Comfort Foods and Indulgences

With the very cold, very rainy, part snowy-sleeting weather going on outside, comfort food reigns supreme at the moment.  Grilled cheese is always a favorite so the hubby and I went for this kicked-up version of grilled cheese for lunch the other day.

The name of the sandwich caught my eye as we lived for years about 70 miles east of San Francisco. We went there as often as we could (which was never enough).  San Francisco is truly one of the most beautiful cities in America and the food there is always incredible and very much inspired.

The idea of Parmesan on the bread is pure genius and flavoring the butter that cooks the sandwich in the pan...it's like a Monte Cristo, only better. Of course the Muenster cheese, avocado and turkey made it just over-the-top.  We truly enjoyed it!

The snow today really got me craving comfort food. I hope you all like this recipe because it is absolutely delicious. DELICIOUS. It's like, deep dish pizza, but without all of the work of the crust. It's packed with flavor. And meat. And cheesy goodness. Excuse me as I make another hole in my belt.

Anyway, I created this recipe for a contest. Johnsonville had an Italian Inspiration contest using any Johnsonville Italian Sausage product. I wanted to do something that made Johnsonville's Sweet Italian Sausage the star of the show. I know I succeeded. I can't even tell you how unbelievable this sausage-pepperoni-Canadian bacon pot pie tastes. It's also loaded with gooey cheese, which really puts it over the top. Way over. I thought my husband was going to bow down and proclaim me kitchen goddess of all times...basically he couldn't get enough of this meat lover's paradise. Okay, neither could I.

I love sweet Italian sausage, so when I made the "pizza" sauce, I mirrored the flavor of the sausage by adding fennel seeds...the sauce and the sausage played together nicely. It has such intense, incredible flavor. And then I topped the whole thing with flaky puff pastry...OMG...it just melts in your mouth.

Mmmmmmmmmmm, mmmmm! A fried egg sammich! A Farmer’s fav! Good bread, good eggs, that bit of magic that happens when a slather of mayo warms on lightly toasted bread… eating doesn’t get much better than this! Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or “brinner” (breakfast for dinner – a true delight every time), whenever you eat this sandwich, I’m sure it shall be pure revelry.

My whole life, I’ve loved a good ol’ fried egg sandwich. Yet, I’m proud to say I’ve discovered how to perfect this dish to be sublime every time. I’ve always known that soft white bread was key, runny yolks were mandatory, and that Hellman’s ever so lightly spread brings it all together.

Bread... oh the goodness of plain ol’ white bread. Aside from homemade bread, just about the best bread in the free world is Pepperidge Farm’s Soft Oatmeal bread. Spongy and soft, slightly sweet, and reminiscent of true home baked bread, this bread is the perfect binding for this sandwich.

Lightly toasted on one side allow the untoasted side to remain absorbent for the yolks that will burst upon first bite. This sandwich may be served open faced with a couple eggs on each face, but traditional sandwich style is totally apropos.

Good eggs are major. I prefer the taste of organic eggs and milk because I prefer the actual taste… they taste like eggs or taste like milk…the way eggs and milk are supposed to taste. The eggs from my father’s farm are quite tasty, but if I’m out, my grocer’s cooler has eggs a plenty to choose from. While on the subject of eggs…

One of my favorite memories growing up was going to the Dodger games. For most people, they looked forward to a Dodger dog, a bag of peanuts (from the peanut guy who still, to this day, throws peanuts to everyone), and a frozen malt. Dodger games were a high priority, but eating at the stadium was not on our family’s agenda. Our tradition was either dinner at Little Joe’s or a French Dip sandwich from Philippe's, with a side of pickles, and a bag of chips. Yup…so good.

Sadly, Little Joe’s is no longer around. When I was pregnant with Eli(17 years ago), I CRAVED their salad and their raviolis w/bolognese. As I write this, I can still taste their signature recipe on my tongue. Oh, how I miss that place; the tacky red booths, sawdust on the floor, the bread, and the “take out” deli where my dad and I would buy boxes and boxes of raviolis to freeze for future meals.

Little Joe’s may be a part of my past, but Philippes is still a huge part of our present. We have broken tradition a bit. Philippes is not simply a pre-game meal. It’s where we go when they have a day off from school(sometimes taking the metro directly to Union Station) or a late night snack. NO ONE makes a French Dip sandwich quite like Philippes. It’s that good. So when I bought my slow cooker a few months back, French Dips were high on the list.