Pimento Cheese Sandwich

I’ve always been a fan of a good sandwich. Piled high with meats and cheeses or grilled panini style with just cheese and a sliced tomato. Then of course, there’s the bread. So, when our esteemed mentor, Michelle, challenged us this month to create a sandwich, I was in a daze at all the possibilities. Then, there, on the Cooking Channel, was a new show I was watching called Not My Mama’s Meals with Bobby Deen. He was lightning up a pimento cheese recipe. I like pimento cheese and thought that I would try that.

Then, tragedy struck, of course I’m exaggerating, but MJOL developed a very large kidney stone that had to be removed by surgery through his back. Ouch. I’d never even heard of them doing that, but then again, I’d never heard of a one inch around kidney stone either. But finally after a one week hospital stay and a hefty amount of pain medication, all is on the mend. Now, back to the pimento cheese.

Instead of mayo, this recipe substituted non fat Greek yogurt. I love Greek yogurt, so it was a go. Diced up red and yellow pepper and jalapeno, chopped chives, shredded cheddar and low fat mozzarella, salt and pepper. Pretty easy. And it tastes great. Not your traditional pimento cheese, but it has a very nice flavor with a good bit of crunch. A great change of texture from the regular. Find the recipe here.

Isn’t the universe funny, as I’m typing this entry, I’m watching the Cooking Channel, (of course, I’m obsessed) and what should Kelsey’sEssentials be about…sandwiches!

Until our next baking adventure.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all our family and friends, our hope is that it is healthy and all your dreams come true.
We spent a quiet New Year’s Eve at home, very nice actually. Not by choice as it seems MJOL is passing kidney stones and somewhat cranky about it. :)
We got around to exchanging Christmas gifts. Our main gift is Key West, but a small little present is always welcome. I got MJOL a book, by a local author, about bees and the economy and he got me..well look at the picture. I made yeast rolls, very tasty, and we watched True Blood until it was time for the ball to drop. Gotta love CNN with Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper. They always cut away to the party in Key West…sigh.

Thanks to Cathy at Bread Experience for the yeast roll recipe.





Tradition, Key West and Cuban Bread

Tradition, an interesting word for me, after thinking that I didn’t grow up with any, I began to remember that we always had certain dishes at the holidays, corn bread dressing with oysters, cherry pie and sugar cookies. My mother didn’t particularly like to cook, and only did so out of necessity. My love of cooking developed much later in life. I’ve never cooked a holiday meal, but always bring dishes to the holiday table. Anyway enough of going down that path.

My current family’s tradition is going to Key West during the first part of December. MJOL and I always try to celebrate our anniversary there. We’ve missed a few years, (only 3) but have made 12. This year we continued tradition and were accompanied by MJOL’s sister and brother-in-law. It’s fun seeing our favorite place through someone else’s eyes. I’ve discovered through the years that people either love KWF or they don’t. We saw old friends that we meet there every year and of course made new friends that we hope to see there in the coming years. We did a sunset cruise, Hemingway’s house and many of the tourist things that we don’t do that often. My most vivid memories usually revolve around the friends, food, and relaxation. Grilled grouper with a Thai curry sauce over sushi rice at Seven Fish, Cuban roast pork with yellow rice, black beans and plantains at El Sibonay, and lobster fresh out of the sea at Pepe’s.

So, I decided to extrapolate our Key West tradition and attempt Cuban bread. Pan Cubano, that loaf with the creamy interior and crisp crust, pressed with meats and cheese. Yum. So, after a little research I found that “traditional” Cuban bread is made with lard..yikes! At the store, I found my little tub of lard and put it in my cart, carried it around the store and in the end, just had to put it back. I opted for using solid shortening, probably not much healthier, but it made me feel somewhat better. I thought it turned out well. Since most recipes called for a starter, I just used my sourdough. I can’t wait to make some Cuban roast pork and make my own Cuban sandwich.