sandwich

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter Q

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Front-Runner Favs: Quinoa BLTE Sandwich! What exactly is quinoa; does anyone know for sure? I took a trip down Wikipedia Lane and discovered “it is an experimental crop in NASA’s Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration human occupied space flights.” It’s also gluten-free and easy to digest. That’s pretty important stuff in my book. Oh yeah, it’s been around for human consumption for at least 3,000 years. Maybe it’s time to give it a whirl. 
QUINOA BLTE SANDWICH 
Ingredients:

2 slices organic quinoa multigrain bread, toasted

1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise 

2 slices tomato

2 romaine lettuce leaves

2-4 slices thick bacon, cooked crisp 

1 large egg, cooked over-easy

Pinch seasoned salt

Black pepper to taste

Garnish with parsley 
Instructions:

Microwave bacon on paper-towel-lined plate for 5 minutes on High or until crisp. Set aside. In a small skillet sprayed with nonstick oil, crack an egg over medium-high heat. Sprinkle with seasoned salt and black pepper. Fry until set, then carefully flip over. Turn off heat. Continue cooking until white is set, but yolk is still runny. To assemble sandwich, slather both pieces of quinoa toast with mayonnaise. Layer ripe tomatoes, romaine lettuce leaves, and bacon strips on one slice. Slide the fried egg onto the bacon. Top the sandwich with the remaining slice of quinoa toast. Garnish with parsley. Serve immediately. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter H

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Foodstuff Redefined: Hand-Packed Burgers! For a hamburger worthy of a gourmet chef, begin with a low-fat lean meat. Divide the ground beef or sirloin into four equal portions. Form each one a little wider than the bottom bun to allow for shrinkage during grilling. Press your thumb into the center to create a small well, or dimple. If you’re a perfectionist, choose a jar lid slightly larger than the hamburger bun. Line the lid with plastic wrap, press the meat into the shape, flip the patty, and continue on to the next one. That’s way cheaper than buying a hamburger press. The secret’s out. Now you choose. 
HAND-PACKED BURGERS
Ingredients:

1 pound ground sirloin or lean ground beef

1 beef bouillon cube 

1-2 tablespoons water

1/8 teaspoon steak seasoning mix

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sesame Seed Buns

Cheese of choice

Toppings 

Condiments 
Instructions:

Heat water to boiling. Add beef bouillon cube. Stir to dissolve. Fold into ground beef. Sprinkle steak seasoning into meat. With clean hands, mix gently until all ingredients are combined. Divide into quarter-pounders. Hand-pack ground beef into equal size patties. Rub both sides with olive oil. Refrigerate one hour before grilling. To cook, preheat gas grill on High heat. Place burgers directly on grate; cook for 4-5 minutes; flip and cook 4 minutes longer for medium doneness. Do not press on burger to flatten because it will release all those flavorful juices. Transfer to a platter. Immediately top with cheese of choice. Add sliced onions, tomatoes, and romaine lettuce leaves. Dress up with ketchup, mustard, and mayo. You’ve just made the best backyard burger!

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter H

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Something to Savor: Ham Salad Spread! Tired of ho-hum tuna salad or egg salad sandwiches? Think all-natural applewood smoked ham with no artificial ingredients. When you begin with quality, the results are astounding. Add sweet pickle relish, chopped celery, and fresh horseradish. The biggest challenge is deciding if you wish to smear it on rye bread, add a dollop over wheat crackers, or simply scoop it onto a Bibb lettuce leaf. Skip the Deli-made and crank out a batch at home. It’s easier than you think. In no time at all, you’ll have a party favorite or lunchtime energy boost. 
HAM SALAD SPREAD
Ingredients:

2 cups applewood smoked ham chunks

4 stalks celery, chopped

2 eggs, hard-boiled and chopped

3 green onions, snipped

3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish 

1 teaspoon creamy horseradish 

1/2 cup mayonnaise 
Instructions:

