Summer Squash, Goat Cheese, Bacon, and Onions

Random fridge purging at 11:00 p.m. w/ friends. Very rich, but very delicious.

Heirloom Tomato Tart

Had some left over pizza dough in the fridge and one more tomato from the farmer's market. A make shift pizza was definitely in order.

Bacon Basil Tomato Sandwich

Take advantage of the cheap and delicious tomatoes right now in the farmer's market- here is a great way:

Bacon Basil Tomato Sandwich

I like basil over lettuce in my "BLT" just because I prefer the spicy and sweet aspects of fresh basil over the watery or bitter crunch that you get with lettuce. Plus the bacon is already giving you crunchiness, so I think the basil on the whole adds more to the sandwich. Bright colors and bold flavors- but really it is all about the  meaty slices of delicious summer tomatoes.

Ingredients:

• Favorite artisan roll toasted w/ bacon fat from the pan as the bacon cooks- Alot of the bakeries in Eugene make roll size versions of their breads. New Eugene Bread Co has a stand at the farmer's Market where you can get 6 for $5 or $1 a pop. Really good- I got 2 Cheddar Sourdough, 1 Cibatta, 1 French Rye, 1 Sourdough, 1 Kalamata Olive. The sandwhich in the picture is on a Cheddar Sourdough Roll.

• Heirloom Tomatoes w/ Salt, olive oil, and a little balsamic- I prefer the tomato to be the star of the sandwich with the basil and bacon helping to show off the tomato. The heirloom range runs the gamut of color and flavor, so mix and match until you have a good idea of what you like. 

• Fresh Basil- Fresh basil has a natural spicy sweet quality, a vibrant green color, and adds an additional texture to the sandwich.

• Thick Cut bacon- cooked till crispy and most of the fat had rendered- then cooled till crunchy

*if you need a fatty component to round it all out- I'd hit it with some Goat Cheese or a fried egg*

Chicken Salad

Had not updated for a while- here was yesterday's lunch:

Chicken Salad
- Hard boiled egg whites (yolks were used in the vinegrette)
- Confit Chicken Thighs- cooked in bacon fat, garlic, rosemary, and thyme
- Bacon "lardons" - giant chunks of really crispy bacon - bacon bits on steroids
- Oven-roasted potatoes - leftover w/ cajun seasoning
- Baby Spring green mix
- Balsamic vinaigrette w/ red wine vinegar, olive oil, and the hardboiled yolks of the eggs.

Really good- the vinaigrette turned out a bit on the acidic side and consequently was able to hold up against the chicken thigh meat and the salty bacon. No complaints, and an elegant way to use leftovers from breakfast.