August | 2016 | onedadskitchen

Make the Homer Simpson in You Proud – Strawberry Glazed Buttermilk Donuts

It is hard to deny my passion for donuts. I know they aren’t good for me and I don’t eat them very often because when I do I have a hard time controlling myself with wanting them all. Every once in a while I will get one as a special treat. I rarely make them at as well, only because they take some work and deep-frying them, along with being unhealthy, leaves a lot of clean up behind it. I invested in a donut pan from King Arthur Flour a few months back with the intention of making some oven-baked donuts but I was waiting for a really good recipe to come along to try out. I found one in this recipe from Saveur for strawberry glazed buttermilk donuts and they gave me another good use for some of the locally-grown strawberries I had just picked up from the farmers’ market.

Strawberry Glazed Oven-Baked Buttermilk Donuts

1 ¹⁄₄ cups all-purpose flour, sifted

³⁄₄ cup granulated sugar

¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking soda

¹⁄₂ teaspoon kosher salt

²⁄₃ cup canola oil, plus more for greasing

¹⁄₂ cup buttermilk

1 egg

¹⁄₂ teaspoon white vinegar

¹⁄₂ teaspoon vanilla extract

¹⁄₂ cup finely chopped strawberries

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl; make a well in the center of the mixed ingredients and set the bowl aside. Whisk the canola oil, buttermilk, egg, vinegar, and vanilla in a separate medium bowl; add the wet ingredients to the well in the dry ingredients and mix all the ingredients together until they form into a smooth batter. Stir in half of the strawberries and set the batter aside. Lightly grease a nonstick donut pan then spoon 2 tablespoons of the batter into each mold. Bake until the donuts are golden and a toothpick inserted into a donut comes out clean, about 13 to 15 minutes. Invert the donuts onto a baking sheet with a wire rack set in it to let the donuts cool completely.

Whisk the remaining strawberries, confectioners’ sugar, and 2 tablespoons of water together in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth until smooth. Dip the tops of the donuts into the glaze and return the donuts to the wire rack until the glaze is set.

The recipe states that you will get 18 donuts from the ingredients; I got about 15 but I guess it depends on how accurate you are about placing the batter into the mold. I tried to fill each until it was about 2/3 of the way up the mold. In any case, the donuts came out very nice and having that little bit of strawberry mixed into the batter added just the right touch to them. The glaze was great as well, though it’s not quite as pink as you might see in the donuts as donut shops. I suppose you could add more strawberries to the mix to brighten the color more or even add a bit of food coloring if you really wanted it, but I thought the glaze came out just right and was not overly sweet but had good taste to it. These were easy enough to make and while they may not taste the same as the deep-fried donuts you love, they are still pretty good.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

2 Comments

Posted by MikeG on August 15, 2016 in Breakfast, Brunch, Cooking, Dessert, Fruit, Snacks

Tags: buttermilk donuts, donut recipe, oven baked donuts, Saveur, strawberry glazed buttermilk donuts, strawberry glazed donuts, strawberry glazed oven baked buttermilk donuts

Steak and Summer Go Hand in Hand – Sirloin Steak with Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus

13 Aug

There are always some meals that I immediately associate with the summer. Naturally people think a lot about things like hamburgers and hot dogs, corn on the cob, potato salad, watermelon and all of the great summer fruits and vegetables you can get. One of the things I always associate with summer is steak. Even though I made steak throughout the year and I don’t even have a grill to use, the idea of grilling a nice piece of steak is something I love. Since I need to do next best around here, I very often use one of my grill pans when making steak to get that same feeling. As much as I love steak, the price keeps me from buying it too often. Every once in a while I will treat us to a rib eye steak for dinner or a New York strip, but that’s about it and only if they are on sale. When I last went to the farmers’ market here in Monroe, I picked up a meat package from Bishop Farms, a farm out of Fulton, NY that offers some great beef, pork, lamb, chicken and more that are all-natural, no steroids and antibiotics. I had purchased a few things from them before and got a package of ground beef, short ribs, beef kebabs and sirloin steaks that looked awesome. I decided to make one of the sirloin steaks the other night and used this recipe from Martha Stewart to make a quick and easy meal.

