Some Ideas For a Winter’s Midday Meal

To go to the next level of nirvana at lunch time: The classic Reuben sandwich

This array means that about 20 minutes before passing out from starvation, make the decision. If it’s colder than 20 degrees F outside, better go for the grilled deli sandwich. I think margarine makes a better grilling coat than butter, so margarine the outside of the bread. Any number of slices is fine so long as the number is equally divisible by two. Lay the first slice in the non-stick pan and fold on the very thinly sliced leftovers or deli meats. Ham would be a first choice, followed by turkey as a second choice. Put on one or two thick slices of real Swiss, the one with the big holes, and top with the other slice of bread. Other sandwiches can be mix and match using different sliced meats and different cheese. What the heck? You could even go for different bread, different deli meats, AND different cheese. Because you’re building a compound sandwich with two or more main layers, it’s important to grill the sandwich on low heat. The heat has to penetrate to the middle of the sandwich from both sides or there will be a real letdown when it comes time for the first bite. In order to penetrate to the middle without burning the outside, it must be low heat. Even if your sandwich is black on only one side, practically everyone finds this disappointing. If you’re starvin’ like Marvin, make a slab of butter bread or slice some extra cheese first to allow plenty of time for slow grilling. To go to the next level of nirvana at lunch time, check in advance for a little can of sauerkraut, some dark rye bread with caraway, and Thousand Island dressing. The classic Reuben sandwich is also multi-layer and must be grilled slowly on low heat. Take time to separate the kraut so as to make an even layer across the entire face of the sandwich. Increase the thickness of the deli ham layers and consider having a little sliced turkey on it, too. A Reuben requires actual Swiss cheese, of course. Don’t get cheap on us. A real Reuben sandwich is a meal in itself. Like everything else, more is better. Consider making two in case an unexpected pal shows up. If he doesn’t get there in time, oh well. Tell him how good it was later.

One other way to make a righteous hot dog is to go the coney dog or chili dog route

While we’re on the hot sandwich idea, consider hot dogs. There’s nothing like a nice tube steak on a cold winter day. There are all kinds of hot dogs. Because I’m very thrifty, I usually just get an armload of the kind that are $1.19 a package. They’ll freeze until well into mid-century, and come to think of it, I’ve never had one spoil in the back of the fridge just waiting to be finished after being discovered behind all that cream cheese that was on sale before Christmas. I boil hot dogs, and that kills anything bad, doesn’t it? Of course it does. So long as they’re not fuzzy on the outside, it’s all good. Ever have those roller grill dogs from the Quickie Mart? I know. Yum. Those must have more lean or knuckle meat rather than more tender fat like a regular dog or brat. Those fancy ones must be available in the hot dog cooler. If you want to go all out, with full expectations of needing a nap about 1 PM, get one of those regular shrink-packed sausages from Ekrich or your local sausage packer. Polish or Italian sausage or any other kind is good. Give this sausage a good boiling and slice it down the middle to make two semi-circle portions just like you would a regular dog. A roller grill dog on a bun should have ketchup and relish on it. At home, however, a sliced dog or sausage should be pressed into a generous layer of Miracle Whip, topped with sweet pickle relish or Mrs. Campbells’s chow-chow, the sweet kind, of course. Chow chow is a pickle relish made with shredded cabbage instead of shredded cucumber pickles. To be on the safe side, put plenty of mayo on the inside of the other slice of bread, too. Yum. One other way to make a righteous hot dog is to go the coney dog or chili dog route. Now, I’ve had lots of practice at this and I don’t like it when people know what I had for lunch by examining the front of my shirt. Here’s how to do it the high-class way. Make chili/coney dogs in a sauce pan. Add a can of coney sauce or chili (no beans, of course!) to a pan, then chop your hot dogs into pieces about half an inch thick, using at least one hot dog per bun. Heat this with the lid on or you’ll be sorry. Allow it to simmer slowly for a while so as to cook the dogs. Always assemble chili dogs on a plate or in a flat soup bowl. Put the buns in there, spread a little bit of the sauce on the inside, then spoon generous quantities of the sauce and dog mix over the buns until you can’t see the buns. Cut this into sections using a steak knife or survival knife, whichever suits your mood. If you think this might be your last meal before the zombies arrive, a bayonet or a cutlass also works. If you must put the dog in whole before covering it with sauce, at least wipe the bayonet on your sleeve or pants leg so any potential adversaries will think twice before messing with you. Wearing an eye patch and a doo rag also helps.

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Non-grilled sandwiches are best on sweet bread or egg buns

Non-grilled sandwiches are best on sweet bread or egg buns. Even better, and this is especially true for hot dogs and sausage sandwiches, would be bread heels. Heels are terribly underappreciated. They are often a little thinner than the regular slices, which means a better ratio of inside stuff to bread, so match the thin edge on one to the thicker edge on another for better balance and heft. This thinness helps the mayo and stone ground mustard flavors pop. Most importantly, one side of every heel piece is crust, but from the side of the pan, not the top of the loaf. That means the crust flavor is abundant, but it’s not dried out like the top crust can be. Let’s face it, it just tastes better. For a grilled sandwich, always margarine the outside of the heel instead of the soft inside. It won’t burn so easily and the grilled heel flavor is hard to beat. Heels are superior for toast, too. Keep an eye down in the toaster for the danger of burning the thin edges. The same amount of butter as a regular slice will be an indulgence on a heel, and putting on extra apple butter, cherry jam, or (*near swoon*) black raspberry jelly will keep one a little glazy-eyed for an hour or two. Thinking of creamed chicken or turkey or SOS? Think heel toast. You’re welcome. If it’s snowing outside and you have a stack of high-quality grilled sandwiches to choose from, then should choose your favorite first for a clean palette, or last to have that lingering favorite flavor into the early afternoon? Consider adding it to the memorable cold weather lunch entries in your foodie journal. After your nap, of course. Those morning hours can be used to implement a long-term strategy for either lunch or supper. Long-term, of course means that it could take all afternoon. Let’s do some experimentation and look into that subject soon!