Italian Sandwiches

Unfortunately, in these days of juggling swimming, baseball, and soccer, we have eaten not at home more than once--we've eaten at the swimming pool, at baseball games, and in the car.  I know, not ideal, but it is the reality of early swim season.

Compounding the scheduling problem is the fact that my kids get basic sandwiches most days for lunches--peanut butter and jelly for one and meat, cheese, and lettuce for the other.  When I feed kids on the go, I try to avoid making them eat the same meal twice in one day.

These sandwiches are an answer to that.  They use "fancier" meat and cheeses.  There's a layer of roasted red peppers which make almost all sandwiches better and we use special, chewy white bread instead of the whole wheat fare of lunches.

This is a staple in our early swim season menu and adaptable enough to customize for all of my five silly eaters.  Ideally, I would make this the morning that I wanted to eat it and let them the sandwiches sit all day so their juices absorb into the bread.  However, I don't think my kids would go for that (and I'm just not that with it), so I make them right before we eat them.

This will serve 4 - 6, depending on the size of your sandwiches.  Just change amounts for the number of people you are feeding.

Italian Sandwiches
adapted from Sunset Magazine

1 - 2 ciabatta loaves (I love Whole Foods olive oil and sea salt ciabatta loaves for this)
1/4 - 1/2 c olive tapenade (black, green, or a mixture)
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T olive oil
1/2 - 3/4 lb Italian deli meats, such as salami, prosciutto, coppa, etc (I like the Costco Italian deli meat tray)
8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced as a thinly as possible
1 roasted red bell pepper (either home roasted or store bought, jarred)
6 leaves basil, torn into small pieces

If everyone you are feeding will eat an identical sandwich, the easiest way to make this is to slice the entire ciabatta loaf in half horizontally.  Spread bottom half with the tapenade.  Drizzle the cut side of the top half with vinegar and oil.  Arrange the meats on top of the tapenade, followed by the mozzarella, red pepper, and basil.  Place top half on top of filling.

If everyone likes their own version of this sandwich (like in my house), first slice the ciabatta into the desired serving size for each person.  Then cut each slice into half horizontally and add desired sandwich fixings.

If you are me, you eat these immediately and don't press at all.  However if you have more forethought, proceed with the recipe.

Once sandwiches are made (either way you are doing it), wrap with foil or plastic wrap.  Place a heavy cutting board or cast iron skillet on top of sandwiches and weight with 2 - 4 lbs (think of cans of beans, six pack, etc).  Let sit 30 minutes to 2 hours.  Unwrap and serve

Sabih

This is quick becoming one of our summer favorites (up there with Bun Chay, Taco Salad, and Sicilian Stir Fry).  Despite doing this CSA thing for the past five plus years, our kids are still not fans of eggplant and zucchini.  Curtis and I are still kinda iffy on both of those as well, especially zucchini.

Well, this recipe has no zucchini.  It does use eggplant and cucumbers.  We love this and have adapted it to the kids by also adding some grilled marinated chicken breasts.  Everyone's happy.  First bite and once again, I remember how wonderful summer can be.

This recipe calls for savory mango pickles.  Some day, I hope to have the time to locate those (I know what store to look at, I just haven't braved it this summer with three kids in tow), so I am leaving them in the recipe.

Sabih
adapted from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

2 large eggplants (or 3 - 4 small or medium ones), peeled leaving a zebra like pattern (one strip peeled, one peel left on, etc)
1 1/4 c sunflower or canola oil

1/2 - 1 lb seasoned chicken breasts
sourdough bread, ciabatta bread, or fresh pita (I usually use bread)
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
savory mango pickle (optional)
2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
2 small cucumbers (1 med-lg), diced (if you use a large one, peel and seed cucumber as well)
1 1/2 T parsley
lemon slices

Tahini Sauce:
2/3 c tahini
1/2 c water
2 T lemon juice
salt
1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)

Zhoug:
1 1/4 oz cilantro (thin stems ok)
1/3 oz parsley (thin stems ok)
1 - 2 hot green chiles, coarsely chopped
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t cardamom
1/4 t cloves
pinch of sugar
1/4 t salt
1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)
2 T olive oil
2 T water

Cut eggplants widthwise into slices 1 inch thick.  Sprinkle them on both sides with salt, spread on baking sheet or kitchen towel, and let stand for at least 30 minutes (this helps remove some of the water).  Pat dry with paper towels or clean kitchen towels.

