Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

I have a super big perk to my job: free lunch.  Yes, I am a little spoiled, I know.  During school vacations I have a different story, however.  I have to provide lunch for myself.  But I like that.  I take these days to make things that Mr. Brazil does not believe is real food, such as a grilled cheese sandwich with a side of tomato soup.

YUM.

You all know how to make a grilled cheese, I am sure.  And if you don't, well... it isn't that hard.  There are a couple of things that I would like to point out that you need in order to make the perfect (according to me) grilled cheese sandwich:

Put stuff inside of it!  Today's sandwich had my typical fillings: avocado and tomato.  Really, though, you can put anything inside of it.  My absolute favorite is my "Tropical Reuben Grilled Cheese".  It has a secret spread, tuna, and sourkraut.  Weird?  Maybe.  Delicious?  Definitely.

I believe the best sandwiches are made with sourdough bread and Colby cheese, except I use very little Colby myself.  Those slices on top are there to show you what yours should look like.  That orange stuff on the bottom is mine -- and are actually not cheese slices, but faux-cheese, some soy-based stuff.  Cheese and my stomach have a touch-and-go relationship, so I use my fake cheese and buy Colby for the others who might be around.  You, however, should just use cheese if you can. 

Of course, you want to have buttery-spread on both sides so they grill evenly and crispy.  One other thing I like to do is place a smaller lid on the top.  This helps keep the heat in while pushing down on the sandwich, allowing the cheese to melt faster and all the ingredients inside not to fall out.

Now for the soup.  I would like to say I made it from scratch, but I did not.  I grabbed some off the shelf at Trader Joe's, Organic Creamy Tomato Soup.  IT IS AMAZING.  I have been eating bowl after bowl.  My husband is starting to get worried that I am going to turn orange or something, but so far I am OK.  I think I am going to go buy some more tomorrow...

Perfect for a rainy day, or any other day for that matter. 

COST: $2.45 per sandwich & bowl of soup

October Unprocessed: Eggs Benedict & Hollendaise

You are probably familiar with Eggs Benedict:  English muffin split open, topped with bacon or ham, a poached egg on both sides, with a healthy dose of Hollendaise sauce on the top.  It's good, to be sure, but I give you Eggs Benedict, Tiffany Style --

The same basic elements are there, just swapped out for something slightly (in my opinion) better. 
Instead of English muffins, you get Sourdough.
Pork bacon is swapped out for turkey or beef bacon.
Poached eggs are replaced with fried eggs.
Some fresh avocado and tomato slices are added.
And of course, you can't forget the hollendaise (made with lime, instead of lemon).

In our house this is not a breakfast food.  Nope, we eat it for dinner.  My husband did not grow up eating eggs for breakfast and whenever I would go through the hassle of making this or scrambled eggs or even cooked potatoes in the morning, he would look at me like I was crazy and then ask, "Where is the bread?  Can I have a bagel?"  As far as he is concerned, breakfast consists of bread and coffee juice. So for us, anything egg-related is automatically dinner food.

The whole lime-hollendaise was a total accident one day, mind you.  I wish I had the creative genius to think this up, but I do not.  Instead, it was a little misunderstanding that led to this gem.  I asked my husband to pick up two "lemons".  He, being a native Portuguese speaker, went and got two "limons" -- or limes.  I didn't realize the mistake (which, honestly, makes complete sense if you hear the similarities between the words) until we were at home and I had no lemons to make hollendaise sauce with.  Well, that was alright in the end because it turned out to be the best hollendaise sauce I had made!  Isn't it nice when "Oops!" turns into "Yes!!!" ? 

Speaking of Hollendaise...

It is really quite simple, and tastes way better than the store bought stuff.  This is one "unprocessed" thing I have been able to do for quite some time.  I get really intense and focused when I am making it because it can easily curdle, but it really isn't that hard as long as you have all your ingredients ready to go. 

DIRECTIONS:
First, take 2 egg yolks, 1/2 stick of butter cut into thirds, and 1 T of lime (or lemon) juice.  Set in a place where they are ready to go.  Using a double boiler (or in my case, make one out of a pot and similar size pan -- see below), put 1 T of water plus the eggs and the lime juice on the top and whisk.  Add one piece of butter at a time until all are melted.  Add a pinch of salt and ta-da!  Really, that's it.  Just keep whisking away while you are doing it so that the eggs don't curdle.  (This covers 3 Eggs Benedicts.)

