Make meatballs while the snow flies

You may have heard that we had a little snowstorm in the Upper Midwest over the weekend. I grew up in Southern California and my only idea of Minnesota winters came from reading the Little House on the Prairie books. I thought blinding white out blizzards where you had to feel your way to the barn with a rope were a regular occurence. It was a little disappointing to discover that that doesn't really happen, especially in the city.

I did get to experience the famous Halloween Blizzard of 1991. I lived on my college campus and I didn't have a car so I simply enjoyed the sheer immensity of all that snow. It was incredible. I didn't know that I would have to wait almost 20 years to meet another storm of its magnitude. Bring it on, Snowpocalypse 2010!

Spaghetti is a lovely thing to make when you are snowed in. What's better than letting a pot of sauce simmer on the stove all day? And whates better than a meatball sandwich when you get tired of eating the sauce on pasta. Not much!

Beth made her awesome meatballs and was able to get to the store Monday to pick up rolls and provolone cheese. I spread garlic butter on the rolls, toasted them, then layered on cheese, meatballs, and a little sauce and toasted them some more. I finished them off with a little hot giardiniera peppers.

Mmmm--this makes hours of shovelling worth it!

Mmm..leftover turkey sandwiches

Aren't leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches the best? There are so many options. You could pile all the leftovers on a piece of white bread, smother with gravy and microwave. You could pile all the leftovers between two slices of bread and eat it cold. Or, you could make a simple turkey and cranberry sauce sandwich. I layer turkey (salt and pepper it!) and homemade cranberry sauce between two slices of well buttered white bread. That's it.

It helps to have really good cranberry sauce and I made a tasty one:
1 bag cranberries
3/4 cup sugar
4-5 frozen strawberries
Place in a pan, bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes until the juices coat the back of a spoon. You can always cook it longer if you're not sure. You don't want runny cranberry sauce on your sandwich!

Go west, young woman!

Our little Angie stayed with us for a night on her big move out to California. We had to have an appropriate sandwich in her honor, of course. I found a good candidate in 'wichcraft: red wine-braised flank steak with roasted peppers, onions, and gruyere. The only thing it was missing to make it a true Angie sandwich was mushrooms.

The recipe called for 2 1/2 hours to braise the meat so I cooked it up the night before Angie was due. The sandwich was almost lost when the braising liquid cooked off and the steak started to burn. I was so caught up watching Sherlock on PBS that I barely noticed the buring smell coming from the kitchen. I saved it just in time, but the pan juices were ruined. I improvised some new pan juices with beef broth and was able to shred the meat in it. It was a little overcooked tasting, but not terribly so. The whole incident reminded me of the scene in Julie and Julia when Julie burns the boeuf bourguignon she's making for the food critic because she fell asleep. My intended audience was more forgiving so I didn't have to start over. Phew!

I also made some changes to the recipe. First off, I forgot my list when I went shopping and I bought gouda instead of gruyere. That was no big loss--the gouda was delicious. I sauteed up a mess of crimini mushrooms to add to the sandwich which were a lovely addition.

We assembled the sandwiches and baked them in the oven until they were good and melty. Angie built a huge sandwich, as expected.

Hopefully the meaty deliciousness of this sandwich will convince Angie to come back and visit often!

Sandwich Night Celebration!

Sandwich Night regular Karen has a great reason to celebrate: she's adopting! Her new daughter is a 15 year old sandwich loving girl named Jacki. When Karen shared this news with me, you know my first response was, "Does she like sandwiches???"

And she does. And she has strong opinions about them. Such as, "all sandwiches must contain meat." I don't necessarily agree...but kudos for speaking your mind, young Sandwich Artist.

To celebrate, Karen hosted a Sandwich Night in Jacki's honor. I figured it was high time to return to 'wichcraft for some ideas. We chose two seasonally appropriate sandwiches: Cheddar cheese, smoked ham, poached pears and mustard on cranberry bread and roasted pumpkin, hazelnut brown butter and fresh mozzarella on white bread. I chose the second one as a not too subtle attempt to sway Jacki over to the dark realm of meatless sandwiches....

