Lazy Days and Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

Lazy Days.

Well, for some of us. The others have been very busy.

Construction projects of the IMPORTANT kind.
 (No Stimulus Money was used to build this sand castle)

Look at the attention to detail

Yes, that is a crab claw sticking out of the sand wall (ahem)

These sandwiches pack beautifully. So grill the vegetables the night before, assemble them in the morning and find yourself a sunny beach to enjoy lunch. 

Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches: (makes 4 sandwiches)

One eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices (the long way, not rounds)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

sea salt

4 slices provolone cheese*

4 slices cheddar cheese*

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 cup mixed greens

4 Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats (100 calories and 5 grams of fiber!)

Marinate eggplant in balsamic vinegar for 5 minutes. Grill for 2-3 minutes per side or until soft. Sprinkle with sea salt, place in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. 

To assemble sandwiches:

Place one piece of each type of cheese* on bottom slice of bread. Top with 1 slice eggplant, grated carrots and mixed greens. Drizzle a little more balsamic dressing on the greens and top with last slice of bread. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil and pack in a cooler. 

Kowabunga! 

*use your favorite cheese, swiss, munster, asiago.. it's all good! 

A Painter In The House and Hungry Painter Sandwiches

I am having my living room, kitchen and hallways painted. 

I have a painter in my house. 

For the next 4 days.... 

Now, in case you don't know this about me by now, no one gets out of my home without being fed. It's what I do. I feed people. And what better people to feed than people doing work in your home?? 

Hungry. Grateful. Did I mention hungry? AND an incentive to KEEP working... no need to leave for breakfast, coffee or lunch breaks.. everything you need is right here. 

Hungry Painter Sandwiches with two sauces (feeds the painter and the family)

1 whole tenderloin of beef (Always wondered what to do with these babies? Here's the recipe)

3 heads of garlic, separated and skinned

1/2 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

2 teaspoons pepper

plastic ziplock bag

10-12 ciabatta rolls or hard(ish) rolls of choice. Baguettes work equally as well. 

Start this the morning of or the night before serving. (Morning = dinner, night before = lunch)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Trim your tenderloin or have the butcher do it. You will get some cubes, some scrap (feed to the dog or cook down for a base for a sauce)

Slice the tenderloin between a 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick. Press down each slice with the palm of your hand to flatten and stretch the meat. 

Place the garlic cloves in a pie or cake plate, add olive oil, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Roast in the oven until soft - about 30-45 minutes, stirring halfway through.

When garlic is soft and mashable, cool. Add garlic and accompanying oil to sliced beef in a ziploc bag. Squeeze to combine. Place in fridge to marinate at least 4 hours and up to 18.

When ready to begin cooking: Preheat grill to high.

Lay meat out single layer on grill. Grill about 45 seconds to 1 minute per side. 

Remove to platter, tent and let rest.

Cut rolls or baguettes. Smear cut side with smashed garlic. Grill, face down for a few seconds to crisp. 

Layer meat on rolls, passing these two sauces:

Chipotle Pepper Steak Sauce (my family's favorite)

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon (or more) chipotle pepper flakes, ground

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sherry wine vinegar

Mash garlic, paprika, pepper flakes and salt in mortor or with back of spoon. Whisk in remaining ingredients. Cover and chill. Can be made 2 days in advance.

ps. This sauce is kind of the new color in my living room!

Gorgonzola Sauce: (adapted from Barefoot Contessa, Copyright 2001)

2 cups heavy cream

2 to 3 ounces crumbly Gorgonzola cheese (don't use creamy or dolce)

1 1/2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley

Bring the heavy cream to a boil. Watch carefully, it will boil over on you! Continue to boil until thick, like a white sauce, stirring occasionally. This will take 30-40 minutes. 

Once thickened, take off heat and stir in cheeses, salt, pepper and parsely, whisking until blended. 

You can make this ahead, just rewarm, whisking vigorously to bring the sauce back together. Serve warm.

Painting is hungry work. Pass a couple of sandwiches to the painter, along with the side sauces. 

