Oops... I Forgot to Blog

Johnnycakes and I had to fend for ourselves tonight since our schedules were kind of nuts. We each had a turkey sandwich on rye. I tried to recreate my favorite sandwich "The Rachel" from Beach Bums. The only problem is that I forgot to take a picture. I was pretty hungry so I scarfed it down.

The Rachel consists of:

2 slices of rye bread

1/4 cup of cole slaw

2 tbsp. 1000 island dressing

3 slices of turkey breast deli meat

The sandwich was pretty good but it definitely did not compare with the excellence of Beach Bums.

I did whip up my own 1,000 Island dressing in a flash without prior consultation of a recipe.

1,000 Island Dressing

1/4 cup of mayonnaise

2 tbsp. ketchup

1/4 finely cup diced onions

2 tbsp. finely diced dill pickles

I later found out that traditional 1,000 island has chopped hard boiled egg in it. I guess that makes my version more like a "special sauce" a la McDonald's. It also reminded me of tartar sauce, minus the lemon. I still liked it and I'll probably use it to top several sandwiches over the next few days.

The Apple of Our Eye

I had forgotten how much inspiration the Food Network provides Johnnycakes and I with our meal ideas. We haven't been watching as much Food Network over the summer months because of a new exercise class on Saturday mornings and the Sunday Farmer's Market. We recently rediscovered the channel over the long weekend and our heads are already brimming with ideas.

On Saturday, we watched Tyler Florence prepare a delicious sandwich featuring cheddar cheese, Granny Smith apple and bacon during a "soup and sandwich" episode. It looked so appealing that we kept talking about it for the rest of the day. I occasionally enjoy a bagel with tart apple slices and cheddar cheese (thanks to a childhood friend's children's cookbook) so I thought that adding bacon to that combination sounded even better.

Johnnycakes bought the necessary ingredients on Sunday and we finally got around to preparing the sandwich tonight. Preparation was super quick which is just what we needed after a unusually crazy week.

In Couple of Cooks fashion, we also prepared a healthier version that the one featured on the Food Network. We topped rye bread with Cracker Barrel 2% cheddar cheese, thin Granny Smith apple slices and turkey bacon and grilled then in a frying pan. I admit I did cook them in the same pan I fried the turkey bacon so that added some extra fat and calories.

The apple, cheese and bacon is a great combination! I suggest you try it. Thanks Food Network! I can't wait to see what our next inspiration will be.