S.L.T

Just like the B.L.T., this sandwich is simple and easy. A sausage, lettuce and tomato sandwich. I didn't have any bacon on hand, so I used the next best thing. I still had that Hickory Farm's sausage. Well, actually a nub of it. But the nub still seemed big. Then I remember that I had opened a can of vienna sausages the other day. I was planning to use if for something, but I never did end up making whatever I had planned. I can't even remember why I wanted to use it in the first place.

I grew up with vienna sausages as with spam. My mom sometimes puts it in her spaghetti sauce rather than hot dog as many Filipinos households do. That's our version of doing meatballs. For some odd reason, as I began to slice the sausages in half, I found myself just chopping them to bits. I don't know why I did that, but I just did. It still worked out in the end. I just found it completely random act on my part. Don't worry didn't chop the tomato or lettuce. I used some dijon mustard for the base on the bread for give the sandwich a little twang and topped it with some swiss cheese. I put in the broiler for 1-2 min to let the cheese melt.

Anyway...a delicious and a quick meal. Only takes minutes to make. Perfect for those busy days. Sometimes canned meats don't have to be scary.

Serves 2.




S.L.T (Sausage, Lettuce, Tomato)

2 sandwich Loaves (sliced open)
1 small can vienna sausage (chopped or sliced into halves)
2 small tomato (sliced)
a few pieces of romaine lettuce.
mustard
2 sandwich slices of swiss cheese (halved)

Cook the vienna sausage in the skillet. Do not use any oil as the sausage will cook in its own fats. You just want to heat it up until they start to brown.

Putting it together:
Spread some of the mustard on both sides of the bread. Top the bottom with lettuce and tomato, the with some of the sausage. Take two pieces of the halved cheese and place the top half of the bread.

You may melt the cheese in the broiler for 2 min or leave it as it is.

Serve as a warm or cold sandwich.

Sausage Pizza Sticks

Every year, I receive one of those Hickory Farms gift boxes from a relative or close family friend. I never know what to do with the sausage and cheese in them. I just end up eating the strawberry candies and the using the little jar of hot mustard. I figured I could use them for breakfast with eggs or in a sandwich. Those sausage sticks are large. 6 to 8 inches long with a width of nearly a baseball bat. It was the Original Beef Summer Sausage, if anyone is interested.

Then I saw a a Pizza Hut commercial that showed this pizza twisty things. That would be fun to do. I didn't have pizza dough as I was feeling lazy to go out to the market or make some myself, but I did have a one puff pastry left from when I made those Cheesy Bell Pepper Swirls last week. I had a can of fire-roasted tomato in the pantry, so I used that instead of making a sauce and some shredded parmesan cheese. It sort of reminded me of the chicken bake from Costco but thinner. Ooo...I think I'll try to make that next.

I had used about 1/4 of the sausage for this, which is roughly 1 cup when chopped. So there will be few more sausage recipes coming soon. You can use your choice of sausage. It's not greasy so it can be easily held like a sandwich. Lightly coated the top crust with some olive oil, then sprinkled garlic powder and parmesan to give it a nice crisp crunch when baked.

You can switch out the sausage for your favorite pizza topping(s). This will make 3 pizza twists.



Sausage Pizza Sticks
1 puff pastry sheet
1 c sausage - chopped - your choice
1/2 c tomato (chopped and deseeded)
1/2 c shredded parmesan cheese (plus extra for the crust)
garlic powder
olive oil

Preheat your oven 400˚F.

Divide the pastry puff into three equal rectangular strips on a lightly floured flat surface.

Sprinkle the parmesan cheese down the center of each pastry. Top with the fire-roasted tomatoes, minus the liquid. The the sausage.

Roll the pastry puff tightly into a twist, starting from one corner. If not rolled tightly, the tomato juice will seep out causing the pastry to get mushy.

Lightly brush some olive oil on the crust and liberally sprinkle some garlic powder and the some extra parmesan.

Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 20min.

Egg White Omelette

When I made my German Chocolate Mini Cakes a few days ago, I was left with a couple of egg whites that were not needed for the recipe. I didn't want to throw them away as they were still good. I put them in the fridge until I could figure out what I could make with them.

Fast forward a few days later, I'm trying to decide what to cook for dinner. I remember the egg whites in the fridge. Take out the remaining green onions, some grape tomatoes from the vegetable compartment and some shredded parmesan cheese. A simple fast delicious and healthy dinner in just minutes. I love it when the edge forms a tiny crisp crust. Yum! This is perfect for those of you who are watching your carb intake, too.

I had this with a couple warm wheat mini pan de sal.



Egg White Omelette
2 Egg White
2 green onions (chopped, including stems)
1/2 c grape tomatoes (halved)
1/3 c shredded parmesan cheese
Olive oil
Salt

Season the egg white with a pinch of salt.

Coat the bottom of a pan with oil and heat on a medium to low flame.

Pour in the egg white. Sprinkle half of the parmesan cheese, then the green onions. Place the tomatoes around, then sprinkle the rest of the cheese.

