i realize that this is old news. i mean, any tomato such as the one i used in september is sadly unattainable until three more seasons are behind us. but with all the summer clamor to make the ultimate blt from total scratch – all the while knowing that i was not in the mood to cure my locally sourced pork belly, or grow anything other than my sweet 100′s… i started to get a hefty craving for what is my second favorite sandwich.

and i did it my way – and with a clean conscience. ruhlman inspires me like no other, but as passionate as i am about my food – sometimes i can make do…

a pretty decent loaf of bread, a farmers market tomato, salty smoky benton’s bacon from right here in tennessee, some crisp romaine and my beloved hellman’s mayo.

go here to see how it’s done by the professionals. but damn if mine wasn’t just plain excellent…

(anyone care to guess what my #1 sandwich could possibly be?)

i read about ‘orangette’s’ brussels shuffle, and the description of her market breakfast was more than i could stand

I should begin by saying this: do not underestimate the combined power of fresh goat cheese, honey, and olives. (Or spicy olives, to be specific, coated in something akin to harissa.) It is the trifecta….

so on a whim, and lured by some unexpected goat cheese gracing my doorstep, green olives were pitted and spiced with harissa, pita bread was gently defrosted in the oven until soft, the crumbled goat cheese was smoothed out by a bit of hot water and then a dark wildflower honey was drizzled on top of that – with complete abandon.

and dear readers, it was good. oh so very very good. so much so, that i have now had this exact dish 3 times in 5 days – and have served it to no less than 10 people. pita was what i had going. and it worked. but the authentic wrapping that would be used to envelop this spectacular tasting trio is called m’semmen, a moroccan pancake of sorts. and sure enough, i came across a recent post written about this very thing. but i don’t bake bread, remember? except i am now somewhat intrigued and might have to consider a m’semmen clause written into the ‘no bread baking’ contract that i have with myself.

but not today…

you know, if you read the ny times dining section, about 147 blogs, a couple of cooking magazines and watch a few tv shows on well, food… you’re bound to pick up a thing or two. and you may notice that on occasion one certain dish may get a lot of attention in a relatively short span of time. this sudden favorite seems to unexpectedly pop up everywhere. no-knead bread is a current example of this phenomenon. that loaf has a PR team unlike anything i’ve ever seen… and eleventy million food obsessed people can’t be all wrong. so the idea hangs around in your head until suddenly the dough is in your oven and then look at you, you never before bread baker you. that smell is wafting from your kitchen like nobody’s business. unless you’re me.

because i don’t knead or no-knead bread. i buy bread. there are actually a few decent bakers here in nashville – well, one in particular and that’s ‘provence’. their rustic tuscan loaf is a thing of beauty. a huge 2 lb. disc, kind of floury white on top with the perfect chewy crust and big air pockets making it difficult for things like bruschetta toppings to keep from falling through, while still being the only worthy choice… but alas, that is not the what you see featured here because i wasn’t willing to drive the extra miles to procure the better bread. this is the ‘provence’ tuscan loaf’s impostor, ‘the fresh market’s’ version of that same italian regional loaf. not terrible, nor impressive. but it is doable. and being that ‘the fresh market’ sells THE mother of all butters – there i was and there it was and here we are and happy and ready for a winter picnic.

so i love this little sandwichy thing. it’s what’s good about the world. surprisingly simple, yet wondrous.

those europeans… they know a thing or two.

necessity being the mother of invention, i used what i had.  leftover from my lobster rolls of two weeks ago were four frozen but perfectly good hot dog buns.  a great excuse to bust out the frozen ground beefalo and hopefully make two kids happy two nights in a row.

i had eye spied this recipe early last month from ‘the clumsy cook‘ and never got to it – but today was the day.  i did add the bit of sugar that ms. clumsy left out of the original ‘saveur’ recipe but cut back on the ketchup by about 1/4 cup as i ran out.  it’s hard to wreck this one with slight changes.  it’s that sweet beefy mass of meat atop a grilled and buttered bun with a slice of thick slab bacon on top.  i mean, really…

so all that rounded out with some roasted okra, a bit of stokes mayo for dipping – and a nice dill pickle.

kid food can rock – but it’ll kill ya.

my guy humors me.  he buys me two different batches of lobster from the same place at the same time.  one batch is twice the price for half as much.  that batch comes from two freshly steamed ‘chicks’ whereas the other comes from lobsters that were ‘on their way out’ – meaning that they’re showing signs of slow decline and so they’re steamed before they just up and die.  then they get shelled and the meat is vacuum packed and frozen.

