Bruschetta Sandwich

4 sandwich thins, Costco*
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup red onion, chopped

*(Sourdough or ciabatta make a great substitution).




Heat up your Panini press. If you don't have one, you should get one! (Have I said that before? Probably) Meanwhile, if you must make do without, use two fry pans - one to put the sandwiches in and another, one size smaller, to place on top of the sandwiches to weight down for better browning.

Combine all ingredients and divide as stuffing between the four sandwiches. Lightly oil outsides of sandwiches and grill until crispy, approximately 5 minutes.

These "sandwich thins" are something new I found at Costco. They are lovely in that you can have a sandwich without feeling all bread-bloated...Just the right amount of bread - - cuz it's really hard to go without completely but let's be realistic, sometimes wraps just aren't enough!

“Hors D'oeuvre: A ham sandwich cut into forty pieces” Jack Benny

Silly kids, Sloppy Joe's aren't just for kids!

Did you know you can make sloppy joe's without a package mix or a can? They are fresh, you know exactly what you're eating and you can tweak them to suit your tastes. Here is the "guideline" I use:

Sloppy Joe's Done Your Way
1 pound ground beef
1 cup sweet Vidallia onoin, chopped
1 small shallot, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1, 6 ounce can tomato paste
6 ounces Cola
1/4 cup chili sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/4 cup  packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
1 teaspoon Gourmet Garden Chili Pepper Spice Blend or;
   1/2 teaspoon chili powder *optional
Salt & Pepper to taste.
Kaiser rolls or toast to serve on. (Tonight I used Cracked Wheat Sourdough bread, lightly toasted.)

In a large skillet over med-hi temp, cook beef, onion, shallot, and garlic until beef is browned and onion is slightly translucent. Drain off excess fat if there is any.

In a separate bowl mix together to combine; tomato paste, Cola (I use the empty tomato paste can as a measuring vessel for the cola), chili sauce, ketchup, quick-cooking rolled oats, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and Chili Pepper sauce. Add to skillet with beef mixture.

Simmer, uncovered, over low heat, stirring occasionally for approximately 30 minutes until sauce is thickened and a bit carmalized. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve on whatever type of bread you desire.

I have also made these substituting the cola with red wine and eliminating the yellow mustard. You can also sweeten these up by adding 1 tablespoon maple syrup. If you wan't to Mexi-fy them...add some chipotle seasoning. Any way you look at it, these are beautiful and much richer than any prepared sloppy joe mix available at the market.  A slice of sharp cheddar cheese added on top fancied the sandwiches up a bit - both in eye appeal and flavor.

Sweet-Potato Chips & BLATTO's (Bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato, turkey & crispy onion sandwich)

Sweet Potato Chips
Sweet potatoes (baking potatoes or yams work too-in fact these might have been yams)
Canola oil, for frying
Seasoning  *(I used a roasted garlic and sea salt blend, but you can use any seasoning you wish)

Start by pouring a minimum of 1" oil (I use Canola or Safflower oil) into your deep fryer. My crockpot doubles as both, so I just set the temperature to "fry" and know it is ready when I dip the tip of whatever I happen to be frying at the time into the oil - if it sizzles it is ready. Do not over crowd your oil. Only put enough items to be fried to make a single layer.  For chips you really need to have either an extremely sharp knife and very steady hand - or much easier, a mandolin slicer. (I LOVE my mandolin!)

Slice your sweet potatoes as thin as possible. Once the oil is hot enough, fry chips in batches - they only take a few seconds. You will see the center of the chip bubble up, this is where I use tongs to flip them. By the time you get the 8 to 10 chips flipped it is time to remove them to a paper towel to drain and season. After seeing how easy these were to make, I am excited to experiment with other root vegetables so watch for future postings. =)

The B.L.A.T.T.O. Club Sandwich

(Bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato, turkey and French fried onion)

I finally got that roast turkey sandwich I was craving...but as you may be figuring out about me, I always have something leftover in the fridge I need to use up. Tonight I needed to work an avocado from our taco nights, plus there were the French fried onions leftover from last nights green bean casserole. Hence, the B.L.T. grew into the B.L.A.T.T.O. - - -

Discoveries ~ 1) Just like fried chicken, when you store your French Fried Onions, do not cover them if you want to keep them fresh. 2) When frying sweet potatoes, it is harder to tell when they are 'done' than when working with a regular potato as they are so much darker in color...to get the chips evenly crispy, fry any thicker chips together (as well as any extra thin strips simultaneously). It's no big deal, they taste great if not quite done...I'm just a major crunch freak so coming across an occasional chewy chip center doesn't do it for me.

