J'taime Tartines!

Here, friends, is another lesson in working with what you've got. In this case, what I had was bread. A LOT of bread. And what I didn't have was patience.


Ross had picked up a gigantic loaf of Italian bread at the store one day (I love when he goes grocery shopping - the only thing he's guaranteed to come back with is beer, and the rest is inevitably a grab-bag of delicious surprises). The past, oh, month for me can basically be summed up in one appropriately four-letter word: WORK. I've been pulling long hours at the office and had no time to buy food, let alone cook it. These gorgeous little open-faced sandwiches mark my (perhaps temporary) return to the world of the living.


At any rate, a mountain of Italian bread and a whole evening of free time on my hands, I decided to make tartines. Tartines are, as I mentioned, simply open-faced sandwiches. They're (according to Ina Garten) a Parisian cafe staple, and I love them because they seem less lunch-y than a full-on sandwich, yet lighter than a typical dinnertime meal. The beauty of them is that you can top them with literally anything you want. I've made peanut butter-pear-cheddar versions, topped them with prosciutto and piled lemony arugula on top...you name it. The bread is your canvas, limited only by your cravings.


Of the three I made, my personal favorite was the ham and Gouda - but then again I'm a sucker for anything smoky. Ross liked the Reuben-style tartines. These would be fantastic for a party, or anytime, really. The best part is that they're no-fuss, super fast, and really economical. I hope you experiment with some fabulous toppings of your own!

INGREDIENTS

3 very large slices good quality Italian bread
corned beef, sliced thinly
salami, sliced thinly
maple-glazed ham, sliced thinly
Swiss cheese, sliced thinly
smoked Gouda, sliced thinly
mayo
Red cabbage kraut

[Thousand Island:]
mayo
ketchup
sweet pickle relish

Grapes and Salad for serving (optional)



STEP ONE:

Heat oven to 375 with a baking stone or baking sheet inside it. When hot, place the bread slices on the baking sheet and allow to crisp a bit (for about 5-10 minutes).

STEP TWO:

Remove bread from oven and top with meats and cheeses. My combos were:

- [Reuben:] Thousand Island, corned beef, red cabbage kraut, and Swiss
- Mayo, ham, and Gouda
- Salami and Swiss

STEP THREE:

Place back in the oven and cook until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven, slice into smaller pieces, and serve. Enjoy!

Sick Day Soup(s) & The Rollover Elvis

Wow, it's been much too long, my friends!


I spent the August-to-September transition moving from my smallish apartment to my tinyish apartment (because, you see, it was just going to be little ol' me), and then my better half unexpectedly moved back from his stint in our nation's capital.

So it's me, Ross, and Sascha - and as they say, three's a crowd. And in our Boystown studio, three's verging on an unruly mob.

The good news? Well, yes, that we're happily reunited, but also - I now have a dining room! Behold:


OK, it's technically a "breakfast nook" (or as the previous tenant and my good friend Emily had it, a bedroom), but it is a room with a table that between one to four individuals can dine in - thus, a dining room. That was one thing my old place lacked that I always had a jones for. But now I can eat breakfast - or any meal I darn well please - in my sunny, yellow, Seventies-throwback dining room - er...nook.



The bad news is...well, there's no real bad news, although I'd love to return to the blog with some triumphant culinary masterpiece, and instead I have...a grilled cheese sandwich.

I call it: The Rollover Elvis.

It's a known fact that The King enjoyed fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches (a man of impeccable taste if ever there were one). And in a pinch the other night, I found myself with Swiss cheese, some gala apples, whole wheat Challah bread (found at Treasure Island - a treasure indeed) and some natural peanut butter. I was inspired by an amazing sandwich I had once at the excellent gastropub Hopleaf in Andersonville - it was cashew butter, sharp Irish cheddar, and some sort of fruit chutney (fig?) nestled between buttery, crisp-fried Challah bread.

I figured if Elvis were alive to shimmy anywhere near my kitchen, he'd gyrate in sheer horror at the bastardization of his deliciously gooey southern treat - so he's probably rolling over in his grave. Well, Elvis be damned - the sandwich was downright tasty! (Fit for a King?)

It took about 10 minutes to make, start to finish, and was surprisingly hearty. It's protein-packed, buttery, and it's a so-simple-it's-stupid meal solution for a quick dinner when you're just too tired to make anything.

