When my husband asks, “Did you know that Saturday is International Bacon Day?” what he is really doing is giving me a challenge. I have a hard time turning away from a challenge. I am a sucker. I awoke about six this morning and I stared at the ceiling thinking bacon-y thoughts. Breakfast was out. Sure, what could be more satisfying than a nice stack of buttermilk pancakes drowning in good ol’ NH maple syrup and a side of bacon? But really, I needed a new angle. I pondered new twists on the BLT, I considered bacon wrapped lobster chunks, and I recalled a post I’d seen on chocolate dipped bacon. I believe all these to have wonderful yumminess potential, but I didn’t want to do something I’d seen before.

I love savory pies. I have featured my salmon pie here before and we haven’t had it in a while. I usually do a lattice top crust on it. What if, instead of pie dough, the top “crust” was a lattice constructed of God’s gift to cardiac surgeons? I mentioned the idea to the hubby. A lustful glint filled his eyes. I had my plan.

I have finally become competent at making pie dough from scratch. I just use the “flaky crust” recipe from The Joy of Cooking. I started work on my traditional salmon pie recipe while the hubs pitched in and lightly browned the bacon on the stove. On top of it all I wove the bacon and put a light egg wash over the whole thing.  Finally, I popped it in a 350 degree oven for thirty minutes.

It smells amazing. I am serving it with corn on the cob and fresh tomatoes from the local farm stand. I am adding International Bacon Day to my permanent holiday schedule.

I have read about roasted radishes on a few blogs lately and have been anxious to try my hand at them. I did these quite simply with quartered shallots, olive oil, and kosher salt. I stuck them in a 425 degree oven for 25 minutes. They couldn’t have been easier.

Then I heated up my beloved cast iron grill/skillet.  I cut medallions from a loin, seasoned them with smoked salt and freshly ground pepper, and grilled them for about 8 minutes on each side.  I served these and the roasted radishes on a bed of arugula.

I felt like the pork wanted a light-herby sauce.  I walked upstairs to my herb garden and grabbed a mixed handful of basil, parsley, and mint. These went into my food processor along with a couple of tablespoons of dijon mustard, olive oil, a small shallot, and champagne vinegar. The result was very tangy and a lovely compliment to the pork.  I had the leftovers the next day as a dip with cucumbers and celery.

The farmers market opens in two weeks, school is almost out for the year, and my kitchen will soon be put through daily workouts.

Oh decadence! Veterans Day provided not only a chance for reflection but also a rare day free from the classroom. So what to do with this open period of time? The answer was easy, dinner party.

I have wanted to have my colleagues Roxanna and John over, but time is always an issue. I phoned them up and they accepted. Now the fun began — menu planning.

While vacationing with my parents in Vegas last summer we went out to marvelous food chain, The Cheesecake Factory. I had their sumptuous fish tacos and have been dying to recreate them. I knew my guests were fish friendly so I thought I’d give it a whirl.

What stood out most in the dish was its lively combination of flavors: delicate whitefish, a tangy, creamy avocado sauce, crisp Asian greens, Mandarin oranges, and crisp red cabbage. The combination was a taste delight.

Of course, restaurants are often loathe to share their recipes and trying to figure it out for yourself is an adventure, so here’s what I did. First, I brushed a little extra virgin olive oil on a baking dish. I placed four tilapia fillets on the baking dish and gave them a liberal dose of kosher salt. I stuck the pan in a 375-degree oven for 25 minutes.

Then I took three ripe haas avocados, sliced them open, removed the pits, and scooped their insides into my trusty food processor. To that I added about a third of a cup of limejuice, three tablespoons of fat-free sour cream, salt to taste, and about half a cup of half-and-half. I blended it until smooth and creamy. Depending on the size of the avocados you may want to add more half-and-half and/or limejuice. It should be rather thick but easy to spread.

While waiting for my fish to finish up I organized everything I needed to make the tacos. I shredded up a small head of red cabbage and I took from the fridge a bag of mixed Asian greens, and the flour tortillas. From the pantry I removed a can of Mandarin orange segments, open and drained them, and placed them in a small bowl.

When the fish was finished I let it cool for about five minutes then I flaked it with a fork. To assemble the tacos I warmed the tortillas on a large skillet, then I spread each tortilla with some of the avocado cream sauce, the I put down a small handful of the greens, a small two or three heaping tablespoons of the fish, another dollop of the avocado cream sauce, and then a smattering of the cabbage and five or six Mandarin orange pieces. I fold these in half and set a wooden spoon on them for a few minutes to keep the fold.

I served the tacos with saffron rice, black beans, (purchased in the Mexican section of my local grocery store) and, of course, a big pitcher of margaritas.