Brie, Bacon & Chicken Sandwich

Serves 2

2 ounces brie cheese
2-3 ounces chicken breast or tenders
3 slices smoked bacon
1/2 onion
baguette, halved and sliced into 2 sandwich portions

1. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Slice bacon into approximately 2-inch pieces and cook in skillet until crispy.
3. Meanwhile, slice onions and cut chicken breast/tenders into small bite-size pieces.
4. When the bacon is crispy, place them on a towel-lined plate and set aside.
5. Remove excess bacon fat in skillet. Lower heat to medium and sauté onions.
6. Add chicken pieces and cook until no longer pink and the onions have softened. Set-aside.
Now you’re ready to assemble the sandwich!
7. Heat a griddle over medium-high heat.
8. Place brie pieces, bacon, chicken and onions on bottom half of each baguette. Put the top half on and set both sandwiches on griddle.
9. With an oven mitt, take the cast-iron skillet (careful, it’s hot!) and place it on top of sandwiches.
10. Once the cheese is melting and the bottom is toasted, remove skillet and gently flip the sandwiches over to toast the other side. Again, place skillet on top.
11. The sandwich is ready when both sides are hot and toasty.

Biscuits with salmon and cream cheese

Ingredients:

For the biscuits:
250 gr strong white flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
115 gr cold butter grated
3 tbs chopped dill
245 gr buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk mix 2/3 yogurt with 1/3 milk and you’ll get a good replacement)
2 tbs butter melted

For the filling:
100 gr smoked salmon
1 box Philadelphia cream chesse with chives
juice from 1/2 lemon
some capers around 15 I think I used
1 tbs chopped dill
salt and pepper to taste
rocket salad

Method:

For the biscuits:
Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Add the grated butter and mix until coated in flour.
Add the dill and the butemilk until you get a sticky dough. Line a baking sheet with baking paper and preheat your oven to 200 grades C.
Form your biscuits in medium sized spheres and brush them with the melted butter.
Bake them for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

For the filling:
Mix the cream cheese with the lemon juice, capers and dill, add salt and pepper to taste.
If you find the filling to be too thick add some sour cream in it. I didn’t because we like it as it is.
Cut your biscuits in 2 put some of the cream cheese on each side of the biscuit (on the inside of course), put some salmon on top of the cream cheese on the bottom half of the biscuit, add some rocket salad and then put the top of the biscuit over it.

BLAT Sandwich

Avocado spread:
1 ripe avocado
1 tablespoon (or more, if avocado is less ripe) mayonnaise
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, depending on how lemony you like it
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Sandwich

Seven strips of bacon per sandwich (which serves two)
1 large, thick slice of focaccia, sliced in half
Butter lettuce
1 large tomato, sliced
Mayonnaise
Mix together all avocado spread ingredients -- if avocado is less ripe, grind/chop it up in a food processor and mix in other ingredients.

Weave together uncooked bacon in a lattice-pattern (pictured above), place on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Lightly spread one slice of bread with mayonnaise (I prefer Japanese mayonnaise, which typically contains a small amount of rice or apple cider vinegar) and the other, thickly, with the avocado spread.

Lay the bacon patty on the bread, top with lettuce and tomato and a generous sprinkling of freshly ground pepper (if you desire) and then close the sandwich.

Egg Salad Sandwich

7 hardboiled eggs
4 tablespoons mayo
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
fresh dill, handful, roughly chopped
fresh chives, handful, minced
kosher salt, to taste
fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Roughly chop your eggs. Add them to a mixing bowl with the mayo and mustard, stir until mixed, fold in herbs and season with salt and pepper. Serve. Eat.

Serving Suggestions: as a salad either alone or on a bed of baby lettuce.

French Dip Sandwiches

1 2.5-3 lb. beef roast (you can use a frozen roast if you want)
2 Tbsp. olive oilsalt and pepper
2 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix
2 c. water
2 cans beef broth
6-8 large buns (or more...6 would be VERY generous servings!)
Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper. When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat, you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices. Oh, and it smells so good--just like Grandma's house on a Sunday afternoon. Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onions soup mix. Pour water and beef broth over roast.

Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. It's hard to screw this part up; basically, the longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. But you know it's done when you pop a fork in it and the meat just falls apart.

When meat is ready, shred with a fork and place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty. And don't even think about walking away--things can go from lightly-toasted to on fire within a matter of seconds when you're using your broiler. Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy

FREEZER DIRECTIONS:
Prepare roast through the searing step; after meat has cooled, place in a plastic freezer-safe container (think Gladware), cover with onion soup mix and boullion, and freeze. When ready to cook, pop it straight into the crockpot (frozen), add 2 cups of water, and set to high until warm or, even better, simmering. Turn to low; cook for a total of 8-10 hours.

Smashed Chickpea Salad

Smashed Chickpea Salad - used in a sandwich

What you need!
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons pitted, halved and very thinly sliced black olives
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Zest and juice from half a lemon (if you've got one of those sad, juiceless lemons, use both sides for juice)
Couple good pinches of salt
A few grinds of black pepper
A few glugs of olive oil (the original is quite oily, like bread-soaking oily, I went a little lighter. Both ways are delicious)

Make it!
Mix everything but the olive oil in a small to midsize bowl. Very lightly smash the chickpea mixture with the back of a fork or a potato masher. You're not looking for a hummus-like puree but something closer to a coarse chop with a few smaller bits to hold it together. Add the glugs of olive oil, mix it lightly and enjoy.