Mid-Life Crisis and BLT's - Revisited

About 27 months ago I suffered what I now lovingly refer to as my Mid-Life Crisis or simply, The Crisis. 

There were several things going on my life that contributed to The Crisis. 

Our then 17 year old had just gotten his driver's license. 

The Best Husband In The World was just diagnosed with an incurable, life-threatening autoimmune disease, dermatomyositis.  

I quit smoking and was gaining weight overnight (for the first time in my life)

I had a stressful job that had me travelling on a regular basis while trying to serve a sales force of over 2,000 who 50% of the time made unreasonable demands and the other 50% of the time made impossible demands. 

We were planning a family trip of a lifetime to Iceland - yes, Iceland. The Best Husband In The World's dream trip - a Geologist's Disney World. Land of the midnight sun, the aurora borealis, glaciers, geysers, waterfalls, icebergs and volcanoes, all wrapped up in one tidy island. All the trip needed was micro-planning by the minute - by me. 

I became a grandmother. 

Oh, yeah, and I was fast approaching the 1/2 century mark. 

Bleah. 

What's a girl to do? 

I did what any normal, red blooded American would do. I had a Mid-Life Crisis. 

Now, the way I looked at it, there were several ways of responding to The Crisis. 

1. I could have an affair. But I was already having the love affair of my life with my husband. How much passion could a middle aged woman muster? So, check off affair. 

2. I could change the color of my hair.  Oh, that was easy enough done. 90 minutes in the chair of my favorite salon and I emerged a red head, gone was the natural light brown I was born with. I was somewhat authentic since my youngest son IS a natural red head and besides, only your GYN knows for sure! 

3. I could trade in my super practical 50 mile a gallon, Honda Civic Hybrid mom car:

 and get a souped up luxury Saab convertible. 

New red hair flying in the wind, I put the pedal to the medal and drove this little baby girl off the lot. The whole transaction was painless, exhilarating and FUN! For about 4 hours. Then I realized:

1. A two door vehicle is not convenient when you have to constantly drive kids and their friends around.

2. The dog could never travel in a white leather interior.

3. A six speed manual transmission in New Jersey, land of the traffic jam - was building up my right bicep to Arnold Schwarzenegger proportions.

4. A four seater car with teenagers and friends doesn't add up to enough seats per bottoms. 

5. Nine months out of the year it's too cold to have the top down. The other 3 months it's either raining or too hot. 

6. If I didn't want to look like Carrot Top being electrocuted I would have to wear a baseball cap when driving with the top down - not a good look for me. 

So, the 27 month lease is up this week. The Crisis Car is going back to the dealer. 

It was fun. It was pretty. It was fast. And it so did not fit my lifestyle. (I am keeping the red hair, brown / gray roots and all)

Lesson learned, from now on when I feel The Crisis calling my name I'll stick to the exciting adventure of fooling around with common foods, like this BLT gone wild. 

Not Your Mama's BLT: serves 4

12 slices Whole Grain Bread, toasted lightly

4 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced into 4 slices

8 fresh basil leaves

1 red tomato

1 yellow tomato

2 cups arugula, washed and dried (or mixed baby greens)

2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked, sliced thinly

8 pieces panchetta (Italian Bacon), cooked crisp (or you can use turkey or regular bacon)

1 ripe Haas Avocado, pitted, then crushed (keep it chunky) 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher Salt and Pepper

Thick slice the tomatoes, 4 slices each. 

In a shallow pan, layer the tomatoes, basil leaves and mozzarella cheese. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes. 

In a small bowl toss arugula with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.

Lightly toast the bread. Spread a tablespoon of the mashed avocado on four pieces. Divide the chicken among the four pieces. Top with 2 bacon slices, 1/4 of the arugula, then a piece of toast. Next, layer in the tomatoes (red and yellow on each), basil and mozzarella cheese. Spread 1 tablespoon of the avocado on last piece of toast and top the sandwich. Slice in half on the diagonal. 

Serve with watermelon slices and fresh corn on the cob. 

Crisis Averted. 

Hmm.. maybe a little something with an automatic transmission and a moonroof.... 