While the eggplants sweat, prepare the tahini sauce.  In a small bowl, combine tahini, water, and lemon juice.  The consistency should be of honey or a little runnier.  Add a little extra water if needed.  Taste and add salt as desired.  Sauce can be store in the fridge for up to a week, just stir well before using (and add a little more water if needed).

Prepare the zhoug.  Finely chop all the zhoug ingredients (not including olive oil or water).  Add the water and olive oil and combine to make a coarse paste.    If you have a small food processor, you could also pulse all the ingredients (including olive oil and water) until you have a coarse paste.  Zhoug will keep in the fridge for up to three weeks (but ours never lasts that long!).

After the eggplant have sweated for 30 minutes or so, heat the sunflower or canola oil in a heavy frying pan.  Make sure the oil is very hot (it almost looks like it starts swirling around in the pan by itself, it shouldn't smoke though, and you definitely don't want it catching on fire) and fry the eggplant slices in batches until nice and dark.  Flip the eggplants once.  Add oil if needed.  When the eggplant is done, it should be nice and squishy in the center.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  While the eggplant fries, grill the chicken.

To serve:  Slice the chicken into thin strips.  Put the hardboiled eggs, diced tomatoes, diced cucumbers, and mango pickles on a platter.  I don't mix things together because we all like different combinations.  Put the parsley in a little bowl and serve the lemon slices as well.

Make the eggplant and chicken into open-faced sandwiches.  Spoon tahini sauce over the bread.  Follow with eggplant slices (or chicken), some more tahini sauce, eggs, tomato, cucumbers, and top with zhoug.  If desired, you can squeeze a lemon over top or season with salt and pepper.

Coffee-Cured Pulled Pork

My brother lives in Virginia.  If you're not living under a rock or in a house without access to the outside world, you probably have heard about Hurricane Sandy.  Although my family is 4 hours from the coast, with a nice mountain range or two separating them from any tides, schools in the area have shut down already.  My brother is a teacher.  He is contemplating a week, possibly, without school, if things go as are expected, and plans on cooking.  A lot.  This recipe is for him at his request.  If his electricity holds up, this is in his plans.

I made this last week on the day the cold front moved through Central Texas.  It's the perfect winter meal---it roasts in a somewhat low oven for 6 hours---6 wonderful hours of a meaty aroma and the warmth of an oven filling the house.  My favorite part of the recipe was the burnt pieces, which was my kids' least favorite so it worked out perfectly!  We turned these into sandwiches and may still turn them into tacos.  The only thing about this recipe is it takes some planning ahead.  The meat should cure for 12 - 24 hours before you begin roasting.

This serves a lot of people and makes around 2 1/2 lbs of meat when all is said and done.

Coffee-Cured Pulled Pork
from Food and Wine magazine

1/2 c sugar
1/4 c coarsely ground coffee
1/2 c kosher or sea salt (coarse grain)
4 lb bone-in pork butt (also known as a Boston Butt)
1/3 c molasses or sorghum
1/3 c apple cider vinegar

In a large bowl combine, sugar, coffee and salt.  Add the pork and rub the mixture all over.  Leave in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 12 - 24 hours.

After the pork has cured, rinse the pork well and set in a roasting pan.  Roast the pork, uncovered, in a preheated 300 degrees oven for 6 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 200 degrees.  After the pork has roasted 2 hours, cover--either with foil or the lid of the roasting pan (if you have the roasting pan like I do).  Once the meat thermometer reads 200 degrees.  Remove the pork from oven and let rest for 30 minutes.

While the pork is resting (all that roasting was hard work, you know), boil the molasses and vinegar together in a small saucepan.  Simmer until it is slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.  While the sauce simmers increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees.  Pour the glaze over pork and roast for 15 minutes (or less).  Let cool, then shred the pork.  Serve on buns with barbecue sauce (I think I sweet sauce would be best).

**Note, you may have noticed that after the curing, no salt was added anywhere.  That's on purpose.  Taste your meat before adding more salt.  Otherwise, your pork will be way too salty.

