Again with the baseball!

I can't get away from Target Field. At leat not until I've tried all of the sandwiches. We got the chance to sit in the Legends Club section the other night. It's a teeny step up from our usual third deck seats. There are padded seats and people to serve you drinks while you sit in them. There's an enclosed, air conditioned concession area with fancier food than you can get elsewhere. Like these Italian beauties. At the Frankie V's stands throughout the stadium you can get pizza and calzones. At the Legends Club Frankie V's, you can get meatball sandwiches and paninis, too. And you know I'm a sucker for a meatball sandwich.
The meatballs were made with a mix of Italian sausage and beef and were fennel-ly and delicious. The sauce was bright and fresh. And they melt the cheese on top in the pizza oven!
The panini had salami and peppers and a creamy, cheesy sauce. It was quite tasty. The sauce did a good job of holding it together--it's making me think of things to put on a panini...bechamel, anyone?
The view wasn't bad either. Now, if we could only get to a game when the Twins win!

It was fate

Beth and I went to the Twins game last night because we couldn't think of a better way to spend a 90+ high humidity evening than sitting outside surrounded by hot people. Plus, we already had the tickets.
I had been thinking of getting the Turkey to Go sandwich all day and that's exactly where I headed as soon as we got to the stadium. We passed Tony O's Cuban Sandwich on the way and I was reminded that I really should try one of those...
Moments later, armed with my turkey sandwich, Beth and I headed for the blissfully air conditioned elevators to the upper deck. The elevator opened, and Tony Oliva himself walks out! He said, "I've been waiting for you, ladies." Then he walked away. We got on the elevator, and laughed about the whole episode with the elevator operator. I told him I almost got a Cuban tonight and he highly recommended it. So I got one for dessert. Well, half was my dessert and the other half was Beth's dinner.
The verdict? The pork and ham are tasty and there's just enough cheese. The pickle is good, too. But there's no mustard on it! They should warn you about that, before you get all the way back to your seat, passing countless condiment counters brimming with yellow mustard along to way. Without the mustard, it's a pretty tasty sandwich, but no match for my favorite Turkey to Go. With the mustard, who knows? It could be the best sandwich at Target Field.

Food Truck Food Court, revisited

The weekly food truck food court in downtown St. Paul is pretty awesome. I've been back a couple times and everything has been delicious! This is a bison burger from Chef Shack. It had guacamole, bacon ketchup, and pepper jack on it. I added some pickles from their well stocked condiment bar, too. The patty was perfectly cooked to medium rare, which was a lovely surprise. I got their Arnie Palmer as well. It's made from jasmine tea and isn't too sweet.
On another trip, I revisited Gastrotruck and got a black bean slider and a BBQ chicken slider with onion marmalade. Super yum! I look forward to trying more of their sliders!

California wrap-up

On my last full day in California, Junior took me to Point Richmond to see a county park and a model train set-up. After that excitement, we were feeling a little peckish. Luckily, Point Richmond has a nice historic downtown with lots of food options. We were drawn to a rugby bar, the Up & Under. It wasn't just a bar with rugby jerseys. It was a true rugby pub with a rugby themed menu. Of course I had to check out the sandwich named after the position I played.
How did they know this is one of my faves? The other position's sandwiches were just as appropriate. The Lock? An Italian sausage grinder. (Beth approves) The Wing? A portabello mushroom sandwich (Tee hee).
The sandwich was lovely. The sauce was not too sweet and the bun was soft enough to hold all the juicy goodness in. The avocado was an especially nice touch.
I also had a chance to get back to Bun Mee for another delicious creation. This one is the Sloppy Bun: red curry ground beef with a fried egg, Thai basil, cilantro, onions and jalapenos. Holy moly! The server slipped me extra napkins before I even started to eat! It was a great banh mit. I'm only sorry I couldn't try more of their fancy sandwiches. I will have to try and make some at home until I can make it back!

Berkeley Sandwich Night!

I'm finishing out my trip to the Bay Area by visiting some old friends, including Sandwich Night originator Angie!
It's Memorial Day weekend, so we had to grill out, of course. Angie simmered bratwurst in beer, with mushrooms and onions. Once the brats were cooked, she reduced the remaining beer, mushroom and onion mixture into a thick yummy gravy. For the sandwiches, we toasted garlic naan, spread mushroom brie on it, then layered on tomatoes, pickles, the mushroom mixture, the brats and greens. Junior made potato salad with green beans to go with the meal.As a bonus, we had perfect weather and Jen made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for dessert!

The banh mit is the sandwich of the teens

You know it!
I'm in San Francisco for work this week and I just happened to wander past Bun Mee at supper time. They serve super fancy banh mit. I had to stop, of course. I got the "smoky eggplant" which had roasted eggplant and red curry aioli on it. It was so delicious. The eggplant and curry were a good savory contrast to the slightly sweet pickled onion, cucumber and daikon. They also put really thick cilantro stalks in there and they were fantastic.
I'm still here tomorrow so I might need to return to try another sandwich!For dessert, I ordered this sweet little sandwich cookie-chocolate cookies with coconut filling. So pretty!

Fun with no-knead bread

In a fit of frugality this spring I decided to start baking my own bread. I have been curious to try the various no-knead methods out there. I admit I’m a little late to the party. I mean, no-knead bread is so 2009, isn’t it?
No-knead bread is exactly that. You stir up your ingredients in a big bowl, let the dough rise for a while at room temperature, then store it in the fridge. The gluten develops while the big gloopy mess sits in the cold. The yeast breeds slowly, too, so you don’t get that sweet yeasty taste some homemade breads have. When you feel like fresh bread, you pull off a hunk, shape it quickly and let it rise for a bit. Then you bake it in a hot oven with steam.
It’s been a fun experiment. Other than making sure you have enough time to let the dough rise before baking, there is really no planning involved. The initial recipe makes enough dough for several loaves and it keeps for about 10 days.
That’s fine, you say, but how does it work for sandwiches?
I’ve had my hits and misses. My first attempt at a whole wheat loaf came out about 3 inches tall. Beth and I had to endure some ridicule from our coworkers while eating stubby turkey sandwiches for lunch that week.
I have yet to find the best recipe for whole wheat sandwich bread. One was too sour, the other too heavy. The too heavy whole wheat sandwich loaf was a nice match for my favorite peanut butter and pepper jelly sandwich, though. Even sliced thinly, the bread stood up to the jelly without getting soggy.
I have a feeling I’ll be playing around with no-knead bread for some time to come!