Spicy RC Cola Pork Sandwiches with Cilantro-Jalepeno Slaw

P-Dub has done it again. And, before all you haters go off a-hatin' let's just appreciate the fact that the woman didn't make it on money alone... she's talented. Yeah, I said it.

I've been eye-balling her Spicy Dr. Pepper pork for months but haven't had much time to make anything involving more than 30 minutes of my time since Aubrey started the Fire Academy. Luckily, I worked from home today so at lunch, I popped this baby in the oven and by six it was falling off the bone and winning over my heart. And, it only took a whole 2 minutes to put in the pot. Seriously, quarter an onion, throw in the roast, open a couple cans of peppers and pour in some leftover RC cola from the fourth ( I didn't have Dr. Pepper.)

I had it with P-Dub's cilantro slaw sans red cabbage because apparently it's exclusive to Whole Foods in Tulsa and at $1.69 PER POUND, they can keep it.


Here's the link to the recipe. I halved the pork amount but kept the spice amount and it was SPICY. Almost too much even for me. But, it was so worth it. I highly recommend this one.

My (current) Favorite Sandwich: French-Style Ham and Cheese

Aubrey and I tested our travel legs in 2005 with a month long European Adventure and we returned to Paris in 2006 for our Honeymoon. However, it wasn't until our return in 2008 that we met the greatest sandwhich known to man. How we ever managed to miss this is beyond me. Granted, the two previous times I was having a love affair with a different assembly of meat and bread ( Doner Kabob...mmm...) but that would mean I'd have to start explaining the fact that I have 500 favorites of everything. Let's just say, this sandwich is pretty amazing.

It's simple and straightforward: French Baguette, say hello to slice of ham, aged swiss and a layer of cold butter. That's it. Primarily served chilled, this sandwich is to France as the cheeseburger is to America. It's the ultimate fast food. Aubrey and I couldn't get enough of these babies... I think we ate about 15 of them in two weeks.

(I was trying to use the self timer to take a photo on a picturesque road - see above- and Aubrey wouldn't stop eating the sandwich for even 5 seconds.)

Since worthy baguettes are hard to come by in my part of the world, I'm forced to get what I can in Tulsa and freeze it to maintain freshness between trips to the mainland. I'm partial to the Rustic Baguette at Farrell Family Organic Bread at 81st and Yale.

Since, I have to thaw now ( and if I'm thinking about this sandwich I must have it RIGHT NOW), I usually pop a piece in the microwave. This equals sogginess.

Since my bread is soggy, I have to crisp it up. So, one day, I was out of swiss and only had gruyere... ( like this was some sacrifice.) I buttered up one side of the sandwich, and put ham and grated gruyere on the other side, broiled until browned and bubbly and.... PERFECTION. My new favorite sandwich! It's not like the ones in Paris but it will definitely do...especially if eaten with classic Dijon mustard and cheese souffle! Behold:

Go Green Chicken Sammies

Okay, so I made this amazing sandwich and it must be repeated!! It was the definition of freshness and zest. Aubrey and I ate the whole meal in silence just marveling at this delicious creation. It's from Rachel Ray Everyday Magazine May 2008. I have a pic but it was too much green to handle. * (UPDATE: This pic represents how I felt eating this... slightly exhausted and a little out of it. It's powerful.)Seriously, make this.

Recipe (with notes)

Serves 4 ( I cut it in half)
2 tbsp. evoo
1/3/ cup chopped cilantro ( I probably still used this much just for 2)
2 scallions, finely chopped (yeah, I used white onion...it was still yum)
2 tbsp. fresh chopped thyme ( I used the dry stuff)
Grated peel of one lime plus juice of 2 limes ( worth it...for sure)
2 tsp. hot pepper sauce ( I didn't have any so I mixed some cayenne pepper with malt vinegar until it looked a little bit like tabasco)
S &P
4 Skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 deli slices of pepper jack cheese
2 avocados
1 small red onion ( yeah, I used white again... still good)
1 small plum tomato, chopped
2 jalepeno chiles, seeded and chopped ( Okay, this is essentially pico de gallo... Aubrey made a huge batch with even more cilantro)
1 clove of garlic, grated ( I used the minced stuff)
Juice of 1 lemon ( what? I think I forgot this...)
4 buns or crusty rolls, toasted
1 head green leaf lettuce
Tortilla chips ( we used baked tostitos!)

Okay...
1. Combine evoo, cilantro, scallions ( or whatever), thyme, lime peel, half of the lime juice, and hot sauce in a bowl. Season with S&P and throw chicken in there to get marinated for like 30 minutes.
2. Preheat grill to medium high. Then, do like I did and combine the pico stuff with the garlic, avocados, and the rest of the lime juice ( this is where the recipe says to mash the avocado with the garlic, red onion, tomato, lime juice, and lemon juice with some salt.)
3. Grill chicken until cooked through and melt a slice of cheese over the top.
4. Serve on the toasted rolls with lettuce and guacomole. Serve with chips.

SO GOOD. That's all I can say.

M-M-Mercado Melts

This is my favorite sandwich, ever. My mom and aunt made it at a deli they used to run and it was the star of the shop. It is so full of melty, spicy goodness that I just salivate all over myself thinking about it. Seriously, I remembered that I was having it for dinner at about 3:00 in the afternoon and literally drooled a little on my keypad. It was kinda gross. Actually, a lot of disturbing situations accompany this melt...like loss of sleep if you cook it overnight and burned eyeballs, to name a few (yeah, you can't touch your eyes while eating this).

Experience your own torments for this heavenly experience here:

1 bloody slab of beef brisket ( I get the cheapest I can find which was about 13 bucks this time)

A few shakes of the ol' Lawry's seasoning salt

8 hours in the crockpot on high

Shred the brisket with a fork or two and separate the chunks of fat and throw them away... ditch the juice, too.

Get 2 cans of "whole jalepenos" from the market ( the kind that are next to the nacho jalepenos and have carrots in them) and pour ONLY THE JALEPENO JUICE over the shredded glory.

Soak 8 hours in the fridge. Perfection.

I serve these by heating a portion at a time in the microwave with shredded jack on top and slide it on a mayonaised, warm white bollio, or sub roll, whatever. You're in for a treat. I love you, too.

P-Dub Dinner

One of my favorite bloggers is The Pioneer Woman (http://www.thepioneerwomancooks.com/) or, as I like to call her, P-Dub. P-Dub selflessly expresses her love with tons of butter and bacon grease to her cowboy husband, Marlboro Man. Turns out, bacon is a good expression of love to any man. I made "Marlboro Man's Second Favorite Sandwich" for dinner tonight and received approximately 112 bacon-grease kisses. I didn't take a pic because I was too busy devouring it but this is a very close approximation to mine. To feel a little better about all that bacon and cheese, I made an herb salad with fat-free dressing to go with it ( baby steps to health here).

The complete recipe can be found here:http://thepioneerwomancooks.com/2007/06/marlboro_mans_s.html

So, was it as delicious as it looks?

Aubrey gives it his top smile rating. Aww, my heart soars...