Turning on the oven during the summer is not an option in my house. I'm the kind of person who whines about how hot I am every five minutes until I'm not hot anymore and when you turn on the oven in a tiny Manhattan apartment on the top floor of a poorly ventilated brownstone, I'm not gonna shut up. And so, come summer solstice, me and Dan turn on our sandwich game. "Sandwich" is often interpreted loosely and might include tacos, souvlaki wrapped in pita or stovetop burgers. But the ultimate go-to is probably BLTs, or "bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches" if you're nasty.
I'm hard pressed to think of a meal that I feel is more quintessentially summery than a BLT. Ours usually start with some gorgeous, ripe heirloom tomatoes. The kind of tomato that, once you taste it, no other tomato will ever do. A slather of Hellman's, some crunchy lettuce and a nice, thick-cut bacon are all you need between two slices of toast. We sometimes will add a few slices of turkey for a little bit more substance, plus a beer and some potato chips definitely won't hurt.
When you think about the level of yumminess compared to the ease of preparation, it's mind-boggling. (Other incredibly easy, but insanely delicious foods that also make the list? S'mores, a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios and roasted chicken. All other foods should stand down.)
Plus, the nostalgia factor can't be beat. As a kid, some of my favorite days were those when my mom insisted on BLTs for dinner. It would always be a perfect summer day, when the farm stand down the street was overflowing with perfect, juicy tomatoes and endless ears of corn. We'd pull into the gravel driveway as my mom recounted her own memories as a kid in the '60's, eating BLTs poolside with her family. Dinner would be out on the back patio, inevitably followed by a trip to the ice cream shop for some soft-serve, and a twilight walk down the pier in the harbor.
Happy summer, everybody! May it be a memorable one!