Sloppy Bao – Vietnamese Sloppy Joe

July 12, 20149 Comments

It’s a little hard for me to look at these pictures now because I’ve been toying with vegetarianism the past week and this very meaty sandwiches is seriously one of the best I’ve ever made. I know, it’s a sloppy joe. Not very classy. But this one is so unique, so flavorful, and pretty to look at. It’s really just as easy as a regular sloppy joe but with a few asian condiments mixed in like fish sauce and red-curry paste. The meat mixture is really good, but I think it’s the toppings that make it shine. The recipe I used recommends Thai basil, jalapeños and mangos, but notes that Granny Smith apples could be used too. I trust Martha of course, but I thought the green apples looked and tasted perfect. I have a weird time imagining it with mangos, but if you try it please let me know! I went with lots of basil, fanned out apples, and a sprinkle of green onions for mine. I also subbed chili garlic sauce instead of the curry paste because that’s what I had and it was great too! It seems like this recipe is pretty flexible, which I love and would love to hear any of your ideas for ways to tweak it. All I can say is that you really should try this. I’ve never had anything quite like it before and it was a wonderfully quick and smile inducing weekday meal.

Philly Cheese Steak Night

August 25, 2013September 8, 20139 Comments

My homemade baguettes strike again! Just like the caprese sandwiches, I wanted to make something fairly simple so that we could really enjoy the fresh bread. I also just love how cool I feel slinging my spatula around while grilling the meat and veggies. Maybe I should get a job at a food court?? That would actually be pretty sweet, but I think I would tire of smelling like onions and shopping mall every day…I used the first recipe that came up in a google search for a guide and then kind of did my own thing. I didn’t melt the provolone into a sauce, but I’m sure that would be amazing and I totally forgot that I bought mushrooms to add! I hate when that happens. I think it turned out for the best though since the bread is what made this particular sandwich extra special. Next time I gotta try the melty cheese sauce!

PS this is my 101st post! How cool is that?! I totally missed it when I posted number 100!

Caprese Sandwiches on Homemade Bread!

August 21, 2013March 5, 20159 Comments

Last weekend we stumbled across a delightful bakery/cafe called the South End Buttery. I saw the word buttery in the distance and knew I had to see what was up. We loved the design of the place and all the treats looked great. I was starving and grabbed a simple caprese sandwich without really expecting much…but it was so delicious! It made me think about how much good ingredients can make a difference in certain dishes. When it’s composed of just four things, quality ingredients make it shine. This is a sandwich that’s pretty hard to mess up, so I could tell they must be using good stuff. The bread was just perfect and I loved how they used a whole skinny baguette – easier to eat and cute! So, I decided then and there that I would attempt to make my own homemade baguettes. Eek! That’s something that has always scared me. Anything with yeast has kind of always scared me. I’ll post most about the actual bread making later, since this is sandwich week. But, spoiler alert: it was a success! The homemade bread and fresh basil made this simple classic even better. And perfect for an evening dinner in the park!

Simple as 1…2…3

Sandwich Week – Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

August 20, 2013September 8, 20137 Comments

What are two people supposed to do with an entire roasted chicken?? It’s a little bit too much for just two people, but this turned out to be a great way to revive the leftovers! I’m always trying to get Paul to give me hints or ideas about weekday lunches. He usually says anything I make will be good, but one day he said “I know…maybe you could make buffalo chicken sandwiches?” Done! I shredded some of our leftover roast chicken from dinner and put together these sandwiches. I really like making homemade wings, but these were 100 times easier. I basically tossed some hot sauce/wing sauce with the shredded chicken and topped it with ranch. Plus, coleslaw either on the side or on top! Just a simple idea for leftover chicken, but oh so great for a mid-week work lunch!

