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?...."