What Did You Eat?

WHB: Spinach And Feta Cheese Yeast Bread (With Nutmeg)

I thought of calling this Popeye's Bread.  I'm assuming that most people watched some Popeye cartoons when they were younger, rejoicing when he gained spectacular strength to defeat his enemies after eating canned spinach.  I ate canned spinach once, dreadful slimy stuff, so it's clear that Popeye was no foodie.  This bread is loaded with lots of spinach and feta cheese, so if you like those flavors, this is the bread for you.  Dense and filling, a little goes a long way.  I enjoyed it immensely, and used it to make a sandwich with the dwindling tomatoes from my garden.

There's a small amount of nutmeg in the bread, so I think it qualifies for Weekend Herb Blogging, which was created by the amazing Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen.  Nutmeg is actually a spice, but Kalyn is flexible on these matters.  You may have noticed that mace and nutmeg have similar flavors, with good reason.  Mace is a lacey web covering the nutmeg seed, which grows into an evergreen tree found in Asia and Australia.

By the way, next week is the start of the two year anniversary for WHB. So, don't be left out of the big event.  Go to Kalyn's site and learn how to take part. But, this week the lovely Haalo at Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once is hosting WHB. She always has gorgeous pictures on her site, so check them out.

Big Burger Ballyhoo 2007: Bacon Cheeseburgers With Thousand Island Dressing

Even though I have a very nice, but basic, Weber Kettle grill sitting on my patio at my beck and call, it's been well over six months since I used it to make a burger.  I love burgers, but don't make them very often. Odd.  So, I was very happy to see Big Burger Ballyhoo 2007 over at Writing At The Kitchen Table.  There's always something interesting going on there with the adorable Freya and Paul, and the latter's idea of people making their best burger recipes is a great way to get me outside flipping a disk of meat over hot coals. 

At first, I thought of fish, lamb, or mushroom burgers.  But, my favorite way to eat a burger is pretty simple. I like them with cheese and bacon.  And tomatoes.  But, the tomatoes I'm growing are still green, so I did without that ingredient.  My burger is made with organic beef (not required, but it's a good brand), homemade thousand island dressing, boston lettuce, red onions, and applewood-smoked bacon, on a sesame  seed bun.  It wasn't fancy, but it was delicious. I controlled myself and had just one, but Bob eagerly scarfed down two of these bad boys with gusto.  By the way, you can't see any bacon in the photo, because I forgot to put it on.  After I took the picture and began to eat it, I realized it was missing and corrected the problem.   This was a wonderful burger.   

WHB: Grilled Eggplant And Zucchini Sandwiches With "Muffuletta" Mix

This sandwich isn't a muffuletta by any stretch of the imagination.  It was created by Cindy Pawlcyn before she visited New Orleans and tasted the famous Muffuletta sandwiches from the Central Grocery.  I've had muffulettas from New Orleans and they're heady things.  This sandwich is very good, but let there be no mistake--it's not a muffuletta.  But, it's quite tasty and the ingredients can be assembled well in advance, days before you're ready to build the sandwiches.  This is a vegetarian sandwich, but meat and cheese can be added.  It's a great sandwich for traveling or picnics, because it doesn't get soggy or deteriorate if the bread is sturdy.

This week I'm guest hosting Weekend Herb Blogging, which was created by Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen.  If you'd like to take part, please do.  Send your link to me at rdfern[AT]sbcglobal[DOT]net by Sunday 4:00 p.m. (Utah time).  I'll have the Roundup posted after The Sopranos on Sunday.  Please mention my blog in your post (it makes me feel ever so important) and Weekend Herb Blogging.  Go here to check out the rules for WHB, should you have further questions.  Next week, WHB is hosted by Glenna at  A Fridge Full Of Food...But Nothing To Eat. 

Avocado And Melted Swiss On Salsa Bread, The Sandwich I Never Had?

The day before I fell ill, I began  preparations for A Special Sandwich.  The actual assembly of the sandwich took minutes. But, making the bread was another matter.  It was all due to a cookbook Bob bought me for Christmas called Beautiful Breads and Fabulous Fillings by Margaux Sky.  You may remember all the publicity when Oprah deemed her "the best sandwich maker in America".   The cookbook certainly shows why Oprah felt that way. These are not your average sandwiches at all. For one thing, the breads are quite distinctive. I was intrigued with one, called salsa bread, and decided to make it for a sandwich in the book, for New Year's Day. Unfortunately, I was struck down by the demon stomach flu several days before New Year's Day.  While I was unable to eat the sandwich, I was able to construct one for Bob, to eat as he watched the Rose Bowl. The picture above is bad (I toasted the bread too much)--but be kind and remember that I was very sick when I made it.  Bob assured me that it was delicious and made nice appreciative noises as he ate it.    Then I went back to my recliner and fell asleep.

Dishes Of Comfort: Meta Givens Tomato Bread

My mother was only 17 years old when she got married.    Somewhere in that time, she was given a special two volume  cookbook set called Meta Givens Encyclopedia of Modern Cooking.  It was a true cookbook of the 50's, offering advice so basic, the author must have assumed many of her readers couldn't boil water.  Until Julia Child altered my mother's views on food, Meta Givens was the only cookbook in our home.  The recipes were so simple and straightforward, I learned to cook from them at a very young age.  By the time I was nine years old I could make real fudge, basic one-bowl cakes, quick breads, and peanut butter cookies all by myself.  I also learned to make a pumpkin yeast bread when I was slightly older.  Over the years my mother's Meta Givens cookbook disintegrated into a pile of loose pages. However, I was able to track down a used set several years ago. Although most of the recipes seem outdated, it was quite an experience just holding the cookbook while childhood memories rushed back.

