Whether you’re looking for an easy family meal or a great way to entertain, a BLT bar might be your new best friend. Everyone loves this classic combination of flavors, and a BLT bar loaded with delicious options lets kids and adults alike build their own sandwiches and have fun doing it.
What You Need
Creating a BLT bar is easy. You’ll want to offer a few different kinds of each of the basic sandwich components. Make sure to include a variety of whatever looks freshest, most interesting, and most colorful. Choose some hearty sliced breads for toasting (set the toaster on the table as part of the spread) and some classic sandwich rolls – the type that can hold up under the stack of sandwich fixins it’s about to be stuffed with. Here’s the list:
- Crispy Bacon: Try hickory smoked bacon, peppered, maple flavored, turkey bacon, and plant-based bacon if you want a vegan option. Pro tip: Roast the bacon in the oven on rimmed sheet pans (1 lb bacon per pan) at 375° for about 15 minutes.
- Fresh Lettuce: Consider butter lettuce, romaine, curly or red leaf lettuce.
- Tomatoes: Go for the ripest, prettiest you can find – Roma tomatoes, beefsteak, heirloom or Creole tomatoes.
- Bread: Try Kaiser rolls, crusty white or whole-grain sliced bread, or New Orleans style French bread, if you can get it.
- Creamy Condiments: Use your favorite kinds of Blue Plate® Mayonnaise straight from the jar and whip up some tasty spreads, too – like Lemony Mayonnaise, Sriracha Comeback Sauce and Zesty Cajun Mayo.
- Extra Toppings & Sides: Set out avocado slices, sliced cheeses, sliced onions, salt & pepper, pickles and potato chips.
How to Assemble a BLT Bar
The great thing about a BLT bar is it can be prepped mostly ahead of time and served at room temperature. Here’s how it goes: Cook the bacon and arrange it on a platter on paper towels. Mix up your mayonnaise spreads and refrigerate until the last minute. When it’s time to eat, slice and arrange the tomatoes and lettuce on platters, set out the condiments, fire up the toaster and ring the dinner bell!
How do you BLT? There are so many ways.
Why not try a combination of hickory smoked bacon, beefsteak tomato, romaine lettuce, cheddar cheese, and Zesty Cajun Mayo on toasted sourdough? Or peppered bacon, Roma tomato, curly leaf lettuce, and straight up Blue Plate® Mayonnaise on a Kaiser roll? Endless possibilities, all dressed to perfection with Blue Plate Mayo – That’s the good stuff!
Our recipe for making creamy and delicious mac ’n’ cheese takes just a few ingredients, and involves a super simple hack: replace the flour, milk and butter mixture (also known as Bechamel sauce) with Blue Plate® Mayonnaise! This shortcut doesn’t just save time – it guarantees a rich, velvety consistency with minimal effort.
No stovetop stirring required
Say goodbye to the stovetop stirring and waiting game. Instead of putting together a Bechamel sauce, all you need to do is combine Blue Plate® Mayonnaise with sour cream, cream cheese, and freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese. This blend melts perfectly, delivering a creamy texture and a deliciously tangy twist.
Pro Tip: For the best results, always shred your cheddar fresh – pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt as smoothly!
The secret to easy, irresistible mac ‘n cheese
Our recipe couldn’t be simpler. After cooking your macaroni, mix it with the rich cheese sauce, pour it into a baking dish, and bake to perfection. The result? A creamy, cheesy dish with a golden, bubbly finish – sure to be a hit with your family and guests alike.
It’s versatile: Use what you’ve got!
This simplified recipe is as flexible as it is flavorful. Feel free to adapt the ingredients based on what’s in your kitchen, but for the creamiest results, stick with full-fat options. Get ready to serve up smiles – this mac ’n cheese disappears fast!
RECIPE: Creamiest Ever Macaroni & Cheese
Prep Time: 20 mins.
Cook Time: 30 mins.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
- 8 ounces elbow macaroni (½ of a large package)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Blue Plate® Mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 pound (about 4 cups) freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
Directions
- Cook the Pasta: Bring 6 quarts of water and salt to a boil in a large pot. Add macaroni and cook 9 to 11 minutes (or follow the package directions) until pasta is al dente. Drain and rinse.
- Make the Sauce: In a large mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese, and shredded cheddar cheese. Mix thoroughly until smooth.
- Preheat and Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 11×7-inch or 12×12-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Assemble the Dish: Pour the drained macaroni into the bowl with the cheese sauce. Stir well to coat the pasta evenly. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon.
- Bake to Perfection: Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the mixture sets and does not slosh when the dish is gently shaken. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
An easy way to make Southern style Drop Biscuits
With this Southern biscuit baking hack, making light, fluffy homemade biscuits is much easier than you might think. Our recipe has just 3 ingredients and features a simple hack for replacing the butter and fat.
No need to knead
There’s no need to roll, cut or knead the dough. With these drop biscuits, simply combine self-rising flour with milk and Blue Plate® Mayonnaise, mix well, and drop 2 tablespoons of dough at a time onto a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 15-20 minutes.
Blue Plate Mayo = Great texture & flavor
The biscuits offer a deliciously moist and fluffy texture, thanks to Blue Plate Mayonnaise. Yup, that’s the good stuff! They should come out of the oven golden on the outside, soft on the inside, and perfect for spreading with butter and jam.
