Today’s post is on one of my favorite things about summer. The bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich, or the BLT. It’s just the perfect summer meal. Simple and delicious!

Making this BLT also marked the first time I have ever attempted cooking bacon. You’ll notice that the photos of this step are conspicuously absent. At first, this was because I was more worried about not burning myself than taking pictures. In the end, it was because I burnt the crap out of the bacon and filled my apartment full of smoke. In fact, the pieces of bacon that made it into the picture (plus enough for one more sandwich) ended up being the only pieces I ate. The rest made it into the garbage can. Since then, I’ve heard I should try cooking bacon in the microwave or in the oven, so I’ll have to try that. In the meantime, I’m happy with Oscar Meyer fully cooked bacon. Shh, don’t tell.

Everything you need for a BLT. Bread, tomato, lettuce, bacon, miracle whip, salt and pepper.

First, I sliced up my tomato. Then I fried my bacon, but we’ve already established that I won’t be showing you that step.

Then I toasted my bread.

Followed by a generous slathering of miracle whip. Seriously tomato, plus the “tangy zip of Miracle whip” is just wonderful.

Then I showed how completely weird and anal I am by cutting my tomato so I could put it in one single layer. Cause I’m strange like that and I don’t like it doubled up. I’m also a strange person who doesn’t like the meat too thick on my sandwiches either.

Salt and pepper the tomato. Usually I go all out and salt and pepper the other side of the bread too. Wild woman, I know.

Add your bacon, if it’s edible.

Then add your lettuce. Normally, lettuce picked out of a salad mix is not what I would use, but it’s what I had so that’s what you get.

Then put your sandwich together and eat! And use a napkin because it will drip yummy goodness everywhere!

The beautiful thing about summer, though? I’m just as happy with a simple tomato sandwich, where you’re done assembling after you salt and pepper your tomato. Which is exactly what I had with the rest of my tomatoes after I dumped my burnt bacon in the trash can and hauled it out to the dumpster while my apartment smelled like bacon for 3 days.

In testament to the fact that the entire month of July passed without a single post here from me, I would just like to start out this post with this fact: I made the following recipe for my family’s Fourth of July celebration this year. I am, apparently, spectacularly lazy when it comes to posting about my cooking as the pictures have even been uploaded to my Flickr account since July 6th. Oops?

In any case, today I’m here to talk about Puppy Chow, which is a ridiculously easy to make and ridiculously addictive dessert. Let’s not talk about the fact that July 5th? Yeah, all that leftover puppy chow was breakfast. Puppy chow goes by many names… my Uncle Mike would prefer we call it Chex Mix with Crap On It. I’ve heard it called Muddy Buddies, and just the other day it was on Jon and Kate Plus 8 as Monkey Munch. Call it what you want, I call it delicious.

First the list of ingredients: Chex cereal, or any offbrand equivalent. I chose the corn variety, but you can use the rice instead. Whatever floats your boat. Chocolate chips, peanut butter, butter or margarine, vanilla and powdered sugar.

The first thing I did was measure out 9 cups of cereal. Then I added a little more cause hey, we all know I’m going to sit here and pick at the cereal in the bowl while I wait.

In a saucepan, melt together 1/4 cup butter or margarine, 1 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup peanut butter.

When it’s all melted together, stir in 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla.

Add the cereal to your melted chocolate mix, and *carefully* stir together. You want to get the cereal pieces as coated as possible, but you don’t want to break them up too much.

Next you need to coat your chocolate covered cereal in powdered sugar. The easiest way to do this is to add 1.5 cups of powdered sugar to a grocery bag (disclaimer: I *always* end up adding more powdered sugar).

Add your cereal on top.

Close up the bag, and start shaking! Every once in a while, I open up the bag and see where I’m at. If it’s all looking like too much chocolate, and not enough powdered sugar, I open up the bag and add a little more.

When you’re satisfied with the powdered sugar coverage, go ahead and dump it all out into a bowl. Normally, I’d spend more time getting a better coating than this, but I was impatient and ready to start picking at the puppy chow. Not to mention running late!