The Best Thing I Ever Ate...

...between bread.

I watch the Food Network channel and their new sister channel, The Cooking Channel, a LOT.  A lot a lot.  I have The Cooking Channel on right now, actually.  I tend to turn the tv on and just leave it on in the background as I'm going about my day.  Ok, I actually spend a lot of time actually sitting and watching, too. 

The point being, there is a nifty show on Food Network called "The Best Thing I Ever Ate."  I love this show.  It's not a cooking show; instead it is various Food Network personalities talking about great food they have eaten and the restaurants where the food is.  Each episode is a theme, such as '...with fruit' or '...grilled.'  I saw one the other day entitled "The Best Thing I Ever Ate... Between Bread."  I told Dan that I think the best think I ever ate between bread are my veggie reubens.  Maybe it sounds odd to pick my own food, but it really makes sense.  I mean, I do make them exactly how I like them.  Why wouldn't the way I make something be my favorite?  If it weren't my favorite, I really am being silly, now aren't I?

Whenever I say 'veggie reubens,' I tend to get quizzical looks and questions. How do you make a veggie reuben, people wonder.  And, it must suck, I know they are thinking.  They're wrong.  My veggie reubens are awesome!  I have converted every single person who has ever tried them, including some true-blue meat lovers.  It may not have meat on it, but it is still a damn good sandwich.

There are few ingredients for my veggie reubens.  First of all, I do not make them out of what you may think are traditional reuben ingredients.  I use dark pumpernickel rye, instead of regular rye or marble rye.  I also don't use russian or thousand island dressing as the sauce.  I use instead a seasoned mayo that I make myself.  It's simple, but very tasty, and absoluteley key.  Then, you just need lots of good, sliced, natural swiss cheese, and a good jarred sauerkraut.  I am sortof picky about sauerkraut; I don't know, maybe it's because of my German heritage.  But there are lots of bad jarred sauerkrauts out there.  There are, luckily, a few very good ones.  The only thing about the sauerkraut is to make sure that it is pressed in a strainer - a wire mesh strainer works well - so that it isn't too wet.  Dripping sauerkraut can make the sandwich very soggy, and you don't want that.  You want it crispy and crunchy!

The mayo goes on both sides of the bread, as does the cheese.  Between the cheese slices goes a healthy dose of sauerkraut.  Then just grill it until it is nice and crisp on both sides, and the cheese is melty.  Everybody seems to have a different method for grilling sandwiches.  I don't butter the actual bread.  I always, always, instead, put a big dollop of butter directly into the hot pan.  When it's time to flip, I remove the sandwich, add a new dollop of butter, THEN put the new side down in the pan.  I swear by this method, and think that it makes a better grilled cheese/reuben/whatever you are grilling.  This is just my two cents.   I think if you have the rest of the reuben right, you can probably grill it however the heck you want, and it would still be tasty.

As a variation, I can also grill onion slivers in oil and some seasonings and add those onto the reuben with the sauerkraut.  This is also tasty!

Even if you are a meat eater, or even if you normally think you don't like sauerkraut, try this way of making veggie reubens.  It's sortof like the best grilled cheese you ever ate.  And, it's The Best Thing I Ever Ate Between Bread.  Happy eating!

Return To My Blog, and August-Oktoberfest

It has been a rough several months, people, and I can't lie, I haven't been doing much cooking.  I have been very ill, and have had more than a few hospital stays.  I've eaten more hospital food and fast food than homemade food in the last 6 months, out of necessity, and also out of exhaustion.  Even standing in the kitchen for one hour to cook can wipe me out for the rest of the day.  Sometimes, I don't even have the energy to do the hour in the kitchen in the first place. 

But, that does make the moments when I am able to eat good, homemade food a real treat.  Also, I have learned some great tricks for cutting down on prep time, or making the food prep less physically intensive.  (Food prep might not seem like physical work, but when you are a sickie like me, things become excercise that never seemed like it before!)  Daniel has been a big help, too... I can sit and direct him to cut and peel and shred, and that helps me to be able to cook without getting nearly as wiped out.  He's been a big help!  Nearly every time I enter the kitchen, Dan comes with and asks what he can do.  It's actually been a great way for us to hang out together, and he has been learning a lot about cooking.

Today is a great example of that.  Dan peeled and grated several potatoes for me a little while ago, and I am going to make them into potato pancakes.  See, for lunch, I had made my veggie reubens.  Since I have so much sauerkraut left over from the reubens, I thought tonite would be a good night to try the new Smart Deli brand veggie smoked sausage we found the other day while grocery shopping.  I have a lot of potatoes, so I called my sis to get our mom's recipe for potato pancakes, and voila!... It's a big ol' German Oktoberfest meal:  smoked sausage, potato pancakes with applesauce and sour cream, and lots of sauerkraut. 

I'm so glad I am back in the kitchen after so many months away.  Now, I am off to Deutschland!

Missing

I have been MIA in the last couple of weeks.  First, I was too sick to really cook, and I think a blog about canned soup isn't really anything anyone wants to read.  Then, something was wrong with my login info.  I have finally gotten that all straightened out.  My cooking and blogging will resume soon!  Thanks for reading, everyone.l

Thai Soup

I recently came home from a trip to Savory with a few things I've never bought before... kaffir lime leaves being one of them. I know that kaffir lime leaves are used often in Asian cooking, especially Thai food. I don't eat Thai as much as I do Chinese or Indian, but I do occassionally enjoy their coconut milk sauces and Tom Yum soups.

Tom Yum are Thai hot and sour soups made with a variety of styles, such as Tom Yum Goong (shrimp), Tom Yum Gai (chicken), or Tom Yum Nam Khon (with milk added). There are many ways to make this soup, as I have discovered. The most common ingredients are broth, fish sauce, lime juice, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, and galangal (or ginger).

I decided to make a vegetarian version of this soup. I've made all kinds of soups before, but I have never made Thai soup, nor any Thai cuisine, for that matter. But, I gave it a shot. I used Better Than Boullion mushroom base to make a broth, and also added some coconut powder (made into a milk) for a little extra flavor. I used the kaffir lime leaves, dehydrated lime peel, and lemon juice (I didn't realize until I was cooking that we were out of lime juice!) for that nice tart flavor. I also added ginger, lemongrass, cilantro, chiles, and other seasonings. The only veggies I had in the house were onions and red bell peppers; in they went.

The soup was tart and spicy, and not too bad for the first go. I definitely will make sure to use lime juice instead of lemon next time. It was not the best, but ok considering I've never used some of those ingredients before. When my husband got home, he said he loved the soup - I am more critical of myself, however. I know it could have been better.

I count the Thai soup adventure as a mediocre success. It was good, but it will be better next time.

Happy Eating!