Pimiento Cheese

I have finally figured out what to do with all the peppers that multiply in my crisper drawer so quickly.  The bell peppers never last long.  I know those have no spice and they get through into a variety of things---beans, fancy tuna salad, sloppy joes.  However, there's a whole group of peppers that show up in my box that aren't bell peppers and don't tend to have any spice.  These tend to be the longer peppers--orange or light yellow in color, occasionally red.  Every once in a while they may have a slightly mild spice, but that is rare.  I don't risk it though by cooking them in sloppy joes or other foods I know the kids I love.

Those peppers, the mystery ones with not much (any) spice become pimiento cheese.  I know this is my second pimiento cheese recipe.  This is the good recipe.....the roast your own peppers recipe with not a lot of mayo and lots of cheddar cheese.  For good measure, toasted pecans are also added.

Curtis, Isaac and I love this recipe.  M hasn't wanted to try it, so I haven't encouraged her (nope, I don't want to share).  I think I have kept J in the dark knowing about it's existence as well, because there's a good chance he'll like it, too.

Homemade Pimiento Cheese
adapted from farmhousedelivery.com/blog

1 lb grated cheddar
4 - 6 sweet peppers (the long, slender, multi-colored assortment, not bell peppers)
2 small hot peppers, minced (purely optional--I omit since Isaac likes this recipe)
1/3 c pecans, toasted and chopped
1/4 - 1/2 c mayo

Roast the sweet peppers (not the spicy peppers though).  I prefer to do this on a gas grill.  Brush each pepper lightly with oil and place on hot grill.  Turn occasionally, until all sides are lightly charred.  This can also be done on the top of a gas stove (directly on the flame) or in the oven.  Once all sides are charred (will probably take 8 - 12 minutes or so on the grill, depending on how hot your grill is), place in a bowl and cover.  Allow to steam for 10 minutes or so.  With the blunt side of a knife, gently scrape charred skin off of the peppers.  Remove the seeds.  For best taste, do not rinse the peppers.  Chop the peppers.

In a medium to large bowl, combine the cheddar with the roasted, chopped sweet peppers, the minced hot peppers, pecans, and 1/4 c mayo.  Taste and add more mayo if you need a bit more (I love mayo, so I usually need a bit more...always a bit more mayo).  Season to taste with black pepper.

Serve with crackers or make into sandwich.  I like to make grilled pimiento cheese sandwiches.  It's also really good with a slice of prosciutto.

Thai Turkey Burgers

Just a quick disclaimer.  I loathe turkey burger.  It's more or less bland and lacks personality.  However, fish sauce fixes everything (more on that on another post).  Get over your fear of turkey burger and make these tonight.  Everyone in my family loved these.

Serves 4 or 5

Thai Turkey Burgers
adapted from Food and Wine

1/4 c onion
2 T cilantro
2 1/4-inch-thick slices of peeled, fresh ginger
1 jalapeno, seeded, and stemmed (optional--too spicy for my fam)
1 1/2 T fish sauce (nuoc mam or nuoc pla)
1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
1/4 c mayo
1 t Sriracha or chili garlic sauce (we prefer the chili garlic sauce)
4 or 5 hamburger buns (or brioche/kaiser rolls if you want fancier)
bread and butter pickles
lettuce
mint leaves

In a food processor, pulse the onion, cilantro, ginger, and jalapeno (if using) with the fish sauce until chopped (you can also do this by hand--I've done it both ways with good results).  Transfer into a bowl and knead into the turkey.  Gently pat the turkey mixture into four or five patties (we did five because that was how many we needed), about 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick.

Light a grill.  Brush the burgers gently with oil and grill over moderately high heat.  A warning:  these burgers want to fall apart.  Treat them quite gently to avoid this.  Grill, flipping once, until golden, crusty, and just cooked through, about 8 - 10 minutes.  While the burgers grill, also brush the rolls lightly with oil or butter and grill to just to toast.

Meanwhile, combine the mayo and the Sriracha/hot sauce.

