Kentucky Hot Brown

In honor of Kentucky Derby, I made Kentucky Hot Brown. I really wasn't sure how the kids would like this dish. It did have bacon which is always a plus. Kentucky Hot Brown normally is made with roasted turkey breast but to save time I used deli turkey meat. After assembling the open face sandwich, a rich Mornay sauce tops the sandwich. It was so good. My kids loved it. Since my husband wasn't home, I made him up a plate. Reluctantly, he tried it. The kids kept telling him how good it tasted. He agreed with the kids. If you are having a Kentucky Derby party, then serve this dish. I'm betting it will be popular.

Kentucky Hot Brown
4 slices thick bread, like Texas toast
14 oz. deli turkey breast   
8 bacon slices, cooked
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced in quarter
1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, plus topping
salt and pepper, to taste
Parsley for topping

Directions:

1. Heat the oven on broil. 
2. Cut the crust from the bread.
3. Toast the bread lightly. 
4. Set onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Place the toast onto the baking sheet. 
6. Top the toast with layers of the turkey. 
7. Place two slices of bacon over each turkey slices.
8. Place the quartered tomatoes on the side. Set aside.
9. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
10. Whisk in the flour to form a thick roux. 
11. Cook the roux for 1 minute.
12. Whisk in the heavy cream. 
13. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow to simmer for 3 minutes. 
14. Remove from heat and whisk in the Pecorino-Romano cheese.
15. Season with salt and pepper. 
16. Pour the Mornay sauce over the open face sandwiches. 
17. Top with some shredded Pecorino-Romano cheese.
18. Place the sandwiches in the broiler until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
19. Sprinkle with Parsley and serve immediately. 

Recipe adapted from Brown Hotel. 

One year ago......................I made Mexican Rice.
Two years ago....................I made Guacamole.
Three years ago..................I made Coconut Cream Cheese Pinwheel Cookies.

Did you already know..................
-In 1926, the Brown Hotel in Kentucky had over a thousand guest attending their dinner dance.
-Around midnight, the band would take a break and the guest would retire to the kitchen for a meal. 
-Chief Fred Schmidt created the hot brown for the hungry dancers.

Steak Sandwich

Sometimes I look for the easiest way to speed up a process like making steak sandwiches. I decided to try using my food processor to slice up the meat. I actually didn't think it would work. It worked pretty nicely. I did put the flank steak in the freezer for about 10 minutes before I did it. This is a really good sandwich. Since I now know how to speed up the process, we just be having them more often.

Steak Sandwiches
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 lb. flank steak, sliced and chopped into small pieces
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
2 Portobello caps, sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
salt and pepper
4 hoagie rolls
8 slices of provolone cheese 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to broil.
2. Line the rolls on a baking sheet.
3. In a medium skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat.
4. Add the butter and melt.
5. Add the onion and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes and the onions start to caramelize.
6. Add the steak and cook until browned. Salt and pepper to taste.
7. Stir in the wine and simmer for about 3 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and spoon the meat mixture into the rolls.
9. Top the meat with the cheese slices.
10. Broil for a few minutes until the cheese has melted.
11. Serve warm.

Recipe adapted with permission from The Little Kitchen.

One year ago.......................I made Banana Split Cake.

Did you already know.........
-Pierre Verdun created the first household version of the food processor according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
-Cuisinart was created after Carl Sontheimer saw a cooking show in France using a food processor. 
-Carl Sontheimer did receiving licensing rights before innovating Pierre Verdun's food processor.

Lunch Time

I am really bad at making my lunch for work. I will normally bring a frozen meal or grab something out. If I'm home, I'll make lunch. I know it would be healthier to bring my lunch so I'm trying out different things to make then just bring a normal sandwich. Well, my oldest daughter loves bagels. So when she went to the store for me, she picked up mini bagels for our breakfast the next day. (It is wonderful to have a daughter who can drive and loves to run to the store.) Well, I wanted to use the bagels up. I decided to make bagel sandwiches. My son thought this was a great idea. My youngest daughter wasn't so sure. They loved it. I did too. It is always great when the kids like a meal that is quick-remember my son loves baby back ribs. I used cherry tomatoes since I prefer the taste. Since my family really liked this simple lunch, I thought maybe you would too.

