BBQ Blue Cheese BLT |Cooking With Amanda

Everyone has those moments when they wish they owned a pool or a boat. How great would it be to spend your summers cruising around lakes and doing water sports in your own boat? Or what about stepping out your back door and hopping straight into your pool? These things would be fabulous! Summertime fun would take on a whole new meaning. The problem with these two fantasies is, of course, the work and expense.

You have to store your boat during the off-season, fill it with gas, haul it, tow it and maintain it. Same with a pool. You have to heat it, fill it, maintain it, fence it and open it/close it as needed. I think it is far better to become really good friends with people who own boats and pools. You have fun (albeit part-time fun) but none of the work! My freeloading attitude extends to those with gardens too.

I'm delighted to take all the extra zucchini and tomatoes from my neighbor's overflowing garden. I will make countless batches of zucchini bread and salsa, which I will gladly share with my neighbor. Really, we all win: their veggies don't go to waste, they don't have to cook or bake, and I don't have to garden! The best for everyone!

BLTs are one the best sandwiches ever. For a long time, this Fried Green Tomato sandwich was my favorite, but this BBQ Blue Cheese BLT may have taken over. This BBQ Blue Cheese BLT sandwich starts with thick, juicy garden tomatoes. Then everything else strays from the norm! Crisp spinach, creamy blue cheese and thick slices of bacon covered in bbq seasoning finish off this kicked up BLT!

Try to find the thickest cut bacon possible. I used Cow Bell Hell BBQ seasoning from DennyMike's Cue Stuff because it has the heat I was looking for, but you use what suits your taste. My kids thought it was a little too spicy for their taste, which subconsciously must have been my plan because I was excited to inherit their share! I combined the BBQ seasoning with a touch of brown sugar and rubbed it over each slice of bacon, and then I placed the bacon in the oven. The bacon does not get crispy in the oven like it does when you fry bacon, but it's certainly a lot less messy this way.

The spicy bacon, cool tomato, fresh spinach, and creamy blue cheese work harmoniously together to give you the most dynamic BLT you've ever had! The only thing better than this BLT with all its garden-fresh tomatoes is to be eating it on a friend's boat after swimming in some else's pool! Right?

For more sandwich goodness, try an Avocado BLT or Fajita Grilled Cheese!

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BBQ Blue Cheese BLT Recipe

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Ingredients

6 tablespoons bbq seasoning
1 tablespoon brown sugar
8 slices thick sliced bacon
2 large tomatoes, sliced
1 cup fresh spinach
4 ounces blue cheese
8 slices wholegrain bread

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Combine BBQ seasoning and brown sugar in a small bowl. Rub mixture over bacon slices. Arrange bacon on a baking sheet or a broiler pan covered in foil. Bake bacon for 18-20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove and let cool.
Arrange 2 slices of bacon on 4 slices of bread. Top bacon with tomato slices (about 2 slices), followed by crumbled blue cheese and spinach. Top with remaining bread slice and serve.