THE ROLLOVER ELVIS

2 slices whole wheat (or regular) Challah bread
2 thin slices Swiss cheese
several thin slices apple
natural peanut butter
pat of butter for the pan


Melt the butter over medium-low heat. Spread the peanut butter on one slice of bread. Lay the cheese on the other. Arrange the apple slices on top of the peanut butter and lay that piece of bread in the pan. Top with the cheese and other slice of bread. Fry until browned and crisp, then flip. Fry on other side until desired doneness. Slice in half and enjoy!

Because Nature must always laugh in the face of human bliss, Ross and I have spent this last week under the weather. I got a beast of a cold, then promptly passed it on to him, despite his best efforts to ward it off. Luckily, I'm one mean soup-making machine.

I made a veggies version for me, first, then a chicken version for him, later.

CHICKENLESS NOODLE SOUP

1 and 1/2 qts. vegetable stock
1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
juice of one large lemon
2 T. olive oil
big handful baby spinach leaves
big handful egg noodles
2 eggs, whisked
salt and pepper
Sriracha sauce (optional)



Heat olive oil in large pot. Add onion and carrots and cook until beginning to soften. Add garlic (press through a garlic press or mince), and cook for about a minute. Add lemon juice and some salt and pepper. Cook for another minute. Add stock and bring to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the noodles. Cook for about 5 more minutes, then add the spinach. Cook for about 3 more minutes, then add the whisked eggs and stir quickly so they cook and scramble, like egg drop soup. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve and enjoy!


SICK DAY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

6 chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
3 T. olive oil
2 celery ribs, diced
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
2 T. white wine vinegar
salt and pepper
2 qt. chicken stock
fusilli pasta
dash Worchestershire sauce
poultry seasoning
all-purpose seasoning



In a large pot, heat olive oil. Saute carrot, celery and onion, seasoning with salt and pepper, until softened. Stir in vinegar and cook for a couple minutes. Add stock and chicken. Bring to a low boil. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook until chicken is cooked through. Add the pasta about 8 minutes before you want to serve the soup. Reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve, tasting to adjust seasoning. Enjoy!



Here's hoping this long-overdue post finds you all healthy and happy. More soon...

Chicken Salad and Granola: Cook Once, Eat All Week

I love Saturdays. Even rainy, cold, not-quite-Spring Saturdays. In fact, I might love those the most, because they're the perfect excuse to wander through Whole Foods, grazing on niblets of cheese and sipping on fair trade coffee, fantasizing about all the delicious foods I have all day to lovingly create.

And it's even better when those delicious things will guarantee tasty and healthy breakfasts and lunches on the dreary, tired workdays.

I've grown a little tired lately of deli meat, and have vowed to stop calling a Venti drip coffee "breakfast." A few indulgent hours in the kitchen, and I had crunchy, homemade granola to sprinkle over yogurt in the mornings, and creamy chicken salad to eat on whole wheat for lunches at work.

Thus, I bring you: HOMEMADE GRANOLA and CHICKEN SALAD WITH GREEN GRAPES & WALNUTS.

GRANOLA



2 c. dry oats
1 c. crushed flake cereal, such as Special K Protein
1/2 c. raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 c. dried cranberries
3 T. honey
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. vegetable oil
nonstick spray

Preheat oven to 325. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet that is well-coated with nonstick spray, and bake for 15-20 minutes, watching closely so that it doesn't burn. Cool, and store in an airtight container.




CHICKEN SALAD WITH GREEN GRAPES & WALNUTS



1 large or 2 small chicken breasts
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/3 c. organic mayo
1/3 c. 2% Greek-style yogurt (such as Fage)
handful large green grapes, quartered
1/3 c. walnuts, roughly chopped
handful fresh parsley, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper

STEP ONE:

In a shallow pan with a lid, cook the chicken breast in the chicken broth on medium-low heat, covered, until the chicken is cooked through (you're basically steaming the chicken). Save the broth for another use. Cool chicken on cutting board until it's cool enought to touch.



STEP TWO:

Mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl (one with a matching lid works perfectly for storage later). When the chicken has cooled, chop into small dices. Mix into the sauce mixture. Refrigerate until ready to use.





This week, there will be no excuse for liquid-caffeine breakfasts and vending machine "lunches." Just fresh granola and yummy chicken salad!

Thanks for reading; more soon...

