A Quick Saturday Sandwich

 Let's face it  no one likes to really cook on a Saturday. That's where a quick but tasty sandwich comes in. Layer cheddar and bacon on toast and you have a tasty dream lunch or supper.  You don't even have to fry the bacon. Microwaving or air frying does the trick.

Of course I made the vegan version.I used Miyoko's Creamery new Roadhouse Cheddar. 

This has  nice tang to it and spreads on smoothly.As for bread I used Pepperidge Farm 's Italian bread

However you can also use a toasted baguette or thick slices of toasted sour bread. Warmed rolls would work well here too. It's then using Morningstar Farms soy bacon.

                                                   Cook until crisp for about two to three minutes.        

It's just toast, spread and pile. That's it. The flavor of the bacon and cheese combined is amazing.Cheddary, salty and tangy.  I may try it with a slice of tomato  next time, just for a different spin. Add a square of cooked Just Egg or real egg for a yummy brunch sandwich. If you want, add a handful of chips or some gherkins on the side to make it more substantial.

This is the perfect quick meal for a no cook Saturday.It's a tasty , bite fuill of cheesy, bacon-y goodness. Best of all it's so easy to make.

Recettes D'Hiver

France in the winter can be a glorious season. Yes, there are endless ski days in the French Alps and Pyrenees Paris sparkles under a crust of snow while the north and western coasts provide a certain gray moodiness. Even the French Riviera gets a bit nippy but still perfect for a walk along the water. It's also a perfect time for hearty French dishes, full of  wine and rich ingredients. You don't have to visit France for them. They can easily be made in your kitchen.

One of the most famous winter dishes is onion soup. This is a lush blend of caramelized onions thyme sprigs, beef stock and dry white wine.It's usually served in piping hot crocks. Thick slices of baguette topped with a blend of shredded Swiss and Gruyere cheeses. The onions are cooked first with garlic until a creamy brown and then beef broth and the wine are added. It's then ladled into individual pots and topped with the bread and cheese. Another hearty and flavorful one is cassoulet. This layered dish has duck legs cooked with cannellini or tarbais beans - which are preferred along with pancetta A pork ragu is added to the stew This is a mix of boneless pork shoulder - Boston butt- along with carrots and crushed tomatoes. Chicken broth and a variety of spices from thyme to bay leaves round out the recipe. More pork sausage,usually Toulouse, made with duck , ground black pepper and pork top it off along  garlic sausage and breadcrumbs . Keep in mind this is a labor intensive dish with the duck confit being made the day before.If you don;'t have the time , the duck legs can be confitted even three weeks before.Then the day of it's cooking the beans and ragu, and then browning the bread crumbs. The whole stew is then baked for half an hour .

For something a bit easier, think raclette. This is a popular ski resort dish  that originated in Switzerland.  Raceltte cheese is used for the dish but if you can't find it then Gruyere or Swiss also works. You can even use cheddar too! Usually a special machine is used to melt the cheese however putting it in a skillet in your broiler also does the trick.It's served with peeled boiled potatoes  along with pickled cornichons and gherkins for some tang.Also have cured meats like ham, prosciutto and slalami. The cheese is melted and then scraped over the pickled veggies and meats. It's a fun, communal dinner, perfect for a Saturday or Sunday night supper.One of the most famous winter dishes is the famed bouef bourguignon. Julia Child had the best recipe for it. This is a combination of cubed lean beef cooked with beef stock, tomato paste and red wine.Thyme, bay leaf and garlic flavor it while two tablespoons of flour thicken it.Ms Child also added braised  pearl onions - an easy make - and  butter sauteed mushrooms to it for more taste. It's the perfect dish for company but also for a Sunday dinner as well. Add hot crusty baguettes with butter and a crisp green salad as sides.

France is  beautiful in the winter. However you don't have to travel there to get tasty and hearty French winter fare. It can be made dans votre cuisine in your kitchen

A German Summer Picnic

German food plays an important part of the American cookout and picnic.Most of what is served has Teutonic origins and came over with the many German immigrants who made this country. The food is still great and even better are the summer foods you find now in the Swabian Alps , near the soothing forests and sparkling waters of Lake Constance.

Hot dogs or frankfurters originated in Frankfurt, Germany and have been around for seven hundred (!) years. The original was a pork sausage known as Frankfurter wurstchen and were given out to the townspeople during royal coronations.In the 19th century, Johann Georg Lahner brought them to Vienna where they took the city's name - wiener - and beef was added to the pork filling They came to the US in 1870 and were made - where else- Coney Island. T hey were first served with gloves to stop consumers from burning themselves. Because of this the hot dog bun was created at the St. Louis World Fair in 1893 by Antoioine Feuchtwanger, thanks to his wife's suggestion. Now they're a part of every barbecue and picnic, even coming in such diverse meats as turkey, chicken and even caribou. What goes with hot dogs? Another German classic - potato salad. There are many different versions of it. Southern Germans make it with vinegar, mustard and even beef or chicken broth .Northern Germans make it with mayonnaise and this is what was brought to America.Here it went through some tweaks such as the addition of bacon , capers and even chili powder.

What do modern day Germans eat during the summer? Potato salad but not what most people expect. First the potatoes are different. Waxy potatoes are preferred and they cooked and peeled while still hot, Then they're sliced and mixed with chopped onions.A warm mix of vinegar , beef or chicken broth and oil is then pour over the spuds. Chives or schnittlau along with sliced pickles or mustard is added. The salad is then allowed to rest for a few hours before serving.It can be served with a crusty bread as a main dish or as a side dish.Usually a summer dinner would be a wurstsalat, a tart sausage salad prepared with distilled white vinegar,oil and onions. Sliced gherkins are sometimes added for some sweetness.It's an easy to make salad. The sausage is cut thin as are the onions. Both are then marinaded in the vinaigrette before serving.. Some Swabians add sliced baloney along with parsley to mix it up or to add color, the red and white stadtwurst.Zweibelkuchen, or onion pie is another summer favorite, usually eaten in August and September. It's similar to quiche and is loaded with steamed onions along with crumbled bacon , cream and caraway seeds. It has a simple pie crust shell and an egg base.

Enjoy the summer German style. Have hot dogs  and potato salads or go fully Swabian wtih wurstsalat and zweibekuchen. It's a tasty way to enjoy the warm days and nights ahead.