Karen invited lots of Sandwich Night newbies so we had some hesitation around the panini maker. It didn't last long. People started mixing up ingredients and making their own ham-pumpkin-mozzarella-pear creations pretty quick. I made one of each, according to the recipes. Just to try them, afterall. I preferred the ham, Cheddar and pear sandwich. But both were quite lovely.
My meatless sandwich trick worked too. As Jacki bit into her pumpkin sandwich, we asked if she had put any meat in it and she replied, "Pumpkin is the meat in this sandwich!" Aaah, a rule bending afficionado. I love you already.

Jacki's a fan of anime, so we watched Ponyo as our entertainment. It's kind of a crazy movie. It's best if you don't try to make too much sense of it. The character Ponyo is obsessed with ham, though. That I can understand!

On the road again...

I've just gotten home from a couple weeks of travelling and of course I have sandwich news for you.
I flew to Hartford, CT for work for a couple days. My connecting flight through Philadelphia was a pleasant surprise. The Philly airport is pretty nice! They have lots of food options including a Chick-fil-A. I've been curious about their sandwiches but have never gotten the chance to try one.
The star of the sandwich is the fried chicken filet. It's juicy and nicely spiced. And totally let down by a bland bun and a couple soggy pickles for company. How about some mayonnaise and nice crisp piece of lettuce, folks? I'll have to provide my own next time I find a Chick-fil-A!

Nobody Beats Mayslack's Meat

“It's smiling at me.”
My friend Chobot had just played 80 minutes of rugby, so any food looks pretty friendly at that point. It's the Original at Mayslack's, a Northeast Minneapolis institution famous for roast beef and also a sponsor of my old rubgy team. This sandwich has been on my radar for a while (should I make a Sandwich Bucket List?) but this was my first chance to try it.
The fantastically garlicky roast beef is piled on a soft pumpernickel bun. If you try really hard, you can get about half the meat into the bun to eat it. The banana peppers and sliced onions add the right amount of tangy crunch. If I could change anything, I'd serve the meat closer to the rare end of the spectrum. But it was still mighty tasty!
And yes, I shared some with Chobot. But only because I couldn't finish it, of course.

This explains a lot

Credit to my friend Amy T for directing me to This is Why You're Fat, a celebration of excess. I couldn't stop looking at it. There are quite a few featured sandwiches including the usual suspects circulating the web these days: Paula Deen's Lady's Brunch Burger, the KFC Double Down and the Denny's Fried Grilled Cheese. Yup, there's a lot to be scared of on the website. And of course, there's a lot to be inspired by as well....one of these days we might just make a hamburger with grilled cheese sandwiches for buns!

Sandwich Night for me

So I said I'd have a Sandwich Night tonight. But I've been crazy busy and I never got it together to invite anyone over. Sorry!

Luckily for me, Beth made spaghetti sauce with meatballs before she left on her latest bicycle adventure so I had a tasty meatball sub from the leftovers. You can't go wrong with that. I was lazy and I simply microwaved the French bread, meatballs, some sauce and a slice of mozzarella. The result wasn't the best I could make but it was pleasingly saucy and melty. I must add that Beth made an exceptionally delicious batch of meatballs so that helped!

Of course I watched America's Next Top Model. I think this season has some decent potential. It may even be about modeling!

Crazy for Caprese

Our Caprese Sandwich Night was delightful. I got heirloom tomatoes from the coop since ours aren't ripe yet. I picked the basil in the backyard. I made the mozzarella. I bought ciabatta rolls and sliced sourdough bread. Finally, I reduced some balsamic vinegar until it was nice and syrupy.

The big choice was, cold sandwich or panini? Both had their merits. I brushed the ciabatta rolls with a little olive oil and toasted them. Then we layered on the ingredients. The result was fresh and tasty. But, we also had sourdough bread and a panini maker and you know everything tastes better as a panini, right? Right! The paninis were especially good with a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar over the top. Yum!

I did learn something new about fresh mozzarella, too. I covered the cheese with water after I made it according to the directions. When I pulled it out two days later for sandwich night it was the slimiest gooiest mess. I sliced it, then the slices all oozed together. It was still super delicious, but next time I'll serve it sooner or use less water!

Easy, cheesy

Who knew making mozzarella was so easy? My friend Kris gave me a a packet of everthing I needed to make my own mozzarella (rennet, citric acid, cheese salt) ages ago. I was busy at the time so she said I could freeze it.

