Turkey BLT + Pesto

You never know where inspiration will strike. Last weekend, the three of us took a day trip to Frankfort, Kentucky, and toured the city's historic downtown. And there we found the Kentucky Coffeetree Cafe. Not only was it complete with the rustic, funky charm that's characteristic of a lot of independently owned coffee joints, but it served an out-of-this-world delicious turkey BLT with pesto.



Reminiscent of the Coffee Gallery in Haleiwa, for you Hawaii folks...



I'm not exaggerating when I say that this BLT is possibly the best sandwich I've ever had in a restaurant, super simple yet savory. So, I had to try to replicate it...

Turkey bacon- the healthier alternative- but regular would be even better :)

I don't like tomatoes, but I'll make an exception.

I tried to replicate the panini style bread that "the original" was served with by browning my bread in the bacon-greased skillet. It got nice and golden.

Alright, the basics are ready; let's get to stackin'!

Unfortunately I couldn't find pesto at the store- this is guacamole- good, but not the same as pesto!

There you have it, a super simple yet delicious meal. I even made a mocha coffee to go with it, since that's what I had at Coffeetree. (I just added Ovaltine Milk Chocolate powder mix to my mug. Yum!) Believe it or not, chocolate lover that I am, I never liked mocha's until recently...I always thought the coffee-chocolate combo was no good. Then, during pregnancy, I couldn't get enough chocolate milk. So that lead me to give the mocha another try post-pregnancy, and now it's all I order when we're out for coffee. So, I guess it's always good to try new things, you just never know when you might start to love something!

 

The original                                     Mine

Notice anything funny? The plates are the same! Haha, what a coincidence. Thane and I definitely enjoyed our version of the sandwich, but it wasn't the same without the pesto...I really think that was the key ingredient. Anybody know where I can get it? Is it sold in a jar? I've really never noticed it at the grocery store, so I honestly have no idea. If I couldn't buy it, it would be worth making it from scratch.

Thane was a very willing taste tester, and even dramatized the event for the sake of the camera.

Moral of the story; BLT+turkey+pesto=delicious!