Let it cook for 3-5 min. When you see it begin to puff up and the cheese melting then it's ready. Remove from heat.

Serve with some bread or whatever you feel like serving it with.

Post #100: White Choco Brownies

Yay!!! I've reached a milestone in this little bloggy of mine since starting it back in March. I've reached 100 posts. Woohoo... I'm actually surprised by the recipes I've posted thus far. And so many, too. Some of you readers may know of my love for chocolate when I've commented on some of your blogs. But I have yet make a chocolate concoction on this site. Never fear! I've finally made a chocolate dessert/snack recipe. What better way to start then with the classic brownie. A white chocolate brownie with peanut butter chips and pecans to be exact. Have I got your attention now?

Btw...I had my first taste of bacon chocolate a couple days ago. Holy cow was it good!!! A wonderful blend of salty and sweet. I must get me more!

Anyway...we're all used to seeing the cocoa version of the brownie. Not too often does white chocolate play a role. We got to give it some star appearances once in a while. I mean it is good stuff.

Don't mind my hack job of a square cut on those brownies seen in the pictures. I could never wait for them to fully cool down. To eager? Yes, but they were begging to be sliced. Really, they were. They were moist and chewy with the slight flaky top crust. Goes perfect with a tall cold glass of moo juice. Better yet, how about a couple mini scoops of oreo sundae ice cream from Baskin and Robbins? When I say mini, I mean mini. Golf ball sized scoops. That's why you see three on the dish slightly melting next to the warm brownie. When that happens, you're in for a fun and delicious time.



White Chocolate Brownies with Peanut Butter chips and Pecans

1 c white chocolate chips (plus extra)
1 c granulated sugar
1/2 c unsalted butter or margarine (softened)
2 eggs
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 c cake flour or all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 c peanut butter chips
1 c pecan pieces (plus extra)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c water

Preheat oven to 350˚F

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt. Set aside.

Melt the white chocolate white chocolate chips in a bowl with the water. Heat in the mircowave for 1 1/2 - 2 min or until melted. Stir the mixture after the first minute to combine. Or use the double boiler method. Bring some water to a boil in a small pot. Once the water is boiling bring it down to a simmer. Place the chocolate and water in a metal bowl and place on top of the pot. Stir chocolate ocassionally to combine until melted.

In another bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Then add in the eggs, mixing after each one. Add in vanilla, then the melted white chocolate. Combine well then slowly add the flour mixture. Mix well until there are no lumps.

Add in the peanuts butter chips and pecan pieces.

Lightly grease prefered baking pan and pour in the batter. Sprinkle a little more white chocolate chips and pecan pieces on top.

Baked for 25 min. Let it cool for at least 5-10min then cut into squares.

Enjoy with a cold glass of moo juice or ice cream.

Grilled meat, potatoes and shrooms

First, a little reminder about the BSI challenge with this week's ingredient of choice Bell Pepper. You've got until Sunday night to enter. (here)

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Ever since I brought out my George Foreman grill from obscurity, I've been itching to grill more and more. With summer just around the corner, I'm trying to find any excuse to take it out.

So, meat and potatoes with little shrooms. Can't beat that combination. A good ol' fashioned steak. Well, a couple of filet mignon cuts for me. It was the only cut of meat that screamed out to me when I was in the market. I'm no meat aficionado, I'm used to a few cuts like tri-tip, rib-eye, and prime rib, just to name a few. What part of the cow they come from, don't ask me. I'd probably give you the wrong answer. Anyway, I haven't grilled in a LONG time, so I'm slowly, but surely, getting my footing again.

I usually like my steaks medium or medium-well. Depending if I'm eating out. On this day, I went for medium. A simple seasoning of only salt and pepper on the filet mignon before grilling as I made a dijon sauce to go with this. I don't want to over power the meat with too many flavors by marinating it or putting a rub. Spoon some of the sauce over it or on the side. Tastes great with the juices of the meat. It gives it a nice little twang.

This will serve 2.



Filet Mignon with Grilled Herbs Potatoes and Baby Portobellos With a Dijon Sauce

2 1" thick cuts Filet Mignon
12 Baby portobello mushrooms
6 Baby yellow potatoes (quartered)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Dry Basil
1 Tbsp Dry Oregano
Salt
Pepper

Preheat your grill.

Toss the quartered potatoes and baby portabellos in a long drizzle of olive oil, dry basil and dry oregano. Season with a little salt and pepper.

When your grill is hot, place the potatoes and the mushrooms.

Grill the mushrooms roughly 3-5 minutes per side.

There are two way to grill sliced potatoes that I know of:
1. place them directly on the grill for 20 min. 10 min per side.
2. parboil them first. Cuts the time in half. Make sure you drain them well before adding any
seasonings. Cook for 5-10 min per side.

If you've got room on the grill, start your filet mignon.

For outdoor grills, Sear them first for 3-4 minutes on both sides on direct heat with lid closed, if you're using an outdoor grill. Then cook for another 2-4 minutes on indirect heat until done to your liking (2-4 min for medium)

If using an indoor grill, roughly 5-10 min per side depending on your preference.

