We here at Chez Carr are avocado lovers. So every single time one of us goes to our local purveyor of edibles, we bring home a couple of these green, nutrient dense fruits of the Gods. Which means, we eat a lot of avocados. And there are only so many ways I know of to feature alligator pears.

Of course there is guacamole, which we love. But you can only eat so much guacamole. So often times, I simply slice the ripe little darlings and serve them with sliced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with seasoning salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

But last evening I was in the mood for a proper, lettuce based salad which included avocado. So I went searching for ways other folks use avocados in their salads.

I found an abundance of recipes for salads that included bacon. And as luck would have it, I had some cooked bacon in my refrigerator. I also had a bit of shallot that was looking needy, a couple of very ripe plum tomatoes (not in my fridge), a partial cucumber that looked lonely, and half a head of organic hearts of romaine. Perfect. Now what I needed was a dressing to tie all of those lovely ingredients together.

Most of the time I make a simple olive oil and vinegar dressing for our salads. Easy, delicious, low in calories, and quite tangy. But yesterday, I wanted a creamy, not too flavorful dressing that would caress the lovely veggies, rather than blast them with acidity. So I immediately thought of mayonnaise and sour cream. But the dressing had to have some flavor, and a tad bit of tang, hence the fresh lemon juice. So I whipped up the dressing you find below.

Now, I always taste along the way as I am playing mad scientist in the kitchen. After I had whisked all the ingredients together, I could hardly contain myself from “tasting” this dressing to extinction! And I quickly realized that not only was the dressing going to be absolutely perfect for this salad, but with all that lemon creaminess, it would make a perfect “aioli” to serve with fried fish. Yippee – a two for one!

So for all of you out there who would like to serve your family a dish that everyone will enjoy, build this salad at your earliest convenience. It is so, so delicious, and supper (super) easy to build.

As always, enjoy your summer, take especially good care of the people in your own household because everyone, no matter what age they happen to be, is a bit fragile right now. Drawing on a few lines of a post by Anne Mc Caffrey I read and then shared on Facebook –

“Let’s keep looking for activities that we like… Let’s put some color in our grey… Let’s smile at the little things in life that make our hearts sing.”

Peace and love to all.

2 T. mayonnaise

2 T. sour cream

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1½ tsp. fresh lemon juice

lg. pinch kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

4 strips lean, thick bacon – chopped and fried until crisp

½ head romaine lettuce, chopped

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

½ sm. cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 T. finely diced onion or shallot, opt.

2 small or 1 lg. avocado, chopped

Whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper together. Set aside.

Place cooked bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and onion in a salad bowl.  Toss the salad with the dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning. Just before serving gently stir in the avocado. Serve immediately.