Turkey Cubano

Can I get a "holla" for the Blue Express on Duke's campus?

For those of you who cannot understand the words coming out of my mouth (or should I say the words I have typed on your screen), you are missing out. Well, kinda. Campus food can be hit or miss, right? Connected to the building where I spent many of my waking hours during grad school hidden in a basement lab was the Blue Express, one the campus's dining establishments. Every day of the week (and every week was the same) they had a sandwich special. My first year I liked the Wednesday schwarma. Then I learned to enjoy the Thursday gyro or the Tuesday portabello on pita. But the sandwich that defined the end of my graduate career was definitely the Friday cubano. Grilled to perfection and seasoned with dill pickles, mustard and mayo, the ham and pork sammy was the goodness of Friday lunch. I was typically (and still am) a "bring your lunch to work" gal, but when I didn't have a lunch for Friday this was certainly the go-to.

Anywho... this recipe is the Blue Express cubano re-purposed in IL and with ingredients I found in my fridge last week... I used left over turkey from Thanksgiving in place of the pork, went for shredded swiss, and a wheat baguette from my freezer.

Really it's the combo of the mustard and pickle that just makes the sandwich for me.

No, Julie, you should not eat a dill pickle dunked in mustard; that would be bad.

Turkey Cubano
Ingredients:
2-3 slices leftover roasted turkey
2 slices deli ham
1 thinly sliced pickle
1 tsp deli mustard
1 oz swiss cheese (shredded or sliced)
6 inch baguette (I used my homemade wheat baguette), sliced in half

Directions:
Preheat oven, or toaster oven, to 400 F.

Spread the mustard on one side of the baguette. Top with the pickle, turkey, ham and cheese. Wrap with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Heat a large skillet (or panini press) to hot. Unwrap the sandwich and add to the hot pan. Press down with another large pan (or the top of the press) and cook for 2-3 minutes. Cut in half before serving.

Bacon Guac Grilled Cheese

Travel is exhausting.

I went to NC for Scott's bday (Happy last year in your twenties, old man!) this weekend. I was supposed to be back on Sunday at 8:30 pm. I got back today (Monday) at 2:45 pm.

I had to come into work to get a few things accomplished since I was not planning on another vacation day and I had things to do. Now I'm sleepy and planning something quick and easy for dinner. I wish I had half of an avocado, some bacon, salsa and cheese in my apartment; I would totally make this sandwich again. It is gooey, flavorful and so tasty.

Instead I'll just stare at the picture on my computer screen, drool over my keyboard and lust for my taste buds to eat this again one day soon.

Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese
Ingredients:
1/2 avocado
2-3 tbsp salsa (homemade or store bought)
4 slices roma tomato
handful shredded colby jack cheese
2 slices bacon
2 slices your favorite sandwich bread
1/2 tbsp spreadable butter

Directions:
Cook the bacon in your microwave to your desired crispness. For me it takes about 3 minutes total, turning over after the first 2.

In a small bowl, mash the avocado with a fork. Stir in the salsa. **This is essentially a quick and easy guac. Feel free to substitute if you have another homemade guac.

Spread 1/4 tbsp butter on one side of each piece of bread. Spread the guacamole on the opposite side of one piece of bread. Top with the tomato slices, shredded cheese and bacon pieces. Top with the other piece of bread.

Heat a non-stick pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Place the sandwich butter side down on the hot pan. Cook for about 2 minutes until the bottom is browned. Carefully flip over and brown the other side, about 2-3 minutes, until browned and the cheese is melted.

Sandwich Week- Day Five- Italian Eggplant Grilled Cheese

In college, one of the most exciting days at our dining hall was grilled cheese and tomato soup lunch day. There's something about a hot, overly buttery, thickly sliced white bread sandwich filled gooey processed American cheese. A perfect compliment for piping hot tomato soup.

I make a lot of grilled cheeses at my house (no, I do not have any children). American cheese to go along with tomato soup. Pimento cheese BLTs. Roasted beets with pepper jack. And so many more. It's just something about that hot cheese goo-ing out during each bite. You can probably make just about anything into a grilled cheese.

Like earlier this week when I made this Italian Eggplant Grilled Cheese: eggplant, spinach, tomato and mozzarella cheese. Please forgive (or enjoy, depending on your taste) this eggplant kick I've been on lately. I can't help it when a beautiful eggplant is only a dollar at the farmer's market! If you wanted to adapt this sandwich for your meat-loving, eggplant-hating friends, just substitute in some Italian meat like prosciutto or pancetta or salami. Or I certainly won't judge you if you go for both eggplant and Italian meat ;)

Italian Eggplant Grilled Cheese
Ingredients:
2 pieces of sandwich bread (I used whole wheat)
3 slices of eggplant about 1/4 in thickness
3-4 thin slices of tomato
small handful of fresh spinach leaves
fresh mozzarella cheese slice

Directions:
Preheat a George Forman grill or grill pan.

Grill the eggplant slices until cooked, about 3-4 minutes (flip over halfway if using a grill pan).

Assemble the sandwich by arranging the cheese on one of the pieces of bread, layering with spinach, tomato and the grilled eggplant. Top with the other piece of bread. Grill the sandwich until the cheese is melted, approximately 3-4 minutes (flipping over halfway if using a grill pan).

Sandwich Week- Day One- Roasted Beet Grilled Cheese

Okay, I'm doing it. I'm doing a theme week on this here blog.


Sandwiches, sammies, clubs, grinders, heroes, hoagies, layered stuff between two pieces of something. Whatever you call them, everyone enjoys a sandwich. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert. Any meal can include a sandwich.

