Sandwich City

I have really been neglecting this blog lately and I want to say sorry to anyone who has been wondering what the heck is going on. I know it hasn't been that long since I posted but part of the neglect is that I haven't been photographing this week at all and so next week there will be a very small post. Part of this is due to the lack of sunlight available in the evenings, it has really been a bummer and has not made me want to take photos and part of it is that we are currently in the middle of a few large house projects: painting the garage and getting our wood floors refinished. The refinishing is requiring us to move every item (including ourselves and our kitties) out of our house for at least a week. It hasn't been easy so far and I haven't really even scratched the surface of the moving.

So I am going to a attempt to finish this post that I started almost a week ago and then it may be little while before you hear from me again. I just want to say, please don't leave me...

I will be back.

I was on a bit of a sandwich kick last week. On top of all of the sandwiches we were eating for dinner I also had them for lunch most of the week. Not such a bad thing since the simple sandwich comes in endless varieties. Welcome to Sandwich City!

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These were my favorite of the entire week. A little spicy, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. And bacon... bacon makes everything delicious.

Spicy Grilled Bacon and Tomato Sandwiches with Avocado

good quality bread

bacon, cooked

pepper jack cheese

tomato slices

avocado slices

butter

I think you know the drill on a grilled cheese sandwich. Butter the bread and grill (buttered side out). I like to put the cheese on both sides of the sandwich with the other goodies in between so the melted cheese sort of encases everything.

On the last official day of summer we grilled burgers. It was a nice way to bid the season ado. Although I don't think we will be packing up the grill anytime soon.

Grilled Cheeseburgers

I bought a packages of meat labeled "Sandwich Steaks" for this meal. I though they looked perfect for these sandwiches but it actually ended up being pretty tough and made the sandwiches a little hard to eat. Next time I will stick with the strip steak that the recipe called for.

Broiled Steak Sandwiches with Balsamic Vegetables

modified from Real Simple

makes 4 servings

1 lb strip steak

kosher salt and black pepper

4 plum tomatoes, halved

1 medium red onion, sliced in 1/4" rings

4 t olive oil

1 T balsamic vinegar

8 slices good quality bread

a handful of baby spinach

Parmesan cheese

Heat broiler. Season the steak with 1/2 t salt and 1/2 t pepper. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place the steak on half of the sheet.

Toss the tomatoes and onion with the oil, vinegar, 1/2 t salt and 1/4 t pepper. Place on the other half of the baking sheet (tomato should be cut side down).

Broil, turning everything once, until the steak reaches desired doneness (4 minutes per side for medium rare). Remove the steak and return the vegetables until browned if necessary.

Slice the steak, against the grain, and assemble the sandwiches with the steak, tomatoes, onion, spinach and Parmesan.

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I actually made this a couple of weeks ago and completely forgot to put it in the post. So I thought I would sneak it in here since the menu was a little short anyway. It was pretty good except the garlic was very overpowering and I used less than half of what the recipe called for.

Shrimp Scampi with Corn and Orzo
modified from Clean Eating

makes 6 servings

8 oz. orzo pasta

1 large ear corn, kernels removed from cob

3 T olive oil

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 1/2 lbs raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 t cornstarch dissolved in 1 T cold water

3/4 t kosher salt

3/4 t black pepper

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 T lime juice

Cook the orzo according to package directions.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium0high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the corn and cook until shrimp is just cooked through, about 1-2 more minutes. Add broth, cornstarch mixture, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until liquid comes to a boil and sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice.

Drain the orzo, top with the shrimp mixture and serve.