Ideas to try ~ This is the first time I have made sweet-potato chips but I have made sweet potato fries before and they taste REALLY great with a sweet-salty seasoning (equal amounts of super fine sugar and salt). I've also added a dash of cayenne pepper to the sugar/salt blend...mmmm mmm.

I can't wait to peruse the produce department for other root veggies to try this on...sugar beets, rutabegas, carrots...wow, who doesn't want to play - seriously!

Focaccia BLT

Yes, I am an advocate of baking from scratch as often as possible and yes, I try to avoid processed foods as a general rule of thumb – but realistically, sometimes you just need a shortcut! When I do resort to a package mix of any kind, I add my own fresh ingredients to the mix so it feels homemade. For example; if I make package brownie mix I add Kahlúa and chocolate covered espresso beans.

Today I made Focaccia bread from a box and added – well, you know those Everything Bagels? – That’s kind of what I was aiming for.

Italian-Style Focaccia Bread
1 package Focaccia bread mix (I used and Italian-style Asiago and Sweet Basil blend)
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon chopped, dried onion
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh rosemary (in keeping with the Italian theme)

I made the mix per package instructions, except I switched out their packet of yeast for my own Rapid Rise Yeast, and I added the above ingredients.

Also, instead of baking the loaf on a baking sheet as suggested, I put it in a small casserole as I wanted to add height to the loaf for the sandwiches I’d be making for dinner.

Mmm...Smells like Noah’s Bagels in here!

After the loaf cools on a wire rack, slice in half horizontally and drizzle each side with approximately 1 tablespoon each, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.



 
To assemble the BLT - Spread both sides of the focaccia with mayonnaise - top with crispy bacon, sliced tomatoes (salt and pepper to taste) - then pile on the lettuce - add some fresh basil leaves if you wish. Serve with a dill pickle spear and a side of salad or fruit. Tonight we had potato salad.




Bakin’ Bacon
Thick cut bacon, for two I made used 10 slices
Fresh ground pepper

Spray a rimmed baking sheet and a large baking rack with non-stick cooking spray. Place the rack over the baking sheet. Put the bacon slices on the rack - over the baking sheet. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Bake at 350-degrees F. for 12-15 minutes – remove from oven and flip bacon over – bake another 12 minutes and flip one last time – continue baking to desired crispness, approximately 3-5 minutes for thick cut bacon. Be careful not to splash bacon grease as you remove bacon from the oven.

Baking your bacon separates the bacon from the grease – less fat to ingest and you don’t have to give up the crunch! I just know that in heaven, bacon and chocolate will both be fat-free and calorie free!

I will give you my recipe for my basic potato salad in another posting. Instead let me quickly tell you my trick for the perfect hard-boiled egg every time.

In truth, the perfect hard-boiled egg is not really boiled. But I promise, if you follow these easy steps, (and you are using fresh eggs!) you will never have to worry about sticking shells or slightly raw yokes, etc. Here is how you do it:

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs EVERYTIME
In a small sauce pan, place 4 inches of cool water and 1 tablespoon of salt. Set aside.

Meanwhile, using a small straight-pin, poke a hole in the wide-rounded end of each egg – be careful not to puncture too deeply, just pierce the shell. What this step does is allows for water to seep into the shell and help separate the membrane from the shell so that when you go to peel it, it does not stick to the egg.

Place eggs into water and place pan over high heat, cover with lid and bring to a rolling boil. As soon as the eggs come to a boil, remove it from the heat - leave the lid on. Set the for 18 to 20 minutes, depending on the number of eggs being cooked. (I usually cook 6 at a time for 18 minutes).

While the eggs are resting in the hot water, fill a bowl with 3 cups ice and cold water until approximately 5-6 inches deep. When the timer goes off, drain the eggs and then plunge them into the ice water.

Leave the eggs sit in the ice water until cool to the touch, approximately 5 minutes – this step stops the cooking process and prevents the eggs from getting a green sulfur ring around the yolk.

Another helpful hint regarding hard-boiled eggs is when you go to crack them open, always rap the larger rounded end of the egg on the counter first (it has to do with the air pocket in that end of the egg - I don't remember the exact details of why - just trust me - it helps). Then rap the pointed end on the counter, follow by rolling the sides on the counter breifly - then peel under cold water.