Reverse Grilled Cheese, Toasted.

On this rainy, Saturday afternoon I was looking for something different, yet easy, to make for lunch.  A two-inch slice of ciabatta bread remained from a ham and lentil stew earlier in the week, perfect for some sort of sandwich.  Without a panini press (no need for another single-use, small appliance) I decided to make something that felt like a panini but wasn't.

Toasted Reverse Grilled Cheese

Ciabatta bread, sliced horizontally
Olive Oil
Red onion, sliced thin
Tomato, sliced thick
2 pieces of cheese (Swiss and provolone)
3 pieces of lunch meat (ham)
Honey mustard spread*

Heat a fry pan to medium and drizzle a little olive oil to lightly cover the pan's surface.  When the oil shimmers add onions and swirl around the pan to coat with oil.  Then move the onions toward the outer edges of the pan and place the bread slices in the center, cut side down.  Remove the onions when they are done to your liking, and remove the bread when it is sufficiently crispy.  Then put the lunch meat in the pan to heat, it will cook fast so pay attention, then remove once it's hot.

To assemble the sandwich, add the cooked onions to the top slice, then the cheese.  On the bottom bread slice, spread a thin layer of honey mustard, fold the lunch meat down, and lay the tomatoes on top.  Put the top and bottom together and carefully put in a toaster oven, on a piece of aluminum foil to catch any cheese drips, for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

*Homemade Honey Mustard:
Dijon mustard, yellow mustard, mayonnaise, and honey mixed together.  Use stone ground mustard and add black pepper for a kickier version, or add some dried herbs (thyme, dill, oregano) for a more savory version.  Great on any type of sandwich and can also be used as a dip.  Keeps in the refrigerator practically indefinitely (you'll use it long before it goes bad).

Thyme for Ham, Mushrooms, and Macaroni & Cheese.

Every home cook constantly concocts various add-in combinations for boxed macaroni and cheese.  The options are endless, thankfully, because when it’s after 5 pm and dinner plans are nonexistent you need a shortcut.

Today’s rain ended with a beautiful sunset and a chill in the air, perfect for comfort food.  Included in “comfort food” is wine, of course.  A bottle of simple Pinot Noir sat unopened and lonely in my cupboard so I decided to invite Annie and her Shells and WhiteCheddar boxed macaroni and cheese.  To make it a party I also gathered maitake mushrooms, cooked ham, swiss cheese, and fresh thyme; all are very friendly with Pinot Noir.

Mushrooms in Japan are delicious and very affordable; I always have a variety on hand.  I selected the maitake this evening, instead of the shiitake I also have, because they only had a few usable days left.  The ham is leftover from a six-pound, bone-in pork butt I baked recently specifically for the leftovers which are so incredibly delicious and versatile.  The swiss cheese is self-explanatory, I always have sliced cheese, if I ever don’t I might as well be dead.  Thyme is one of my very favorite herbs and I am so happy that my little plant is producing a fantastic harvest of tiny thyme leaves!  Every time I step out on to my front porch and snip some sprigs off I want to run joyously up and down the sidewalk proclaiming my love for fresh thyme. 

I could stop here because if you can make boxed macaroni and cheese you can probably figure out the rest but I will add my “recipe” and cooking method because this is my blog and I choose to.

Thyme for Ham, Mushrooms, and Macaroni & Cheese

1 box of white cheddar macaroni and cheese

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

1 cup cooked ham, chopped or cubed

2 slices of swiss cheese, torn into smaller pieces

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves (give or take to taste)

1-2 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. half-and-half (or milk)

1. Begin to boil water for the macaroni noodles; while the water heats and the noodles cook you will prepare the rest of the ingredients.

2. Melt butter in a skillet on medium heat; add mushrooms and sauté until soft, 5 minutes or so.  Remove mushrooms and all the buttery liquid into a small bowl, set aside.

3. Lower heat for skillet as low as it will go, add the ham and cover the pan.  The ham is already cooked and just needs to be warmed but must retain its moisture.

4. Drain the noodles when they are cooked.  While they are draining pour the reserved buttery mushroom liquid into the warm sauce pan (on low heat) and swirl it around; then add the cooked noodles and stir them so they are covered in the butter. 

5. Add the powdered cheese packet; stir.  Pour about 1 tbsp. of half-and-half into the packet, swish it around to capture the hidden cheese powder and add it to the pot; stir until the powder is dissolved.

6. Add the swiss cheese pieces; stir.  Add the ham; stir.  Add the mushrooms; stir.  Add the thyme; stir.  When all the ingredients look combined it is done.

