Anyway, we had a lot of meals out this weekend, so I was pretty excited to put together a week full of good, homemade dinners.

I pretty much consider Beth my food twin. We definitely have very similar taste, and when she posted this sandwich I knew I would make it. I just didn’t realize it would take me this long.

It’s not exactly the season for apples, but the Fujis at my favorite grocery store are still completely delicious (especially with melted cheddar cheese on sourdough).

I added some sauteed shallots (and Mike added a bunch of HP sauce) and it was fantastic. Thanks (as always) for the inspiration, Beth!

Sometime last week, I decided I wanted to run a mile on the track. I think I was still riding high on my better-than-expected 8K time, so it seemed like a good idea. I decided Sunday was the day, and didn’t think about it too much for a couple days.

Sunday morning rolled around and I was nervous. I really hoped I could run under 7 and not die. I know running a mile is never pleasant, expecially when you’re out of shape, which I still kind of am.

The track is a mile away so I ran over slowly as a warm up, then did a few strides once I got there. I felt pretty pretty decent and ready to go.

Lap 1: 1:39 Running fast is fun! Crap, I probably went out too fast

Lap 2: 1:45 Uh, yeah, went out way too fast. This sucks, and my stomach feels weird.

Lap 3: 1:47 I am so ready to be done. Why did I want to do this?

Lap 4: 1:42 OK at least I didn’t keep getting slower. Damn, I’m glad that’s over.

So, 6:53. I’m happy it was under 7, but there’s definitely a LOT of room for improvement. Especially considering that my 5K PR pace is 6:51. Definitely going to be incorporating speed work from here on out. I’m actually kind of excited to go and run some 400s next week.

This recipe was originally for pizza, but I had some leftover hamburger buns to use up, and Mike likes sandwiches even more than he likes pizza. I used a can of fire-roasted tomatoes with jalapenos to make the marinara, but I’m sure it would still be great with regular tomatoes as well (and you’ll definitely have lots of sauce left over).

Twitter is not good when you’re as easily swayed by peer pressure as I am. When I was contemplating signing up for Big Sur, there was this…

But it’s also really helpful when I’m feeling indecisive. I wanted to bake bread, and there was this…

Kelsey didn’t know it, but I had actually bought pasteurized chevre and fresh figs the day before, but wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them. Now I had my answer!

I baked up some rosemary focaccia, and made panini with sliced fresh figs and crumbled chevre. Not too many crazy ingredients or flavors, but it was one of the best sandwiches I’ve had in a long time.

I don’t have a panini press, so I just used a nonstick pan, and cooked the sandwich for a few minutes on each side, pressing it down with a metal spatula as it cooked. The melty goat cheese, sweet figs, and salty, chewy bread were exactly what I was craving! It’s so simple you don’t really need a recipe, but here it is:

Recipe
for each sandwich:
1 square or piece of rosemary focaccia (I halved this recipe and instead of fresh rosemary on top, I mixed 1 tsp dried rosemay into the dough when I added the salt)
a few tbsp crumbled chevre
1-2 fresh black figs, thinly sliced

Slice the bread in half and arrange the figs and chevre on one side.

Press the other half of bread on top, and cook in a nonstick pan for a few minutes on each side, pressing with a spatula until cheese and figs are warm (or use a panini press)

Yes, this sandwich has a mouthful of a name, but it is definitely worth making, and is actually deceptively easy once you get going. I’ll take it over a standard wheat-hummus-typical sandwich vegetables sandwich any day. Even Mike, who claims to hate carrots but actually ends up liking almost anything I put carrots in loved this.

My Sundays usually start with a run, followed by a stack of cookbooks and a grocery list. The stack this weekend started with the Gourmet cookbook (a present from my fabulous little sister) and quickly grew with Mike’s selections (does someone like Asian food?)

I don’t really want to talk about the run – it was one of the worst in my life – but I got REALLY excited planning the menu for the week. I’m looking forward to every single recipe! This sandwich ended up being Sunday night’s dinner, and it was perfect.

It all starts with ribbons of carrots (made easily with a vegetable peeler), blanched very briefly, and marinated with spices, lemon juice, and olive oil. Next comes some green olive tapenade and goat cheese.

Ruth (I feel like we’re on a first name basis now that I’ve read Garlic & Sapphires, Tender at the Bone, and Comfort me with Apples) suggested pumpernickel bread, which I’m sure is lovely, but our Trader Joes was pretty much out of EVERYTHING except whole wheat sourdough, and somehow, it worked out! (I also omitted some things in the tapenade because I like keeping it simple and anchovy-free)

If the rest of the recipes in the cookbook are even remotely as enticing as this one, I’m going to be a VERY happy cook.

Recipe:
(adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook)

makes 3 or 4 sandwiches

carrots
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Hungarian paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 medium carrots, washed and peeled

tapenade
about 2/3 cup pitted green olives
4 tsp capers, rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
pinch freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

sandwiches
6 or 8 slices whole wheat sourdough or pumpernickel bread
3-4 oz goat cheese

Peel the carrots into ribbons using a vegetable peeler.
Combine marinade ingredients (lemon juice, oil, sugar, and spices) in a medium bowl and mix well.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and drop the carrots in for 45 seconds, then drain well and stir into the marinade. Toss to coat, then cover the bowl and refrigerate for about an hour.

To make the tapenade, combine all ingredients in a small food processor and pulse until combined and well-chopped. Taste and adjust by adding more capers, black pepper or lemon juice if needed.

Lightly toast the bread. Spread one side with goat cheese and top with carrots. Spread the other side with tapenade. Make a sandwich and enjoy.

Fortunately, thanks to some visits to Vietnamese restaurants in Portland and San Jose, I know a few food words.  Banh my (which I usually saw written as banh mi in the states), is a sandwich with various meats on a baguette.  Here, the version I see most often comes with pate and two other processed meats I can’t really identify.  One looks like sausage, and the other, you can see in the photo, is pale beige with bright orange on the edges.

I was a little hesitant about the pate, but with the other meat, butter, and chile sauce, it tastes great.

It’s served with a big plate of lettuce, tomato, and marinated cucumbers (which are crunchy and sweet), plus a little dish of salt for sprinkling over the filling.

All the elements together make for an unexpectedly good sandwich!

(And if you’re vegetarian, it’s easy to get a similar version with Laughing Cow cheese in place of all the meat)