I like them because they are quick and easy. Plus they're an excuse to eat with your hands (I've never been a fancy lady). :) I don't think I enjoy them as much as the "Sandwich King", winner of the Next Food Network Star 2011, but I share his belief that they can be a meal any time of day.

So join me this week as I venture into the world of sandwiches!



To start out day 1, I'm bringing you a roasted beet grilled cheese. Remember when I told you that I have recently fallen in love with beets? Well, if you are going to turn on the oven to roast some beets, you might as well do a couple extra. They are perfect diced up into a salad or to step up a grilled cheese sandwich. This was delicious! I used some pepper jack cheese that I had in the fridge, but I would totally suggest mozzarella or gouda or havarti, all of which would be creamy and perfect.

This is a grown-up grilled cheese. Try it out!

Roasted Beet Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

1 medium beet, roasted and cut into 1/4 in slices

1 oz pepper jack cheese (or desired cheese)

1 whole wheat ciabatta roll

1 tbsp butter

Directions:

Slice off the top and bottom of the ciabatta roll so you have a flat surface (eat the thin slices you take off or save to make croutons or breadcrumbs). Cut the roll in half. Spread 1/2 tbsp of butter on the outsides of both pieces of bread.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add one piece of bread, butter-side down to the pan. Layer on your cheese and beets. Top with the other piece of bread, butter-side up. Cook until the bottom of the bread is browned and the cheese is starting to melt, approximately 2-3 minutes. Flip over and brown the other side, approximately 2-3 minutes again.

Remove from the heat, cut, and demolish. (or at least that's what I did). 

Bacon, Fried Green Tomato and Pimento Cheese Sammy

During my first year of grad school, our go-to bar was this great place, Tyler's Taproom. It has pool, a few televisions, foosball, and best of all, A LOT of beer choices. There is a wall (actually two) that is full of taps as well as lots of assorted bottles. They have lots of seasonal and unique flavor profiles. Unfortunately, the food at Tyler's was only okay; they had a few good burgers, but it really wasn't even that good. After awhile, we stopped frequenting Tyler's and would only go for birthday or defense celebrations. Imagine my surprise when in my last year of grad school, I discovered that they had revamped their menu significantly. They added a number of new and interesting sandwiches and entrees. One of them representing the south in every bite- a pimento cheese and fried green tomato BLT. This weekend I set out to curb my craving for this sandwich (unfortunately I couldn't make the trip to Durham), by recreating it in my kitchen. 

In my opinion, a great sandwich should be gooey, messy and above all, delicious. This will not disappoint. Let me introduce you to the players for our sandwich today:

The bread is the vehicle for all the goodness. This seeded sourdough bread I got from a local bakery was perfect as the base. Next, you need crispy bacon- none of that flimsy, greasy stuff (what do you think this is? an all-night diner?). And, of course, the stars of the show, the pimento cheese and the fried green tomatoes. 

I'm going to assume you know how to pick up some bread from the store (or make it yourself) and microwave/bake yourself some super crunchy bacon. I'll focus here on the recipes for the pimento cheese and the FGT. 

I lightened the pimento cheese by subbing Greek yogurt for some of the mayo. It is so yummy that I won't judge you if you eat it on top of some celery or mini bell peppers (side note: I'm obsessed with those mini bell peppers right now. Perfect for salads or perfectly snackable!).

The FGT are really baked green tomatoes, but that just sounds silly. The green tomatoes are sour and complement the cheese and bacon perfectly. The crust was crunchy and not too heavy. I ate one by itself and I think I would have preferred to dunk it in some ranch. I think these work great for a sammy but I'm not sure I would recommend eating them without additional flavoring. You could certainly step up the breading with some chili powder or cumin or even some shredded parm if you wanted to play around with FGT in order to eat them plain.

On to the good stuff. Doesn't that just look AMAZING?!?! 

If you're going all out Tyler's style, serve them alongside some good and garlicky french fries as I did. And don't plan on kissing anyone right after dinner. ;)


Pimento Cheese (adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine July 2012)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tbsp diced onion
1 1/2 tbsp light mayo
1 1/2 tbsp Greek yogurt
2 tbsp chopped pimentos
1 tsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp paprika

Directions:
Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined completely. Chill until ready to serve.


Baked "Fried" Green Tomatoes (adapted from A Veggie Adventure)
Ingredients:
1/8 cup wheat flour
1/8 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large green tomato, core removed and cut into 1/3 slices

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Place a baking sheet in the oven as it is heating to get it hot.

Stir together the flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, sugar and paprika in a shallow bowl. Add the buttermilk to a different shallow bowl.

Remove the baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Working quickly, dip each tomato slice into the buttermilk and then into the breading, shaking off excess. Arrange on baking sheet.

Bake for 30 min, flipping once at the halfway point.


Bacon, FGT, and Pimento Grilled Cheese (Inspired by Tyler's Taproom)
Ingredients:
1/3 cup pimento cheese (see above)
2 slices FGT (see above)
2 slices of good quality sourdough (or other bread of choice)
3 slices of crispy cooked bacon
~1/2 tbsp butter or margarine

Directions:
Heat a frying pan on medium heat.

Spread approximately 1/4 tbsp of butter on one side of each piece of bread. On the opposite side of one piece of bread, spread the pimento cheese. Stack on the FGT and then the bacon. Top with the other piece of bread, butter side out.

Add the sandwich to the heated pan, butter side down (put the slice with the pimento cheese on it as the bottom piece), cover sandwich with a lid, and cook until browned, approximately 2 min. Carefully flip over and cook the other side until browned, approximately 2 min.

Remove from the heat and consume! :)