How to set up Apache Solr with facets so that it uses a front page search form? So I am working on my first mid sized D7 projects and it needs some rather advanced searching capabilities (at least advanced for me). I've installed Solr, created a server and an index with the Search API, and created a search page.
So far so good... everything works according to what you'd expect, and it even has facets, which is something I really wanted for this site. The problem is that this seems to be pretty much my ceiling... and I would like to change some things. For instance:


I would like to be able to search through my indexed taxonomies. Right now I can only search the node titles and descriptions and I have a bunch of taxonomies which is what I really want to search through.
I would like the users to be able to search from a search form in my home. Right now the core search is all I have in my front page, and if I want to use the Solr server I have to go to my search page. Ideally I want the user to enter a search term in the search form, to be redirected to the results page, and just there for him to see all the facets to further filter the results... linkedin style.


How would you guys accomplish something like that?

Edit:

Seems it seems I haven't stated clearly what I intend to do I'll try to upload some pics regarding point 1:

admin/config/search/search_api/index/node_search/fields

These are the fields I choose to be indexed!


admin/config/search/search_api/page/search/edit


If you see I can only choose "Title" and "description" from the fields to search from... so if I search for a taxonomy term which is not in any title or description, I get nothing. I would like to make the taxonomies in the first picture searchable... which is why I indexed them in the first place.

Edit 2:

I've finally managed to get the core search form to work with Solr following this tut(http://web3us.com/drupal6/how-create-web-site-handbook/apache-solr-drupal/apache-solr-3-drupal-7-turtorial-screen-shots) but I still don't know how to display the fields I want in the search results. Right now the results look like this:



And I would like each of them to look as the Teasers I've configured in my "Restaurant" content type (which are the nodes that I've set Solr to index)
Question #1: 
Go to admin/config/search/apachesolr/settings and select 'Bias'.  There you can set up the weights next to the terms you want to search through.  Perhaps they're on 'Omit' or something like that...

Question #2: Go to the search settings page and make Apache solr search be your default search.  That way, when users type in keywords in your regular search form, they will automatically use your apachesolr search.
admin/config/search/settings



Let us know if that worked for you!