2 Foodies - 2 Dogs - 1 Budget

Lunch With A Famous Chef!

Since Labor Day weekend I was battling a cold which is still lingering.  And in my run down state, when I went to the kitchen I decided to let the kid in me out and to have lunch with a famous Chef!  Well, a dead famous Chef, Boyardee.  In the pantry was a can of overstuffed beef ravioli. Ok, so this is not the most gourmet lunch I ever prepared, but it did remind me of my childhood and it was quick to heat up.  More good foodie recipes will come very soon! 

In the meantime, ponder this, when was the last time you allowed yourself to feel like a kid inside.  In this day of responsibilities, cell phones, emails, job/family stress we get caught up and wound up.  I encourage you to get your favorite food as a kid and think of what life was like then, or go out and buy a bottle of bubbles and just sit and blow for no reason at all, build a sand castle, watch a cartoon, or do something that makes you giggle down deep.  That is the best medicine for a Great Recipe for life and what I have to remind myself of every now and then.  And I have just reminded you as well so I have done my job for the day.

Perfect Panini Lunch

Prep Time: 10 minutes - Cost Per Serving Under $2

I love, love, let me say it again love grilled panini's.  Under 10 minutes and under $2 to make this yummy sandwich which is crusty on the outside and warm and moist inside.  For this panini, I used whole wheat bread, swiss cheese, ham and dill pickles, and mustard.  I layered all the ingredients and put it in the panini press for a few minutes and as I am writing this entry I am enjoying this "Perfect Panini".

Turkey & Salami Panini with Fresh Lychees

Prep Time: 15 minutes - Cost Per Serving Under $4

A few years back, one of my Christmas gifts from Henry was a panini press from Williams-Sonoma, which is an adult toy store for hard core foodies.  It was in fact our first Christmas together, and I was very surprised when I opened the gift.  I think in passing I mentioned that I really like grilled panini's, and the fact that he remembered made me feel special. The panini press has been used quite a bit.  For lunch there is nothing like a hot sandwich pressed with grill marks making it light and crunchy on the outside and hot and moist on the inside. 

For todays panini, I looked to see what we had in the kitchen and came up with the following ingredients: Deli Rye Bread, Hormel Genoa Salami, Carl Buddig Turkey, Tomato & Mustard.

Prior to assembling the ingredients I plugged in the panini press so it would be good and hot.  I grilled the sandwich for several minutes until the outside of the bread was crispy and the insides heated up.

During our grocery shopping earlier in the day, one of our stops was an Asian market and we picked up some fresh lychee's.  These exotic fruits might look a little intimidating to those who haven't tried them before, but they are incredibly delicious.  The outside of a lychee is a protective thin textured skin that is brownish/red in color.  To eat the fruit, peel the skin off the fruit to reveal the white of the fruit, this is the edible part.  Throw the skin away.  Also, when you bite into it, there is a pit in the center, so be careful not to bite to hard.  The fruit is juicy and has a unique taste to it, not like any other fruit I can describe.  For those that don't want to be bothered peeling fresh lychee's, you can find them canned in most supermarkets in the Asian section, but I highly recommend trying the fresh ones.

Sunday Lunch 7/15/07 - Grilled Chipotle Sausage with Ketchup & Curry Powder and a Grilled White Corn/Tomatillo/Tomato Salad

Prep Time: 30 minutes - Cost per Serving Under $5

When I was 17 my older brother was in the Air Force and stationed in Bitburg Germany and I visited him that Summer, and spent a lot of time crashing at the Air Force Base and seeing various parts of Germany, Brussels, London and Luxembourg.  In the town of Bitburg, there was a food stand that sold bratwurst cut into chunks,  covered with ketchup and dusted with curry powder.  When my brother told me how good it was and bought one I was almost not going to try it, I am a mustard kind of guy when it comes to my bratwurst, and curry powder wasn't really in my taste bud vocabulary at the time.  But, I am glad I decided to get adventurous that Summer and not only try that but some other interesting food that expanded my palette.

It's funny that I hadn't had this combination since I visited my brother, but for some reason today had the memory of it and the urge.  While doing our Sunday shopping at our bargain Mexican grocery, I went looking for bratwurst and couldn't find  any.  But I did find a nice chipotle sausage, and thought that might work just as well.  I also found white corn on the cob on special and thought a nice corn salad would go well with lunch.  When we got home from shopping, I got the grill going and grilled the corn and some tomatillo's which are "Mexican Tomatoes" that are usually green in color and surrounded by a paper-like husk.  Once grilled, I sliced the corn kernels off the cob, peeled and chopped up the tomatillo's, and added some vine ripened red tomatoes.

   

With the corn salad coming together it was time to make a dressing to go with it.  I mixed about 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons of tarragon vinegar together.  Then I zested the skin of one lime.  Henry and I are into citrus flavors lately and if you don't have a micro plane zester, they are fairly inexpensive and a great kitchen gadget to have.  The zest of a lemon or a lime can really freshen up a dish.  After zesting I cut and squeezed the juice of the lime into the dressing, added salt and pepper to taste.  I tossed the dressing and corn salad together and put it in the refrigerator to chill.  A cold salad would be a good combination with the spiciness of the chipotle sausage and curry powder.

As I was preparing the meal, I knew Henry was thinking "Sausage, ketchup, curry powder?, hmmm", and I was hoping my memory of the combination would hold up to my expectation, especially changing to a chipotle sausage versus bratwurst.  I fired up the grill and got the sausage going until the skin started to caramelize nicely, and they started to split showing some of the juice.  I could smell the  smokiness of the chipotle from the sausage and my mouth started watering, and it was time to plate the dish.  I cut the sausage into chunks, slathered some ketchup on top and using a small strainer dusted curry powder on top.  Then I put a healthy side of the corn salad on the plate and it was time to taste and also get Henry's reaction, which was "Yum, this is really good".  At under $5 a serving, only a half hour of prep time, and a good strong mix of flavors, this is one meal we will to be repeating very soon. It is a craveable combination and I am glad the memory of it, and the urge to replicate it hit me today.