Don’t forget about the Pinot Noir.  Hopefully you opened the bottle while you were cooking and tasted the various ingredients alone and in combination with each other between sips, paying attention to how the flavors played with each other.  Really, that is the best practice of learning how to match and complement wine with food.  And it’s fun.

P.S.  Remember to check the damaged food section of your grocery store, that is where I found this macaroni and cheese for 79¢ a box.  There was a tiny bend with no perforation or tear and a sell-by date far in the future.  Score!

DIY: Hanging Produce Baskets.

No matter how much kitchen counter space you have it is never enough.  You begin with beautiful, clean, flat surfaces and before you know it you are shuffling and shoving objects around for more work space.  This is how our kitchen began:

And this is what it looks like now, for real.  I just walked in and took this photo without touching anything.  It's on the cleaner side but I can guarantee that whenever you see a photo of mine taken in the kitchen I have most certainly moved things around for a less cluttered frame.  Notice how you do not see the top of the cupboards.

I have wanted hanging produce baskets for a while now and keep my eyes open for them at second hand stores.  Yes, I know they are not expensive, Amazon sells them for about $10.  But I love projects, especially ones that are easy and save a little money, and my do-it-yourself hanging basket is exactly that.

Daiso is a large Japanese chain of ¥100 stores (they even have a few along the west coast of the United States) that I have mentioned in previous posts.  It's equivalent to the Dollar Tree stores but with a much better selection in my opinion.  I bought the 4 items needed for this project there, hence costing approximately $4.25 and an hour of my ample spare time.

I purchased three wire mesh baskets and a chain designed to hang a flower pot, the latter of which I already have but it's in storage somewhere in Texas.  To keep the integrity of the chain I used links from a jack chain to form small hooks to attach the baskets, thus making them easily adjustable as well.  I found them in my miscellaneous hardware boxes that I proudly love and care for meticulously; I've had them, and some of the contents, for over ten years.

With a pair of needle-nose pliers I attached three hooks around the outer rim of each wire basket approximately equal distance apart but didn't bend them closed in case adjustments were needed.  I began with the smallest basket, looping the hooks through the chain as high as I could while still being able to put my hand in to retrieve an item, which ended up between links 6 and 7.  Then I found the middle of the remaining chain length and looped the second basket at that location, between links 14 and 15.  The last and largest basket was then hooked on the last links, obviously.

However, when I lifted the entire unit it was a bit uneven, for two reasons I discovered.  First, there was one less link on one of the three hanging chains, 20 instead of 21.  To solve this I simply added an extra link from the jack chain I was re-purposing.  Secondly, my spacing of the three hooks around the baskets' perimeters was a bit skewed.  Since they had not been tightened closed it was easy to re-position them and level the baskets.  Once I was satisfied with the positioning I tightened the hooks.  Done.

To hang it from the ceiling I drilled a hole, screwed in an eye hook, and used some extra chain and a clip to hook it up (all from my hardware stash).  This makes it fully adjustable if I change its location around our current house and where ever we move in the future.

Here are some detail photos of how I hooked the baskets on.  Some of the "S" hooks are scratched up a little but they sort of nest in the other links and I don't notice it much.

The photo above shows the extra link I attached to make up for the chain that was one link short.  In all I am very happy with the results and imagine that similar baskets would make corners useful in multiple areas like the office or bathroom.  

While typing this out I had company with me, making sure I stay near and remember his dinner.

Creativity Takes Practice.

"Creativity isn't a mythical creature to be caught and tamed.  It's a habit...a way of life that's built over time."

Jane Porter writes thought-provoking ideas in her article, "How to Cultivate a Creative Thinking Habit," that both the inspiration-seekers and practiced imaginatives alike can benefit from.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3026816/dialed/how-to-cultivate-a-creative-thinking-habit

Travel Pillow Trick.

Packing for a trip always involves space conservation so finding room in unconventional places is key. 

Neck roll pillows are a luxury when attempting to relax or sleep on an airplane or train but they are bulky and not always worth the hassle of carrying. Recently, I had a genius idea though. 

When traveling in cold weather I wear a scarf, hat, and gloves, but once I'm settled into my seat they are no longer needed. At that point I take them off and pull out the travel pillow, so why not merge the two?

Good travel neck pillows have a removable cover for easy washing. My simple solution: take out the inner pillow and replace it with your winter accessories. It may be a little lumpy and not as firm but it still functions and it certainly saves space.