Add a seasoning, herb or cheese
For extra flavor, add minced chives, basil, or garlic powder and Parmesan cheese to the mix. Our recipe is so easy to personalize, you and your family can enjoy homemade biscuits just the way you like them.
RECIPE: SOUTHERN DROP BISCUITS
Ingredients
1 cup milk
1/3 cup Blue Plate® Mayonnaise
2 cups self-rising* flour
Preparation
Preaheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat a large cookie sheet with nonstick spray, or cover with parchment or a silicone mat.
Mix the milk and mayonnaise with a whisk in a large bowl. Whisk in flour slowly, whisking just enough to combine. Scrape down sides. If mixture is too thin, add additional flour in ¼ cup increments until dough can be scooped.
Drop about 2 tablespoons dough at a time onto the prepared cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm. Wrap leftovers and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.
*If you don’t have 2 cups self-rising flour, substitute 2 cups all-purpose flour plus 3 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt.
How to make crispy baked chicken fingers
Who knew that one ingredient that could make chicken fingers faster and keep the crispy outer coating in place? There’s a hack that really does the trick, and it uses Blue Plate Mayo. Now that’s the good stuff!
1-Step quicker
While other chicken finger recipes usually call for a coating of flour and egg before adding the breadcrumb mixture, our recipe is one step quicker by going straight for the mayonnaise. The whole family will love this fast, easy and delicious dish.
The breading sticks better
Simply brush your chicken pieces with a creamy mixture of Blue Plate® Mayonnaise and
Creole seasoning, and then press into a savory coating of Panko bread crumbs, shredded Parmesan and spices. You’ll find that the breading sticks better to the chicken, and the finished dish offers up great tangy flavor – as well as a golden crust.
Comeback Sauce for dipping
To top it off, be sure to serve the chicken fingers with our Sriracha Comeback Sauce – a mayo lover’s dipping sauce that’s also delicious with boiled seafood.
RECIPE: CRISPY BAKED CHICKEN FINGERS WITH SRIRACHA COMEBACK SAUCE
Ingredients
1 pound chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch-wide strips
Favorite chicken seasoning
1/3 cup Blue Plate® Real Mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon Creole seasoning
1 cup panko bread crumbs
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon white pepper
Preparation
COAT a shallow baking pan and a rack that fits inside it with nonstick spray.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
DRY chicken pieces with paper towels and season lightly with chicken seasoning.
Let sit while mixing the mayonnaise and bread crumb mixtures.
COMBINE mayonnaise and Creole seasoning in a small bowl. In a pie plate or large
shallow bowl, mix bread crumbs, cheese, onion and garlic powders and white
pepper.
BRUSH chicken pieces with mayonnaise mixture on both sides. Use the one-wet
one-dry method for hands: Hold chicken in one hand and brush on the
mayonnaise; use the other hand to press it into the crumbs and turn it, pressing
the second side into the crumbs to adhere. Put the coated chicken on prepared
rack.
BAKE 25 to 30 minutes, just until juices run clear or an instant-read thermometer
reads 160 degrees. Do not overbake. Serve hot with the sauce.
Sriracha Comeback Sauce
1 cup Blue Plate® Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika
MIX all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Keeps well for 1 week. Serve with boiled seafood, fried seafood, chicken fingers, wings, or as a salad dressing. Keeps well for 1 week.
The easy way to make moist, delicious Banana Bread
Here’s a hack that’ll surprise you. Blue Plate Mayo is the secret ingredient you’d never think to use to make banana bread oh so moist and delicious. That’s the good stuff!
Wait, Blue Plate in banana bread?
Most baked goods, including banana bread, call for butter or oil. But if you don’t have any on hand, mayonnaise is a great replacement. As an added bonus, it alters the texture, making the banana bread super moist. Baker’s Tip: no need to worry, there’s no mayo taste at all in the final product!
Add mayo to mashed bananas
It’s as simple as mashing the bananas and adding enough Blue Plate® Mayonnaise to equal 2 ½ cups. Then beat in an egg, sugar, and vanilla extract. Fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture, and add pecans. Oh, and don’t forget the chocolate chips, even though they’re optional.
Bake, cool and cnjoy
A yummy after-school snack and a great way to keep your coffee company, our banana bread recipe stays fresh for up to 5 days, and freezes well, too. But it’s so good, it probably won’t last that long!
*Tip: Always keep ripe bananas on hand so you’re ready to make banana bread anytime: peel ripe or over-ripe bananas, and freeze in a zip-top plastic bag. Then thaw before using.
RECIPE: OVER-THE-TOP BANANA BREAD
Ingredients
3 ripe bananas
1 cup Blue Plate® Mayonnaise
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans
½ cup chocolate chips (optional)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch by 5-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.
Mash bananas with a fork in a large measuring cup. Medium bananas should measure about 1 1/2 cups. If this is the case, add the entire 1 cup mayonnaise. If the bananas are larger, add slightly less mayonnaise, probably about ¾ cup, to equal 2 1/2 cups total bananas and mayonnaise.
Beat in a large bowl the egg, sugar, banana-mayonnaise mixture and vanilla, until mixed well. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Fold into banana mixture with pecans (and chocolate chips, if using) just until no streaks of flour can be seen. Turn into the prepared baking pan.
Bake 1 hour, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center. Cool on a rack 15 minutes, then remove from pan. Cool completely, then wrap in foil. Keeps well up to 5 days. Freezes well.
