Mediterranean Diet

I'm researching the so called Mediterranean Diet.  I remember Dr. Oz did a series about it on Oprah and I thought then, this is food we like.  Tons of health benefits.  Good for cholesterol and hypertension.  Good for weight loss and maintenance.  All things we are working on.  And, um, very little meat, which is of course a problem at the Osbornes.

Features of the Mediterranean Diet: It is basically the shared food habits of Italy, Greece and Turkey.  Add Spain and Morocco depending on who you listen to.  Olive oil, fruits and vegetables (7 servings per day!), legumes, whole grains, fish and seafood, very little meat.  But you get a glass of wine per day.  It's encouraged.  Just saying. 

There is a lifestyle change that goes a long with it.  Eating with people, slowly, and enjoying food.  We already know how to do that.  Reduction of stress overall in life.  That's something we need to work on. 

And my favorite sandwich right now? 

2 pieces whole wheat bread.  I'm using Franz because it is locally owned and locally baked.  Toasted.

Spread with basil pesto. 

I'm buying pesto 'cause this is my basil plant.  I started out the season with 3 of them.  It's been wet.  Anything that doesn't want to be wet and cold has had some troubles. 

Back to the sandwich. Slices of soft mozzarella cheese.

Sun dried tomato.  The type that comes dry in a package, not the kind in oil.  Steep them in a bit of boiling water to make them pliable.  You have to dry them well with paper towel so they don't add wetness to the sandwich.

And my homegrown lettuce.  I have several types, but this is a nice peppery one.  It was a variety seed pack from the store, nothing fancy, but good.

Husband's eating a version of the same sandwich with some smoked turkey added.  'Cause, well you know why.

Keep on trucking.  

 

Stanford's Knife and Fork Crab Sandwich

If you are on the west coast, I recommend Stanford's Restaurant.  Their menu is casual but delicious.  Sea food and meat with well done side dishes and many other treats.  I love their Knife and Fork Crab and Artichoke Sandwich.  It is open face - A creamy mixture of crab, artichoke and Parmesan cheese in an herb mayonnaise.  Additional cheese and a tomato slice is on top.  The whole thing is broiled, melty and bubbly good.  

I've decided to attempt to reproduce it at home.  Since Husband claims not to like artichokes, it's all mine and I'm not attempting a huge batch. 

Open face Crab and Artichoke Sandwich

1 6 oz can of crab meat, well drained.
6.5 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, rinsed well
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1T. fresh chives, well chopped
Sourdough Sandwich Bread
about 1/2 grated mozzarella cheese

I put the artichoke hearts in a colander and rinsed the marinade off with water.  Then dry the artichokes with a paper towel.  Make sure the crab meat is well drained so that the sandwich isn't soggy.  Cover and refrigerate this mixture to help firm it up.  

When you are ready to eat, preheat the oven to 350.  This is 2 - 4 servings, depending on how hungry you are.  I put a quarter of it in a separate oven safe dish and put it in the oven for about 10 minutes.  Nice and sizzley and good smelling.  

On one piece of sourdough sandwich bread, I spread my mixture and topped with tomato slices and mozzarella cheese. 

Back in the oven to broil until the cheese and tomatoes were very hot.

Okay, so it doesn't look quite as tidy and beautiful as Stanford's, and I may not make it at home again.  It tastes like Stanford's sandwich and the texture is about right.  Oh, and I know it has a million calories, but...

Remember to be good tomorrow.   

One roast - 3 meals

I'm making a number of changes in our lives.  One is a committment use all of my left overs very efficiently and never waste food.  I've been guilty of this in the past and I was raised better than that.  So this is 3 meals from one beef roast purchased on sale. 

Meal one.  Pot roast.  I have a brand new oven.  I am new to owning a convection oven.  This is the only stove I've ever owned which I cared to read the instructions for, but I love it and am looking forward to learning more.  Vegetables and potatoes.  Husband needed a comfort meal after all of the furniture moving he has been doing.

 

Meal two.  Barbecue beef sandwiches.  For lunch, I dashed home to toast my sandwich buns under the broiler of the new oven.  I wrapped them in foil and grabbed my barbecue beef and headed back to the office.  I transport food quite often, to work and back.  The microwave is the only means of cooking at our business, so I have to be creative.  I recommend owning an assortment of containers that microwave well, transport with a sealed lid, and can go straight into the dishwasher.  I bought this one from Goodwill, so this doesn't need to be a budget problem.

Once at work, I heated the beef and assembled the sandwiches.  This was just pieces of the roast and barbecue sauce poured over.  I used Josh's Sauce, recipe to follow, with my own secret ingredient.  I keep this sauce in a quart canning jar in my frig and use it many ways.  It is easy to make and uniformly handy.  And I know what's in it.  Just read the ingredients in some bottled sauces and you wonder what you are consuming. 

I had baggies of apple and carrots to go with.

The sandwich was savory and hardy.  Step-son said it was delicious.   Husband liked it, too. I had been thinking about it all morning.  Yum.

Josh's sauce
2 cups catchup
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 c. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 t. minced garlic
4 shakes of chipotle tabasco sauce, optional but good

I've reserved enough of the roast for meal 3:  Beef Pilaf Salad.  Recipe for the salad will be coming soon. 

Turkey Sandwiches

I can't believe we ate the whole thing.   TheThanksgiving holiday makes many people feel warm and comfy-cozy, safe and happy.  The smell of the food, the feeling of it all, the nesting hominess is a happy memory for most of us.  Turkey, sage and thyme, butter and cream.  This is our culture.  Who we are on some fundamental level.

But let's be real.  The traditional Thanksgiving of my past is 2 days of work to prepare and serve and 1 day of clean up for someone.  If you've been that person, it can be overwhelming.  And yet it is easy to feel guilt at not doing this for future generations. 

My usual solution to this problem is a seriously scaled back version.  This year, I roasted a turkey, made mashed potatoes and gravy and a pie.  No greenbean casserole, no yams, no stuffing, no rolls, no salad, and on and on.  I served it on the china.  We enjoyed the smells and toasty warm feelings before, during and after the meal.  I cleaned up as I cooked so it wasn't too bad.  We had left overs for 4 days. More and more, the important thing for me is to be happy, not to be perfect. A hard lesson for me.

My favorite sandwiches are all grilled.  My memories of my mom making grilled cheese are strong and just make me feel good.  To make this sandwich, butter one side of a piece of bread (bakery sour dough here).  The other side is spred with mayonaise.  It goes butter side down in a heavy bottom pan that has been heated to medium.  A layer of cranberry sauce, then turkey, and Brie cheese.  Common left overs after Thanksgiving.  I've done this with swiss and provolone also, if you don't have Brie.

Another piece of bread butter up, mayo down.  The bread gets toasty as the sandwich heats and the cheese melts.  Use a spatula to lift up the corner of the sandwich and peak under. 

When the bread is browned, use the spatula to flip it over.  Be careful to make sure the ingredients stay intact.  Apply a little pressure with the spatula to the top of the sandwich now and then as it cooks and the ingredients incorporates. Just delicious.  One day I may get one of the new fangeled pannini makers, but maybe not.


A piece of pie and a pair.  Shared this all with the husband and we had lunch.