Bacon, Egg & Avocado Sandwiches -- The Recipes We Write Down Before It’s Too Late

Brianna's week. The Derek news settled in. I noticed it less by Wednesday. By Friday I'd mostly stopped thinking about it. The body adjusts.

Monday I added two more recipes to the recipe notebook. Tuesday I added the catfish breading. Wednesday the smothered turkey wings. Thursday a gumbo I'd never written down. The notebook was filling up. I'd put it in the kitchen drawer when I died. Aiden and Zaria would have it.

Friday I had a small catering job. Saturday I worked at home. Sunday at Mama's. Cheryl made smothered chicken. Pop ate well. He asked if I'd written down her recipes. I said I was working on it. He said good. He said, "Some of those go all the way back to my grandmother. They die if you don't write them down." Mama nodded. The recipe notebook is now a Carter family heirloom in progress.

Pop’s words stayed with me all week — “They die if you don’t write them down.” The notebook I’ve been filling isn’t just about gumbo and smothered wings; it’s about every meal that ever made somebody feel held. This Bacon, Egg & Avocado Sandwich isn’t Cheryl’s smothered chicken, but it’s the kind of thing I make on a Saturday morning when I need something solid under me — real food, real ingredients, worth writing down just the same.

Bacon, Egg & Avocado Sandwiches

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 4 strips thick-cut bacon
• 4 large eggs
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 slices hearty sandwich bread or brioche, toasted
• 2 leaves romaine or butter lettuce
• 4 slices ripe tomato
• Hot sauce or sriracha, optional

Instructions

1. Cook the bacon. Lay bacon strips in a cold skillet over medium heat. Cook 4–5 minutes per side until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off most of the drippings, leaving a thin film in the pan.
2. Make the avocado spread. In a small bowl, mash the avocado with lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until creamy but still slightly chunky. Set aside.
3. Fry the eggs. Return the skillet to medium-low heat and add butter. Crack in the eggs and cook sunny-side up, 3–4 minutes, until the whites are set and yolks are still slightly jammy. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Toast the bread. While eggs cook, toast bread slices until golden in a toaster or under the broiler.
5. Build the sandwiches. Spread avocado mash generously on two slices of toast. Layer with lettuce, tomato, two strips of bacon, and one fried egg each. Add a dash of hot sauce if desired. Top with the remaining toast slices, press gently, and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 520 | Protein: 24g | Fat: 32g | Carbs: 36g | Fiber: 7g | Sodium: 780mg