Remove the filet mignon and let the meat rest at least 5 min. This goes for any meat that you cook. It will redistribute the juices inside.

Serve with some of the grilled mushrooms and potatoes. And spoon over some Dijon Sauce.


Dijon Sauce
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp dry thyme
1 Large garlic clove (minced)
pepper

Combine all ingredients together. Stir until brown sugar has fully dissolved. Season with a little pepper.

Shrimparagus Garlic Mac'n'Cheese

Comfort food with a twang. That's what I like. Mac and cheese would be the ultimate comfort food in my book. It doesn't get any more of a classic than that. And what a better time to make some than on Memorial Day weekend. I like my mac and cheese very cheesy, but I hate it when the cheese is too runny. Creamy, I'll take. But runny...? I made just the right amount to cheese sauce to coat each piece of pasta, shrimp and asparagus that still had a nice little stretch when you pull a piece with a fork.

For the pasta, I used Barilla's Whole Grain Rotini. I also used evaporated milk rather than heavy cream for the cheese sauce and added a some tobasco to give it a itty-bitty kick. Cutting out some calories while having a good and tasty meal is always good.

This could serve 3-5.




Shrimpargus Garlic Mac'n'Cheese

1 lb shrimp (deveined and shelled)
1 box Barilla Whole Grain Rotini pasta
1 bundle thin asparagus
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Bring a stock pot, filled with water, to a boil. When the water is bubbling like crazy, season liberally with salt and add in the pasta. Cook for about 10-12 min. Stir a couple of times to keep the pasta from sticking to the pot. Drain before adding it to a 13 x 9 baking pan.

Rinse the asparagus and cut off 1" from the bottom tip. Then slice the remaining sticks in the length of a toothpick.

Heat some olive oil in a pan and saute the asparagus for roughly 5 min or until tender. Season with some salt and pepper. Remove from heat and mix with the pasta.

In the same pan, heat a little more olive oil and saute the shrimp until pink and opaque. Roughly 3-5 min. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. It will get a nice red tint. When shrimp is ready add into the pasta and asparagus including the juice in the pan.


Cheese Sauce:
1 12oz can evaporated milk
1 1/2 c Shredded mild cheddar (plus extra for topping)
1 1/2 c shredded parmesan (plus extra for topping)
1-2 tsp tobasco
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour


In a small sauce pan, melt the butter, then add in the flour on medium to low heat. Stir. Add the evaporated milk. Stir to combine until milk looks thick and flour pieces have dissolved. Add in both cheeses and stir to combine. Add in the garlic and tobasco. Stir well until cheeses are completely melted.

Note: You can adjust how much garlic and tobasco you want put in


Putting it all together: Preheat your broiler. Spread the cheese sauce over the pasta mixture and mix the whole concoction together, coating every nook and cranny. Sprinkle extra cheddar and parmesan over the top. Place in the broiler for 3 min or until the cheese is melted.

Baked Inside-Out Chicken Sliders

One of the wonderful things when a special holiday comes up is that you get to cook as much as you want. I planned a 5 course Easter feast. Well, it's actually 4, but there were 5 dishes all together. Two of them were desserts.



Course #1 - Pre-Appetizer


Baked Inside-Out Chicken Sliders

4 chicken tenders or 12oz ground chicken
1 Tbsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Dry Basil
cheese slices divided into 4 smaller squares.
Sourdough mini rolls (sliced) or mini burger buns
pieces of butter lettuce
condiments (optional) - I used my special sandwich spread
Salt and pepper to season

Preheat oven 350˚F

Grind chicken tenders in a food processor.

Mix in paprika and basil into ground chicken. Add in a pinch of salt and pepper to season and divide into 4 palm-sized patty rounds. Take one round and place two square pieces of cheese in the center. Top with another patty round and seal the edges well to trap in the cheese.

note: ground chicken isn't as firm as beef, so it may stick to your fingers.

Place on a greased baking sheet. Use a little olive oil or cooking spray.

Bake for 15-20min on the middle rack. You'll hear it sizzle in the oven like it's on a grill.

5 min before removing the chicken, toast the buns in the oven over a piece of foil. Remove bread and chicken. Spread on mayo or any condiment you'd like along with the lettuce pieces and enjoy. This makes two sliders.

Mac & Cheese

Delish, originally uploaded by dickiesandchucks.

Here's another fabulous photo my friend took recently. He had made two kinds of mac and cheese. Chorizo and Manchego & Roasted Garlic and White Cheddar mac and cheese.

I think it is probably one of the ultimate comfort foods anyone can think of. Am I right? Plus, there's a sense of nostalgia that comes with it, I think. I prefer mine a bit creamy with extra cheese on top making a nice blanket of the goodies underneath. I love it when you pick up a bite and there's that little string being pulled as you insert the fork into your mouth. Brings back childhood memories.

How do you like your mac and cheese? Do you prefer it to be with extra cheese? Seasoned? Creamy? A mix of cheeses? There's so many ways to make this one classic comfort food. You'll never get bored with just one.