There’s trouble in paradise!
Ahh! 
I was deeply engrossed in snapping photos of my lovely, multi-colored day lilies after work, which were already wet from an epic storm we’d had not even an hour earlier, when I looked up to see another one rolling in…
I snapped as fast as I could…
(eek maybe just a few more! Seriously I planted no other flowers this year so this is all I got!)
…before the wind started to howl, and the rain came down with a fierceness.
It was, to quote Forrest Gump, "rain that flew in sideways" and in the words of myself, "rain that friggin’ soaked the entire back of my jeans in the 3 seconds it took me to sprint in the house. $#*@%!" You know my irrational hatred of getting rained on!!
Before I could even dry off though, it stopped. Thank goodness ’cause wet Bacon, Avocado & Nectarine Salad doesn’t quite carry the allure as dry Bacon, Avocado & Nectarine Salad, now does it? 
I am thinking about going back for thirds – yes thirds – of this salad, people. It was off the chain!
I started the Bacon, Avocado & Nectarine Salad with, what else, bacon!
I got this gorgeous 1lb package of uncured, thick-cut bacon in my Wallace Farms order last week (the same order I got my baby back ribs in,) and I’ve been thinking nearly everyday since about the best way to prepare it in order to highlight its natural, mouthwatering flavors.
The plan was to go with a simple B.L.T Sandwich. Then I got to thinking…
Why not add avocado slices and make it a B.L.A.T.?
Oooo, I’ll add sliced sharp cheddar cheese on there too, broil the whole thing and call it a B.L.A.C.T. I’ll have to wait to put the lettuce on ’til afterwards though ’cause I hate hot lettuce.
No I got it – I’ll mash the avocado into guacamole and make it an open faced sandwich! Then mound raw sweet corn on top! And cookie dough!
Screw it. I’m just going to eat the bacon by itself. I’m doing it. I’m eating bacon for dinner tonight.
Then I came to my senses. I’m no dummy.
I’ll bake it, chop it up, then add it to a salad. Bonus – if it’s part of a salad, it has no calories.
Done.
I laid those big, beautiful slices on a cooling rack set inside a foil-lined baking sheet and baked the bacon for 25 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping the slices halfway through.
This is my #1, all-time favorite way too cook bacon, by the way.
Not only does your whole kitchen get that unmistakable, savory bacon aroma swirling around it,
but baking the bacon gives it a crispy-yet-chewy texture that you just can’t get by pan frying or microwaving it.
While the bacon was sizzling & popping in the oven, I got to work on my other salad ingredients:
1 nectarine, ~1 cup sweet corn (cut off the cob, raw)
~1/2 cup blueberries, 1 cucumber,
1 chopped mango, 1 tomato,
and 1 avocado.
I tossed in an unethical amount of my baked bacon – cough, all of it, cough - drizzled the rest of my Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette on top, and floated straight to bacon heaven.
I liked this better than the Black Bean, Quinoa & Citrus Salad. There, I said it!
Sweet, tart, creamy, crispy, salty. That bacon was SOOOO good with the blueberries, mango and especially the nectarine.
So good, that I named the recipe after it! Bacon, Avocado & Nectarine Salad was named after my favorite forkful of the flavorful salad. That bite took me to the moon and back. Baaaaaconnnn!
Ahem, sorry. Try this, you won’t be sorry! 
In other news, my parents celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary last week! On June 16th, 1979 at the tender age of 21 & 23, my Mom & Dad tied the proverbial knot.
My Mom and I were looking at photos of their wedding – holy pastels!!! – and right away I noticed something veeeeery interesting.
She wore a nearly identical 70′s version of Kate Middleton’s wedding dress!!!
Do you see it?!
Long veil & train, lace sleeves, tight waist, plunging neckline – heck they even had similar flowers! I thought that was just the coolest thing. It’s funny how styles come in and out of popularity, don’t you think?
Queen Shirley of Central Iowa. Sounds good to me!
In other news, I slept like rock last night, and am feeling so much better today. Phew! Me + no sleep = no fun. Off to dodge raindrops and go for a walk!
~~~~~
Have you ever shown up to a party or event wearing the same thing as someone else?
Oh, let me count the ways… One year in high school I was this excited about a new winter jacket I had purchased, only to find out days later that my friend’s Mom had just bought the exact same one. I showed up to a wedding a few months ago wearing the exact same outfit (down to the tights & shoe style) as a fellow guest…who was at least 30 years older than me…and I’ll never forget my Senior Prom when I showed up to the dance and realized I wasn’t looking in a mirror, rather, a friend was wearing the same dress I was! Then her boyfriend told her she looked better in it than me. And I overheard. Trag.
Queen Shirley of Central Iowa – I love it!
Haha, very close gowns indeed!!