Well, if you've seen my freezer, you know it is a chaotic affair. Every so often, the little packet of cheese stuff would surface, only to be stuffed back in because I wasn't ready to make it.

Serendipity struck the other day as I was planning the Caprese Sandwich Night and the cheese packet resurfaced. Yay!

To make the cheese, you warm whole milk and citric acid gently, then add rennet and let it curdle. Drain off the whey and knead the curds into stretchy, shiny mozzarella. Add some salt and store it in water. I was done in 30 minutes. I hope it tastes as good as it was easy to make!

Time flies--we must be having fun!

Or at least we're making fun of the latest crop of America's Next Top Model contestants. Can you believe it's already time for Cycle 15? Seriously, I've watched this show through 14 seasons?
The first episode of Cycle 15 is this Wednesday, September 8. I know it's short notice, but we should have a Sandwich Night, don't you think? I'm thinking caprese sandwiches. I even have tomatoes and basil from my own yard to contribute. Can you make it? Let me know!
If I have caught you too late, what do you think about a second ANTM Sandwich Night next week, September 15? Sandwich TBD.
Now sing along with me, "Wanna be on top?...."

State Fair sandwiches, revised

I have stated in the past that the Minnesota State Fair isn't really all that exciting on the sandwich front. The other non-sandwich foods are usually far more enticing.

Well, let me me tell you about a couple sandwiches I have recently discovered at the Fair that may change my opinion for good.

First, there are the grilled chocolate sandwiches at Moe and Joes Coffee. They have had the basic grilled chocolate sandwich for a few years, but this year they introduced the grilled chocolate, marshmallow and banana sandwich. I also missed the introduction of the Elvis sandwich a couple years ago. That's a grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich. I guess the bacon was too much trouble.

All of their sandwches are quite lovely. Gooey enough to be delicious, but not so gooey that you can't enjoy them while walking around. Beth and I shared the marshmallow and the Elvis and were very happy with them. It's a good base. And you could walk across the street to the All You Can Drink Milk booth if you need something to wash them down.

The other sandwich I discovered this year is at Turkey to Go, also located by the All You Can Drink Milk. I've seen the stand for years but thought they only sold turkey legs which I'm not too excited about. That's just too much food to commit to when there are so many delicious things to try. But who knew they also sell a fantastic turkey sandwich? My sister in law happened upon it while buying a lemonade. She got the "gluten free" version--which is simply shredded roast turkey in a cup. It was so good I knew I had to go back for the gluten-full variety on my next trip to the Fair. Then there was a cool article about the sandwich in the newspaper, so I knew it was meant to be. The wait was worth it. The turkey is roasted and shredded, then stuffed in a slightly sweet soft white bun. They have an assortment on condiments (bbq sauce, mayo, etc.) but it doesn't need any of them. Now, THAT'S a good sandwich!

Viva Cuba!

I love going to Victor's 1959 Cafe for breakfast but I rarely get there for lunch. Which is a shame because they have lovely sandwiches. That's a Cuban, of course. My favorite part about it is the thick slice of grilled ham. No mild tasting shaved ham here.

I also tried the Cuban Steak sandwich. It has tangy marinated steak and tomates and lettuce. It's on a soft bun, so you can focus on the meaty goodness of it all. And of course we got fried yuca, wouldn't you?

A place to cool your heels

It's a scorcher here in Minnesota this week. Temps in the 90's with high humidity. We're melting. Give us 20 below any day!

While it's tempting to stay cooped up in my climate controlled laboratory all day, getting some daylight is necessary!

Luckily, the lovely Irvine Park beckons me. It's a short walk from work, full of gorgeous shady oak trees, and has a fancy fountain.

It's the perfect setting for a St. Paul Cheese Shop special--burrata (whole milk fresh mozzarella with a cream center!), olive tapenade, and greens on ciabatta. How do you keep upping your game, St. Paul Cheese Shop? How? Are you trying to kill me with your deliciousness?

Some of my favorite things

It's well documented that I love St. Agnes Bakery St. Paul Sourdough and Seward Co-op Turkey. I also love Carr Valley cheeses. What happens when you put them all together?Magic. That's three milk Swiss, by the way. Yup. Swiss made from cow, sheep and goat milk. Delish!

