Specialized Sandwich Style

When it comes to sandwiches I have always been a Ham and Cheese type of girl. Now that I am a more adventurous eater I will often try other varieties, but growing up Ham and Cheese was always my first choice and because of that it still remains a personal favorite. Therefore, I think it is only natural that I feature a few different versions of the classic sandwich here on my blog. Or maybe I am just trying to span all of the ham and cheese cultures that I can come up with. A while back I presented you with this Italian version and now I give you H&C with a French spin.

Creole Croque Monsieur
Adapted from Cooking Light January 2010

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Creole mustard
• 1 tablespoon fat-free mayonnaise
• 8 (1-ounce) slices Italian bread
• 6 ounces thinly sliced ham
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup egg substitute or 2 eggs
  
• 1/4 cup fat-free milk
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Combine mustard and mayonnaise in a small bowl.

Spread 3/4 teaspoon mustard mixture over each of 4 bread slices; layer each slice with 1 1/2 ounces ham and 1/4 cup cheese. Sprinkle evenly with pepper.

Spread 3/4 teaspoon mayonnaise mixture over each remaining bread slice; place, mustard side down, on top of sandwiches.

2. Combine egg substitute or egg and fat-free milk in a shallow dish. Dip both sides of each sandwich into the egg mixture.

3. Heat a large nonstick griddle or large skillet over medium heat.

Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sandwiches to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned and cheese melts.

Serve.
Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Rice Revelation

The town I lived in when hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 contained many things that I will always miss. Most notably is my house and all of its belongings. But the town was also home to several dining landmarks that I still think about 4 1/2 years later. One of those landmarks is China Jade. China Jade was a Chinese restaurant with the best Chinese food ever! I have eaten Chinese food at several other establishments in and around New Orleans and several restaurants in and around DC and I have never tasted Chinese that could even hold a candle to China Jade. Their food was amazing! They had the best Won Ton Soup, Fried Rice and Egg Rolls - staples on a classic Chinese menu that really define a good one!

Every time I eat Chinese I compare it to China Jade and it never even comes close. I certainly didn't expect that the first time I would taste comparable Chinese to my beloved China Jade would be in my own kitchen. I simply made this fried rice to accompany some Asian Short Ribs that I was making for Valentine's dinner. It was easy and it seemed to fit the bill. I wasn't attempting to recreate my coveted Chalmette Chinese cuisine, but I was shocked when I had my first bite. It was delicious and VERY similar in flavor, texture and consistency to the best fried rice I have ever had and haven't had since prior to August 2005. I can't wait to make this for my brother Kent and my sister Jessica to see if they agree. They were my frequent partners in crime for China Jade visits and I know they will be the perfect judges.

Ham Fried Rice
Adapted from Southern Living November 2000

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
• 2 large eggs
• 1-2 cups diced cooked ham steak
  
• 1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
• 3 cups cooked rice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce
• 4 green onions, sliced

Preparation

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet or wok at medium-high heat 2 minutes. Swirl the oil to coat the wok up the sides of the pan. Beat eggs with a whisk in a small bowl. Add eggs to wok; cook 2 minutes and scramble.

Remove from skillet; chop and set aside.

Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in skillet or wok; add bell pepper and onion; stir-fry 5 minutes until soft.

Add ham, and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until golden.

Add rice and next 2 ingredients;

stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Stir in reserved egg,

and sprinkle with green onions.

Mix ingredients together and serve.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Lazy Lasagna

Once while dining out I remember ordering something on the menu called "free form lasagna". I didn't know when I was making this dish that this is where I was headed, but my finished product was very similar in appearance to that dish. I haven't used no-cook lasagna noodles before and was very impressed with the results. The only characteristic the no-cook lasagna noodles are lacking is the pretty ruffled edge of the traditional lasagna noodle. The absence of this ruffled edge turned out to be a good thing and the loose nature of the noodle assembly lent to the creation of a very casual yet elegant dish.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Free-Form Lasagna
Adapted from Cooking Light January 2006

Yield

8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (Emeril's Essence)
  
• 1 pound thin cut skinless, boneless chicken breast
• 3 cups 1% low-fat milk
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• Cooking spray
• 12 no-cook lasagna noodles (8 ounces), divided
• 8 ounces thinly sliced 96% fat-free deli ham, chopped, divided
• Parsley Flakes (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place broth, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and Cajun seasoning in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Add chicken; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is done.

Remove chicken from pan with tongs; set aside. Once chicken has cooled, chop into bite-sized pieces.

Take three lasagna noodles and soak them in the broth for 2 minutes. Remove the noodles and place in a single layer on a plate coated with cookie spray. Save these three noodles for the top noodles of the lasagna. The other noodles will not need to be cooked.

Combine milk, flour, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl; stir well with a whisk until smooth. Add milk mixture to broth in pan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.

Cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup cheese and parsley, stirring until cheese melts.

Spread 1 cup sauce over bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles over sauce. Spoon 3/4 cup sauce evenly over noodles.

Top evenly with one-third ham and one-third chicken.

Sprinkle the layer with one third of mozzarella cheese.

Repeat layers twice, ending with noodles. Be sure to end with the three noodles that soaked earlier in the broth. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesean cheese.

Cover with foil very lightly coated with cooking spray; bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove and discard foil; bake 10 minutes or until the cheese lightly browns. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.

