SANDWICH WEEK - THE DAGWOOD!

This awesome sandwich lends itself as a catchall for whatever you have in the refrigerator and pantry. It was inspired by the towering sandwich that the character "Dagwood" in the comic strip "Blondie" liked to eat. This is the basic recipe....and the pimento stuffed green olive on top is the classic signature ingredient.

Ingredients:

2 tbl mustard

3 slices rye bread

1 tbl mayonnaise

4 slices deli ham

2 slices American cheese

2 leaves of iceburg lettuce

4 slices bologna

4 slices salami

6 dill pickles, sliced

3 slices tomato

4 slices deli turkey

2 slices swiss cheese

2 pimento stuffed olives

Spread mustard on 2 slices of bread and mayonnaise on the third. Place ham on a mustard slice, top with american cheese, lettuce, and bologna. Place salami, pickle slices, tomato, turkey and swiss cheese on the second mustard slice and place it atop the first mustard slice. Top with mayonnaise slice. Cut it in half and skewer each half with olive on a toothpick - a long one.

THE BIG ONE!

ENJOY!

SANDWICH WEEK - MUFFULETTA!

I love these sandwiches. The olive salad compliments the deli meats and cheese so well, it's like have an antipasto sandwich. I do not like mortadella so I just add more of the other meats. Those fat globules in mortadella - yuk! Now to save time you could buy muffuletta spread, but this recipe is so much better. It also calls for letting the whole sandwich refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight so plan ahead. The muffuletta olive salad recipe comes from The Central Grocery in New Orleans who has made this sandwich FAMOUS! Ingredients: 1-1/4 cup coarsely chopped cauliflower florets 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp dried thyme 2 small carrots roughly chopped 2 small celery stalks thinly sliced 3/4 cup chopped pitted green nicoise olives 1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives 1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers 1/4 cup drained jarred banana peppers sliced 2 tbl red wine vinegar salt pepper 1 (8"-10") round Italian loaf of bread 6 oz thinly sliced deli ham 6 oz thinly sliced Genoa salami 6 oz thinly sliced mortadella 6 oz thinly sliced provolone In sauce pan, bring cauliflower, oil, oregano, thyme, carrots, celery and 3 tbl water to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer until vegetables are tender about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in olives, peppers, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Let cool. Cut the loaf in half and hollow out some of the bread on both sides. Spread the olive salad over the bottom half. Layer ham, salami, mortadella and cheese over the salad. Then top with remaining salad and top of the loaf. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours to overnight. Cut into quarters and serve. A meal in itself. DIVINE! ENJOY!

SLOW COOKER WEEK - PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

Nothing says "slow cooker" and "save-my-pocketbook" like pulled pork. There are so many great variations to the recipes. I like this one because of all the soft drinks out there, I love root beer and you can taste it in this sauce. You can make this recipe and chill it overnight or even freeze it in ziploc containers for up to a month. Then just thaw the night before, put in a sauce pan and reheat. If the sauce is too thick just add a little water.

This does call for browning the pork first in a pan, so for you busy people this may be a weekend dish....still super easy but one added step.

Ingredients:

2-1/2 to 3 lb pork roast

2 onions chopped

2 tbl minced garlic

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp ground cumin

4 cups root beer

1 cup chili sauce

2 tbl vegetable oil

salt

pepper

hot sauce (optional)

rolls, sandwich garnishes

You should trim the fat off the roast if there is a lot. Cut the meat to fit into your cooker. Salt and pepper the roast and brown it in a skillet in the oil. Drain the fat. Place meat in the cooker and add onion, 1 cup of the root beer, thyme, cumin and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high 4-5 hours.

In a sauce pan combine remaining root beer and chili sauce. Bring to a boil and then reduce and boil slowly for about 30 minutes until it reduces. If you want a little hot sauce add it here.

When pork is done remove it and discard the cooking liquid. When it is cool, take two forks and pull apart the pork to shredded pieces. Then make your sandwiches. Top rolls with your garnishes, pork and finally that great root beer based sauce. Sounds like a football game day meal.

Happy Playoffs!

ENJOY!

TOMATO, PROSCUITTO AND GRUYERE SANDWICHES

A fabulous twist on the grilled cheese sandwich, this upscale treat made famous by Swiss-born chef Daniel Humm, combines everything about a traditional grilled cheese but brings it up a notch with a little white wine, a dash of kirsch, gruyere cheese and prosciutto.

Kirsh is a cherry flavored liqueur. If you can't find it or don't want to make the investment you can leave it out or try a dash or maraschino cherry juice. This cherry flavor helps the melted Gruyere taste more like a Swiss fondue.


Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients:

Four 1-inch thick slices of white bread
2 tbl olive oil
1 clove of garlic peeled
1 tsp dry white wine
1/2 tsp kirsch (optional)
2 oz sliced prosciutto
1 beefsteak tomato peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 lb Gruyere cheese sliced thin
salt
fresh ground pepper
paprika


Brush the bread on both sides with the olive oil and place on baking sheet. Toast in the oven for 10-15 minutes turning once, until golden brown and crisp, but soft on the inside.
Rub each slice of toast with the garlic clove on one side. In a bowl combine white wine and kirsch and sprinkle over garlic side of toast. Top each with a slice of prosciutto and a slice of tomato and light sprinkle of salt. Then top these open face sandwiches with the sliced Gruyere...lots of it...!!!!!

Preheat the broiler and broil close to the heating element. Watch closely so the cheese gets bubbly but does not burn. Top with a shake of pepper and paprika.