Some sandwiches don't need to be

We hosted a woman riding her bike around the world last week. She has travelled across Europe, Asia and half of the United States--over 7000 miles so far. She stayed a couple days while Beth advised her on good routes across Wisconsin and I pestered her for stories. Beth rode out of town with her since that's the hardest part of bike touring--finding your way in and out of cities. Beth had so much fun riding with her that she went almost the whole day and called me to pick her up.
Beth talked me into picking her up by reminding me that the town she was stopping in, Miesville, has a bar famous for hamburgers. I met her and Ann at King's. I had eaten there a long time ago and the burgers were good. I didn't remember there being quite so many on the menu, though. I had a hard time choosing but I was drawn to the large number of burgers featuring coleslaw and/or hot dogs. Hmmm... I couldn't not try a burger with a hot dog and coleslaw on it, right? I don't regret trying it, but it's not really a sandwich that needs to exist. The burger patty was good, but it was topped with a lukewarm and mediocre hot dog, a scoop of so-so coleslaw,and a slice of cheese on top of the whole mess. What's the opposite of gestalt? Is there a term for something less than the sum of its parts?
Anyway, if you go to King's get a normal burger. Skip the gimmick!
And if you get the chance to host an around the world cyclist, by all means say yes!

On the way home

We took a couple detours on our way home from the East Coast.

First up, we decided to swing by Gettysburg. It wasn't too far off the route and we figured we check it out quickly and head on our way. Silly us. We got there right after lunch and finally had to stop looking around because the sun was setting. We still had driving to do! We weren't crazy enough to hit the road again without something in our stomachs, though.

Luckily we happened upon the Springhouse Tavern in the Dobbin House. The house was built over a spring in the 1770's. You can still see the spring, right next to the entrance to the tavern. It was a really cool building with the original stone walls and timber ceiling. I got the Maryland Crabcake Sandwich. The crabcake was really tasty and one a toasted bun with letuce and tomato. Delicious. I only had my cell phone with me so the picture is awful. Bear with me.

Spending so much time at Gettysburg made for a long second day of driving. We stayed on the turnpikes and stopped as minimally as possible. We were approaching Chicago around dinner time, though. I wished out loud that Mr. Beef had an outlet right off the freeway so we could get their amazing Italian beef sandwiches. No luck. But the GPS did lead us to Ricobene's which had a suitable substitute. It's no Mr. Beef, but it'll do in a pinch!

Vacationwich Round-up

We've been back from vacation for a week and I finally feel like I'm recovering. It's about time I shared some more sandwiches I loved while on the East Coast.

We went to Basin Head beach on P.E.I. It's famous for it's singing sands. The sand squeaks under your feet!

It also has a snack stand selling all sorts of seafood and burgers. I was feeling peckish, so I couldn't pass up on the scallop burger. What's a scallop burger? It's a handful of fried scallops on a beautifully soft bun with tartar sauce, lettuce and tomato. Perfect.

We spent a day in Boston at the end of our trip which meant we got to go to the Greek Corner with some of our Boston family and friends. I had a lamb souvlaki sandwich and it was tasty.It was even better because I got to eat with this little guy.

Maine makes good lobster rolls, too

On our way home from Prince Edward Island, we stopped at Acadia National Park in Maine. This being a trip with my crazy brother, we got there just in time for sunset. We sped up Cadillac Mountain just in time to catch the amazing view and the pink and red sky.
After taking in the view we started to look for dinner. All of the places that were hopping with customers at 8:30 when we drove past them on the way to the park were closed up at 9:30. Except for the Down East Lobster Pound. They might not have been too excited to see us roll up at 9:45, but they were happy to sell us lobster rolls, chowder and blueberry pie.We checked out their lobster pots, which featured some rarities like this blue lobster and giant orange one. Then we sat down in their screened porch and prepared to feast. The sandwich was gorgeous. It was filled with sweet lobster and a little mayo. The roll was toasted perfectly. And the coleslaw was nice and crispy with a little zing. The chowder and pie were great too!

P.E.I. Sandwich Night

We have been sampling the local delicacies of PEI during our trip: Mussels, poutine, oysters, new potatoes, MSG-laden meat flavored potato chips, Canadian candy bars, etc. And lobsters, of course.

