Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Jamestown1630]

Sammiches!

With Summer coming, I'm looking forward to nice tomatoes, and one of our favorite sandwiches is the classic BLT, for which nobody needs a recipe. (Before he died, my father-in-law would ship us boxes of his first eating tomatoes from PA, and we always looked forward to that - and to the sore gums that were a measure of our delighted excess :-)

But when I was growing up, my favorite Summer sandwich was just thick tomato slices on white-bread toast, with lots of mayonnaise and salt and pepper.

Due to this love of fresh tomatoes on bread, I was intrigued when I read John Berendt's book, 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil', in which the renowned Savannah caterer Lucile Wright was featured. Her tomato tea sandwiches were especially admired, and here's a link to a blog that has her recipe:

http://mercadoslifelessons.blogspot.com/2013/08/miss-luciles-tomato-sandwich.html

I've always liked the idea of tea sandwiches, and years ago I found some of those fancy bread tubes in a thrift store; they were like these (though I believe mine are 'Pampered Chef' products):

http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Piece-Canape-Bread-Mold/dp/B0000VLYP4/ref=pd_sim_sbs_k_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0K6V5P14N7DYS72NSPJQ

I wanted to make tea sandwiches for a party, and found an Almond Chicken Salad recipe. They were a big hit and looked nice, but you don't have to do them 'dainty', on fancy bread; any sturdy bread will do. And if you do want to get fancy, you can cut shapes out of a bought loaf, instead of baking loaves in a specialty tube.

This is the recipe I used, which is a very nice mixture of textures and tastes (not sure where I first got it, but the same recipe is all over the Web):

Almond Chicken Salad Sandwiches with Lemon-Basil Butter

To make butter spread:

Combine ¾ Cup softened butter with 2 tsps. Lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and ½ cup fresh basil leaves finely chopped, or 2 T. dried basil.

To make filling:

Combine 1 C. finely chopped cooked chicken with ½ Cup mayonnaise, ½ cup slivered almonds, and salt and pepper to taste. (I shred the chicken in the food processor, to get a very smooth, consistent texture.)

To make sandwiches:

Carefully spread each slice of bread on one side with thin layer of butter spread. Then place filling on one bread slice, and top with second buttered slice.

If you take these to a party, they can be made the evening before, and stored in a container with a double layer of paper towels between each layer of sandwiches. The butter spread will help keep the bread from going soggy.

(If you DO want to make fancy bread: I usually use the Bridgford frozen bread dough, cutting dough in half and baking each half in a canapé bread mold sprayed with PAM. To slice the bread for sandwiches, it helps to partially freeze it. Slice thinly.)

Lastly: one of my favorite sandwiches growing up was leftover meat loaf with mustard on bread; but I have not found a meat loaf recipe that really satisfies me, especially as it goes cold into sandwiches. My grandma made a great one, but I never got her recipe, and have never been able to reproduce it. (She would have been making this from the 1950s, if not earlier.)

Does anyone have a 'Grandma' or 'Great-Grandma' meat loaf recipe that you think is really good?

-JT

[Hardens Hollow]

thanks! Do you dump out the lard that was at high heat for 10 minor use it again?

oh, and by high heat do you mean with the lard sputtering all over the stove? Just wondering how hot is hot enough ;)

I think i’ll wait until all my cast iron is unpacked, since I don’t know how long lard lasts. I just found out my new basement is defective and is 10 degrees too hot. I am so disappointed! My food won’t last as long as I had planned.

[kalee]

We buy the tomatoes on the vine type, still grown in a hothouse but better than loose tomatoes. I hope you like them. I have 5 tomatoes to fix this way tomorrow. :)

[Jamestown1630]

This is one of our favorite ways to use the little vine-ripened guys; I think we first found it in a Julia Child book, and then found it modified with cheese (though, we use Parmesan instead of Gruyere):

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/provencal-tomatoes-recipe.html

=JT

[kalee]

I’ve made those! They are tasty!

[greeneyes]

I could not find Granny’s meatloaf recipe, but here’s couple from my recipe box. Don’t remember where I got them.

3/4 lb. ground beef
3/8 cup quick raw oats
1 egg slighty beaten
1/8 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 - 8 oz can tomato sauce

Reserve half of the tomato sauce. Combine all the rest of the ingredients. Put in loaf pan and bake @ 350 degree for approximately 40 min. maybe more. Put the rest of the tomato sauce on after 30 minutes. I like to add a little raw sugar or brown sugar to the sauce.

Recipe 2 is crockpot meat loaf.

1 lb meat ground beef
6 or more club crackers (each cracker has 4 of the little wafers.
1 Egg
1/3 c milk (maybe less this is approximate)
Handful of minced onions
1 tsp onion/mushroom soup mix
1/4 tsp Garlic salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 TBLS. Worchester (or more)

Combine ingredients, shape loaf and place into greased crock. Cook on low 6 hrs. then cook on high for 1 hr.

Optional glaze: Worchestershire sauce and grape jelly for the last hr.