Sandwich Week – Salmon Club Sandwich

August 19, 2013September 8, 20134 Comments

It’s sandwich week on BepCity! Liz Lemon really knows what she’s talking about when it comes to sandwiches. Everyone just wants a sandwich! I have noticed an overflow of sandwich pictures in my photo library over the past month or so and they are all coming at you during this very special week. I’m starting off with one that has been a definite crowd pleaser. I made this once for Paul and once for my whole family. Paul said it was the best sandwich he’s ever had and my mom repeated the recipe a few weeks later. And I thought it was really good too! The sandwich in the pictures was made using three (small) slices of bread and bacon, based on this recipe. It’s basically a BLT with red pepper mayo on the bottom layer, and grilled salmon with a little more mayo on the top later. I’ve also made it with just two slices and no bacon and I promise it’s still great! And healthier too…

So, take my advice, and Liz Lemon’s, just eat this sandwich.

Just matching my food, no big deal.

Donut Grilled Cheese

May 19, 2013May 19, 201318 Comments

This kitchen experiment arose from disappointment. We’ve been dying to go to a Cutty’s ‘Super Cluckin’ Sunday’ event for months. It’s an event where they only serve fried chicken sandwiches and they look and sound awesome. For one reason or another, we have just never made it and today was possibly our last chance! They aren’t planning on doing it again until September so we were determined. Right as we were about to head out I saw them tweet that the sandwiches were almost gone. Nooooooo! We started to rush that way, but knew we wouldn’t be able to make it. We slowly trudged back home. I proposed that we buy some fried chicken one of these days and attempt to make them ourselves and in the meantime I would whip us up some donut grilled cheese. Cuz that’s a logical solution to disappointment, right? We quickly perked up and I had some donut grilled cheeses ready to eat just 15 minutes later.

I guess I should explain that I was already prepared to try this experiment, I just didn’t think it would be on our designated fried chicken day. We randomly bought a six pack of glazed donuts and I always have cheese. Always. I heard about this miracle sandwich on The Chew quite a while ago, then we had the Dunkin’ Donuts breakfast sandwich, so this was an obvious next step in my donut sandwich timeline. I’m sure you aren’t surprised to hear that I loved the donut grilled cheese. I think from now on glazed donuts must only be eaten cut in half and toasted on a griddle. Even if you’re not into the idea of adding cheese, eating a warm, sweet, and crispy donut is the new way to go. Plus your kitchen will smell amazing. So, what’s next on the timeline? THIS from Man vs. Food. I think Adam seriously almost wet his pants when he saw that thing.

First step: cut your donuts in half.

Put the cut side down on your griddle/pan with some butter and oil.

Layer your cheese choice/s on the glazed side. I only did one layer because we had pretty tiny donuts.

This is how Dunkin’ Donuts served their donut sandwich, which is pretty darn messy, but also very cute! I just did this for a minute to help the cheese melt before the bottom got burnt. Either way works, however, eating with the crispy side out is easier and you really taste the contrast between the cheesy glaze and crispy bread. Tempted?

[EOTW] CARBS!

December 16, 2012December 25, 2012Leave a comment

I had a few posts planned for this week that just didn’t happen (yet!). I had a presentation to prepare for all week, but now that’s over, yay! Then when I heard about the terrible event in Newtown, my planned blog posts felt really unimportant and frivolous. I’ve worked in elementary schools and can’t even imagine going through something like this. Just awful.

Looking back at my food pics from this week, they seem to be all about carbs. My favorite. Sandwiches, flour tortillas, and I even snuck slices of bread into a baked egg dish. I may only have one cinnamon roll picture posted here, but believe me…there were many more than one consumed this week. I also finally got some chai latte K-Cups this week, which made a perfect combination!

:: Sandwich, cheese curls, soda, and straw from a Whole Foods run…living across from one makes me lazy sometimes ::

:: I intended for these to be flautas, but can tortillas this big be considered that?? Maybe it’s more of a chimichanga :: :: steak, bean and cheese taquitos to go with the flauta/chimichanga ::