Breads, Brioche, Closed sandwiches, Food, Goat cheese, Lettuce, Mixed greens, Pesto mayonnaise, Portobello mushroom, Reviews, Sandwiches, Vegetables

Review: Smokehouse Restaurant Grilled Portobello Sandwich with Goat Cheese, Pear, Organic Baby Greens, Roasted Red Pepper, Pesto Mayo on a Brioche Bun

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This past weekemd was rather hectic. For the past few weeks I have been frantically preparing for a licensing examination that required me to unearth knowledge I had lost eons ago – a plethora of arcane engineering knowledge that had gone the way of so many things not used – nearly lost forever. Well having sat through two days of grueling examinations I am much relieved to reclaim my ‘normal’ life, a large factor of which is… cooking or at least thinking of cooking. Still all the household chores left undone were crying out for attention and then I came down with a ghastly cold. We made a trip to Temecula which, as all excursions these days, included a meal with sandwiches. Since this is not our recipe, we can’t speak much about the preparation.

Review: Smokehouse Restaurant Grilled Portobello Mushroom Sandwich with Goat Cheese, Pear, Organic Baby Greens, Roasted Red Pepper, Pesto Mayo on a Brioche Bun
Review: Smokehouse Restaurant Grilled Portobello Mushroom Sandwich with Goat Cheese, Pear, Organic Baby Greens, Roasted Red Pepper, Pesto Mayo on a Brioche Bun

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Baguette, Black bean chili sauce, Breads, Cheeses, Closed sandwiches, Food, Meats, Olive tapenade, Onion, Salami, Sandwiches, Smears, Stored danish smelly cheese, Vegetables

Salami and Cheese Sandwich with Black Bean Chili Sauce, Onion Rings, Olive Tapenade and Tarragon Mustard

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The story of this sandwich is as much a tale of the bread as it is the sandwich. Although we are somewhat ‘accomplished novices’ in making sourdough breads, this was our  first attempt at making a baguette. This deceptively simple bread was anything but. Several things went wrong: after the final rise the baguettes looked amazing, big and puffy and we were congratulating ourselves on being such good students of Peter Reinhart.   However, we had not done the final proofing on the baking sheet and, in transferring them, ended up loosing about 30 percent of their size.  As a result, they are very solid inside, and not soft and airy like real baguettes. We also managed to somehow get the crust too crunchy.  It should be mentioned that our oven is terribly old and very unreliable, which turns all our baking into exercises in patience and surprises. The taste was decent however, and although not the stuff of  Boulangerie Pierre & Patisserie legend, the baguettes performed creditably in a number of sandwiches, such as this one with  salami and cheese.

Salami and Cheese Sandwich with Black Bean Chili Sauce, Olive Tapenade and Tarragon Mustard
Salami and Cheese Sandwich with Black Bean Chili Sauce, Olive Tapenade and Tarragon Mustard

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Breads, Cheeses, Food, Nine grain and seed, Parmesan, Rustic white bread, Sandwiches, Soft white bread, Sourdough

Grilled Eggplant and Tomato Stacked Sandwich with Roasted Tomato Pesto

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If you are a regular reader of this fledgling blog (Hey who am I kidding here? I don’t even think my dearly loved sister is herself a regular reader.  But I can dream, can’t I?), you will note that the sandwiches here have a strong carnivore bent and as one kind reader was astute enough to note, had a bit of a “Dagwood” style.  For that I blame Anders as he eats way more sandwiches than I do and so it stands to reason that this blog is populated with his preferred dinner choices.  This next one is born of a weekend’s inspiration and my winning the battle in Kitchen Central!   I love eggplants, even if they seem to hate the soil in my garden – which must be the reason why although I can get squash and tomatoes to grow in profusion, healthy growing eggplants continue to elude me.

Lucky for me we live close to a well-stocked Middle-Eastern supermarket which never seems to run out of eggplants. Thanks to them I was able to make this tomato eggplant marriage come to life.  (P.S. The tomatoes are from our garden).  An advanced warning; this recipe is not one you slap together in 10 minutes. It takes a little thought and might be best accomplished over a lazy weekend day. I have been known to do this in the middle of the week but it does take a wee bit of planning.

