Bacon & Egg Grilled Cheese

I saw a recipe last week for a quick grilled cheese sandwich with the addition of pancetta and egg.  This sounded like a great idea to me and I decided then and there to make it!  I couldn't find pancetta but I did buy some thick cut bacon at Henry's and it was just perfect.  This could be eaten at dinner, lunch or breakfast--we had it for dinner though.  It takes about 15 minutes to make too so you can make it tonight!

I think that eggs and bacon are very hearty and a really nice comfort taste, add a little cheese and warm bread and that's what I call a meal.

Ingredients:
4 slices sourdough bread
4 slices provolone cheese or other cheese of choice (we sort of wished for something more flavorful like irish cheddar)
4 slices bacon
2 eggs
2 sprigs of basil
butter

Directions:
1. Heat a small skillet and place slices of bacon in it and cook until crispy on each side
2. Meanwhile, butter bread slices on the outsides of the bread and top the inside with cheese.
3. When the bacon is done, set aside on paper towels to drain. In the bacon pan, drain a little of the grease and crack the eggs into the pan. Season with a little salt and pepper. Fry the eggs until the yolks look solid to your liking.
4. In another skillet heat a little butter and add 2/4 of the bread slices with cheese butter side down. When cheese is melted, top with egg, bacon basil and second slice of bread & cheese. Be careful not to puncture the yolk.  Flip the sandwiches over and grill the other side until cheese has melted.
5. Serve warm

Grilled Steak & Tomato Sandwiches

My mom and I needed a quick idea for a nice lunch after a concert in Ojai for a large group. A couple of weeks before the event, I saw an idea on Martha Stewart for steak sandwiches. To change them up a bit, Martha added grilled tomatoes and basil along with the steak.

The grilled tomatoes with a little salt and oil really make this sandwich. If you aren't a tomato fan but want to serve this to a crowd who is, set out a sauce option for the non-tomato eaters as the sandwich would be a bit dry otherwise.

This was the perfect sandwich for a kick off to summer. We served it on thick fresh olive bread. Make these sandwiches and you won't be sorry!

The Recipe

Toasted Ham & Cheese

Toasted Ham & Cheese should not be confused with Grilled Ham and Cheese. These two sandwiches are completely different.

While studying abroud in Austria, I discovered open-faced sandwiches. I was an amatuer cook and I was made to cook and shop for all of my meals. The thing about Austria is that the refrigerators are the size of a postage stamp so you are supposed to stop at the market daily--and cook fresh things. I shared our postage-stamp sized fridge with 2 others. Sandwiches were fast, easy, and I could try the fantastic cheeses and meats that could be found in the deli section (many of which I was unsure of the English translation).

Toasted sandwiches are fast, delicious and can be made in infinite combinations. Sometimes my sandwiches were fancy--bread rubbed with butter and garlic and then some delicious full-fat cheese and meat that you can only get abroad. And sometimes they were ridiculously simple.

This afternoon, I had a very Austria kind of day. I went hiking in the morning, had breakfast (pancakes are not as filling as I want them to be) and came home for a 2pm meeting. Around 4 I was starving. Knowing dinner wasn't going to be soon, I made myself a toasted sandwich. Last night I happened to buy a fresh loaf of Italian French Bread (this is the wider version of french bread, with a crispy crust and soft white inside). The sandwich was exactly what I needed to tie me over and it was delicious too!

Toasted Ham & Cheese
Ingredients
Fresh Italian or French bread (ok so you could use sandwich bread, but then you might want to reduce your cooking time)
Ham
Cheese of choice (I used colby jack)

Directions
Preheat Oven to 450
1. Slice bread to desired thickness (but thicker than sandwich bread)
2. Layer on ham and then cover the ham with slices of cheese
3. Bake on the top shelf in whatever pan you have on hand (that cake pan was out) for 5 minutes until the cheese is melted. The bread on the bottom will be slightly toasted. Eat warm.

Anita's Ham Sandwiches

My parents came over on Tuesday so that my dad could paint one of the bedrooms. We offered to help, but he turned down our help so instead we decided to make sure he felt comfortable and at home. I worked all day so I was unable to really foster this comfort, however we tried.

For lunch, my mom made Anita's Ham Sandwiches. These sandwiches were a favorite of mine when we went to Michigan to visit our friends at their vacation cottage. Everything about that vacation cottage I loved, but these sandwiches stand out in my mind. They remind me of summer, and the beach, and coming in from a swim or a game of Old Maid just in time for lunch.

Anita's Ham Sandwiches
Ingredients
1 package plain boiled ham, thinly sliced (I used Farmer John's)
White Hamburger Buns (if you wanted mini sandwiches I think it would be excellent on those Hawaiian Sweet Buns)
1 package Swiss cheese
2 T finely chopped onions
2 t poppy seeds
1/4 C yellow mustard
1 T butter
Tin foil

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Melt the butter in the microwave. Combine with mustard, onions, and poppy seeds.
3. Spread mustard mixture on buns.
4. Top with ham and cheese and closing bun.
5. Wrap each sandwich in foil, place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
6. Serve immediately with carrot sticks