Basil Mayonaise BLT's & An Award

This is amping up your traditional BLT.

We wanted a simple dinner Sunday, but company

was coming. 

What if we did the BLTs on nicer bread,

that crusty European style bread

with

that really expensive maple cured bacon

and

used some of the basil from the garden

in the mayo?

Shame, shame, shame on me for ever having made

an ordinary BLT with cheap white bread

and cheap bacon.

This was absolutely gourmet.  I would have paid

good money for this in a nice restaurant and

gone home and dreamed about it all night.

Make a chiffonade (thinly sliced) with your basil by

stacking the leaves on top of each other and

then rolling them tightly together.  Cut thinly

with a sharp knife.

Place it in a food processor with mayo.

I usually use light mayo.

My husband is anti anything light, so tonight

he slipped in real mayo.  Oh, I forgot how

good that tastes.

Chop until it is finely mixed in.

Basil Mayonaise

1 C. mayonaise

3-4 T. finely chopped basil leaves

Place in a food processor.  Use the chop setting

on pulse to finely chop the basil.

I tried this spread on garlic toast then topped with

tomato and basil bruschetta topping.  WOW!

(The flavor improves with time, so if you can make it

a day ahead, or at least an hour, but if you

can't, it is still so tasty.)

Butter both sides and toast the bread.  My daughter got me

this wonderful grill pan which works really nicely.

You can do it in a pan, on a griddle or in the broiler.

Spread both sides of the bread with the basil mayonaise.

Top with bacon, lettuce and tomato, in whatever

order you like. 

Serve. 

You may need toothpicks to hold it together.

I have to admit, we had it two ways,

one with untoasted crusty European style bread

and one with toasted.

I honestly can't tell you which one I liked better.

They were two different experiences.  The

soft bread was a wonderful texture,

but then the buttery toasted bread was a

whole different texture.  I can't decide!

You be the judge.  Try it both ways and let me know.

I was tagged by the wonderful Kathie at

Just a Happy Housewife ...and Tickled Pink About It.

She gave me the

Daily Dose of Chaos Award.

Now how did that sweetie know that by the

end of Sunday at our house it really is chaos?

Go check out her lovely blog.  She is a darling and

she is very clever and funny.  I am so glad we are

blogging friends.

The rules on accepting this award is that I answer

the questions so that you can get to know me better

and then I tag 8 other bloggers so that they can

answer the questions and you can get to know them

better.

1.  What is your signature color?

Do you think this ink color along with my blog title is hint enough? 

Purple has been my favorite as long as I can remember.

I grew up in a time when avocado green and burnt

orange were really in and my mother loved them.  I

missed my inner femininity as I watched girlfriends get

pink and purple bedrooms, or I remember a blue toille that

I just loved.  I got a new room that I shared with my

two sisters in the finished basement and it had wood paneling

and orange, brown and green curtains.  Even then I

didn't like it.  In high school I chose a purple stone for

my class ring and people asked if I was born in February.

I said no, I just love purple.

Now the truth is there is more red and burgundy in my home

than actual purple, but my houseboat is purple on the inside

and outside and I see red, burgundy and pink as sister colors.

You probably didn't want to know that much did you!

2.  What is your most embarrassing moment?

I love being a grown up because I just don't get embarrassed as

often.  When I was in high school I got on a tramp in front of

all boys (one including a boyfriend) and I heard a noise but

didn't think much about it.  I did flips and all kinds of jumps and

when I got done, a girl put her arm around me and told me my

short were ripped all the way up the back seam!  No boy said

a single word.

3.  Would you ever get anything pierced

other than your ears,

If so what?

I really am not even that into pierced earrings at the moment.

I started wearing chunky necklaces and the earrings seem to

much.  I don't want any other piercings and they all seem

like they would be uncomfortable to me.

4.  Are you a social butterly or a homebody?

I love to entertain and go out, but I love my evenings at home

too, so I guess I am a combination.

5.  Are you done having babies or do you want more?

I have to laugh at that question when you see the National

Enquirer or some magazine at the checkout stand

announcing this old woman having babies.  I have to

think of Sara in the Bible, I know how old I feel and

I am half her age.  No, I am done but I am willing

to have lots more grandkids come into my home and

I am glad it is them and not me.

6.  Are you loyal to your hairstylist or do you

try every salon in town?

I have had too many bad hair years because of stylists

so when I find one I stay with them.

(This is exactly how I have felt as I watch my hair fall to the floor!)

7.  How many times have you moved in your life?

We stayed in the same home my whole growing up years.

I had friends who were building and selling and

moving.  I loved seeing their new homes so

when I married and my husband said let's build and

sell, I said yippee, I have been wanting to do this

my whole life.  We did that and moved every two years

until our oldest was in 5th grade and then we settled down.

We built and sold 8 homes but didn't live in them all

and now we have lived in this home for 19 years.

8.  If you could plan your vacation with just you

and your love, where would it be?

Oh, we have had the opportunity to travel to so many

wonderful places, Israel, Turkey, Greece, England, Italy, France

Mexico, Hawaii.  I would have to say I love Hawaii an awful lot, but

I did hear of something I want to try:

Royal Carribean's Oasis of the Seas.

The center of the ship is open with rooms facing the atrium.

Looks fun and fattening to me!

I am tagging the following blogs:

Joni at Red Couch Recipes

(of course, she is my sister)

Ann Marie at Frog Hollow Farm Girl

Bunny at The Paris House

Delores at Vignette Design

Donna at Conghaile Cottage

Lynn at Happier Than a Pig In Mud

Christine at Christines Home and TravelAdventures

and Scrambled Hen Fruit.

Enjoy all of these wonderful bloggers.  They are all great

friends and you will love their fun and inspiring blogs.

I am posting this with

Just Something I Whipped Up Monday.

Sharing Sunday