These are great for a snack or cut into smaller pieces as an appetizer. They are great for lunch with a nice fresh side salad. And as always a nice glass of Chardonnay or a Pinot Gris makes the meal perfect!

ENJOY!

OREGON TUNA MELTS

The tuna melt.....comes in a lot of varieties...for me it is usually too much mayo...too many raw onions..not enough pickles...yes I said pickles....or relish..and for the most part they can be quite bland...but not this one!!!!!

A great Portland Oregon chef by the name of Tommy Habetz makes the perfect tuna melt...everything you want...lots of tuna salad and cheese buts bumps it up with so much great flavor you have to try these. A nice Pinot Gris goes quite well with this sandwich lunch.

Ingredients:

Two 6 oz cans albacore tuna in water, drained
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbl balsamic vinegar
1 tbl minced basil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flake
salt
ground pepper
ciabatta rolls
dijon mustard
mayonnaise
Slices of your favorite melting cheese, swiss, fontina cheddar
Slices of big kosher dill pickles
unsalted butter

In a bowl chop the tuna and mix it with onion, oil, vinegar, basil and red pepper. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a panini press or a grill pan over medium high heat. Spread the cut sides of the ciabatta rolls with mustard and mayo and top with a slice of cheese. Spread tuna mixture on the bottom and cover with slices of pickles. Close the sandwiches and spread the outside of the rolls with butter.

Press the sandwiches if you have a panini machine or place in a grill pan and place a heavy weight object on top of the bread. Cook until the cheese is melted - about 6-8 minutes and serve..

Tuna - it's what's for lunch!
ENJOY!

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPER SANDWICHES

Who doesn't love this combination...Italian sausage and grilled peppers. We have made them by the truckload for our friends and our kids' friends and there are never any leftovers.

The smells of the sausage and peppers cooking is intoxicating. Personally I add grilled onions to mine and Dave adds marinara sauce. One of the keys for me is the right cheese and there is no doubt that Land O' Lakes White American is the best by far.

When you cut open your hoagie roll dig out some of the bread and create a bowl-like space so the sausage and peppers sink into the bread and then the whole filling won't fall out of the roll.

Ingredients

4 tbl olive oil split

1 lb italian sausage (mild or hot)

1 red pepper thinly sliced

1 green pepper thinly sliced

1 medium onion thinly sliced (optional)

1/2 lb thinly sliced Land O'Lakes white american cheese

1 jar of your favorite marinara or homemade

salt and pepper to taste

baguettes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Heat 2 tbl olive oil in a large skillet over medium - high heat and saute the sausage until almost cooked through. In another skillet heat remaining oil and add peppers and onions. Season the vegetables with pinches of salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, do not burn.

When the sausage is almost cooked through, transfer it to a cutting board and slice into thin coins. Return sausage to the same pan and add enough marinara sauce to coat all the sausage and cook until done.

In the meantime, slice your baguettes and trim some of the bread out of them. Put two slices of cheese into the baguette. Add some of the sausage mixture and some of the vegetable mixture. Place another piece of cheese on top and bake in the oven until cheese starts to melt.

My mouth is watering......and to think I am having salad tonight...aauugghhh....

ENJOY!

GOOEY-EST EGG SANDWICHES

In a countryside villa in New Hamphshire, Dave and I spent a night with his good good friend. In the morning I was asked if I wanted a gooey egg sandwich..thought it was a prank. I said sure and the rest is history...thanks Simpson family. We had a party once where several guests spent the night. In the morning I made everyone these gooey egg sandwiches and they kept asking for more until I ran out of english muffins. Now we make them for all our overnight guests.

Let's face it, the secret to making a good breakfast egg dish is all in the timing. What is worse than getting served your breakfast at a restaurant and the toast is cold, but the eggs are great. If you ask for better toast...by the time you get it the eggs are cold....and forget about cold undercooked bacon...gag me. I have watched cooking competitions where very high level chefs must compete making eggs at a short order diner.....it is the most stressful moment for all of them.

Great breakfasts are all about making the components in order, so that it all hits the plate at the right time. So to make these gooey egg sandwiches, you have to make all the components in order...but they are fabulous.

Ingredients
eggs
bacon
english muffins
sliced white american cheese

First things first, preheat your oven to 200 degrees and make the bacon on the stove and when it is cooked to your desired crispness, drain on a plate with paper towel and put the plate in the oven. The bacon will just keep warm, it won't really cook any more.

You must have the sliced cheese ready. Spray a small saute pan with a non-stick cooking spray. Crack an egg into the pan (no heat should be under the pan yet)...if the yolk breaks toss it....seriously they are about a quarter a piece and if the yolk is broken there will be no "gooey-ness". Put an english muffin in the toaster. You have to check the english muffin a few times. When it is warm throughout but not getting a crust yet...turn the egg pan on high heat.

As soon as the egg white is WHITE gently flip the egg and place a piece of cheese on top. Turn the heat OFF and remove the pan from the burner. Take the english muffin out of the toaster, place the cheesy egg on top, add a few slices of warm cooked bacon and top with other half of the english muffin.

I'll warn you, it is best to squeeze the sandwich a bit to break the gooey yolk onto the plate and soak it up as you go....or you might be wearing the yolk!!!!!

To all my followers who have eaten these over the years and now make them in your own home for your guests let's all say...YYYYUUUUUUMMMMMMMM...you know what I'm talking about!
Enjoy!