Being "Home" and Philly Cheesesteaks

Being back in Pennsylvania brings back many memories and of course with all my siblings here we have been doing our share of reminiscing. Yesterday on the way to the pharmacy to pick up my dad's pain medicine for his trip home I even drove through some of my old neighborhood haunts.

Seems the more things change, the more they stay the same. No?

All this nostalgia made me think of Philadelphia Cheese steaks. Here's an ex-pat's updated version of the classic Pennsylvania sandwich:

Not So Philly Cheese steaks: (makes 4 sandwiches)

1 pound hangar steak (also known as skirt steak)
1 sweet onion (such as Vidalia)
4 ounces blue cheese crumbles
A-1 Steak Sauce
4 Portugese rolls (or your favorite hard sandwich roll)
2 teaspoons olive oil divided
Salt and Pepper
1 tablspoon melted butter.

Heat Grill to Medium High
Trim steak of any extra fat or have your butcher do it.
Rub with 1 teas. olive oil, both sides
Rub all over with Salt and Pepper
Set aside.

Meanwhile slice onion thinly. Heat remaining teaspoon olive oil in saute pan and add onions. Slowly, sweat the onion (very low heat) until soft, then turn up heat a bit and cook until golden.

Split rolls and brush inside top and bottom with melted butter.

Grill steak about 4 minutes per side for medium. When done, tent with foil and let rest.
Place rolls, butter side down on grill and toast about 60 seconds.

To assemble:

Slice steak thinly, on the diagonal. Place 1/4 of meat on bottom of 1 roll. Top with blue cheese crumbles, then onion, then a drizzle of A-1 steak sauce. Repeat with other 3 sandwiches.

Serve with chips and an ice cold beer.

A Cook's Notes: I did not give you the "classic" recipe for a Philly Steak Sandwich because there are hundreds of variations and an ongoing war as to who has the "best", who made it first, and whether you need cheese (what kind), onions, the proper roll, sauce, etc. Suffice it to say I wouldn't even call this a Philly Cheese Steak OUT LOUD for fear of insighting a riot.

If you don't like blue cheese, try cheddar, provolone, swiss or american, but for the love of God, please don't call it a Philly Cheese Steak or even mention where you got the recipe. If you want an honest to goodness, authentic, Philly Steak - go to Philly, just don't ask me to choose the sidewalk stand, I'd like to come back to PA.

ps: If you don't believe me as to the controversy surrounding the Philadelphia Cheese Steak - google it. You will find the history, the ingredients, the authenticity [reputted] and everything you ever wanted to know about this sandwich. Pennsylvanians are serious about this sandwich!

Laughing and Pork Shoulder BBQ

I come from a long line of laughers. The people in my family laugh all the time. 

We laugh for all kinds of reasons. For instance, we laugh instead of crying. We laugh at jokes, no matter how lame they are. We laugh at ourselves and at each other. We laugh when we are happy and we laugh when we are sad. My sister M laughs when she is mad. 

But the worst laugh we do is we laugh at inappropriate times. We can't help it. It is our family affliction. It's not that we don't recognize a serious situation. Oh, no. We are perfectly capable of being somber - it's just that at some point in our somberness, someone will say something and we will just crack up. And there's a lot of us so it's not easy to be inconspicuous. We are a whole gaggle of people (who all resemble each other) laughing hysterically while our significant others look like they are going to die of embarrassment. Which by the way, makes us laugh more. 

The reason I am telling you this is that I am getting ready to go to Pennsylvania tomorrow. My dad is having surgery on Friday. It is serious surgery. My sister is coming in from Virginia, I am coming, my other siblings are all nearby and we will all most likely congregate tomorrow night at my mom and dad's to wish Pop well. On Friday, I'm sure everyone will congregate at my mom's waiting for news.... We are all worried about our dad. Very worried. Which is going to be a problem because it will trigger the family laughing affliction. How inappropriate is that? 

I would be interested in knowing if anyone else has this problem. Let me know and feel free to share any particular bad laughing bouts. I'm sure I'll find it hysterical. 

