Open Face Sams - Help Me Rhonda!

Yes friends, that is bacon! It's not healthy, but it is uncured and nitrate/chemical free. Nice! It was just sitting there begging to be picked up and set by the tomatoes and salad already in my basket. I did it. I love it. Bacon for everyone! (Except the vegetarians, that would mean. And pet pigs. That would be wrong.)

I am all about easy dinners during the week. I wish I had the energy to cook lovely meals every evening, but truth be told, that rarely happens. Mr. Schalk is great about eating leftovers and I'm great about having cereal for dinner.



Cooking does happen on weeknights, but they are generally in the form of quick meals. We strive to stay pretty healthy during the week even when the meals are simple. It usually means less meat, more veggies and smaller portions. It makes the weekends of indulging in lamb shanks and mashed potatoes (and a cookie...or 14) all the more fun!



Last night I had a taste for tomatoes. So, I thought Open Face Sams would do the trick. Mmm....melty, tasty, & easy! I bought a loaf of ciabatta bread and cut it into thick slices. A quick drizzle of olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper to flavor the bread. Then, I loaded half the slices with fresh basil, havarti and tomato slices. Topped with a bit more olive oil, salt and pepper and they were good to go. The other slices were loaded with cheddar, bacon, tomato and basil. Popped in the broiler for 3-5 minutes and they were done. Woo hoo!



Bubbly delicious Open Face Sams! Serve with a salad and dinner is ready in under 30 minutes. The great thing is you can top it with your favorites and make your own versions.



So easy you'll even have time to enjoy the sunshine outside, watch Gibbs on NCIS and The Beach Boys on Dancing With The Stars.

Oh, how I love The Beach Boys. Did you know I saw them in concert when I was 5 years old? I was in Florida with the fam and I (thought) I saw the REAL Beach Boys. It was not until 20 years later that I was told it was a cover band. Bummmer.

My mom knew how excited I was to think they were the real thing, she didn't have the heart to tell me the truth until much later. I can't blame her. I've always loved Brian Wilson, Mike Love and the rest of the gang. In 3rd grade I had to write a report of my favorites, and you know The Beach Boys were my pick. While other kids wrote about New Kids on the Block I was rockin' to "Help Me Rhonda" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice." Dreamy!

Photo from The Beach Boys website.

Happy Dreams!

xoxo, Rachel