Meatloaf Sub

Meatloaf Sub... Gooey!

I absolutely love leftovers. Eating a plate of leftovers from a gathering, party or holiday is like reliving the entire event. Some foods just taste better the next day- like lasagne, macaroni and cheese, and yellow Spanish rice- the day after it’s been made its flavor has intensified. It’s so good it can almost be eaten cold.

What was I talking about?

I know it looks like a lot of bread... but this is just right!

Meatloaf!! See- I love my leftovers! And meatloaf is no different. On the first day the meatloaf is soft in texture and the flavor is warming and comforting. But after it’s been sitting in the fridge overnight it becomes more compact and the flavor is almost bold. I decided to jam it between 2 lusciously soft slices of Italian bread and cover it with my tomato sauce and some freshly grated mozzerella (see- the sauce is super versatile!). The end result? A frickin’ masterpiece- if I do say so myself…

2 slices of meatloaf
1 loaf of italian bread, sliced in half
2-3 tbsp of tomato sauce
3-4 tbsp of mozzerella, sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Slice the bread in half.  Place the bread on a baking pan, face down, and toast lightly for about 3 minutes.

2. Slice the meatloaf and shred the mozzerella while the bread is toasting in the oven.

3. Pull the lightly toasted bread out of the oven and place a slice of meatloaf on each bottom slice. Top meatloaf with sauce and put back bottom slice back in the oven for 5 minutes. Pull out, top with mozzerella and leave until the mozzerella is melted, about 5-10 minutes.

4. Assemble sandwich.

Look at all that cheese!!!

Seriously. Why are you not making this right now?

In Appreciation of Bacon

The BLT

Saturday was International Bacon Appreciation Day. I’m not a big bacon eater so I don’t usually understand peoples obsession with Bacon, but lately I’ve been having my own bacon-related obsession: BLT’s.

I don’t know what it is about the BLT. Each ingredient on its own is ok- nothing special- but put them all together and it’s like making a masterpiece. It’s perfect. So perfect in fact that, and I’m really ashamed to admit this, I’ve had 5 of them in the past 2 weeks!!! The one I made Saturday, in celebration of International Bacon Day, takes the cake. The trick to a perfect BLT is starting with really good ingredients. The rest is magic!

Brown Sugar Baked Bacon, Romaine Lettuce, and Heirloom Tomato BLT’s (2 Servings)

8 slices of bacon

Brown sugar

1 large heirloom tomato

4 romaine leaves

4 slices, sourdough bread

Mayonnaise

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment and lay a baking rack on top. Rub bacon slices with brown sugar on both sides and lay on baking rack. Bake for approx. 25-30 minutes.

2. Slice the tomato into 8 slices, wash the romaine, lightly salt and set aside. Slice the Sourdough loaf into 4 slices.

3. 10 minutes before the bacon is done, toast the slices of bread lightly on both sides. Remove the bacon from the oven. Spread an even layer of mayo on both slices of bread.

4. Place a slice of lettuce on the bread, then 2 slices of tomato, then 4 slices of bacon, then 2 more tomato slices, another slice of lettuce, and the final piece of bread.

Brown Sugar Baked Bacon!!!

Baking the Bacon makes it really crispy and most of the fat will drip down to the tray below. The brown sugar makes it really sweet and gooey. I used apple-wood smoked bacon but you can use any kind you like. All the individual great ingredients really come together in this sandwich to create something absolutely perfect.

Assembling the BLT