Foodie Friday -- August 1, 2014

 

 Welcome to Foodie Friday, where great food is always on the menu.

 Every morning in June, Bandwidth drove to McDonalds for breakfast. He came home with two sacks, each one filled with a billion lukewarm calories. I devoured the muffins without hesitation.

Everything changed when Ulysses Press sent a copy of Crazy for Breakfast Sandwiches, a fantastic new cookbook by Jessica Harlan, a popular food writer and recipe developer. 

Each recipe was a winner. 

 I bought an inexpensive sandwich maker and began making Ms. Harlan's simple, lip-smacking recipes, such as Egg and Cheese Muffins, Ham and Brie Croissant-wiches, Benedict-to-Go, and "the Elvis," which involves the King's holy trinity: bacon, peanut butter, and white bread. 

But the awesome recipe line-up doesn't stop at breakfast. The book includes ideas for lunch and dessert. 

A favorite at our house is Ms. Harlan's Ham and Cheese Melt. In the preface to the recipe, she writes:

"There's nothing like an old-fashioned ham and cheese sandwich, and my version takes a nod

from cuban medianoche pressed sandwiches. The name means "midnight" in Spanish, a nod to this sandwich's popularity as a late-night snack. Make one for a quick lunch; it can even be wrapped in foil to eat on the go."

Ham and Cheese Melt

Makes 1 sandwich

2 thick slices of crusty white bread, such as ciabatta

1 T. butter, softened

1 T. mustard

2 slices Swiss cheese

2 slices deli ham

Spread butter on one side of the bread, mustard on the other. You can find the technique for making this sandwich in the book. For Foodie Friday, I grilled the sandwich in a skillet. My husband followed me outside and waited while I took pictures. The moment I was finished, the melt disappeared.

 Kiss fast food goodbye and say hello to quick, warm, nutritious homemade sandwiches and desserts.

I loved this book for many reasons, mainly because it put an end to Bandwidth's early A.M. excursions to the Golden Arches. 

"Like most people, I rarely have time to make the elaborate morning meals of my dreams," author Jessica Harlan says. "My solution? For a quick, tasty morning meal, I make sandwiches."

Non-breakfasty recipes include Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches, Tuna Melt, and Pizza. 

For dessert, you can try Black Forest Pancake Torte, Raspberry-Nutella Stack, and Warm Strawberry Shortcake.

Jessica Harlan lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her family. Crazy for Breakfast Sandwiches is her fifth cookbook. 

Resources:
Ulysses Press
Author's Facebook Page

Foodie Friday's thought for the week:

Did you miss the recipes at last week's Foodie Friday? Visit your favorite cooks HERE.

Are you contributing a recipe to this week's Foodie Friday?

 If so, locate the blue Inlinkz icon in the lower, left-hand portion of this post. Click on the icon and follow the directions. After you complete the process, you will see a red "x" beside your name. This allows you to delete your link if you made an error; the red "x" is visible to you only.

You can read a complete guide to this linky party HERE.

If you'd like to share your food photos--or photos of other FF participants on Pinterest, join the Pinterest foodie board, Consuming Passions. Leave a message on the most recent "pin" if you'd like your name added to the list.

***Participants' photos will be pinned to Foodie Friday's group Pinterest board.   

Every Friday, we are joined at this big, virtual table--thank you for stopping by today. I'm grateful to all of you who spend your days cooking. I'm grateful to old and new friends who contribute recipes every week. I'm grateful to friends who leave a comment. I'm grateful for the silent folks, because you are brought here by your love of all things culinary.

The Foodie Friday Link-Up

Have a food-filled weekend!

An Irish Breakfast

One Easter we flew to Ireland. We arrived in Dublin on a rainy morning, and our first meal at the hotel was a traditional Irish breakfast: black pudding, fried ham, grilled tomatoes, sunny side up eggs, soda bread, and tea.

After we ventured into the countryside, scones and oatmeal began to appear on the menu. The combination created a filling breakfast, and for once I didn't think about food as I traipsed through valleys and rolling hills. The land was a thousand shades of green--far brighter than Tennessee--

and the air was spiced with peat . . . yet it reminded me of home.

To this day, when I am lonesome for Ireland, I make oatmeal and scones.

This morning, while I listened to music by The Frames, I prepared a Tennessee version of an Irish breakfast. I laced the oatmeal with granola and heavy cream.

Then I "dressed" a scone with whiskey jam.

The first time I saw Rattlebridge, I thought of Ireland. True, the farm is a world away, and very different from the Emerald Isle. The day we saw Rattlebridge, I was entranced by the sky--a wash of blue, clouds like spilled cream. I remember thinking that those clouds might eventually wing their way to Ireland. When you love a place, it becomes a part of you. One day you might walk on a Tennessee farm, and your thoughts are like those clouds, rushing to the places you love while your feet never leave the ground.

Today, renovation began at the farm. Past remodelings have been filled with angst and second guessing, but Will and I feel excited. While I ate my Irish-Tennessee breakfast, I made notes.

I have inherited a cottage garden, wild turkeys, a pond full of bull frogs, a small cemetery,

and fields of daffodils.

I'm hoping for many Irish breakfasts and blessings.

Printable Recipe for Rattlebridge Farm's Berry Scones

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