Sirloin Steak with Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus wedges for serving

1 garlic clove, crushed through a press

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large sirloin steak (about 1 1/2 pounds and 1 inch thick), trimmed and cut into 4 equal portions

1 pound red new potatoes, halved (quartered if large)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds asparagus, trimmed

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together the Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Place the mustard mixture in a resealable plastic bag. Add the steaks, and rub the steaks to coat them well. Let the steaks marinate at room temperature for about 10 minutes or refrigerate them for up to 1 day.

On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil; season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Roast the potatoes for about 10 minutes, then add the asparagus to the sheet pan and toss them with another tablespoon of the olive oil. Season the asparagus with salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables until the potatoes and asparagus are tender, about 15 minutes more.

While the vegetables are roasting, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or grill pan over high heat. Remove the steaks from the marinade, allowing any excess to drip off. Cook the steaks for about 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. If the pan darkens quickly, reduce the heat. Let the steaks rest for about 5 minutes. Serve the steaks with the vegetables or slice the steaks into thin slices and serve over the vegetables on a large platter. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired.

It’s a very simple recipe that comes out nicely. I used Yukon gold potatoes in my recipe because that is what I had on hand to go with the asparagus. I chose to keep the steak as one large steak and then slice it after it rested, but you could certainly do whatever is best for you. The steak was perfectly cooked and the marinade was quite nice with the mustard and garlic. The marinade would be good on other things like chicken or lamb, but I think I might add a touch of soy sauce to it next time to really boost up the flavor. The whole meal only takes about 30 to 40 minutes to cook, which is great for a weeknight and if you have a grill you could easily do it all outside without having to heat up the house.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on August 13, 2016 in Beef, Cooking, Dinner, Grilling, Potatoes, Vegetables

Tags: Bishop Farms, Bishop Farms Fulton NY, Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart sirloin steak, roasted asparagus, roasted potatoes, roasted potatoes and asparagus, sirloin steak, sirloin steak recipe, sirloin steak with roasted potatoes and asparagus

A Great Take on a Takeout Classic – Homemade Chinese Pork Spare Ribs

11 Aug

Everyone has their personal favorites when it comes to takeout Chinese food. I am partial to sesame chicken myself while Sean likes sweet and sour chicken and Michelle goes for beef and broccoli. Egg rolls are always a favorite as well but one thing that we all seem to really love are the Chinese spare ribs that you get. The ribs are nicely cooked and crisp, have that dark red color and some char and a nice, sticky flavor right down to the bone. While you may not have a super high heat oven like your local Chinese restaurant may have to get that kind of char you can still come pretty darn close to it when you try this recipe from Saveur for Chinese pork spare ribs.

Chinese Pork Spare Ribs

¹⁄₃ cup hoisin sauce

¹⁄₄ cup soy sauce

3 tbsp. dry sherry

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

³⁄₄ teaspoon red food coloring

¹⁄₄ teaspoon Chinese five spice powder

1 (2 pound) slab spare ribs, preferably St. Louis style, cut into individual ribs

Whisk together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sherry, garlic, sugar, red food coloring and Chinese five spice powder in a large bowl. Add the ribs; toss the ribs to coat them well with the marinade. Set the bowl aside, covered with plastic wrap, to let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange a baking rack on top of a rimmed, foil-lined sheet pan. Remove the ribs from the marinade and reserve any marinade left in the bowl; arrange the ribs on the rack, meat, not bone, side up. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven; pour enough water into the pan so that it reaches halfway up the sides of the pan, making sure the water does not touch the ribs. Bake the ribs for about 35 to 40 minutes. Baste the ribs with the reserved marinade; flip the ribs and baste them again. Bake the ribs for 35 to 40 minutes more. Add more water to the pan if it dries up. Raise the heat of the oven to 450 degrees. Flip the ribs again and baste them again with the remaining marinade. Continue the baking until the ribs are nicely glazed, browned, and tender, about 20 minutes more. Serve the ribs with Chinese mustard or duck sauce, if you like.

