sandwich

Kid Lunch. Toasted Cheese

Gillian’s new App, Lalalunchbox, is a big hit. Kids all over the world, it seems, and their parents, are using it to help them pick stuff for lunch. (And the App also sets a shopping list up for you.)
Naturally, I’m thrilled for her. And…

Gillian’s new App, Lalalunchbox, is a big hit. Kids all over the world, it seems, and their parents, are using it to help them pick stuff for lunch. (And the App also sets a shopping list up for you.)

Naturally, I’m thrilled for her. And happy for all those people out there who use it and have a chance to talk with their kids about the food they bring to school. And the App is fun to use too.

It also prompted a conversation about lunch with my trainer this morning because while I’m working out, as I’ve mentioned here before, Robbie and I talk about food practically the whole time I am doing pushups, squats and running up and down the stairs.

We talked about “retro-lunch.” You know, the kind of stuff we took to school or ate at home (I walked home from school at lunchtime) when we were kids. His Mom sent things like meatball sandwich (two of them) plus an apple or other fruit, “something crunchy,” like Doritos, and something sweet, like chocolate chip cookies.

My Mom made a sandwich, like salami or cream cheese and jelly or leftover roast beef. But my favorite was her Toasted Cheese, hot if she was home, cool and waiting for me on the counter if she wasn’t. No fruit as I remember. Or anything crunchy or sweet. Snack was for when I got home at the end of the day at 3:30, always milk and cookies.

I still make Toasted Cheese the way my Mom did. Two or three slices of American cheese on each of two pieces of bread, then broiled (these days in the toaster oven of course). Eaten open-faced.

Very often she left the sandwich in the broiler a few seconds too long and burn bubbles appeared on top of the cheese. I didn’t complain about that. In fact, I thought it added to the flavor.

Still do.

Here’s how I make the Toasted Cheese, which, by the way, you can put in a kid’s lunchbox as a sandwich (I’ve done that for my grandchildren), by slapping it together like a regular sandwich.

Toasted Cheese

2 slices whole wheat or multigrain bread

1 tablespoon butter, optional

4-6 slices, approximately, American cheese (or cheddar slices)

tomato slices, optional

Slather the bread slices with butter, if desired. Place 2-3 slices American cheese on each slice of bread. Top with a slice of tomato if desired. Toast in a toaster oven until hot and bubbly, or longer if you like blackish-brownish burnt bubbles on the surface. Eat open-faced or place the centers together for a traditional closed sandwich. Makes one sandwich.

Easy Cottage Cheese Sandwich for Breakfast, Lunch or Snack

Yesterday I mentioned an article that discussed healthy snacks. One of the good, easy snack ideas, according to this piece, was to mix cottage cheese with applesauce and cinnamon.

I used to make something like that (minus the applesauce) for my children when they were kids, but I would make it into an open-face sandwich. They loved it so much they still talk about it. Whether you make it for lunch or a snack, it’s amazingly easy and takes just a few minutes. Here’s how:

Warm, Open-Face Cottage Cheese Sandwich

1 slice whole wheat or multi-grain bread

1/4 to 1/3 cup cottage cheese

a few drops pure vanilla extract

ground cinnamon

Toast the bread lightly to give it a surface crispiness. Mix the cottage cheese with a few drops of vanilla extract to taste. Spread the cheese on the toasted bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Preheat an oven or toaster oven to 375 degrees. Place the sandwich on a small baking sheet or ovenproof dish and place in the oven or toaster oven. Bake for 5-6 minutes or until hot. Makes 1

The Snow Covered the Grill: Grilled Skirt Steak Sandwich

Last summer when we put up the big lights for the backyard I thought we’d be able to use our grill during the winter, when it gets dark at dinner.
I forgot that there might be 12 inches of snow followed by another 9 inches of snow followed by anot…

Last summer when we put up the big lights for the backyard I thought we’d be able to use our grill during the winter, when it gets dark at dinner.

I forgot that there might be 12 inches of snow followed by another 9 inches of snow followed by another 12 inches of snow. My grill looks like some kind of prehistoric animal preserved for eternity in a chunk of white. Besides, I can’t even get to it. I can’t open the door to the terrace. 

Yes I love winter’s warming foods. Yesterday we had beef stew and I’ve also made thick soups and put away osso buco and chicken fricassees and pot roast to unfreeze and have for dinner on busy days. 

But sometimes I want something simple and grilled. Like a boneless chicken breast. Or grilled Italian bread sandwich with grilled, marinated skirt steak, tomatoes and mayonnaise.

Guess it’s the broiler or the grill pan. Good seconds, but not the real thing.

Grilled Skirt Steak Sandwich

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 cloves garlic, mashed

chopped fresh thyme (or dried) or chopped fresh oregano, to taste

12-16 ounces skirt steak

2 club rolls or hunks of Italian bread, sliced for sandwiches

1/4 cup mayonnaise

tomato slices

red onion slices 

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic and thyme or oregano in a dish and mix to combine them using a fork. Put the meat on the dish and dredge it in the marinade to coat both sides. Let the meat marinate for at least one hour. Preheat the broiler or grill pan (or an outdoor grill). Cook the meat 2-3 minutes per side, then  cut into 2 equal pieces. Grill the cut side of the bread for a minute to toast the surface lightly. Slather the bread with the mayonnaise. Top with the meat, onion and tomato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if needed. Makes 2 sandwiches

Summer Tomatoes!

I was doing all right on my low carb diet until today and then I saw the tomatoes.
I can be disciplined and forgo bagels, doughnuts, chocolate and even movie popcorn (well, that one’s awfully tempting too).
But when I’m at the farmer&#82…

I was doing all right on my low carb diet until today and then I saw the tomatoes.

I can be disciplined and forgo bagels, doughnuts, chocolate and even movie popcorn (well, that one’s awfully tempting too).

But when I’m at the farmer’s market and see a fat, red, ripe summer beefsteak I think: white bread and mayo!!

There is no summer meal better than a tomato sandwich. I won’t fancy it up. No super splendiferous olive oil. No fresh basil. No ciabatta or multigrain or Portuguese roll allowed.

White bread, Hellman’s mayo and a sliced tomato.

Goodbye low-carb diet. I’m having at least two of these today.

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