To serve:  Brush the buns with the mayo hot sauce, if desired.  Top with burgers, pickles, lettuce, and mint if desired.  (You could also use thinly sliced jalapenos if you didn't add those to the burgers.)  Or, if your children are like mine, just top with ketchup and mustard.  :)

French Tuna Salad Sandwich

This is another of our summer staples this year. I've found it's particularly nice on a Sunday afternoon after we've been at the swimming pool. According to the original recipe, this is another recipe to make the day before and let sit overnight (in fact, you assemble the whole sandwich, and refrigerate, pressed, overnight in order for the oils/juices to make the bread soggy). However, while I can get my act together to make Cold Sauce Pasta the night before, I can't seem to do this the night before. It tastes great when you make it about 10 minutes before you eat it, you just miss out on the soggy bread.

My children don't like this. I'm not sure why, but to be honest, it makes me a little happy. Curtis and I get to happily eat our fancy tuna while they eat traditional tuna salad (ie tuna + mayonaisse) sandwiches. They don't know what they are missing out on. I usually cook a whole pound of green beans, put a few in our tuna and the kids eat the rest on the side.

This meal is perfect right now for what we are getting in our CSA box. Last night we used a bell pepper, green beans, and parsley from our box.

This serves between 2 -4, depending on how big your sandwiches are.

French Tuna Salad Sandwich

adapted from Waverly on Food52

1/2 - 1 loaf crusty baguette

1 (6-oz) can tuna

3/4 c black olives (Nicoise preferable), sliced

1/2 c bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin

1/4 c parsley, finely chopped

1 (net weight 14.5-oz) can artichoke hearts (not in oil), reserving about 3 hearts for another use

1/4 c green beans, cut and blanched

3 T lemon juice

6 T extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

In a mixing bowl, combine the tuna, olive, pepper, parsley, artichoke hearts, and green beans. In a small jar, shake together the lemon juice and olive oil until it is emulsified (or well-combined). Pour the lemon/olive oil vinaigrette over the tuna mixture and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cut baguette into desired sandwich sizes and then in half, lengthwise (to fill). Remove some of the bread of the bottom half to create a trough to fill (just eat the bread you pulled out, yum.). Fill each bottom piece with tuna salad and enjoy.

Char Siu Pulled Pork Bahn Mi

As you know by now (if you've been reading for a couple months), I am fascinated by Asian food this winter. Bahn Mi is my new favorite sandwich (so inexpensive at one of our favorite Vietnamese restaurant---seriously, McDonald's priced but so much tastier!!). I stumbled across this recipe on the blogosphere and decided it would make the perfect for serving my family the evening they got to Texas for Thanksgiving (which is my excuse for no pictures--being busy with my family and the craziness of having to feed and house 11 people for 3 days).

This wasn't quite the bahn mi (which is just a Vietnamese sandwich---meat with a cabbage slaw served on french bread/baguette) I had in mind, but it was pretty good. The original recipe had links to make your own char siu sauce (Chinese BBQ sauce) and nuoc mam cham (fish sauce), but I opted to buy both of those ingredients. Char siu sauce can be found at Asian markets. The nuoc mam, I picked up at a Vietnamese restaurant a couple of hours before super. Nuoc Mam is perishable, the char siu sauce, not so much if it isn't opened. The owners of the Vietnamese restaurant looked at me as if I were crazy, but obliged me anyway.

The hardest part about the recipe is procuring the ingredients. Once that is done, the slow cooker does most of the work for you.

This recipe will serve 4 - 6 people.
Char Siu Pulled Pork Bahn Mi
from the Ravenous Couple

Pulled Pork
3 lb pork shoulder (bone in)
kosher salt
black pepper
1 lg yellow onion, peeled and cut into 1/4" rings
1 (8.5-oz) jar char siu sauce

Slaw
1/2 head green cabbage, thinly shredded
1/2 c red cabbage, thinly shredded
1/2 c cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 c mint, coarsely chopped
1/2 c fresh basil (thai basil is preferable), coarsely chopped
1/4 c nuoc mam cham

For the sandwiches:
baguettes
cilantro
additional nuoc mam cham

For the pulled pork: Put the sliced onions in slow cooler. Lightly rub pork with small amount of salt and pepper and put in slow cooker on top of onion bed. Brush on a generous layer of char siu sauce, turning pork to coat all sides evenly. Turn the slow cooker on low and leave on overnight (8 - 12 hours) or on high for 4 - 5 hours.