I was a little skeptical as to how they would turn out, but I have to admit the flavor was spot on to what you get at a takeout restaurant. The combination of the hoisin and soy sauce, along with the five spice powder, seem to really do the trick. The red food coloring gives you that familiar red color to your ribs but if you don’t want or need to have that you can really leave it out altogether. I put it in to give that “authentic” look to the ribs. Everyone really enjoyed the flavor of the ribs and said it tasted just like takeout so it does give you a better option if you can make the ribs yourself and control the ingredients and save some money instead of ordering out next time. I used the left over ribs and took some of the rib meat and made some great fried rice with it as well.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on August 11, 2016 in Cooking, Dinner, Pork

Tags: Chinese pork spare ribs, Homemade Chinese pork spare ribs, Making Chinese takeout ribs at home, ribs recipe, Saveur, spare ribs, Takeout Chinese ribs recipe

Better Than Store-Bought – Buttermilk Fried Chicken Fingers with Ranch Coleslaw

09 Aug

Chicken fingers are one of those things that you probably have a love/hate relationship with. They make a great snack or party appetizer and without a doubt are one those things that most kids love to eat. I remember when Sean was little and went through a phase that no matter where we were – at home, visiting family or out to dinner – he just wanted chicken fingers. The problem is that so many of the chicken fingers you get in the store, from fast food restaurants or even casual family restaurants just do not taste get, at least to adults. There are lots of different chicken finger recipes you can try out there, but this one from Epicurious.com for buttermilk fried chicken fingers was a big hit. They are easy to make, have great flavor and everyone will love them. And what better pairing to make it a good lunch or dinner item than putting it with some ranch coleslaw from Bon Appetit?

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Fingers

For the buttermilk marinade:

3 1/2 cups buttermilk

3 1/2 cups milk

1 small onion, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

2 medium jalapeños, sliced (optional)

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon hot sauce

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2×4-inch strips, or 2 pounds chicken tenders

For the seasoned flour:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated garlic

2 tablespoons onion powder

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons ground sage

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Canola oil, for frying

Homemade or store-bought ranch dressing, for serving (homemade recipe below)

In a wide, shallow bowl, combine the buttermilk, milk, onion, jalapeño, salt, and hot sauce. Add the chicken pieces, cover the bowl and refrigerate it for 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Set 2 cooling racks over rimmed baking sheets lined with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, combine the flour, granulated garlic, onion powder, thyme, sage, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper.

In a large cast iron pot or Dutch oven, pour in enough oil to come up to 2 inches. Set the pot over medium-high heat until the oil registers 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches of 4 to 5 pieces, remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking each piece to remove any vegetables and excess liquid, and dredge the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour. Fry the chicken pieces, turning once, until they are golden and cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes total per batch. Transfer the chicken to the wire racks and warm them in the oven while frying the remaining batches.

Serve the chicken fingers with the ranch dressing, if desired.

Ranch Coleslaw

For the Ranch Dressing:

¼ cup buttermilk

¼ cup sour cream

¼ cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons finely chopped dill

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons garlic powder

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

For the Coleslaw:

3 cups thinly sliced red and green cabbage

1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

½ cup Ranch Dressing

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

To make the ranch dressing, stir together the buttermilk, sour cream, mayonnaise, dill, vinegar, and garlic powder in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.

To make the coleslaw, toss the cabbage and carrot with the ranch dressing in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate the coleslaw for 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld before serving.