Place ham chunks in a food processor. Pulse in batches until finely chopped. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Place celery in the food processor and Pulse until chopped. Add to bowl. Repeat with hard-boiled eggs. Add to bowl. Stir to mix. Add green onion snips, sweet pickle relish, horseradish, and mayonnaise. Mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter V

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Virginia Smoked Ham Sandwich! The wonderful thing about baking a Virginia smoked ham is the assortment of menu options you glean from a three-pound ham purchase. And with picnic season upon us, this is a quick and easy meal to enjoy at the park. 
VIRGINIA SMOKED HAM SANDWICH 
Ingredients:

1/2 pound shaved precooked smoked Virginia ham pieces

4 slices sesame seed artisan bakery-fresh bread

2 tablespoons butter

2 slices Baby Swiss cheese

Mayonnaise or Mustard, optional to taste

Dill Pickle wedge for garnish
Instructions: 

Butter top sides of bread all the way to the edge. Put two slices into a heated skillet over medium-low heat. Assemble ham and Swiss cheese; top with remaining bread slices. Cook until golden brown on each side, turning once. Serve with the slightly tart taste of a dill pickle. Add a tossed salad and sea salt Kettle chips for the perfect meal!

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter J

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food for Sharing: Jambon de Bayonne Baguette! If you don’t have time to run by the local artisan bakery, consider this option. By using ingredients you may already have on hand from the local supermarket deli, this homemade version of a Parisian favorite can be done in minutes. It’s basically a ham and cheese sandwich stepped up a notch. 
JAMBON DE BAYONNE BAGUETTE 
Ingredients:

1 baguette, cut in half (serves 2)

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon Herbs de Provence 

1-2 Roma tomatoes, sliced

3 ounces Jambon de Bayonne, or aged prosciutto 

2 romaine lettuce leaves

2 slices espresso/lavender rubbed cheese

8 cornichon gherkins
Instructions:

Slice baguette lengthwise, without cutting all the way through to create a submarine sandwich. Spread a fine layer of Dijon mustard over each baguette half. In a small bowl, combine olive oil and herbs de Provence. Add slices tomatoes to coat, reserving olive oil mixture. Place one layer of tomatoes in each baguette. Next divide prosciutto, romaine lettuce, and gourmet cheese between baguette sandwiches. Top with cornichon gherkins. Drizzle with remaining herbed olive oil. Close and serve. Bon Appétit!

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter Q

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Be Our Guest: Quesadilla Burger! Two layers of gooey melted cheese sandwiched inside a flour tortilla is just the beginning. Add an Angus beef patty butter-fried in an iron skillet and savor the aromas. Take a walk on the wild side by adding sliced jalapeño peppers for a little heat. After that, who cares? Go crazy with your favorite condiments. Anything goes!
QUESADILLA BURGER
Ingredients: 

1 pound Angus ground beef

1 beef bouillon cube

1-2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

4 flour tortillas

1/4 wedge lettuce, shredded

1 medium tomato, sliced

1/2 red onion, sliced

1/4 cup pickled jalapeño peppers, sliced

Condiments to taste
Instructions:

In a small bowl, microwave water for 1 minute, 45 seconds. Dissolve bouillon cube. Add mixture to ground beef, working to incorporate. Form beef into 4 quarter pound patties. Refrigerate until ready to use. Preheat oven to 350°. Place tortillas to lay flat on a baking sheet. Divide cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese between four tortillas, stopping before the edges. Bake 4-5 minutes until cheese melts. Remove and set aside. Meanwhile, add butter to an iron skillet set on medium-high heat. Cook burger patties 3 minutes on one side. Flip and cook 3 minutes longer. Take one burger, insert into a cheesy tortilla, fold over, and place back into the skillet just until shell is golden, about one minute. Remove from skillet. Add lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeño peppers, and other condiments. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter P