One night we cooked up three huge ones and ate them with butter. They were the best lobsters I’ve ever had. I think I closed my eyes and said “Mmmmm” with every bite. The next night we decided to get some more, but to make lobster rolls. Meghan mixed up lobster, chopped celery, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper. We toasted soft sandwich buns and spooned a big pile of lobster salad on each one. They were delicious!

A little South Minneapolis in PEI

We’re staying at a cottage right on the water in Prince Edward Island. It’s awesome. But we don’t feel too far from home because there are Minnesota caliber mosquitoes everywhere. And because we made Jucy Lucy’s for dinner.

I made them from ground turkey for a change. And filled them with processed cheese. That’s what they call it Canada. No American cheese here! I grilled them and only had a couple leak. Not bad, if I don’t say so myself. We didn’t have buns so Meghan cut rounds out of slices of bread. Then we rolled up the remaining parts of the slices for additional bun substitutes. For condiments we had yellow mustard and onion dip. Aaah, vacation.

Vacationwiches, Part 1

My brother invited us to join his family at a cottage on Prince Edward Island this summer. All we had to do was get to Boston and ride up there with them. We considered our options and decided to drive to Boston since it would save a little money and we could bring our bikes.

What I didn’t know was that we would be able to revisit some of the places Beth biked through last summer on her cross country tour. We made it to Conneaut, OH just in time for an early lunch at the White Turkey Drive-in. The White Turkey was a beacon of joy in Beth’s long slog along the shore of Lake Erie. The signature sandwich features perfectly juicy chopped roasted turkey. I opted for the Large Marge which adds a slice of American cheese and some bacon. (My lifetime love of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure may have influenced my decision as well.)

The Large Marge was excellent. The turkey was perfect--juicy, just salty enough, full of turkey flavor. The cheese and the bacon added the right amount of savoriness. And the soft white bun had flecks of salt on it. Yum! To top it off, they serve delicious root beer in frosty mugs. A beacon of joy, indeed.

Oh Heavens!

I can't get enough of the sandwiches at the St. Paul Cheese Shop. Everything is so delicious! Check out this beauty, on special the other day. That's blue cheese, garlic confit, fig jam and greens on a ciabatta roll. There was an explosion of joy in my mouth with each bite.

Spicing up the turkey sandwich

I’m still loving sandwiches made from Seward Co-op’s fantastic roast turkey. But I’m getting a little bored with the usual wheat bread/turkey/fancy mustard/greens combo I throw together as I’m running out the door for work. The answer to my turkey sandwich doldrums lay in a container of jalapeno peppers I bought at Trader Joe’s. You can’t buy just one pepper. You have to buy a box of eight. Which means I use one and never get around to the using the rest and they rot. Not this time. I started thinking about pepper jelly. And putting pepper jelly and cream cheese on a cracker….I made up a batch of jalapeno jelly. And I ate it on crackers spread with cream cheese. And then I thought, spread that combo on some St. Agnes Bakery St. Paul Sourdough and add some turkey. Yes! It’s spicy and a little sweet. The cream cheese keeps it from being too hot. The jelly brings out the lightly salty taste in the turkey. And you really can’t make a bad sandwich on such good bread.

A chip off the old block...sort of

My oldest niece is the closest thing I've got to a mini-me. We look alike. We act alike. And now we share the love of sandwiches!
She sent me this photo of her fabulous Sunday morning breakfast. Raspberry lemonade, two donuts and the "perfect" turkey sandwich. That's turkey, romaine, tomato, Dijon mustard and mayonnaise. That's my girl!

I only wish we shared her 11 year old metabolism...

Sandwiches Make Everything Better

We had a couple booming thunderstorms yesterday evening. There were some trees down in the neighborhood and flooding in the streets. We were pleased that our giant tree seemed to weather the storm just fine. That was, until we were awoken late in the night by the loudest crash I have ever heard. I thought we had been hit by lightening. Nope, we were hit by an enormous branch, right over our sleeping heads. It had merely waited a few hours to give up the ghost.

Luckily, our friends Ben and Amy came to the rescue with breakfast treats from Butter. We had broccoli quiche, eclairs and this gorgeous biscuit sandwich with a fried egg, sausage and cheddar cheese. Yum! The biscuit was a little on the sturdy side, which helped hold the sandwich together and the sausage was well spiced. I added a little sriracha sauce because it makes an egg sandwich even better. It was a good distraction while we waited for the tree service to come and hoist the tree sized branch off our roof.

