There’s something about summer that just begs for a perfect BLT—juicy garden tomatoes, crisp lettuce, smoky bacon, and good bread. Every year, we turn it into a celebration with our Summer Golf Buddy BLT Party, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite seasonal traditions.

As if I didn’t already have enough to do the day before the party, we picked a mountain of tomatoes—our best guess was close to 70 pounds! I set aside the prettiest ones for the next day’s BLT platters, then chopped the rest for another batch of my roasted tomato sauce. It might not have been the most convenient day to make sauce, but when the tomatoes are ripe and ready, you can’t ignore them. Around here, when they need picking, they get picked!

Early the next morning, I headed out to cut flowers for the party. I needed three small arrangements for the tables, one large one for the dining room, another for the drinks table, and a third for the living room. Usually, at the end of the night, I send the flowers home with guests, but this time I forgot. The next morning, I set them out on my porch and let the neighbors know—they were gone by day’s end. Nothing makes me happier than seeing them enjoyed all over again.

The day after.

When guests arrive, the drinks table is waiting—please don’t be alarmed at my choice of snacks! Chips, Cheetos, and salted peanuts are always a big hit, and I also passed around a large shrimp platter that disappeared almost instantly. Happy hour lasted about an hour and a half, though only an hour for me. At that point, I spring into action with my husband and one helpful friend, transferring all the food from the fridge to the buffet tables, heating the bacon, and toasting the bread. It’s a mad 30-minute dash, and I never get a chance to take pictures—but trust me, the buffet looked beautiful.

The menu is simple, but we go all out. My husband cooks the bacon in the oven the night before, and we reheat it just before serving. Two four-slice toasters run at lightning speed to keep up. Seven and a half pounds of bacon might sound excessive for 19 people, but we never want to run out. Our math: 25-plus sandwiches for 19 guests, with plenty of extra bacon for snacking.

For the buffet, I set up three identical “build-your-own” stations. Each had a platter of hot bacon, another piled with fresh lettuce, and a big, beautiful tray of sliced tomatoes. There were baskets of toasted bread, bowls of mayonnaise (because everyone has their own spreading technique), and extras—homemade pickled cucumbers and green beans, plus potato salad.

I have one more "build your own" station just behind.

At the end of the night, I love sending guests home with a little something. Party favors are one of my favorite parts of entertaining, and this year I made sugar cookies packaged with tiny peg dolls. They’re so much fun to create, and even more fun to see tucked into friends’ hands as they head out the door.

My brother is coming tonight to visit for a week. Guess what we're having tonight for dinner?

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