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Eat More: Philly Cheesesteak Bolillo! While at the local bakery, I couldn’t help but choose these nicely shaped oval bolillo rolls. Their lack of crunchy outer crust, like the baguette, made them more appealing for the cheese-laden spicy shredded beef I planned as a main course. Don’t you just love it when you get extra servings from another day’s roast sirloin? The opportunities are endless. This time around the onions, green peppers, red peppers, and mozzarella cheese all team together for that infamous cheesesteak sandwich to die for. Add a slice of tomato and a couple sweet gherkin pickles to punch up the taste buds. Any takers?
PHILLY CHEESESTEAK BOLILLO 
Ingredients:

1 pound roast sirloin, cooked and shredded 

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1/2 yellow onion, chopped 

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons vinegar

1-2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

1 teaspoon fennel

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper 

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 bolillo sub rolls, halved

2 tablespoons butter

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, add shredded sirloin beef, green pepper, onion, and red pepper. Combine Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, honey, and whole grain mustard. Stir well. Pour over meat and vegetables. Add seasoned salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to low; simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed and meat is tender, approximately 20 minutes. Preheat oven to Broil. Cut bolillo subs in half lengthwise and scoop out the centers to make a well. Butter the faces generously. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Broil on high until the tops are golden, 2-3 minutes. Spoon meat mixture onto each half. Divide cheese over all. Return to broiler to melt the cheese. Watch carefully. Remove from oven and match the sandwich sides together to form a sandwich. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter G

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Eat More: Gyro-mania! The debate continues…do you pronounce the sandwich like the Greeks, “(h)year-oh”, or the American standby, “Jai-roh”? Either way, it’s a taste sensation. Think about it: rotisserie meat crispy shaved into strips wrapped into a soft pita pocket topped with onion, tomato, cucumber, feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce. The bold foodie will pick it up with both hands and devour it until not a crumb remains. Others may eat it with a fork. Whatever you choose, with Eastern Mediterranean spices, this sandwich is not for the meek. 
GYRO-MANIA
Ingredients:

1 box Kronos Gyros Kit*

1 Vidalia onion, sliced

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tomato, chopped

1 cucumber, diced

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/3 cup Greek yogurt

Watercress sprig, for garnish

Dill weed, for garnish
Instructions:

In an iron skillet, lightly grill both sides of pita bread on medium heat until light golden brown, about 30 seconds. Set aside. Add olive oil to skillet and sauté onions until tender. Remove and set aside. Add gyro slices of meat to skillet. Heat both sides on medium heat for 20 seconds per side. In a small bowl, mix Greek yogurt with tzatziki sauce. Stir until creamy. To assemble gyro sandwich, top pita bread with gyro meat slices, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce. Garnish with watercress leaves and dill. Enjoy!
* I receive no recompense for the suggestion of using Kronos Gyro Kit in this recipe. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter C

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Eat More: Cucumber Strawberry Sandwiches! Here’s a combination you will truly enjoy: crisp sliced cucumbers with juicy sweet strawberries. Together they come across as eye candy. Whip up a creamy spread of sea salt butter, Neufchâtel cheese, and Italian seasonings to slather across the top of a toasted slice of artisan rye bread. Add a sprig of dill, sprinkled with tiny thyme leaves to crown things off. The results may find you believing you embarked on a journey through the charming countryside of Tuscany. 
CUCUMBER STRAWBERRY SANDWICHES
Ingredients:

8 ounces Neufchâtel cheese, room temperature

3 tablespoons sea salt butter, softened

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon dill weed

1 large cucumber, sliced

1 pint strawberries, stems removed and halved

2-4 slices rye bread, toasted

Fresh dill sprig, for garnish

Fresh thyme leaves, for garnish
Instructions:

Cream together Neufchâtel cheese, butter, and yogurt until smooth. Fold in Italian seasoning and dill to blend. Refrigerate one hour. Slice cucumber; halve strawberries. Toast rye bread; slather with seasoned cheese spread. Top with cucumber slices and strawberries. Add dill sprig and thyme leaves for garnish.