Your dinner looks wonderful! I love all your creations!
Ahhh! This sounds incredible!! I hate bacon, literally, I think it is the one vomit inducing food that I hate, but seeing this….you’ve made me give bacon a second look.
Bacon makes everything better!
I think I like your mom’s dress better! I had to log back on to thank you for sharing the livestrong.com link a few posts back about how to trace your route- what an awesome feature! Love it, thanks!
I swear you get funnier every day. “Bonus – if it’s part of a salad, it has no calories!” <– I literally lol'd!
You’re a hoot! I love the conversation you had with yourself before deciding to make a salad. The salad looks fantastic too…. must try! Your Mom’s dress is beautiful and I TOTALLY see it!
That salad looks delicious! And I wore the same dress as a friend to my Junior Prom. Which I pretended to be really cool about, but secretly was not. Oh well, I lived!
What a delicious dinner!
You’re right, the dresses are so similar! How cool!
Way to go, Shirley! That is completely fantastic!
(And the salad looks to die for. Really.)
I totally see the dress comparison!
I once bought a purse that I thought was super cute but all my friends made fun of it and called it a granny purse. Later that week, at Wal Mart, I saw an old lady – she was like 80 – who had the same purse. She complimented me on my style :/
I think your mom looks as beautiful today as she did 32 years ago. I also agree with Eleni above. Your writing is very funny and entertaining.
Awwwwww!!!! So sweet! I just had to come back and comment on this post Pops!
Haha – too funny. You are very creative! I am not a big fan of bacon – and HATE the smell of it in my house – my poor husband is in heaven when I happen to give in and cook some:)
Congrats to your mom and dad and 32 years!!
Your mom is too cute! I wore the same prom dress as another girl for our senior prom. I thought I looked better in it b/c I had matching gloves (yikes) and fit in it better. My date’s mom had trouble telling us apart, though, b/c she videotaped the wrong girl when we paraded out in front of the parents from school. We teased her about it b/c she failed to notice it was not her son with her.
My parents just celebrated their 32nd on June 8th — my mom totally donned the lace sleeves and my dad didn’t disappoint in head to toe white. I can only wonder what my (someday) children will say about me!
I’m guessing the girls date had no other choice but to lie…
Gotta love those ’70s styles! Luckily, I’ve always been off the grid so to speak, when it comes to fashion, so I generally don’t have to worry about showing up in the same outfit as someone else…Unless it’s my mom. For some reason, we have this habit of putting on the same thing completely unaware of each other–At least we used to before I moved out of state. I wouldn’t be surprised if still happened occasionally, though.
I totally see it! In fact, I think I also see the bridesmaids dresses from my parents’ wedding, how funny!
Salad looks delish. Bacon + fruit = winning.
Just wondering if the meat program is a good price? We live/ right by the Naperville distribution location and am wondering if its worth signing up
For good, quality products I thought their prices were great. Here’s their price list: http://www.wallacefarms.com/scripts/WallaceFarms2011Pricing.pdf
i wish i could have a bite of that salad! it sounds so weird i’m not sure i would like it but i’m always up for a bite to find out! love the wedding pics! the dresses ARE quite similar! myself, a co worker friend in the same dept as i, and a gal who worked on the floor above us ALL had the same dress! not too often did we all 3 wear them on the same day but it did happen a time or two! and, the year after i graduated high school, i went to prom with a guy a year younger than me, and there was a gal there wearing the same dress as me but a different color! mine was ice blue, her’s was navy blue! we both looked pretty good!
I work in an elementary school and was wearing a cute denim dress one day. I went to pick up one of my 2nd grade students and she was wearing a very similar dress. We were quite the pair walking down the hallway together
Needless to say, I didn’t wear the dress again!
How long do you cook the bacon in the oven? What temperature? Thanks, Kim
Thar salad looks incredible! Love the contrasting flavors and textures.
Aww, your parents’ wedding photos are lovely! I was born in 1979, it was a great year!
Wallace Farms – My daughter & I have been shopping with them. Try the Pepper Bacon. AWESOME!!!!
I remember wearing the same dress as an upperclassmen to my sophomore homecoming dress. It was a hot pink polka dotted dress, so I figured I was being unique and no one else would have it, right? Wrong. She wore hers with black fishnets and heels, looking much more edgier than me in my bare legs and mary jane flats. Turns out A-line polka dot dresses were in that year, because my friend wore a black and white one. Go figure.
oops, that was supposed to say “sophomore homecoming dance”, not dress:).
