Food For Thought

Over on Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! they celebrate a little something called Sandwich Monday.  Readers/Listeners/Fans send in recommendations for locally infamous* sandwiches that they truly must try and then when they are in the area, they order one, or two ... or three.  Sometimes the sandwiches look tasty (in spite of their ingredients), other times they look as gross as they apparently taste and smell.  It's always worth a good read ... and it's safer on this side of the "table" because I don't experience the indigestion that the staff does!

*Infamous ... not to be confused with "famous".  Look it up.  Made famous here.

I would like to offer you a few sandwiches that are actually safe, tasty, and easy to make.  These are the meals I turn to when dinner sneaks up on me.  :)

Egg Salad Sandwiches
(Everybody's made this before ... but here's my "secret" recipe.)

Ingredients:
Eggs (one for each sandwich)
Mayo
Dijon Mustard
Sour Cream
Seasoning Salt
Pepper
Sandwich bread

To make perfect hardboiled eggs, place the eggs in a pot and pour in enough cold water to cover them.  Heat this on the stove on High until it boils.  Put a lid on the pot and pull the eggs off the burner.  Let them sit for 20 minutes.  It's that easy!

Next, it's time to peel the eggs.  This is potentially one of the most frustrating parts of hard-boiled eggs ... but you can have the shells just slide off.   Here's how:  Pour out the hot water.  Put the lid on the pot and give the eggs a good, hard shake to crack the shells.  Run cold water from the sink over the eggs and let them sit until cool enough to handle.  The cold water will run under the shells and they will slip right off.  (Not 100% guaranteed ... maybe more like 98%.)

I use my cheese grater to grate the eggs into a bowl.  This makes the eggs a smooth consistency.  Add a dollop of mayo and sour cream and about 1 tablespoon of mustard.  Mix it well.  Add a dash of salt and pepper and give it a taste.

This is a traditional picnic lunch item for the Fourth of July ... and Cheetos.

On wheat bread.

As a salad with toasted pita.

French Dip Sandwiches

(This is one I made up as I went along.)

Ingredients:
Hoagies
Roast Beef (from the deli)
Beef Broth
Garlic cloves (3-4)
Horseradish or Mustard

Pour the broth into a small pot to heat through.  I added 4 cloves of garlic, sliced.  Put a lid on this and keep it hot until ready to serve.  Next I toasted the hoagies.  A lot.  I don't recommend toasting them quite so much. :)  Fortunately, a few brisk scrapes with a butter knife over the sink was all it took to get them edible again.  I learned this technique from mom ... who learned it from her mom ... a legacy of bread redemption! :)

Before ... inedible.

After ... edible.

Spread one side of the bread with the mustard or horseradish and then pile on the meat.  We served this with the au jus in an individual bowl and fiery green beans on the side.  Yum!

Sandwich dipping goodness!

Philly-Like Sandwiches

(Probably not like the "real thing" ... but still a tasty creation.)

Ingredients:

Pepper, sliced

Onion, sliced

Butter

Salt, Ground Red Pepper, Cumin

Deli meat (roast beef, pastrami, turkey ... whatever you like)

Bread Rolls

Mustard

Sliced cheese (I used cheddar)

First you will need to sauté the peppers and onions in a little butter until they are soft.  Add the garlic and other seasonings and cook, cook, cook.  While that is cooking, I sliced the meat into 1/2 inch strips ... it's easier to eat, that way.

Fresh

Ready

Meanwhile, cut bread rolls and lay them out on a cookie sheet.  Broil them until they are lightly golden.  I spread each side with a little mustard before layering the meat, cheese and peppers.  Pop this back in the broiler until the cheese is melted.

I was more generous with the adult sandwiches
... no use wasting delicious peppers!

Perfect with tortilla chips or steak fries.

I hope you will enjoy having a few simple meals in your recipe box ... we all need a dinner we can pull out of the pantry!