain once more and squeeze out excess water. Refrigerate.

When ready to cook, place oil in saute pan over moderate heat and add garlic. Saute until it flavors oil, about 1 minute. Do not let it burn. Add pine nuts and raisins and heat with garlic and oil. Add spinach and stir to combine with other ingredients. Cook until hot.