Bagel Sandwich
1 mini bagel, split
2 slices of deli ham
1 tsp mayonnaise
1 slice of provolone cheese
3 cherry tomatoes, sliced

Directions:

1. Lightly toast the bagel. Allow to cool for a minute.
2. Add the slices of ham.  
3. Spread the mayonnaise over the ham.
4. Add the slice of cheese. 
5. Top the cheese with the tomato slices.

Wrap well and bring to work for lunch. (A reminder to me.)
Last year at this time..............I made Orange Chicken. 

Did you already know.....
- The exact origin of the bagel is unknown. 
-In 1610, the bagel is mentioned in an article published in Poland. 
-In the early 1900s, New York city had a bagel union to represent bagel workers.

Mr. Brevity

Last year, I thought it would be a good idea to have a word of the week since my oldest would be taking the SAT. The youngest kids didn't mind. They thought it was pretty cool learning new words plus I tried to use fun words like flippant and impeccable. Now, my youngest children tell me how their oldest sister has a flippant attitude all the time. Their oldest sister just agrees with them. 

One of the words of the week was brevity. On school days, my son is so slow getting ready for school. He has missed the bus several times since he thinks the world will wait for him. On these mornings, I will say, "Come on, Mr. Brevity. We need to go." Well, the other day we were reviewing our words of the week. I asked my son if he knew what brevity meant. He said yes, it means quick like him because is why we call him Mr. Brevity. So, the next word of the week will be facetious.

If you have a great vocabulary word for the word of the week, let me know. The word I would use to describe this sandwich would be delicious!

Fried Meatball Sandwich with additional meatballs
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup dried parsley leaves,
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
3 lbs ground chuck
1 lb ground pork
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 buns
4 slices of Provolone cheese
1 jar of marinara sauce


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs.
3. Add the Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, ground chuck, ground pork, and the Panko breadcrumbs. Mix until well incorporated.
4. Form 4 patties and the remaining meat roll into desired size meatballs.
5. In a skillet on medium heat, add the olive oil.
6. In a pot, heat the marinara sauce on low heat. Stir occasionally.
7. Add the four patties and cook about 6 minutes a side.
8. In a baking dish, add the meatballs and cook in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the meatballs look medium rare done. (You will be reheating at another time.)
9. When the meatballs are done, allow to cool and transfer to a freezer bag to store in the freezer until ready to use.
10. Cook the patties until cooked through and then top with cheese.
11. Remove the patties and place on top of the opened bun.
12. Top the patty with the warmed marinara sauce.

Recipe adapted from The Sandwich King on Food network. Enjoy!

Did you already know.............
-In 1901, the SAT was developed to test intelligence.
-In 2005, an essay section was added to the SAT.
-The SAT is offered seven times a year.
-The average score is 1520 out of 2400.
-It is recommended to score at least a 2080 for Harvard.

Ham, Cheese, & Fried Egg Panini

As a kid, did you look through the toy catalog and want all the toys? Did you care if it was a doll or a truck? I didn't. My mom would tell us we could only pick one or two items out of the catalog. I thought that was the most impossible task. 

As an adult, I have the same problem but with the William-Sonoma catalog. I would like one of these or two of those. Once in a while, I will break down if the price is right and purchase something like a lunch box with cookie cutters for $10. I thought that was a pretty good deal. My son thought it was great since it was for him. I do actually look at the recipes in the catalogs. Since I have an underutilized panini press, I decided to make this recipe. My family said this was a must make again meal.

