• To start off, chop your bacon into 1 inch pieces. In a pan, fry until nice and crispy. Drain the bacon on a plate lined with paper towel, and reserve the drippings for later.
• Now we're going to marinate the cucumbers and onions. The English cucumber has a very thin skin and does not need to be peeled, so that's easy! Slice the cucumber in half, lengthwise. Using a small spoon, gently scoop out any seeds along the length. There shouldn't be many, but let's get them out or they'll water down the marinade. Slice the cucumber in ¼-1/2 inch pieces and put in a bowl with your sliced onions. Mix the water, vinegar, sugar, oil, salt, and pepper until the sugar dissolves. Pour over the cucumbers and onions and set aside while you do everything else. They don't have to be refrigerated unless you're not eating the salad right away.
• Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray. In a large bowl combine your bread cubes with all but 3 tablespoons of the reserved bacon drippings. Toss to combine. Pour the coated bread on the baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, turning the bread cubes once part-way through. You want them to become lightly golden brown, but they do not need to be rock hard or completely dried out. Remove from the oven and set aside. Their chewiness will be further enhanced with the addition of the delicious dressing to come!
• Spread one pint of your grape tomatoes, fresh (or dried) thyme, and the chopped shallots on a sheet pan that you have sprayed with non-stick spray. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a smaller pinch of pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes are beginning to burst and juices are running out. A few dark spots on the tomatoes are ideal for great flavor!
• Time to make the dressing! Put your warm tomatoes into a food processor, and scrape in all those juices with a rubber spatula, too! Add the red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, bacon drippings, olive oil, and salt and pepper and pulse the processor until everything is smooth. This makes about 1 ½ cups of dressing. You won't use all of it in this salad, but the rest is AMAZING tossed with pasta!
• Chop the remainder of your red and yellow tomatoes in half. Drain your cucumbers and onions and place them in a large bowl with your croutons, red and yellow tomatoes, cooked and chopped bacon, and croutons. Drizzle with about ⅓ cup of the Tomato Bacon Vinaigrette and toss everything together.Let the salad sit for about 5 minutes to let the dressing permeate the croutons. You want them to have a bit of crunch and a bit of a bready bite at the same time. The salad tastes exactly like a BLT, but better! Get ready to have your mind blown!

Optional Poppy Seed Dressing (for 'it's too hot for the oven' days)

• Whisk the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mayonnaise, mustard and honey in a small bowl until emulsified. Stir salt and poppy seeds. Drizzle the dressing over everything, toss, let the flavors combine for a few minutes (while you pour yourself a nice cold beverage), and enjoy!