For the slaw: An hour before serving, combine cabbages, cilantro, mint, and basil and toss well. Season with nuoc mam cham to taste (we love nuoc mam cham so we used 1/4 cup). Stir and allow slow to marinate at least 30 minutes before serving (and up to a day before serving).

To assemble the sandwiches: Remove cooked pork from the crockpot. The pork should easily fall apart with gentle pressure. Put pork in a large bowl and pull apart with fork or tongs, discarding fat and bones. Add additional char siu sauce--1 T at a time until pulled pork is well coated (don't overdo it, you can always add more char siu sauce to the sandwiches).

Place pork in a baguette and top with slaw. Garnish with cilantro and drizzle extra nuoc mam cham over top if desired.

Meatball Banh Mi

(Sorry, another dark picture....)

I've read about banh mi sandwiches for quite some time. Then a couple of months ago, I saw a recipe for them in Bon Appetit that looked like something I could possibly handle. I've yet to have an authentic banh mi, so I don't know how well this recipe rates. We loved it though. Curtis and I had sandwiches as pictured above. The kids just had meatball sandwiches (alas, without the veggies).

Cooking teaches me things about culture and geography. For example, it's only been since really getting interested in food that I've learned that there are French and Vietnamese connections. If I am remembering correctly, the French occupied ("colonized") Vietnam for about 50 years. Thus, in Vietnamese cooking, there are some French influences, for example, meatball and carrot/daikon vinegar sandwiches on baguettes.

These were tasty sandwiches. The original recipe says it will serve 4, but that is if each person eats a 10" long sandwich. I don't eat 10" long sandwiches (nor does anyone in my family). I think this will serve more like 6, possible 8 if the the sandwiches are made very small. I will definitely make these again!

Meatball Banh Mi
adapted from Bon Appetit

Pickled Vegetables
2 c carrots, coarsely grated
2 c peeled daikon, coursely grated
1/4 c rice vinegar
1/4 c sugar
1 t coarse kosher salt

Hot Chili Mayo
2/3 c mayo
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 T hot chili sauce (like sriracha)

Meatballs
1 lb ground beef or pork
1/4 c finely chopped fresh basil (I omitted this because I didn't have)
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 T fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
1 T hot chili sauce (optional)
1 T sugar
2 t cornstarch
1 t black pepper
1 t coarse kosher salt

Sandwiches
1 T sesame oil
2 long baguettes, cut into sandwiches of desired size
thinly sliced jalapeno chiles (optional)
16 fresh cilantro sprigs

Pickled Vegetables: Toss all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, tossing occasionally.

Hot Chili Mayo: Stir all ingredients in a small bowl. Season with salt. Cover and chill until you are ready to use.

Meatballs: Gently mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Roll meat mixture in to 1" meatballs (about a scant tablespoon per meatball). Place on baking sheet, plate or desired surface until ready to cook. Heat 1 T sesame oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the meatballs (or however many will fit without crowding). Saute meatballs until brown and cooked through, turning meatballs often and lowering heat if browning too quickly, about 15 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack lined with paper towels to drain, then put on baking sheet and place in preheated 300 degrees oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining meatballs.

To assemble sandwiches: Cut each baguette piece in half horizontally. Pull out enough bread half to leave 1/2" thick shell. Spread hot mayo over each shell. Arrange jalapenos and then cilantro in bottom halves. Fill each with enough meatballs to fill. Drain pickled vegetables and place a generous spoonful or two on top of meatballs. Press on baguette tops and serve.

Onion Blue Cheese Sauce

I know, this isn't the best picture, but it's better than no picture, right? My camera was taking dark pictures this evening for some reason (ugh...of course it's the camera's fault and not user-error!).

This is a rich sauce, perfect for the ribeye and t-bone steaks Curtis made on the big green Egg last week. He makes perfect steaks (versus my sad steak-making attempts). We all loved the meal. We decided we couldn't go to many restaurants and get food any better than what we made. Our menu: Steaks with Onion Blue Cheese Sauce, Smoky Beans and Greens, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, and Orange Angel Food Cake (with all the fixings).

