Summer Eating

I just love summer eating! I don't like cooking in the summer--I want to make fancy salads but my family doesn't really like a lot of raw veggies or fruits.

There are, however, some meals we just can't get enough of. One is BLT's--Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwiches. There is a family business within a few miles of us. They grow tomatoes, sweet corn, cucumbers, melons, peppers, green beans, and so on. We are always excited to see their trucks out for the first time--and that happened last week! Our favorites are tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes! I like to cut them up and eat them with sugar; Tim prefers them with salt.

Today we got all the fixings for BLT's and tonight I fried a bunch of bacon, cut up several tomatoes, and chopped the lettuce. I don't plan on "cooking" anything else all weekend--we'll just enjoy BLTs. Now, Morgan doesn't like "L" or "T" but she'll eat tacos--the fixings which are similiar to BLT's with lettuce and seasoned hamburger. For that matter, she can have a taco salad--except for the part about not liking lettuce . . . :-)

A few years ago I found a recipe for what has become a family favorite; BLT Salad. Fry some bacon (save a few tablespoons of the bits at the bottom of the pan). Cook some pasta. Toss with the bits from the bottom of the pan and a Tablespoon or so of lemon juice. Toss with the bacon, chopped tomatoes, lettuce, and a little bit of mayo. And that's it! The salad only stays fresh for a few days, so don't make a huge amount at one time. ENJOY!

I got a bunch of fresh fruit earlier this week, and have it all cleaned and cut up, so we can (in theory at least) go to the fridge for a healthy snack any time. I'm still tempted by chocolate . . . but made the deal with myself that I had to have a bowl of nectarines or strawberries first. The fruit usually eases the craving for something sweet.

The summer produce just does not compare with out-of-season-from-hundreds-of-miles-away stuff! I hope you have the chance to enjoy some summer produce too.