You are hilarious & I love you!!! There, I said it!!!!
ooh those are some pretty flowers
Happy anniversary to your parents! Queen Shirley of Central Iowa – sounds good to me
What a stylish mom you have!
at prom my junior year there were 5 other girls wearing the same dress as me. (that’s what happens when you live in a small town & everyone shops @ the same sears for prom
) thankfully, my mom sewed some straps to mine, so i was the only one wearing the dress that wasn’t constantly pulling it up! it didn’t really matter that others had the same one– i felt beautiful, and that’s all that really matters 
5:00 news on channel 5 tonight, Amanda Krentz and Rachel Pierce had on the exact same suit!
oh holy-moly. now i want bacon for breakfast. this sounds so good.
That salad looks incredible! I’m not a huge bacon fan. I usually stick to turkey bacon. I’ve never tried making bacon in the oven before. I’m definitely going to try it!
So funny that your mom’s wedding dress is so similar to Kate Middleton’s! I remember I found out that a girl bought the same dress as me for our senior prom! I remember being so angry about it. The store wasn’t supposed to sell the same dress to girls going to the same school’s prom. Luckily, my graduating class was huge, so that meant that I didn’t end up seeing her at my prom!
Those flowers are beautiful!
“Bonus – if it’s part of a salad, it has no calories.” Bahaha – hilarious!
My sister and I used to show up to the gym (from separate apartments) in the same outfit. It was always really awkward and funny.
Are you kidding me? Kate Middleton and her dress doesn’t hold a candle to Queen Shirley (MAC)!! There is no question that Shirleys dress is much more beautiful – the lace is so much more delicate and pretty. A day I will always remember – so happy to be a part of it! Wow did that bring back some memories!! And the salad – to die for sister!
My Mom’s wedding dress looked just like Kate’s too! She almost died laughing when she saw all the pictures.
When I met my boyfriend’s stepmom for the first time, we were wearing the same shoes.
Actually I was kind of glad, because it gave us something to talk about/something in common right away.
We had a little storm cloud roll thru in Altoona right as I was getting ready to go for a walk last night, but then the rain stopped & it all cleared off & was beautiful – including a nice cool breeze! So instead of heading down to the basement (& the treadmill – blech), I headed outside for a nice, long walk! About the time I was as far from my house as I get (roughly 2 miles), the OTHER storm cloud rolled in… along w/ the thunder… & absolutely DUMPED rain on me! Even my underwear was soaked when I got home! LOL!
For my senior prom, my BFF & I went to a specialty dress shop 2 hrs away to get our dresses. She found the coolest dress I’ve ever seen, & I totally talked her into it. Well, you guessed it – someone else had the same dress on at our prom! I felt so bad for her! She looked better in it, though.
(Btw, I don’t believe that other girl looked better than you – her boyfriend HAD to say that!)
LOVE your multi-colored day lillies!
i think my mom and your mom wore the same dress! my mom also got married in 79.
Happy Anniversary to your parents! Props to Queen Shirley!
My step-sister went to New York City last year with her dad, step-mom and brother. Part of her excitement was so that she could get this fabulous NYC-style dress, certainly because no one else would have a dress from there. She gets to prom a couple months later to find another girl with the exact same dress. Being a teenage girl, it was essentially the end of the world.
That is just too funny about your moms dress! I like the lace at the bottom of your moms!
Wow that salad looks amaaazing! I’m going to try that asap.
That’s hilarious! My mum had almost the same dress and instead of blue, her bridesmaids had the same style dress in yellow! So funny how styles become popular all over the sates. And I am super excited to be coming back to Iowa and nosh on some delicious bacon- that salad= incredible.
hahah love it!!! and look now we can all have the dress http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Long-Sleeved-Satin-and-Lace-Ball-Gown-WG3401_Bridal-Gowns-Features-New-Arrivals… haha j/k
OMG your mother looked stunning! Good for her
Yes, one time my best friend and I accidentally wore the same outfit to our post prom party. She’s 4 foot 11 so she looked like a mini me. It was cute!
This salad looks amazing! I’ll definitely be making it soon!
I got married the same year as your mother and her wedding party looks very much like mine and my girlfriends. Despite being old enough to be your mother, I enjoy your insights very much and your recipes too. Tried this salad last night and loved it. The nectarine is the key ingredient!
[...] From Iowa Girl Eats, a bright and colourful summer salad including bacon. [...]
I made your salad for lunch today (Sunday). It was wonderful!
Thanks for sharing.
Sherry
I got married in 1984. My dress is even closer to Kate Middleton’s than your mother’s — it was custom made for me using Grace Kelly’s wedding dress as inspiration, which was mentioned also as an inspiration for Kate Middleton’s wedding dress. I was kind of surprised to see Kate wearing MY dress.
I just have to thank you for this salad recipe. Since discovering it months ago, I’ve come up with SO many variations of the salad and I’m totally obsessed! I never would have thought to combine all of these delicious foods before seeing this. Ah-mazing!
My good friend’s bridal shower I showed up in the same exact dress as her. I felt like a total heel.