For the chicken fingers recipe, I actually cut the amounts in half for the recipe I was making because it seemed like a lot both for the marinade and the flour and I was only making 1 pound of chicken. It worked out well for me as I did not end up with a lot of leftover flour and the marinade did its job very well. The chicken fingers picked up great flavor from the buttermilk marinade and the seasoned flour and had a nice little zing to them from the hot sauce. For the coleslaw, I actually doubled the recipe for the dressing so I could use some with the chicken fingers and have plenty leftover for the slaw. The taste of the dressing is spot on in terms of the ranch you would expect to get and it really makes the coleslaw stand out. I used the food processor to cut up the cabbage and carrots so they would be really fine, but you could easily slice it yourself or even buy a store-bought coleslaw mix to use instead. I just happened to pick up carrots and cabbage at the farmers’ market this weekend and it was a good use for them. The chicken fingers are better anything you can buy in the frozen section of your supermarket or what you will get at restaurants and you get to control the ingredients going into them so you can make them taste how you or your kids will like them best. The coleslaw is a perfect side dish for sandwiches, burgers, ribs, pulled pork (which I will be making this week) and just about any summertime lunch or dinner. I got a picture of the coleslaw but forgot to get one of the chicken fingers. I will make them again to get another picture and post it here.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

1 Comment

Posted by MikeG on August 9, 2016 in Appetizers, Condiments, Cooking, Dinner, Dressings, Lunch, Picnic Fare, Poultry, Salad, Sandwiches, Side Dishes, Snacks

Tags: Bon Appetit ranch coleslaw, buttermilk chicken fingers, buttermilk fried chicken fingers, chicken fingers, chicken fingers recipe, coleslaw, coleslaw recipe, Epicurious.com, ranch coleslaw, ranch dressing, ranch dressing recipe

It’s Getting Fishy – John Dory with Artichokes and Peppers and Pan Roasted Tiger Prawn Shrimp

08 Aug

Getting fresh fish in the summertime or really any time of year is a great thing, but finding really fresh fish can always be something of a challenge. I know the supermarkets in my area primarily have a very small selection of prepackaged, frozen fish. If I drive about 20 miles I can go to markets that have regular fish counters, but they do not always have the greatest selection to choose from. That is why I was so happy to learn that there is a real fish market right near my house now, Hudson Valley Seafood, that offers some fantastic fresh fish. They had been wholesalers in the area for many years, supplying restaurants in the region with their fish and have just recently opened a retail store. They get fresh fish daily so there is always something new to see. The store is great, with that fresh fish and not fishy smell that you like to see in a market and the prices are very reasonable. When we ventured over their for the first time a couple of weeks ago, they had some great selections, including John Dory fish and some truly immense colossal Tiger prawns. We decided to try a little of each, using a recipe from Food Network for the John Dory while using a quick recipe from Bait to Plate for the prawns.

John Dory with Artichokes and Peppers

Olive oil, to saute
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 onion, small diced
1/2 carrot, small diced
4 artichoke hearts, diced
3 (3-pound) whole John Dory fish, scaled, eviscerated, and filleted with the skin on
2 ounces white wine
3 ounces chicken stock
1 pepper of your choice, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/2 lemon, juiced

Saute the garlic, onion, carrot, pepper, and artichoke hearts in the olive oil in a saute pan set of medium heat until the vegetables just begin to brown and soften, about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with white wine and chicken stock. Simmer the mixture for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are fork tender.

After cooking the vegetables , puree about half of the mixture in the blender. Add the pureed half back to the mixture and stir to combine.

Season the fish fillets with salt and coriander. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick saute pan set over medium heat. Carefully place the fish fillets in the pan, flesh side down, and cook the fish until it is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Turn the fillets over and cook until the skin is crispy and the fish is cooked through and no longer translucent, about another 2 minutes. Remove the fillets from the pan and set them aside. Deglaze the pan with lemon juice. Add the lemon juice to the artichoke mixture and stir well. Serve the fish with the artichoke mixture on the side.