The sauce is also good in sandwiches with pastrami (and I am sure roast beef as well).

Onion Blue Cheese Sauce
From the Pioneer Woman Cooks

4 T butter
1 lg yellow onion, sliced
1 c heavy cream
1/2 c crumbled blue cheese

Saute onions in butter over high heat in a small saucepan. Cook for 5 - 10 minutes or until dark and caramelized. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir in cream. Cook until reduced in half, about 3 - 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in blue cheese until melted.

Serve either on top of steaks of put on a plate and put steaks on top of sauce.

Eggplant and Arugula Open Faced Sandwich

The hummus I posted about yesterday was made as a base for my sandwich. I got so much eggplant in my box this week and eggplant just doesn't keep well so I looked for lots of different ways to cook it. I discovered this recipe on Epicurious and it looked like a great way to change things up a bit.

I loved this sandwich. Curtis wasn't home when we had it and the kids don't like eggplant or arugula well enough to have wanted to try it. That was ok with me. It's a great lunch sandwich because you can make as much or as little as you want, just change the amounts proportionally.

Eggplant and Arugula Open Faced Sandwich
adapted from Epicurious

1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2" slices lengthwise
olive oil
1 c baby arugula
1 - 2 oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
hummus
a thick bread (I used sourdough, any good bread would work)

Brush both sides of eggplant slices with oil. (I didn't use the ends with lots of skin on them because I've found the skins too tough to eat). Broil or grill until very tender and golden, about 8 minutes, checking periodically so they don't burn. Meanwhile, mix one cup of arugula with the sun-dried tomatoes.

To assemble the sandwich, spread hummus over piece of bread. Follow with generous layer of arugula/tomato mixture. Top with grilled eggplant (remove skin, if desired before putting on sandwich).

Yields: two open faced sandwiches (which was just enough for me at lunch).

Hummus

I've made hummus for years, but have never quite been satisfied with it. Either the texture was wrong, usually on the very thick side, or the taste wasn't quite right. I think I've finally found my recipe.

Hummus recipes have all the same, basic ingredients: chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, and garlic. The secret to good hummus is the balance of it all. The key to this recipe is not draining and rinsing the chickpeas (if you popped open a can like I did). When you put the chickpeas in the food processor, dump the juices in with it. Perfect consistency.

M and J love hummus. I made mine a little too garlicky (next time I'll just put in one clove), but in between telling me it was "hot" the licked their plates clean. It made a great lunch paired with cucumbers from our CSA, grapes, and bread.

Hummus
slightly adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

2 c canned chickpeas (with cooking liquid)
1/2 c tahini
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled
juice of 1 lemon
salt, to taste
1 t ground paprika, or to taste

Put all ingredients but salt and paprika in a food processor. Process until smooth. Taste and add salt and paprika as desired. Serve.

Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches

I remember eating pimiento cheese sandwiches in the cafeteria during elementary school. The sandwiches I remember were neon orange and always served with tomato soup. They were nasty. Always, always, someone threw up on pimiento cheese and tomato soup day (I am not kidding--I remember!).

These sandwiches taste nothing like that. They shouldn't even share a name with the sad, excuse for a sandwich we were served. These are great, especially when prepared like a grilled cheese sandwich when everything gets all melty and gooey. The original recipe recommends putting bacon and fresh tomato slices on the sandwich as well. I didn't do that, but I can imagine it would be divine.

I don't know what my family members think of these. I haven't shared. These have been my own personal lunch this week, except for one bite I had to share with J whose begging I couldn't resist. His response was Mmmm. I didn't offer him a second bite. I wanted to keep my sandwich.

Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches
from Bon Appetit

2 c coarsely grated sharp Cheddar cheese (a combination of white and yellow cheddar is recommended, I didn't have both so I just used yellow).
1/2 c drained pimientos, finely chopped
1/4 c mayonnaise
whole wheat bread

Mix cheese, pimientos, and mayonnaise in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Butter one side of two pieces of whole wheat bread. Put bread butter side down on a frying pan or griddle. Top with a liberal layer of pimiento cheese. Put other piece of bread, butter side up, on top. Grill until bread is browned and cheese is melted, flipping once.