Some fast food from your kitchen

It's been a long hot summer, and it will almost be over by the time you're reading this article. Where did it go?

I confess I haven't been cooking too much, about one meal a week. I'm still working up at the pack station over Sonora Pass and enjoying the job; like any job, some days are better than others.

In the early morning as I'm walking to work, I can smell the bacon cooking as I'm coming up the road. My four-legged friends Maggie, Clancy, Abbey, Callie, Packer and Levi, the resident mutts, are usually hanging around the back door waiting for their days to begin and hoping for a taste of bacon or some other treat. Everyone eats a lot of bacon up at Kennedy Meadows. It's cooked and just sitting on top of the stove, and as people go by and start their day, so go their fingers to the bacon pile.

Cook is constantly cooking and replenishing the bacon. It's hard to resist. One of my favorite sandwiches is a bacon-and-jelly sandwich with homemade apricot butter; when you're busy, it's quick and easy.

With school starting, it seems like everyone is busier than ever this time of year. Here's an easy and tasty sandwich, fast food but from your kitchen.

I like to buy my bacon from two places in town. Butler Meats sells bacon with no nitrates, and I like Albertsons' peppered bacon. It's also a great way to use the last of those tasty summer tomatoes.

Grilled Cheese with Tomato, Avocado

and Bacon

• 8 slices bacon

• 2 tomatoes, sliced

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Ranch dressing

• 8 slices of your favorite bread

• 4 slices provolone cheese

• 4 slices cheddar cheese

• 1 avocado, sliced

Cook the bacon to your liking. Sprinkle salt and pepper on tomato slices. Spread a little ranch dressing on each slice of bread, top with 1 slice of provolone and remaining bread slices with cheddar. Top each provolone slice with tomato, bacon and avocado. Press bread slices together and cook on a griddle or in a skillet over medium heat 4 to 7 minutes until browned.

This next recipe is fast and easy and a great way to use up any fresh fruit you might have in abundance.

Berry Parfaits

Sauce:

• 2 cups milk (you can use 2 percent or 1 percent)

• 1 large egg

• 1Ú3 cup sugar

• 1 T. cornstarch

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 7 cups mixed berries (or any fruit of your choice)

• 1 pint fresh blueberries

• 1Ú2 of a (14 ounce) angel food cake cubed, about 6 cups

• Fresh mint sprigs for garnish

Whisk together the first four ingredients in a small pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly for 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, add vanilla. Pour mixture into a small bowl or pitcher and place plastic wrap over surface of custard to prevent film from forming; chill 2 hours or until ready to serve. Layer fruit and cake in eight mason jars, tall glasses or a large glass bowl. Drizzle with sauce.

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One last note, all the food writers for the Appeal want to ask you, the readers, to submit your favorite family recipe to serve with a holiday turkey dinner. We'd like a variety of recipes and of course a story about your family tradition. We'll each pick our favorite and run it in November with our columns. You can e-mail them to me at marrone2@yahoo.com. In the subject line write "family recipe" so I don't think it's spam and delete it. You can also mail it to 1012 S. Minnesota St. Carson City, NV 89703. Deadline for submission is Oct. 31.

• Linda Marrone has lived in Carson City since 1973, and formerly operated Marrone's Restaurant and Somethin's Cookin' Catering.