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Stack Sandwich with Parmesan
Grilled Eggplant and Tomato Stack Sandwich Roasted Tomato Pesto

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Appetizer, Bell Pepper, Breads, Cheeses, Cracker, Food, Fruits, Yogurt Cheese

Homemade Yogurt Cheese on Cracker with Red Bell Pepper (Appetizer)

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After a week of large, fun, great sandwiches, we thought it was time to scale back to something simple. This is a cracker, with homemade yogurt cheese, and sliced red bell pepper. It doesn’t get much simpler when it comes to food than this, plus this is a great appetizer for parties or get-togethers’. If you are making the yogurt cheese yourself, then remember to start the day before.

Homemade Cream Cheese Cracker Appetizer with Red Bell Pepper
Homemade Yogurt Cheese on Cracker with Red Bell Pepper (Appetizer)

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Asian Pear, Bagel, Bell Pepper, Breads, Cheeses, Chicken, Chicken Broth, Closed sandwiches, Food, Fruits, Ingredients, Meats, Mozzarella, Onion, Sandwiches, Tomato, Vegetables

The Ultimate Chicken Bagel Sandwich with Mozzarella, Sliced Pear, Grilled Yellow Bell Pepper, Onion Rings, Tomato and Caesar Dressing

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Few leftovers are as versatile as chicken – the possibilities are (nearly)endless, and if the chicken is at least moderately good, with the right toppings and other accompaniments, you can have as splendid enviable meal in less than 10 minutes.  After a long day at work, what’s not to love?  Don’t get us wrong, this sandwich is even better if you cook a chicken just for this purpose and make the sandwich the same day, but seriously, who does that? Why a bagel you might ask? Well bagels make for pretty darn good sandwiches. That and the fact that since we buy our bagels at Costco,, we are forced to find innovative ways to use them before they develop freezer burn:-).  They defrost in 30 seconds in a microwave. Cut them while still very cold (but not frozen), and proceed directly to the sandwich making. The result, like here, is a perfectly toasted bagel that is neither to hard or soft, but just perfect after toasting.

The Ultimate Chicken Leftover Bagel Sandwich with Mozzarella, Sliced Pear, Grilled Yellow Bell Pepper, Onion Rings, Tomato and Caesar Dressing
The Ultimate Chicken Leftover Bagel Sandwich with Mozzarella, Sliced Pear, Grilled Yellow Bell Pepper, Onion Rings, Tomato and Caesar Dressing

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Basil, Breads, Cheeses, Closed sandwiches, Dressings, Food, Herbs, Kafta Patty, Lettuce, Meats, Mozzarella, Paprika, Paprika yogurt dressing, Roasted garlic, Sandwiches, Sourdough, Spices, Tomato, Vegetables, Yogurt

Cheese Kafta Burger with Grape Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic, Olive Oil, Thai Basil, Grape Tomatoes and Spicy Light Yogurt Dressing

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A Kafta (or Kofta or kūfta, is Persian in origin. کوفتن (Kuftan) means “to beat” or “to grind”, according to WikiPedia. One could say that a Kafta patty is like a spicy meatball. In any case, it’s delicious, and since we recently made some, a wonderful Kafta Burger (ok, maybe more of a sandwich, given the bread) is in order. We made our own version of the traditional yogurt dressing, because we can. We love this Middle Eastern food so in the future expect to see more recipes like this. We think Middle Eastern food should be a food group!