They are predicting more storms tonight. The tree's off the roof now, leaving a huge hole. Who's bringing breakfast tomorrow? We may need the distraction. And buckets and mops!

UPDATE: The emergency roofing team came just before the storm last night and fitted us out with a plywood patch and attractive blue tarp cover. It kept us dry!

So much sandwich news

My friends have been showering me with sandwich tidbits lately.
First, my cousin Jeff let me know that Instructables is having a sandwich contest. The entry is due July 17. Which sandwich should I enter?
Then my friend Jackie sent me a slideshow of gorgeous sandwiches from Los Angeles.
And finally, my friend Ali let me know that my post about the ratatouille and goat cheese sandwich I ate at Rock the Garden made it into the Walker Art Center blog about the concert! Fame! Will fortune follow?

Rocking the Garden with sandwiches

I went to Rock the Garden at the Walker Art Gallery yesterday. It's an annual concert hosted by my favorite radio station, The Current. (If you aren't listening, you should be.) We got there a little late to get a spot on the slope facing the stage, so we ended up on the top of the hill with this limited view.
That was okay, because Rock the Garden is like a big picnic. Rather than bringing in the usual festival food vendors, they have local restaurants at the food booths. On the sandwich front we had the difficult choice bewteen the Vincent burger, an upscale Jucy Lucy filled with smoked gouda and braised short ribs, and Joe's Garage baguette sandwiches. Joe's won, due to their proximity to our blanket and the fact that I've consumed a lot of Jucy Lucy lately. I chose ratatouille with goat cheese. You can't really see the filling in this picture, but it was soaking all of its goodness into the bread. It was a great combo--and so simple, really. Nice job, Joe's Garage!

Tonight's the Night!

I made my goal of $500 for HOME Line's Treadmill-a-thon fundraiser! Yay!
Now, watch me eating a Jucy Lucy while wearing a clown costume and walking on a treadmill. The show starts at 8:30 PM CDT tonight, June 15. Watch it live via webcast.
If you want to contact me while I'm on the treadmill to present extra challenges, send an email to treadmill (at) homelinemn (dot) org between 8:30 PM CDT and 9:00 PM CDT!

In training!

I did a training session for Treadmill-a-thon at Matt's yesterday. I paid careful attention to how much dripped out of the bun while I ate. I can't spill any bits on the treadmill, after all.

The verdict? I'll be ordering my Jucy Lucy without onions, sadly. It's too hard to keep those suckers in the bun. As for cheese, I spilled one tiny drop. I think I can keep that under control.

I still need to raise $105 to reach my Jucy Lucy goal, though. Consider a donation for a truly unique and important organization!

If you want the best jam, you've got to make your own

We lucked out when we bought our house. There were strawberries AND raspberries growing in the back yard. Every June the strawberries come in. And as long as you weed them and make sure they have enough water, the berries come in droves for a few sweet weeks. This year we've made strawberry ice cream, strawberry rhubarb crisp, strawberry spinach salad and strawberry smoothies. It was about time to make some jam, don't you think?

And what's the best use of strawberry jam? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, of course. On whole wheat because it's the best!

Working my way through the menu.

When I find a sandwich place I like, I make an effort to sample all of the different menu items. It can be hard when I find a sandwich I really love on a menu but I have to force myself to try everything else. Life is hard, isn't it?

When I go to Cheeky Monkey, I am always tempted by the pot roast sandwich. It has beautifully tender pot roast with horseradish cream, pickled red onion and arugula. The onions and the arugula balance out the richness of the meat perfectly. It's a hard sandwich to pass up.

I was strong during my last visit to Cheeky Monkey. I didn't order it. I chose the fried egg sandwich instead. What a revelation! This sandwich ranks way up there on best fried egg sandwiches of all time. The bread was fried on the griddle and held a perfect over easy egg, thick salty bacon, arugula and mayonnaise. My heart won't be thanking me anytime soon for this treat, but man it was tasty!

It was so tasty that I didn't even ask Beth for a bite of her pot roast sandwich. She had to take a picture of me making declarations of love to it as well.