BBT's, Blondie, and The Bear

I just finished the second Season of The Bear on #Hulu… and I am absolutely OBSESSED. What a beautifully written show about Life, Love, Family, Humans, Chicago, Food, and the Restaurant Industry. The chaos of all the imperfections that go along with working in a restaurant, but also the deeply loving, passionate and hardworking people that make it all happen. It’s about an award winning chef, who comes home to Chicago to run his family's Italian beef sandwich shop after the suicide of his older brother, who left behind debts, a rundown kitchen, and a very wild staff. So goooooood!!! If you haven’t tapped into this show, please do so.

The best part of watching this show, is how inspired I get to create new menu items in the kitchen. I am no “Bear” but I love trying new things and creating meals from nothing than what is coming out of my garden!!! Between this show and it now being Summer, my kitchen is throwing out some of the freshest and most yummy foods!! One of my favorite things to create in the summer is the simple basic dinner of BLT with Corn on the Cob. Being from Illinois, sweet corn was the best dinners in the summer. But having it with a BLT was even better.

In honor of The Bear, and in honor of my recent visit to Illinois, I give you my recipe of a BLT with Bacon, Basil and the freshest of Tomatoes on top of some local @doughboybakery_wa Sourdough bread. YUMMMMMM.

Bacon, Basil and Tomato Open Faced Sandwiches on Sourdough Bread

BBT – Bacon, Basil, and Tomato Sandwiches

By: ME

· 1 Pound of Bacon

· Fresh Roma Tomatoes, Sliced

· Mayo (or I also like to use a little drizzle of Olive Oil)

· 1 Cup of Basil

· Sliced Sourdough Bread

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook your bacon at 350 Degrees for 15-17 min. Unless you prefer to fry it on the cast iron, do that, but I prefer less of a mess. While your bacon is cooking, slice your tomatoes into 5-6 slices and put on a plate. Slice Wash your fresh basil leaves. After the bacon is done, assemble your sandwich!!! Toast your sourdough bread, spread with mayo, place 2-3 bacon slices (or more) along with Tomato, and sprinkle with basil and salt and pepper!! You can add another piece of bread or do an open face sandwich. Absolute Perfection.

It's easy to pair any music while you're cooking in the kitchen... And it usually takes more than a 2-3 min songs to get you through the whole cooking process. I think thats why I love coming up with a pairing for my foods... because the pairing isn't just limited to one song. Its many songs. I turned on a Blondie station while cooking up this summer meal and found myself loving all of it. Blondie, a wonderful band from the 70's... creates nothing but a fun summer day around my house. This weeks Play On Project pairing is with Blondie’s hit song from 1978, One Way Or Another. It was inspired by Deborah Harry’s (The lead vocalist) experience with a stalker in the early 1970’s. Just a great song. I'd be happy to dance in my kitchen to this all day long.

“One way, or another, I'm gonna find ya I'm gonna get ya, get ya, get ya, get ya One way, or another, I'm gonna win ya I'm gonna get ya, get ya, get ya, get ya One way, or another, I'm gonna see ya”

I spent a lot of my life in and out of restaurants… serving, bartender, hostessing, managing, catering, I did it all. I've had dreams of owning my own space, restaurant, wine bar, refurbished bus that served delicious breads, coffees, and beers. And maybe that’s why I love watching The Bear so much. Creating a space where people can feel all the feels. With Music. Food. People.I could go on and on about The Bear. The Writing. The Story. The loud family from Chicago and the relentless, yet, passionate chef that drives everyone to go deeper. Just Beautiful. As an actor myself, I love being inspired by stories like these. They make me want to create more, to. read more, to write more, and in this particular case… to cook more! Nothing like a summer meal with a BBT, Blondie and The Bear. Please Enjoy!