I thought of that pumpkin bread yesterday after looking at a gorgeous loaf of bread made by Ivonne at Creampuffs In Venice. She's doing a salute to bread all month and it's dazzling to see her work.  My, she can bake!  She and Orchidea at Viaggi & Sapori are hosting a wonderful event called Dishes Of Comfort and I think my loaf of bread should qualify.  My pumpkin bread recipe is very humble but comforting, a farmhouse type of bread good for making sandwiches and toast.  Unfortunately, after deciding to make it, I suddenly realized I had no pumpkin. It was raining ferociously and I didn't want to drive to the store.  I then noticed that I had just the right amount of very thick marinara sauce and decided to use it in place of the pumpkin.   

WHB: Smoked Ham and Jarlsberg Cheese Sandwiches With Basil Mayonnaise And Tomato And Apricot Chutney

Several months have passed since I cooked anything from my beloved Mustards Grill Cookbook.  Since my taste buds have returned from parts unknown, I decided to celebrate by making a very special sandwich.  It's so special Cindy Pawlcyn, the owner of Mustards Grill, says her husband married her because of it.  He kept coming back to the restaurant to order it--and wound up falling under her spell too.  That's so cute, like a scene in a movie with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.  Clearly, I had to make the sandwich.  Like all the Mustards Grill recipes, it's a layering of different flavors: spicy, sweet, and savory.  The sandwich has pesto mayonnaise, Jarlsburg cheese, smoked ham and a wonderful tomato apricot chutney full of herbs and spices.  One of the spices is cumin which comes from the same family as King Cilantro, herb of the month and winner of the recent WHB Favorite Herb Contest.  But, my spotlight this weekend is on ginger root, one of my favorite cooking ingredients.

This weekend our fearless leader, Kalyn, is taking a breather and allowing me to try my hand at hosting Weekend Herb Blogging.  If you would like to take part in this event, just send me your link by 3:00 P.M. (Utah time) this Sunday, and I'll include you in the Roundup on Monday.  My email address is Rdfern(AT)sbcglobal(DOT)net.  Or send me your link in my comments, if you prefer. Here are the rules for Weekend Herb Blogging.

BLT, Because Time Is Running Out!

There I was in the grocery store yesterday and I suddenly realized that it was the end of July, which meant time was running out.  Running out for what, you ask?  Tomato sandwiches. A chill came over me as I  looked into the future, a future without fresh picked tomatoes.  A future without a BLT!  By coincidence, this realization came to me as I was standing next to the bacon section of the store.  And there was a  package of thick cut, applewood smoked bacon warning me that the season for making a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich wouldn't last forever.  So, even though I had planned on fixing a  soothing curry for my cold, I decided to make BLT's instead.

WOBAT: We Always Have Elvis As Our Guide

Yes, that's the legendary fried peanut butter and banana sandwich that the King, Elvis Presley, consumed in mass quantities. What made me do it?  Well, Glenna over at A fridge full of food and nothing to eat  has a zany blogging event called Weekend Obnoxious But Amazingly Tasty recipes (WOBAT).  Of course, she took the obvious choice for her post, a fried Twinkie.  I e-mailed her and complained that I couldn't think of anything obnoxious but tasty to make, and she said, "Well Sher, we always have Elvis as our guide."  And she's right, of course.  I've never had a fried PB and banana sandwich, but I've always wanted to taste one.  So, here was my chance, and it was very, very good. In fact, I'm surprised the King didn't add bacon to the ingredients. I bet that would make it perfect.

Fourth Of July: Ahi Tuna Burgers

We had a very relaxed holday, no parties or big meal.  Bob is climbing his first mountain tomorrow and he was busy staring at maps, pondering the right energy bars for his meals, and double checking the special equipment he needs to bring.  So, we stayed home and pretty much grazed all day long.  Of course, we ate some tomato sandwiches.  Then, I fired up the Weber and grilled some Ahi tuna for one of my favorite sandwiches.  Whenever we go to Mustards Grill in Napa I usually order this sandwich, because I'm addicted to it.  It's one of their signature items, so I'm not the only person who loves it.   Then I got the Mustards Grill Napa Valley Cookbook and was able to recreate them from their recipe. Now I can order the Mongolian porkchops at Mustards and make these sandwiches at home.  I must say, they tasted a lot better than the picture above looks.  For one thing, the recipe says you should use buns made from brioche dough. Well, I wasn't in the mood to make buns, so I used a mediocre store bought version. Next time, bricoche buns it will be.   

What Could Be Better Than This?

I've tried not to eat many of these, because once I start it's hard to stop.  But, I just harvested some tomatoes from my garden and an overwhelming urge for a tomato sandwich was upon me.   There are few things that can compare to slices of a freshly picked tomato, sweet and juicy, resting between lavish layers of mayonnaise and good bread. 

As you can see, I like mayo.

Ahhh!  I swear that I'll only have one today.