[Marie]

The lard only sputters if there’s water in the pan. The most I get is a ‘shimmer’ of movement. I take it past the smoke point. And yes, I dump the excess into a bowl before I let it cool. :)

[V K Lee]

CAST IRON SKILLETS - here waxed paper is used often when cooking on cast iron. Waxed paper does have its uses :)
http://theprairieprincess.com/wax-paper/

[Hardens Hollow]

How do you know when you’ve reached the smoke point?

And can I reuse the hot lard to season the next pan?

Thanks for your help - I got excited about it today and bought 1 kb of lard. Should be good to do the 2 pans I have out.

[Jamestown1630]

Very Good, V.K.

My favorite use of waxed paper is rolling out pie crusts between two sheets. Always works :-)

(It’s also good for a variety of craft projects; do you remember when we could buy waxed paper bags? They were about 5 inches square, and we went to school with our sandwiches in them; and used them for ‘Nature Crafts’.)

-JT

[V K Lee]

Yes, do remember —carried lunch to school most days -only exception was when they served something really special (to me, anyway) that was well liked. LOL the Salisbury steak was always good...with the whipped taters. And the hot rolls remembered with fondness. Dessert favorites was the lemon chess pie and the bread pudding (made from old cakes, it was believed) it had sauce on top which made it a favorite.

Wax paper is used here to freeze individual portions. Line a baking sheet with the paper, put the hamburger patties, or whatever on the paper and freeze. Easy to remove to place in zip tight freezer bags for whenever needed.

WP has been used on our cast iron for years, and the surface is as smooth as a baby’s bottom. Once cleaned with Kosher salt (Alton’s method) it is back into the oven to heat up once again and when warm, a wad of waxed paper is rubbed inside and out of the pan. Cast iron is sold with a wax finish inside and this seems to be the easiest method to restore it to desired conditions.

[V K Lee]

Hello, again. Wanted to update you on Wacky Cakes saga and the latest. The Wacky Cake with variations....Chocolate Cherry, was made this afternoon. Thus far, this has to be the best/at least second best. Moist, not too sweet and heavenly cherry taste. This recipe is definitely a keeper and will be a ‘go to’ for many moons.

[Jamestown1630]

I will have to try your method for cast-iron.

Dang, you went to a good school!

All I recall is watered-down spaghetti - but I took lunch most days, made by my Gran - cheese and bologna sandwiches, some potato chips, and an apple.

The school-lunch Hot Dog and Baked Bean days were ok, though, (I think it was a lot better than what the kids get now.) :-)

-JT

[V K Lee]

Your BLT sandwiches....Do you prefer the thick sliced bacon or the thinner which (to me) crisps better) Here, it’s the thin crispy version. And how do you cook your bacon? Skillet, microwave, or in your oven? The oven method is a bit unorthodox for some but it really is easy, clean and very tasty.

Only tasted the first BLT when school age. Visiting my cousin (at that time was able to attend her elementary school classes with her) and my aunt made us lunches with BLT. The first bite was phenomenal and sandwiches were never the same ever again. Just plain white sandwich bread, and mayo with the B L & T. Down south most times mayo or Miracle Whip is used on sandwiches. Didn’t know about the butter alternative until as a child on vacation in North Dakota farmland. They used butter on everything. Even sandwiches. Still prefer mayo. Just a matter of taste I guess.

[V K Lee]

JT, this was when schools actually took pride in their school lunches. Back in the 1950’s and 60’s they actually served some mighty good vittles. What is offered today most normal folks would be ashamed to give to their dog. In fact, the SPCA would be knocking down your door, if it were even attempted.

Those poor kids today will grow up never knowing what they missed. Good? Bad? Perhaps it is better not knowing.

[Hardens Hollow]

lb...too enthused to type right!

[Marie]

You see smoke! lol!

I don’t reuse the seasoning lard, but I just haven’t thought about it.

Please let me know how it goes. I’m really interested.

[Marie]

Oh, last thing... (I think)

Don’t use a *lot* of lard. For my big pan 1-1 1/2 TBSP is enough. For the small pan, I never use more than a tablespoon. Just enough to coat. When I do pour it off, I rarely get more than a teaspoon. Heck, half the time all I have to do is wipe out the excess with a good wad of paper towel while it’s still hot. (use plenty of paper towels so you don’t burn yourself.)

I’m still working on the 1 lb pack of lard that I started with and have plenty left. Two pans seasoned now!

[Hardens Hollow]

Ok, thank you Marie!

Ps I knew it was a possibly silly question, LOL

[Marie]

;-)

[Jamestown1630]

For sandwiches, I like the thinner bacon; I like it to crumble like glass :-)

I don’t think I ever had a BLT until I was almost grown; but I had learned about plain bacon sandwiches on white bread from a little kid friend, who shared hers with me. (She was Jewish, but I guess her family weren’t observant.) I thought it was wonderful, and asked my Gran to make them for me.

We occasionally do it in the oven; a co-worker taught me to sprinkle it with garlic powder, and that’s pretty nice.

-JT