I'm making pork shoulder to leave at home for the best husband in the world. It feeds a lot and all he'll have to do is rewarm. 

Preheat oven to 325, or grill to low, or use a slow cooker

1 pork shoulder, trimmed of fat (about 5 pounds)

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tablespoon oregano

1 tablespoon Kosher salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon chile powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

Optional: Cole Slaw (the creamy kind)

Mash garlic. Add oregano, salt, pepper, chile powder, paprika, oil and vinegar. Mash all together to form a sort of paste. 

Rub all over the pork shoulder. 

If using oven, place on rack in roaster and cover. Cook for 5 to 6 hours. 

If using slow cooker, start on high setting, after 1 hour, turn to low. Cook for 6 to 8 hours

If using grill, place a drip pan under grill grate to catch fat drippings) Cook for 5 to 6 hours.

Let rest 30 to 60 minutes when done. Shred using two forks. Serve on Kaiser rolls or soft tortilla's topped with Cole Slaw. 

A Cook's Notes: This will feed a crowd and is just as good rewarmed (slowly) the next day. You can also pass a store bought (or your favorite recipe BBQ sauce) instead of the cole slaw.

Tulips, Squirrels and Ham Sandwiches

On the walk leading up to my front porch steps I have two big white planters. For every change of season I plant something different in these planters. Summer will find sweet potato vines and red and white geraniums, fall is for rust colored mums and at Christmas I use silk Poinsettias and silver twigs. Now that it is finally spring here in the Northeast I decided that it was time to plant some tulips in the planters. My local nursery had some lovely plants, just 3 for $10.00; a bargain considering each pot had at least 8 blooms. I chose 6 pots, 3 with bright yellow tulips and 3 sporting deep orange blossoms. Intermingling the colored blossoms in my planters gave me the stunning effect I was hoping for. A full 24 to 30 blooms filled each planter and brightened my walkway considerably. 

Now I have seen squirrels dig up all manner of things. But never did I imagine the havoc they would wreck on my beautiful spring planters. I could forgive the little rodents if they were hauling off my flowers to present to a fluffy tailed girlfriend. I could even look the other way if they choose one of two irresistible blooms. But no, the little devils in my neighborhood are hell bent on total destruction. Within 12 hours of my labor of love every sturdy stem had been bitten off at ground level. See, it wasn't the flowers they wanted, it was the bulbs themselves. To get to the bulbs, they bite off the flower, toss it to the side and dig up the tender, sweet bulb; scurrying up the nearest tree with their gourmet find. 

I was able to rescue the scattered blooms one by one and now have vases of yellow and deep orange tulips in every room. Sigh - at least the inside of the house echoes of spring.

Ham Paninis: makes 4 sandwiches

If you are like many people in this country you are now looking at a big platter of leftover Easter ham. And if you're like many people in this country, you are tired of leftover Easter ham. Here's an easy, tasty panini to use up the very last of that ham. 

Leftover ham (sliced thin)

Eight (8) slices rye bread

Eight (8) ounces Fontina cheese, shredded

Dijon Mustard

One (1) cup Cole Slaw, creamy style

Unsalted butter

Spread Dijon mustard on one side of all eight slices of rye bread.

Top 4 slices of bread with 1 ounce Fontina Cheese

Top with slices of ham

Top with a 1/4 cup cole slaw

Top with 1 ounce Fontina Cheese

Place 2nd slice of bread on top, mustard side down.

Melt butter and brush one side of sandwich with butter. 

Place on preheated grill pan, panini pan or fry pan buttered side down

Brush melted butter on top of sandwich.

Weight with a brick, panini press, or lid weighted with cans. 

Cook over low heat for 3 minutes. 

Check for golden crust. Turn, cook on other side 2-3 minutes until both sides have golden crust and cheese is melted.

Slice and serve piping hot with chips and a big dill pickle. 

Variation: my husband's favorite.

Use pineapple rings instead of cole slaw

Use Jarlsberg Swiss instead of Fontina. 

Eat these sandwiches indoors as I have no idea how squirrels feel about ham.