Pretzel roll deli sandwich



I was inspired to make this from my friend who posted on her blog about enjoying a pretzel roll with a good beer. I thought a nice deli sandwich would be really good on that bread. I went to my local butcher and got some meat. I got crack peppered turkey, pastrami, black forest ham and some smoked chicken. The meat is really good and all comes from Boars head. It is not your average processed slimy deli meat. This meat is so tasty. You can pick from smoked, peppered, low sodium and many more. I usually have to have avocado on my sandwiches. It makes a cold sandwich complete for me. I put a spread of whole grain mustard on the bread. Then I decided on a combo of cracked peppered turkey and a little pastrami. I sliced some red onion and roughly mashed up a half an avocado. I then sliced some trader joes Cheddar melange & Gruyere cheese. This cheese is amazing it is a combo of both kinds. Then I topped it with some lettuce.

I also made some kale chips. I thought that would be a nice healthy side rather than potato chips. The kale chips are easy. Rinse the kale and pat it dry. Then just start tearing the leaves off the stem. Place them on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil and mix up the leaves slightly to coat them. Then grind some fresh pepper on top with a sprinkle of salt. Place them in a 300 degree oven and toast them for about 20 minutes. Check them in 10min and turn the pan just to make sure some are not burning. I let them cool and put a nice handful next to my sandwich. It was so good!

Friday night dinner

We enjoyed our quiet friday night with a nice dinner. I roasted up the veggies from the farmers market and we had them with baked salmon. For dessert I made a mini cast iron apple pie. Everything was so tasty! Hope everyones weekend is going well.

 

Happy Friday!

Today I went to my local farmers market. I hoped to find some veggies to have with the fresh salmon I picked up at Orchards butcher. I came home with some rainbow carrots, fresh garlic, beets and yellow beans. Have a great weekend!



Kernville Trip

5 Year Anniversary

My husband and I spent St.Patricks day weekend in Kernville. It was nice and cool and cozy. We stayed at the Kernville Inn. The Inn was a quiet relaxing place to stay. We enjoyed a local brewery called Kern river brewing. They brew all their own beer and have amazing food to pair it with. We enjoyed the burgers, sandwiches and a heavenly stout brownie, sorry I didn't get a picture it was gone before I could think about getting my camera out. Trust me if you go it is worth going for a beer and a brownie!

We also enjoyed breakfast at a local diner called Cheryl's Diner. It was simple nothing fancy, but what made us feel at home was the service. We were greeted with "Hey ya'll what can we get for you this morning". They have great simple breakfast and you can add biscuits and gravy to any meal! Here are a few photos from our trip.

 





New delicious creations!




Sage and butternut squash ravioli

 


Whole hickory smoked chicken



Chicken enchiladas

Homemade fries and smoked chicken



   

Celery Soup

1 whole bunch celery chopped very small

1/2 Jalapeno chopped small- leave the seeds in and it gives the soup a nice kick!

1 sweet white onion chopped small

1 medium potato cleaned and chopped very small with skin on

2 gloves garlic chopped

2 large carrots chopped small

1 tablespoon dried Oregano

1 tablespoon dried Thyme

1 tablespoon dried Basil

3 Chicken or Vegetable consume cubes- I get the "Telma brand" they are in the kosher isle at most grocery stores.

Each cube calls for two cups of water. I like to add two extra cups so 8 cups water to three cubes.

In a large pot with tablespoon of olive oil saute onion, celery, carrots, Jalapeno and garlic. Saute until celery and onions are nice and soft. Then add the potato give it a nice toss. When the veggies are soft turn off the heat. Break up the consume cubes so that they will dissolve in the water. Add them to a 2 cup purex cup with water and dissolve slightly in the microwave for 1 minute break them up as much as you can. Then add them to the veggie mixture along with the rest of the water. Bring everything to a boil. Then turn the heat down and simmer for at least 1-2 hours. If I have time I let it simmer for 4 hours but 1-2 hours is fine. When everything is soft and the potato is done use a hand blender to puree the soup. If you do not have a hand blender then a food processor will work just add the soup in batches or even a tall blender.

Serve with a little sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Serves 4-5

Kung Pao Chicken

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger
5 green onions chopped
2 tablespoons canola oil, I also added a few dashes of hot sesame oil
15-20 dried red chilies
2/3 cup roasted unsalted peanuts

Veggies:
One whole onion chopped in bit size squares.
3 bell peppers red, green and yellow chopped into bite size squares

Sauté all the veggies in a separate pan until almost cooked but still crispy. I tossed them with hot sesame oil, salt and pepper. Then add these right before you add the peanuts.


For the Marinade
½ tsp salt
1 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1-tablespoon black bean sauce
1-teaspoon dry cooking sherry
2-¼ teaspoons cornstarch
1-tablespoon water

For the sauce
3 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1-teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
1-teaspoon hot sesame oil
3 teaspoons rice vinegar
1-teaspoon chicken stock



Cut the chicken into cubes. Place in a bowl with the marinade. Let it sit for at least 20 minutes if you have more time for the marinade then cover and let it marinade for longer in the refrigerator.

Peel and chop the garlic and ginger. Chop scallions into chunks. Snap the chilies in half using gloves. I cut them up a little so they were not large pieces.

Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

Season the deep pan or wok. Add two tablespoons of oil heat over high flame. When it’s hot not smoking, add the chilies. Stir until they are crispy and fragrant. Don’t burn them! Then add the ginger and garlic toss for a few seconds. Then quickly add the chicken tossing it all evenly. Then add some of the green onions and toss. Cover the pan for 5-6 minutes let the chicken cook through. Then test one large piece and see if it’s done. If it’s not pink and the juices run clear then it’s done.

Add the sauce to the pan and stir and toss. Then add the veggies. Roast the peanuts in the pan the veggies were in with some sesame oil and toss them in to the pan. Give everything a good toss and serve over white rice.


NOTES: if you can get the really hot dried chiles from an asian market it really makes this dish spicy!

I also use Empire Kosher brand chicken from Trader Joes best taste and it doesn’t dry out.