Cabbie’s Cooking

RT needed something to take to an office party.  We were going to buy some wraps at Kroger, but they didn’t have any fresh ones.  So, I decided to make some myself.  Looking at the ones at Kroger (the ones that had been there since Friday), I figured it couldn’t be too difficult.  Here’s the photo of the tray after I finished them. I think it looks very nice.  And since we snacked on the “leftovers”, we already know that the wraps taste really good. The wraps are now in the refrigerator - ready for RT to take to work with him tomorrow morning.  They were surprisingly easy and quick to make.  I don’t know why I haven’t tried making wraps before.  I’ll be looking for more wrap recipes now since these turned out so well.  Here’s how I made them:

WRAPS

3 large tortillas (large, wrap size - whatever “flavor” you prefer.  I  bought three packages of tortillas: garden spinach herb, sundried tomato basil, and whole grain wheat.  I had no idea how many tortillas I’d need, but that ended up being WAY too many tortillas.  I used three tortillas total - one of each kind - for the tray in the photograph. RT and I will be eating tortillas a lot in the next couple weeks in order to use them all up). 

1 package of thinly sliced or shaved sandwich meat - turkey and ham (you can use roast beef or other cold cuts, too)

1 package of grated sharp cheddar

A few grape tomatoes

A few leaves of romaine lettuce

Mayonaise (I used light mayo)

Take a tortilla and spread mayonaise on it.  Sprinkle it with grated cheese.  It’s important to put the cheese on top of the mayo in order to hold the cheese in place.  Layer the lettuce and then the meat on top.  Starting on one side, roll the tortilla as tightly as possible - being careful to keep the fillings inside.  Once it is rolled up, place it seam side down on a cutting board.  Take a knife and cut off 1-inch slices. Line your serving tray with lettuce, and use the grape tomatoes as a garnish.

Very tasty!

RT told me he wanted a tuna melt sandwich for dinner tonight, and his suggestion ended in a really delicious meal.  They looked really pretty, too.  And such a quick meal - maybe 10 minutes from the opening the can of tuna to eating the sandwich.  Here’s how I made the tuna melts:

Scrumptious Open-Face Tuna Melts

1 can water-packed tuna

1/4 cup mayonnaise

3 Tablespoons pickle relish

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (divide in half)

1 tomato, sliced thinly

4 slices bread (whatever type you enjoy - white, wheat, sourdough)

Preheat the oven to broil.  Toast the bread in the toaster.  Place on a cookie sheet.  Drain the tuna and mix with the mayo, pickle relish, salt/pepper and half of the shredded cheese.  Spread the tuna salad over the four slices of toast.  Top with tomato slices.  Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top.  Place in the oven and watch carefully until the cheese stopping starts to bubble.  Remove from the oven and enjoy!

This is my mother’s recipe for cucumber/cream cheese sandwiches.  She cuts these into circles or other shapes for special occasions - like a wedding reception, a luncheon, a bridal or baby shower.  Everytime I’ve made them, people have asked for the recipe.  They’re light-tasting and really REALLY good.

RUTH’S CUCUMBER & CREAM CHEESE SANDWICHES

2 (3 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese

2 Tablespoons grated onion

2 Tablespoons sour cream

2 medium cucumbers (peeled, grated and drained)

salt and white pepper to taste

bread slices

green food coloring (optional - just a drop or two to make the mixture a very pale green)

Combine all ingredients (except the bread slices) to make the filling.  Stir until smooth.  Cut thin slices of bread into the desired shapes and Spread with the filling and top with another slice of bread.  I usually spread the mixture on the bread first and make a sandwich - and then use a cookie cutter or knife to cut it into shapes. Most of the time I cut off the crusts and then slice diagonally to make two triangles.  These sandwiches look very pretty, too.

The mix yields about two cups of filling.  How many sandwiches that makes depends on how much filling you put in each sandwich.

One evening I was so tired I didn’t feel like making dinner.  So I spent about five minutes mixing up my special tuna salad.  I toasted some bread slices and made sandwiches.  Wow!  They were tasted really good.  Here’s how I make tuna salad:

Carol’s Tuna Salad SUPREME!

1 can water-packed tuna

1/4 cup mayo

2 T pickle relish

1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 stalk celery - FINELY diced

salt and pepper to taste

Drain the tuna and mix well with the other ingredients. 

It really is delicious.  It makes a wonderful sandwich, and it’s great to put a scoop of it on top of a tossed salad.  During the summer when the tomatoes are fresh and tasty, I like to stuff tomatoes with this tuna salad.  I think the grated cheese makes it extra delicious!

The other evening RT and I got home from a long day of working at the new house.  RT was finishing up the stone work on the fireplace, and I had helped with selecting the stones, preparing the mortar and cleaning up.  We were both exhausted.  Although RT had done the vast majority of the work, he insisted that I sit down and relax and let him prepare dinner for us.  I was easy to convince. 

“How about BLT’s?” I suggested.  But then I remembered.  “We’re out of mayonaise, and the lettuce doesn’t look very good.”

“Do we have ranch dressing?” asked RT.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Then I’ll improvise,” he said. 

RT prepared the absolute BEST BLT’s I’ve ever tasted.  Actually, I guess we should call them BCRT’s because we left out the lettuce and added cheese and ranch dressing.

As soon as the bacon was cooked, RT laid the cheese on top of the bacon so that the warmth from the bacon would start to soften the cheese.  That was an important step because although the cheese didn’t fully melt, it had softened to the point that it was really creamy and smooth.  He spread ranch dressing on the bread, placed the sliced bacon with cheese on top.  Then he sliced the tomatoes and laid the slices on a paper towel so they wouldn’t be so drippy.  After the paper towel had absorbed some of the moisture from the tomatoes, he added them to the sandwich.  A sprinkle of salt and pepper, a little cantaloupe on the side, a glass of chardonnay - and we had a fantastic and quick dinner.

A new sandwich was created - the BCRT.