Pan Roasted Tiger Prawns

2-3 U-3 Colossal Tiger Prawns

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lemon, for serving

To clean the tiger prawns, remove the head of the prawns (be careful, they have a very sharp horn on the front), but leave the chest plate and legs on the shell in tact. Split the pawns down the back with a sharp knife and thoroughly clean out the intestines (think of it as deveining a shrimp, just on a much larger scale). Rinse the prawns thoroughly and place them in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, garlic, chili powder and fresh parsley. Pour the marinade over the prawns and toss them until they are well coated. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat a grill a pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the prawns with salt and pepper and add the prawns to the pan and allow them to cook until they begin to turn pink and the shell looks nicely roasted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the prawns and cook them on the opposite side, about 2 to 3 minutes more or until the prawns are cooked through and pink. Serve the prawns with lemon wedges, if desired.

The John Dory was a very mild fish that tasted wonderful. The mix of the artichokes and peppers were a nice compliment to the fish itself. If you want a fish that is not going to taste fishy and is a firm but delicate white fish, this could be for you. They went very nicely with some rice pilaf and corn on the cob. The Tiger prawns are something of a treat, since they can be quite expensive. The best way I can describe them is that it is like eating a lobster tail. The meat is very similar and has wonderful flavor to it. We cut them up and shared 2 of them among us and it was more than enough. Make sure you clean them out well when you go to devein them as it is a large amount to remove and you do need to be careful handling them. These would be great on the barbecue as well as the grill pan and cooking them in the shell is the best way to go.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on August 8, 2016 in Cooking, Dinner, Grilling, Seafood, Uncategorized

Tags: Bait to Plate, colossal Tiger prawns, food network, Food Network John Dory recipe, Hudson Valley Seafood, John Dory, John Dory recipe, pan roasted John Dory with artichokes and peppers, Tiger prawns recipe, u3 Tiger prawns

Don’t Dill-y Dally – Make These Dill-icious Homemade Quick Dill Pickles

04 Aug

As much as I love sandwiches it only makes sense that I love the things that can help them make them extra-special for lunch or dinner. That includes having a great side dish like potato salad, coleslaw or another kind of salad, just the right condiments and. of course, pickles. The thing about pickles is that there are some really good ones that you can get when you go out or buy them from the store or farmers’ market and then there are some really bad ones. You know the bad ones as soon as you get them – limp, lifeless and they have no flavor at all or have been sitting for too long. As much as I love pickles, the price for a good pickle is pretty darn expensive today. The good ones in the stores are three or four dollars a jar and you pay just as much or even more at farmers’ markets for good pickles. Now I have never been much of a person when it comes to canning and preserving myself; I just don’t have the space for everything you need or the space to store anything. However, I did want to find a way to make a good, quick batch of pickles so I could have some on hand when I wanted them. I got myself a good jar and set about looking for a recipe and I found this one from Food and Wine that seemed just right for some homemade dill pickles.

Homemade Dill Pickles

1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

3/4 teaspoon dill seeds

2 cups hot water

2 pounds Kirby cucumbers, sliced 1/4 inch thick or sliced into spears

3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill

3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

In a large, heat-proof measuring cup, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and dill seeds with the hot water and stir the mixture until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Let the brine cool.

In a large bowl, toss the cucumbers with the fresh dill and the garlic. Place the cucumbers, dill and garlic into a jar with a tight seal or leave them in the large bowl. Pour the brine over the cucumbers and turn to coat the cucumbers (if they are in the bowl; if you have them in the jar they are fine as is). If you are using a bowl, place a small plate over the cucumbers to keep them submerged in the bowl, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If you have the pickles in a jar, close the jar tightly. Refrigerate the pickles overnight, stirring once or twice. Serve cold.