Cheese Kafta Burger with Grape Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic, Olive Oil, Thai Basil, Grape Tomatoes and Spicy Light Yogurt Dressing
Cheese Kafta Burger with Grape Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic, Olive Oil, Thai Basil, Grape Tomatoes and Spicy Light Yogurt Dressing

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Asian Pear, Bagel, Bell Pepper, Breads, Cheeses, Fish, Food, Fruits, Garlic, Onion, Open Faced Sandwiches, Prima Donna, Roasted garlic, Salmon, Sandwiches, Smears, Squash, Toppings, Vegetables

The Ultimate Seared Salmon Sandwich on a Sesame Bagel with Roasted Garlic, Roasted Vegetables, Shredded Primadonna Cheese and Pear

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We eat a lot of salmon in our house; smoked salmon, grilled salmon, and last night seared salmon. So we had to try and see if we could turn some of the leftovers into a delicious second-day sandwich (It’s what we do after all). In this case, we have a piece of seared salmon with black sesame seeds, fennel seeds, and spices. Since salmon is ‘light’, we decided to add a few grilled vegetables, a bit of cheese, and some thinly sliced pear. Of course, we used roasted garlic as a smear. This combination does hide the salmon taste a bit, but it brings out all the lovely nuances of the grilled veggies, and we were very pleased with the final outcome. Judge for yourself, try it, and let us know what you think in the comment section.

The Ultimate Seared Salmon Sandwich on a Sesame Bagel with Roasted Garlic, Roasted Vegetables, Shredded Primadonna Cheese and Pear
The Ultimate Seared Salmon Sandwich on a Sesame Bagel with Roasted Garlic, Roasted Vegetables, Shredded Primadonna Cheese and Pear

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Breads, Closed sandwiches, Food, Lettuce, Reviews, Sandwiches, Softshell Crab, Tomato

Review: Seared Chipotle Tuna and Soft Shell Crab Sandwiches at Blue Water Seafood Market & Grill in San Diego

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For Anders’ birthday, we went to lunch at the Blue Water Seafood Market & Grill in San Diego. It was our first time here, so we decided to start with some of the most expensive sandwiches on the menu. The Seared Ahi Tuna with Chipotle seasoning on a toasted sandwich, and the soft shell crap sandwich with lemon butter seasoning. Both were “served on soft boleo roll with lettuce, tomato, red onion and tartar. Toasted upon request.” We also opted in for the optional Avocado. While we did ask for them to be toasted that never happened but we decided to dig in anyway. No reason to send back perfectly good sandwiches after all.

Soft Crab Sandwich served on soft boleo roll with lettuce, tomato, red onion and tartar.
Soft Crab Sandwich served on soft boleo roll with lettuce, tomato, red onion and tartar.
Seared Ahi Tuna Sandwich with Chipotle Seasoning served on soft boleo roll with lettuce, tomato, red onion and tartar.
Seared Ahi Tuna Sandwich with Chipotle Seasoning served on soft boleo roll with lettuce, tomato, red onion and tartar.

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Bell Pepper, Breads, Cheeses, Dressings, Food, Fruits, Ingredients, Mustard, Olive Oil, Open Faced Sandwiches, Paprika, Pecorino romano, Roasted pine nuts, Rustic white bread, Sandwiches, Smears, Sourdough, Spices, Toppings, Vegetables, Zucchini

Veggie Sandwich with Grilled Zucchini, Mustard, Olive Oil, Olive Tapenade, Roasted Bell Peppers, Pecorino Romano Cheese, Paprika and Tarragon Mustard

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Wendie said: “This is the ultimate vegetarian sandwich.  I have been threatening to make this for Anders since our recent trip to Denmark inspired us delve more deeply into the world of sandwiches.  While I am convinced that Anders’ Y chromosome predisposes him to a love of all things meat, I was convinced that even he would be wooed by the taste of freshly grilled veggies united with homemade tapenade on a lightly toasted roll. What else could you ask for?”

Anders replied: “Meat!”

That’s how our discussions sometimes goes, but Wendie always wins of course. 🙂 This is, however, a great meal. We highly recommend that you take the time to go shopping for tarragon mustard, as it works much better on this sandwich than regular plain mustard. Anders loved this sandwich, so it’s not just for vegetarians.

Veggie Sandwich with Roasted Zuchini, Mustard, Olive Oil, Olive Tapenade, Roasted Bell Peppers, Pecorino Romano Cheese, Paprika and Tarragon Mustard
Vegetarian Sandwich with Grilled Zucchini, Mustard, Olive Oil, Olive Tapenade, Grilled Bell Peppers, Pecorino Romano Cheese, Paprika and Tarragon Mustard

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