Poultry, Projects and Planning

I went to an all girl Catholic high school and even as late as the end of the 90's Home Economics was still a required course. Instead of spending time wrapped up in the sexist aspect of the course requirement, I spent the entire semester loving the field of study. The course work was divided into three different focuses over the semester with one big project at the end of each of the curriculum. There was sewing and textiles, interior design and and home furnishing, and my favorite of course - cooking and nutrition. During the cooking and nutrition portion we had a classroom concentrated few weeks where we learned about nutrition, meal planning, time management and kitchen safety. During the last few weeks we had class everyday in a big room full of kitchen stations as we practiced our techniques we had learned earlier in the classroom. Our final project was to prepare an entire meal with our group in an allotted time frame. Prior to the big day we had to present our menu, our time phased cooking plan and a mock up of our table setting. And on the final day we had to execute the plan and serve our meal to our group and our teacher, Mrs. Mooney. Although the physical resemblance was absent, Mrs. Mooney was very Donna Reed-ish and taught us several things during the semester that I still recall. I don't remember very many details about high school, but some of the things we learned in Home Ec have never left my mind. One of the details I still remember is that the entree to our final project was pan seared chicken smothered with cheese. When I made the recipe below I reminisced fondly about that meal and the preparation that went into pulling it off.

Easy Skillet Cordon Bleu
Adapted from Southern Living December 2007
Yield

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
  
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 chicken tenders (about 1 lb.)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 Canadian bacon slices, cut into thin strips
• 4 Smoked Fontina cheese slices, halved

Preparation

1. Combine breadcrumbs, pepper, and salt in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag or a shallow bowl.

Rinse chicken tenders, dredge in milk

and coat in the bread crumbs.

2. Melt butter with oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken 3 1/2 to 4 minutes on each side or until done.

Arrange Canadian bacon strips over chicken in skillet,

and top each with 1 cheese slice.

Broil 5 1/2 inches from heat 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. If you are not sure if your skillet is broiler proof, wrap the handle in aluminum foil before placing the pan in the oven.

Deviated Devil

I had some left over ham from Easter Brunch and decided to use it in a variation of deviled eggs. Both my husband and I love deviled eggs and I wanted to make them this weekend and thought stuffing them with ham would be a great alternative to the basic recipe. These deviled eggs had a great twist and are the perfect way to use up those brightly-dyed Easter eggs and leftover Easter ham.

Ham Stuffed Deviled Eggs

Yield

16 servings

Ingredients

• 8 large eggs
• 1/2 cup minced reduced-fat ham
• 1 tablespoon minced green onions
• 1 tablespoon minced parsley
• 2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons creole mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• paprika
  

Preparation

Place eggs in a large saucepan. Cover with water to 1 inch above eggs; bring just to a boil. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 12 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold running water until cool.

Peel eggs; slice in half lengthwise.

Remove yolks; discard 4 yolks. Place remaining 4 yolks in a medium bowl. Add ham and next 6 ingredients (through pepper);

stir until combined.

Spoon about 1 teaspoon yolk mixture into each egg white half. Sprinkle eggs with paprika.

Very Venice

According to Giada and our friends who recently traveled to Italy, there is a very famous restaurant in Venice called Harry's Bar. Harry's is noted as the first bar to serve the Bellini and because of this has become a very famous tourist spot in Venice. In 2001, the Italian Ministry of Cultural Affairs declared it a national landmark.

Since airfare to Venice wasn't in this week's budget, we decided to attempt to recreate one of their famous menu items at home. The recipe below is a take on the Harry's Bar pierini which is basically a perfect hybrid of a grilled cheese and a deli ham sandwich. It is flavorful, rich and satisfying. The cheese spread is self assured - It pairs perfectly with both the crispy bread and the cold ham and it melts beautifully.

Venetian Panino
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

8 ounces Fontina cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, chopped
12 ounces sliced ham
12 slices wheat or sourdough bread, crusts removed
6 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

Into a food processor, add the cheese, butter, mustard, Worcestershire and garlic.

Blend until the mixture is thick, smooth and spreadable.

Spread the cheese mixture over 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange the ham slices over the cheese mixture on 6 of the bread slices.

Top sandwiches with the remaining bread slices, cheese mixture side down, pressing gently to adhere. Cut the sandwiches in half.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Cook half of the sandwiches until golden brown and heated through, about 4 minutes per side.

Transfer to a serving platter and tent with foil to keep them warm. Repeat with remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and sandwiches. Serve immediately.

The Yolks on Me!

One of my favorite things to order when I am dining out for brunch or breakfast is Eggs Benedict. I love, love, love that dish. My mother in law surprised me with an egg poacher for my birthday and I new that Eggs Benedict would be my first dish I made using my new helpful kitchen tool. The egg poacher worked wonderfully. The Hollandaise Sauce on the other hand, left something to be desired. I think Hollandaise Sauce is going on my list of things I rather eat when dining out than ever attempt again in my own kitchen. My hollandaise sauce had a weirdly congealed consistency and then seperated very quickly after serving. Good thing I didn't choose to try this dish out for the first time while entertaining......

Egg Benedict

Hollandaise Sauce Recipe
Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
  
• 2 teaspoons water
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 stick melted butter

Directions

In a stainless steel bowl set over a pot of simmering water, whisk the egg yolks with the lemon juice, cayenne, and water, until pale yellow in color.

Season with salt and pepper. Be careful not to let the bowl touch the water. Remove the bowl from the pot and whisking vigorously, add the butter, 1 teaspoon at a time, until all is incorporated.

Poach eggs using your new handy dandy six egg poacher you got from your mother in law for your birthday!

Place warmed Canadian Bacon on top of two toasted whole wheat English Muffins.

Place poached eggs on top of Canadian Bacon.

Pour Hollendaise Sauce over eggs and serve.