When I first looked at the recipe I was skeptical that I would be able to get good flavor out of pickles with such an easy recipe and with them just sitting overnight, but boy I was wrong. These pickles have fantastic flavor that they pick up from all of the spices, the fresh dill and the garlic. If you like garlic with your pickles these are ideal because the flavor is there without completing overpowering the pickles. If you really like garlic you could always add a few more chopped cloves to the mix, but I thought they were perfect as is. I have been making these pretty consistently for a couple of months now and once you have all of the ingredients on hand the only cost of making them is buying the pickles. I get a package of 6 Kirby cucumbers for $2.50 and it makes lots of pickle spears that last me for weeks, so the cost savings is pretty good in my opinion. These pickles are perfect to go with any type of sandwich or a burger and will be great for picnics, barbecues or any party. I brought a jar with me to the Outer Banks a few weeks ago and every ate them up. It’s definitely worth the little bit of time it takes to make them.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

1 Comment

Posted by MikeG on August 4, 2016 in Cooking, Lunch, Picnic Fare, Produce, Sandwiches, Side Dishes, Snacks, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Tags: dill pickles, dill pickles recipe, Food and Wine dill pickles recipe, homemade dill pickles, pickles, pickles recipe

Savor the Summer for Lunch with This Tomato Sandwich

02 Aug

Summertime brings about some of my favorite vegetables and fresh fruit to make all kinds of great things with. I love to go to the farmers’ markets and see what I can get from some of the local farms and I always come back with something great and delicious. Know that Monroe finally has its own farmers’ market every Sunday I can just drive to town and get some great stuff, which I did this past weekend. I got a great haul of strawberries and peaches, but I also picked up some local beets, cauliflower, honey, heirloom tomatoes and even a chuck roast from one of the local farms that raises organic beef. Tomatoes are just starting to hit their stride now and instead of turning to what you can get at your local supermarket and pay lots more for sub par fresh tomatoes, go to your nearest farmstand or farmers’ market and get some great heirlooms. I got a basket of heirloom tomatoes which had 6 good-sized tomatoes in it for only $6.00 where they easily sell for at least four dollars a pound in my local store. Now that I have some great tomatoes to use, I needed to find something to make. The first thing I thought of was to have a great lunch with a classic and simple tomato sandwich. You probably don’t even really need a recipe for a tomato sandwich, but I took this idea from Melissa Clark at New York Times Cooking, followed her idea and added a bit to it to really make it my own.

Tomato Sandwich

4 slices crusty bread

1 fat garlic clove, halved crosswise

1 ripe, soft tomato, halved

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mayonnaise, as needed

1 ripe heirloom tomato, sliced

Thinly sliced red or white onion

1 ripe avocado, pitted and sliced thinly (optional)

4 slices cooked bacon (optional)

Toast the bread slices until they are golden. Take each slice and rub one side all over with the cut side of the garlic clove. (The clove should start to disintegrate into the bread.) Rub each slice with the cut sides of the soft halved tomato, pressing so the tomato flesh sticks to the bread. Drizzle the bread with the olive oil, then sprinkle each slice with a bit of salt.

Spread the mayonnaise over the tomato pulp on the slices of bread. Place the sliced heirloom tomatoes on top of 2 pieces of the bread. Cover the tomato slices with the onions and sprinkle them with salt. Top with the avocado slices or the bacon if using, sprinkle on some freshly ground pepper to taste and then use the other 2 slices of tomato-rubbed bread to make sandwiches.

You have lots of options of course, as you do with any sandwich. I omitted the bacon she suggested as I just wanted the taste of the tomato and avocado with the onion. I prefer the bite a red onion provides, but if you like something mellower a white onion is also good. The combination on the sandwich of the great-tasting tomatoes with the onion, avocado and the little hint of garlic on the bread makes it all a perfect lunch. I put a little bit of parsley on mine for some extra flavor and you could do the same with some lettuce, arugula, spinach, fresh basil or anything else you might like. I made the sandwich on my favorite homemade bread and it was divine. It is the perfect sandwich to have during the summer and it makes me wish I could get heirloom tomatoes like this locally all year-long.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!