Juicy BLT is the Official Title but I Consider it the Ultimate BLT

     Every Thursday, I receive an email from my CSA telling me what I will receive in this week's delivery.  They base my shipment on my "preferences" which I established when I set up the account.  So I never receive chard, never receive broccoli nor cauliflower.  Early in the season, I received a ton of lettuce, which was fine with me.  And while I have set zucchini and eggplant as a preference, along with beets - sometimes there is too much of a good thing.  So, it is fun each Thursday afternoon to swap out some of upcoming choices for something I know we will easily devour.

     So, I am now getting at least three types of tomatoes.  I LOVE tomatoes.  I have enjoyed making a dozen jars of tomato sauce the past two summers.  During this time of year, we probably have tomatoes every day. One day last week, I made a tomato tartine.  I  toasted  a slice of sourdough bread from my favorite bakery and topped it with Boursin cheese (if you do not know what this is...Google it - you will never go back to flavored cream cheese).  On top of the cheese, went the lettuce, the tomatoes (sprinkled with salt and pepper) and finally, slices of cooked, thick cut bacon.  You have to eat it with a fork and knife, which makes it seem just a bit fancy.  It was delicious.

     I was considering making this again for lunch today as I looked as the array of tomatoes on my island.  I went onto the NY Times Cooking site to check ingredients for a tomato tarte I plan to make tomorrow night, when my eyes caught the Recipe of the Day -"Juicy BLT."  Let me tell you...it was AMAZING - MIND BLOWING - ABSOLUTE SUMMER DECADENCE.

Here is the link:  https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020409-juicy-blt

If by chance the link doesn't work - basically, the tomatoes are sliced thin and marinated in a bit of red wine vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper.  Toast the bread.  Spread on the mayo and drizzle a bit of olive oil.  Top with lettuce (I used arugula), then the tomatoes and the  bacon.  Top with the remaining slice of bread (with mayo).  

It is messy.  It is filling.  It is summer and my feet tapped excitedly with each bite.

Cheesy Corn

     Cate has been in her "office" for several hours now...redesigning and re-configuring it...we are not allowed in until it is finished.  At the beginning of the pandemic, we organized it as a sort of hangout space for her - buying a TV and a futon, etc.  But several weeks ago, Dickinson College indicated that the Fall semester would be fully remote - so now we redesign the room as a sort of dorm room substitute.  Cate has completely reconfigured the room and we gave her a second monitor to help with the Zoom sessions and school work.  She is handling the situation well and several other friends are also stuck here for the Fall semester.  It is not ideal...at all.  As much as she wanted to head off to college....we, her parents, wanted her to head off as well.  That is not to say that we would not have missed her...but we were ready to have a bit of space,and no doubt, she was as well.  So for now, we are determining boundaries, rules of the house with three adults acting as roommates.  I have moved my home office out of the dining room and into the spare bedroom next to a window which will help me.  Jamie has purchased a stand up rolling desk so he can maneuver throughout the house.  Whatever it takes...Every 6 weeks or so, we have been trying to head to a non-hotspot to work from a different area.  That helps as well...

     If I am at home, I still make a simple lunch for Jamie and myself. I leave Cate to fend for herself.  Some weeks, I am at the office Monday - Friday so I make prepare things in advance for Jamie to eat instead of his normal tuna.  Cate normally heads downstairs around 3pm looking for lunch.  Since she won't eat a simple sandwich, this is always a bit of a struggle.  Sometimes, she makes an incredible creation - other times - crackers with goat cheese.  So for dinner, I still try to make something special - using the fresh vegetables we get from the CSA.  I gave my second CSA shipment to our cat sitter who has been out of work and loves vegetables.

I made this recipe last night and it appeared in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette this week. It is incredibly easy and delicious.  I served it as the main course but the family thought that in the future, it would make for a really good side dish to bbq.

Kansas City Cheesy Corn - from Cook's Country and published in the Post Gazette

2 slices bacon, chopped

2 cups corn kernels

4 oz ham steak. cut into 1/2" slices

1 cup whole milk - I used 1/2 c cream and 1/2 c milk

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 tsp salt and pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne

6 oz cheddar, shredded

Cook bacon in large saucepan over medium heat until crisp.  Add corn, ham, milk, cream cheese, salt, pepper and cayenne   - breaking up cream cheese with a spatula.

Cook stirring occasionally until cream cheese is melted and mixture begins to bubble at the edges.

Turn off heat and stir in 1 cup cheddar until melted.

Transfer to an oven proof pan. Scatter remaining cheese over the top and broil until cheese is spotty brown.