i was agonizing, as i do, which one to buy.  i was hung up on the possibility that there might be some kind of textural difference – and we wouldn’t want a textural problem now would we?  and so while i struggled with this seemingly major culinary decision as cary both patiently and amusedly watched me thrash out all aspects of every lobster meat scenario one might come across, he came up with the decidedly brilliant idea to buy both and to taste test.  and that right there – that is so my kinda language.  that is so like whispering sweet nothings in my ear.  and that is how my guy humors me.  so if you’re reading, thank you baby. (though he rarely humors me by reading my blog…)

bottom line.
texture/flavor – no big diff.

but the price difference was ridiculous.  again, literally twice the $ for less than half the meat. so now we know.  and armed with this info, we can guiltlessly indulge on lobster more frequently.  excellent.

we started with an arugula salad adorned with some cantelope, various cherry heirlooms and buffalo mozarella.  the final touch was some guerande salt, a grind of black pepper, olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

on to the lobster rolls.  i couldn’t get the ‘top split’ buns and believe me, i tried - but this time i made the wise decision to use the pepperidge farm classic’s – as opposed to the potato buns which i did not like.  i tossed the meat with a minor amount of ‘stokes blushed tomato mayo’, a small amount of diced celery and some salt and pepper.  the buns were lightly buttered and browned on my stovetop grill plate.  and then right before that first bite they were hit with a shpritz of lemon just to brighten it all up.

the roasted okra made another appearance along with some corn on the cob.  i had bought the obligatory dill pickles but forgot to serve them…

the lobster rolls just could not have been better.  i was going to add fresh tarragon but there wasn’t any to be found – and i think it worked in my favor.  the simplicity of how this works together just can not be beat. 

hell yeah

(inspired by ‘last nights dinner’ recent post) 

but every other weekend and for a stretch each summer and winter we get my boyfriend’s two tweens – fresh faced and exuberant, just like kids should be. luckily their mom is a wonderful cook and a total foodie so their palate has been educated. but one can only push it so far… so without them ever knowing, i compromise.

i had gotten a big beautiful bunch of basil on saturday and it was now or never. so into the processor the leaves went along with the last of the garlic scapes, some right out of the ground garlic cloves, pine nuts, parmegiano, olive oil, salt and pepper. just a slight variation on an old standard. i simply grilled a chicken breast on my stove – not seasoning it all since the pesto was so full of flavor. then i sliced up some perfect roma’s. the bread was the aforementioned compromise. no thick chewy tuscan bread or semolina tonight. just good old supermarket sandwich bread. some kind of thick, soft, slightly sweet multi grained arnold brand bread.

and you know, it’s not my thing but you can see why the masses like it. it’s just totally likable. for example, i might date it but i wouldn’t marry it… ok – five more kid friendly dinners to go and counting…….

this past week, i’d been reading something about lobster rolls. so after a few days of thinking about it and 9 months since my last trip to maine, lobster rolls it had to be.

i bought my lobsters right next to the farmers market. i go every saturday morning to pick up my week’s share. it’s only about 15 minutes drive from my home, it’s small and simple and i’m so grateful that it’s there. it’s a really nice morning’s activity. there’s live bluegrass music and a bunch of awfully nice country folk. living inland, gulf pride seafood is as close as we’re going to get to fresh. so four 1 1/4 lb’ers it was. i bought them already cooked but they’d been steamed just that morning. i also picked up some fresh tarragon and scallions. i already had the celery, hellman’s mayo and the hot dog buns at the house…

i also bought some locally processed chicken wings, something for the kids. they were quite large with some breast meat still attached. i marinated them in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, honey, cayenne, salt and pepper. they were baked in the oven and finished on the grill. not as crispy as i would have liked but still, really good.

then there were the incredible heirloom tomatoes also from the market with intricate names i can’t recall (though i honestly tried), sliced on a plate , and the cucumber salad made with my farm share using only white vinegar, sugar and toasted sesame oil. oh and corn on the cob. it’s summer after all – officially day 3. oh and watermelon – we did that too… the corn and watermelon were from the anti-farmer’s market, costco. proof that everything has it’s place…

i was with my best friends angela and bruce, and my guy. his two kids were in the pool having an absolute blast and we were preparing dinner, drinking some wine and enjoying the slight breeze up on the hill.

and i was thinking just how incredibly lucky i am…