Recession: Party of One - A Tale of Two Lunches

I can feel good about myself when I don't eat out every single meal on the weekend. Now that Recession: Party of One is in full swing, I'm finding it a lot easier to stay in and cook - whatever motivates you, right?

My lunch Saturday was another attempt on my part to eat more vegetarian meals. Sunday, however, was a completely meat-tastic day. Read on to see how to make two yummy, simple lunches, and of course I'll give you the Party of One Price Index Update for both meals.

GARDEN VEGETABLE SOUP WITH HAM, PEAR, & MOZZARELLA SANDWICH



I debated even posting this at all, considering I didn't actually MAKE the soup, but I thought the sandwich was creative enough - and the overall meal was thrifty enough - to warrant a R: P of 1 shout-out. And frankly, I thought the picture came out nicely. This was a really yummy meal - it rained non-stop here in Chicago all weekend, and soup and a gooey cheesy sandwich seemed like the perfect stay-in-and-watch-the-entire-season-of-The-City meal.

INGREDIENTS

2 slices French bread
2 slices deli ham
1-2 slices mozzarella cheese
1/2 pear, very thinly sliced
1 can Muir glen Garden Vegetable Soup
2 pats butter for grilling sandwich
1 T. sour cream (optional), for stirring in soup

STEP ONE

In a medium pot, cook the soup until steaming hot. Top with a dollop of sour cream if you want.

STEP TWO:

Place the ham, pear, and cheese on the bread. In a nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook the sandwich until golden brown, cooking the side closest to the cheese first so it melts. Flip, and cook until the other side is also golden brown. Slice in half, serve with soup, and enjoy.

PARTY OF ONE PRICE INDEX:

PEAR: I'm going to call this free, since it was on the verge of being wasted (it was once one of a 3-lb. bag).
HAM: 66 cents
MOZZARELLA: 15 cents
BREAD: 14 cents
SOUP: $1.66

The GRAND TOTAL is...

$2.61. This really only made one serving (I had about a 1/2 c. of soup left over), but I think that was still a very Recession-friendly lunch!

And now on to my attempt at vegetarian cooking...

SPICY VEGETABLE CURRY



INGREDIENTS

1 T. olive oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
5-6 frozen broccoli florets, thawed
1/2 c. chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 c. whole cashews
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 c. sour cream
1/4 c. chicken broth
Sriracha to taste
Moroccan spice blend (or curry powder), to taste
juice of half a lime

1/3 c. dry couscous
2/3 c. chicken broth
salt and pepper

STEP ONE

Bring chicken broth to a boil for the couscous. Add couscous, stir, cover, and remove from heat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

STEP TWO

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and carrots, and season with some of the spice blend/curry. Cook until the vegetables have begun to soften. Add the chicken broth, broccoli, and chickpeas, and some more spice blend. Reduce heat to medium, stirring frequently. Stir in the sour cream until it is well-incorporated and the whole mixture is smooth. Stir in the cashews, Sriracha, and half the chopped cilantro. Cook until all vegetables are tender-crisp.

STEP THREE:

Serve over couscous, garnishing with the lime juice and the rest of the cilantro.

PARTY OF ONE PRICE INDEX:

BELL PEPPER: $1.08
CARROT: 9 cents
BROCCOLI: 54 cents
CHICKPEAS: 10 cents
CILANTRO: 83 cents
CHICKEN BROTH: 40 cents
CASHEWS: 50 cents
SOUR CREAM: 50 cents

I'm not counting the Sriracha, couscous, olive oil, and spice blend, because those are pantry staples I tend to have on hand.

So the total for the ingredients comes to $4.04, but I got two servings out of them, which makes the GRAND TOTAL...

$2.02...not too shabby!

The curry came out nicely, although it's worth noting that the sour cream and chicken broth, as opposed to the blend of heavy cream and milk I used last time made the curry significantly more savory than the other one I made recently. It sort of balanced out the natural sweetness of the cumin, but I think that in the future I'll use the cream/milk instead, since I like the cumin's sweetness to shine through. I really like the bite of the lime juice and the freshness that the cilantro added. And I'm always surprised at how full I can get from vegetables alone! The protein and richness from the cashews and sour cream help, of course.

Well, it's been a weekend of disappointing weather, but that almost always leads to great food. One more R: P of 1 post to come soon! Thanks for reading!