Ham, Cheese, & Fried Egg Panini
yields: 4 sandwiches
1/2 tsp minced shallot
1/2 tsp honey
1 tsp Champagne vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
12 oz. Black Forest ham, thinly sliced
4 baguette rolls, sliced horizontally
6 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated
1 Tbsp mayonnaise/ Dijon mustard (optional)
1 cup mixed salad greens
4 eggs 
2 Tbsp chives, chopped

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix the shallot, honey, vinegar, and olive oil.  Set aside.
2. Preheat the electric panini press.
3. In a large skillet on medium heat, add 1 tsp vegetable oil. 
4. Working in batches, brown the ham slices about 1 minute per side. 
5. Transfer the ham on top of the open baguette rolls.
6. One the other side of the baguette rolls, brush with mayonnaise/mustard or the shallot oil mixture.
7. Add the salad greens to the shallot oil bowl and toss to coat the salad. 
8. Top the ham with about 1 oz. Gruyere cheese per a sandwich.
9. Cover the cheese with the other side of the baguette roll.
10. Place 2 sandwiches at a time in the panini press and close the lid.
11. Cook the sandwich about 4 minutes or until the cheese is melted. 
12. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining sandwiches.
13. In the large skillet used for the ham over medium-low heat, add 1 Tbsp vegetable oil.
14. Crack one egg into the skillet; cook the egg until the whites turn opaque.
15. Flip the egg over and cook about 1 minute or until desired doneness.
16. Open the sandwich and add the egg on top of the sandwich. 
17. Top the egg with the mix salad greens and sprinkle chives on top.
18. Close the sandwich and serve.

Source adapted from William-Sonoma January 2012 catalog.

Did you already know........
-Panini means sandwich.

-If you don't have a panini press, use a handheld grill press, brick covered with tinfoil, waffle iron, or a heavy skillet placed on top of the sandwich (or my oldest daughter's suggest use a clothes iron).

-In the early 1960s, Panini sandwiches could be found in sandwich shops around Italy.

Ferb Sandwich

My son does not like to bring his lunch to school. I have tried several different things to get him to bring it but he still wanted to buy it. I am trying to have him bring his lunch at least once a week. I saw this sandwich and I figured I would try it. This is my first attempt at making a Bento type lunch. I will need a lot more practice.

 I have made him Star War Sandwiches with cookie cutters and other designs but he was not impressed. The Ferb sandwich must have worked because he told me that he will bring his lunch tomorrow. He even asked if I thought I could do Phineas.

Ferb Sandwich 1 heel of a loaf of bread
2 piece of bread
2 slice of cheese
1 slice of turkey 
Mayonnaise for taste and glue
specks of pepper for the eyes

Directions:
With a rolling pin, roll out the heel of bread flat.
Cut out the hair of Ferb either free hand it (like I did) or using a photo.
Using a small circular object (I used the back of a piping tip for frosting) and cut out two eyes.
Either free hand it (I make things difficult) or using a photo, cut out the shape of Ferb.
Repeat with the other slice bread.
Spread the mayonnaise on the bread and place a piece of cheese onto the sandwich then top with the slices of turkey. Place the top piece of the Ferb piece on top.
Use the mayonnaise to glue Ferb's hair and eyes onto the sandwich.
Add the specks of pepper to the center of the cheese eyes.
Cut out additional shapes with the remaining cheese.
Serve with fruit, crackers, or vegetables.

Recipe adapted from the talented Susan Yuen. Please check out her blog or her books. It is amazing.

My daughter was happy with her star sandwich.

Did you already know.........
-A Bento is a Japanese packed meal normally assembled at home.
-Bento meals are sold in Bento shops, train stations, or other stores in Japan.
-Bento means convenience which is a meal in a single serving container.

My husband asked if the sandwich would be enough. I think he brought plenty to school today for snack and lunch. He also brought an orange, strawberries, and apple sauce with his gold fish. I used a frozen juice box to keep the sandwich cold which took up the other half of his lunch box.