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.

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Have a food-filled weekend!

Foodie Friday -- February 28th

 

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

 

Another Polar Blast is terrorizing the countryside, depleting our propane tank and sending us shivering under the blankets. We've distracted ourselves by watching a marathon of History Channel's Vikings (season 2 begins tonight), along with plenty of heartwarming food. 

 

 

I made pulled pork sandwiches with herb-caper slaw...

 

...and Bandwidth opted for an open-faced cornbread sandwich.

 

 

Adapted from a recipe in The Best of Fine Cooking: Roasting 

 

Smoked Pork Po'Boys with Herb-Caper Slaw

 

                                                                                         Serves: 4

1- 7lb pork shoulder, smoked 4 hours (spritz with water every hour)

Pork Rub: Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

2 French baguettes

1 bag cabbage slaw mix, approximately 2 cups

1/4 purple cabbage, thinly sliced

4 small red peppers, smoked 20 minutes and chopped (you'll need 3 Tablespoons)

1 1/2 Tablespoons capers, drained, rinsed, and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup sliced red onion

3 Tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives

1 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Plus extra olive oil to drizzle on the sandwiches

1/2 teaspoon honey (granulated sugar is fine, too)

few drops fresh lemon juice

garlic salt (to taste, approximately 1/4 teaspoon)

A few drops of Tabasco--more if you dare

Kosher salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper (to taste)

 

 

Shred the pork.

The recipe called for oven roasted pork, but Bandwith never misses an opportunity to use his new smoker, no matter if it's raining or snowing. That's a sign of a dedicated foodie. It took four

hours and constant coddling to smoke the pork. But it was worth it. Bandwith also smoked tiny red peppers for about 15-20 minutes, and they were so good, I began to gobble them up, and he chased me away. Personally, if I made a po'boy sandwich with smoked peppers, I'd live happily ever after.

 

While the meat "collects" itself, mix the slaw. I added honey, garlic salt, small red peppers (roasted) and Tabasco--if you want the original recipe for the vinaigrette, click HERE.

 

Cut the baguettes in half, then split each half, leaving a "hinge" in the back.

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the bread. Pop the bread into the oven and broil until brown. Add the shredded pork. Pile slaw on top.

Using a spoon, gather extra liquid from the slaw and drizzle pan juices over the pork. Juice from the slaw is a delicious addition, too.

How simple is that?



 

 

Bandwidth created an open-faced, composed sandwich, using a thin layer of cornbread as a base, then adding the pork and slaw. It was truly delicious, and a great variation if you're not in the mood for a baguette and need something down-home and comforting--nothing says "home" like cornbread, no matter how it's served.

 



 

For dessert, you might want to try a super easy berry tart.

The recipe can be found HERE.



 

 

If you are contributing a recipe to this week's Foodie Friday, 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. 

 

Pretty please do not pin images from the FF thumbnails. Visit the source blogs. Thanks.

   

If you'd like to share your daily or weekly food photos, join the Pinterest foodie board, Consuming Passions.

 

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. We are food people. And that's a marvelous thing. 

 

Until next time,

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Easy Ham and Cheese Sliders

This "recipe" is so simple and intuitive, 
I'm hesitant to post it on the blog. 
But I'm going to pass it along because it saved me on a cold, windy night. I didn't want to bundle up and drive to the grocery, but luckily I had a package of slider buns in the freezer, plus ham and cheese in the refrigerator. 

The sliders are assembled quickly. The oven does the heavy lifting, and supper will be ready in less than 25 minutes. For a party, you can double or quadruple the recipe. 
Anyway, here's how I made our supper.

Ham and Cheese Sliders
Click for Printable Recipe.

Grocery List
Slider buns or Hawaiian Rolls
Sliced ham
Cheese

Staples 
(You prolly keep these ingredients on hand; if not, buy what you need)
Mayonnaise, Yellow Mustard, Poppy Seeds
Unsalted butter, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, 
Worcestershire Sauce, Table Salt, Sea Salt, Ground Pepper
Tin Foil
Parsley if desired.

Servings: 3 - 6 or more.
Most slider buns come in a package of six, so buy ingredients according to the number of people you will be feeding.

Procedure
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
Set out ingredients, then find a baking pan or dish.
Spread mayonnaise (I use Duke's) on buns. If your guests include people who are on special diets or picky eaters, you might want to skip this step, or modify it (for example, substitute stone ground mustard for mayonnaise).
Add ham and cheese to buns. Place buns in a baking pan.

Melt 1/2 stick butter and set aside.
In a bowl, mix 3/4 teaspoon mustard, melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds, 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. Add table salt (not the sea salt) and pepper to taste.
Whisk ingredients. Pour evenly on top of the sliders. Sprinkle tops of sliders with sea salt. Cover pan with foil.
Bake 15-18 minutes.
Remove foil. Continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes (or until rolls are brown and the cheese has melted). In my oven, the second step took 8 minutes). Remove from oven.
Enjoy!

Adapted from a Food Network recipe.

Tomorrow on the blog: 

An update on painting interior doors a dark color. 

Yes! 

We took the scary plunge and painted a door Urbane Bronze.

The results were totally unexpected, and I can't wait to show you.

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Foodie Friday: Summer Lunch

Welcome to Foodie Friday!

I'm so happy to see you.

Lunch is ready, simple, summery fare on the lawn.

Won't you join me?

I love to assemble picnic items. I began with a yellow-and-gray vintage tablecloth, a black tole tray, and a wire beverage caddy. I used a lidded jar for the salad--a great way to transport food (and it will keep the bugs away). I mixed French glassware with paper plates, napkins, and plastic cutlery.

 

A peek at the caddy--love the swirls and loops.

 

I made an apple-walnut salad and a raspberry vinaigrette.

These jars can be found in all sizes. Aren't they just perfect for potato salad, lemon bars, muffins, relish, and even fried chicken?

 

Ham and cheese croissants are easy,

and they taste so fresh on a warm June day.

When I think of picnics, I imagine the outdoor teas in English novels--huge baskets, a wash of green lawn and shrubs, and Wedgwood-blue sky . Here in Tennessee, the sky is just the same but with with different botanica:
a purple butterfly bush, red roses, shrubs.

 

Are you ready to eat?

  

 Happy recipe hunting!

 To add your recipe to the Foodie Friday linky party, look below for the blue Inlinkz frog. Add your permalink and select an image. It may take a few seconds for the entry to process. A red X on your photo allows you to delete your entry if you make an error. The Foodie Friday badge (or button) is located on the right sidebar (see below), and you can add the code to your FF post. If this is your first time to participate in Foodie Friday, a tutorial is available.

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