Since I am not all fancy enough to have a double boiler, this is what I use.  It works just fine.

COST: $5.80             PER SERVING (3): $1.93

Sometimes you must agree to disagree...

I have been hearing a lot about avocados lately.  First, I read an article about the health benefits them.  Then, I saw a poll in a magazine asking your favorite way to enjoy an avocado.  (I was torn between "plain with salt" and "as guacamole".  Both are so incredibly delicious, how could I choose between them, really?  In the end I settled on guacamole, but that came after a great argument back and forth raging through my head.)  Finally, I got in a debate about which way is the best to eat an avocado -- the Brazilian style or the American way.  I seem to be having this conversation a lot lately.

Sheesh, this seems to be much ado about nothing.  But no, it is not.  We are not talking about nothing here, we are talking about avocados, one of the most versatile and delicious fruits ever created. 

I, for one, am happiest when my avocado is surrounded by turkey slices, cream cheese, tomatoes, bread, and (most importantly) Guigni's Juice.  If you know what I am talking about, then you know what I am talking about.  For those of you less fortunate folks out there, let's suffice it say that you are missing out.  You may enjoy your avocados any way you like, but you are missing out. 

A few years back I had an experience that shattered my knowledge of avocados.  I was quietly minding my own business (in other words, I have no idea what I was actually doing) when my friend Querubia brought me a tall glass with something green inside.  "Try it," she requested, passing it off to me.  I had no idea what I was trying, but I am usually game for anything so I did.  "Well," she asked expectantly, "what do you think?"  Hmm.  Good question.  What did I think? 

"I think..."  Wait.  "I think..." (insert another sip)  "I think it tastes like a turkey sandwich!"

By the quick shake of her head and puzzled expression I could tell that was not the answer she expected.  She had made me an avocado smoothie and I told her it tasted like a sandwich.  In my defense, up until that moment I have only ever enjoyed avocados in sandwiches, salads, and guacamole.  Well, and plain with a little salt thrown on top, of course.   

Here is where my dilemma comes.  I, being raised in America, know that an avocado is a fruit yet I treat it like a vegetable.  In fact, the very definition of avocado shows me that this is to be expected:

av·o·ca·do  NOUN

green-fleshed edible fruit: a fruit with a leathery dark green or blackish skin, a large stony seed, and soft smooth-tasting pale green flesh, eaten raw in salads or dips

Yet, when I searched for a definition in Portuguese, I just saw the first part -- the fruit part.  No salads, no dips.  Although Paulo now has a taste for them in his sandwiches and enjoys guacamole like the rest of us, given his options, he would rather mash it up with sugar and lemon, grab a spoon, and enjoy. 

You should have seen the looks on the faces of the aunts and uncles in Brazil when I prepared guacamole for them.  Squeezing lime juice in didn't surprise them, but the next step did.  "Sal?" they asked.  "Cebola?!"   Yes, I put salt and onion in my avocado mix.  Weird?  I don't think so, but apparently south of the equator it is.  Timidly they approached the bowl with the crackers (I couldn't find tortilla chips in the store) and sampled just a teeny, tiny bit.  A few faces were made, shifty eyes moved around the crowd gauging the other responses and then finally someone yelled out, "Muito bom!"   It was not just good, it was very good. 

Now, whenever I am at Tio Nene's house a request is made for guacamole and whenever Paulo mixes up his plate of sweet avocado spread I grab a small spoon to join in.  We may have our preferences, but we have crossed the cultural boundaries and prejudices.  Avocados can be enjoyed salty or sweet, in a salad or in a smoothie.

If only we could do the same with the debate of which country grows the best avocados...

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Guacamole (as I make it)

Mash 2 ripe avocados with the juice of 1 lime.  Add in 1/2 onion, finely chopped, and 1 tomato, chopped.  Add a dash or two of salt and stir.

Vitamina de Abacate (Avocado Smoothie)

Honestly, this one tastes best with Brazilian avocados (which are larger, have a softer skin, and are slimier in texture).  Mix the flesh of 1 avocado, 2 cups of milk, and 2 tablespoons of sugar in the blender.  Makes two cups.

Creme de Abacate (Avocado Cream OR Paulo's Style Avocado in our house)

Mash an avocado with fresh squeezed lime juice and a tablespoon of sugar with a fork.  Voila!

  

Avocado