THE B-SIDE roast chicken + slab bacon + cranberry boursin + brie

Don't get me wrong, there are some b-sides that are amongst my top fave songs from a band, but they end up as b-sides for a reason. I really had high hopes for this sandwich. If you look closely at the photos, you might even be able to tell I tried making this one twice. But despite my efforts, it just didn't turn out like I was hoping. I mean... it looks ok and all. I didn't throw it in the gutter. But it didn't have the majesty some sandwiches have. I'm putting it out there anyway, for anyone who will quietly gravitate towards it's chaotic, misunderstood, maybe overlooked beauty.

THE PRESQU'ÎLE feta + black olive + tomato

This post is so obviously the Greek cliché, but I'm gonna talk about the presqu'île, my closest contact to Mediterranean life. The point here, is simplicity. Pair down to a few quality ingredients. Embrace tradition. Minimal effort. Eat. Drink wine (yes, even over lunch). Remind yourself life is good. 

But, so omg, I totally don't feel that way at the moment. Life in Toronto can be so manic, and I find myself so unbearably stressed, feeling like I'm always playing catchup. But this sandwich was one of those simple pleasures that reminded me, there is more to life, and sometimes, less is more. 

THE HUMPDAY ham + emmental

Posting this a little late, just imagine this is a Wednesday.

Happy Humpday you guys. You can lower your eyebrows back down. Humpday, or hump day, is what is better known as Wednesday, as Wednesday marks the middle of the week, that hump you have to get over, before you're leisurely strolling (or running, depending) downhill to the weekend. Glossing over that I'm posting this on a Saturday, and that I'm self-employed, work from home, and the weekend is meaningless, nothing says desperation like burning out on a Wednesday (which I totally did). Here's something comfortingly simple and amply sweet, to get you through the week.

THE "VERY ADULT" sweet potato grilled cheese

When you're younger, your older friends always seemed so grown up. They had things figured out. It could sometimes have made them seem slightly intimidating, but ultimately, you weren't threatened, because you knew by the time you were their age, you would have all the same things figured out too. Hahaha. Then when you're 27, you realize you're older now, than your older friends then, and you're still struggling like hell. And that makes you feel old. I had a good conversation with a friend the other day about this, and not comparing yourself to people who aren't you. What those people have is what they want, and you don't have to want that too. It's not race, you'll have what you want when you're ready to work at it, and it's ok if still wandering makes you feel old, sometimes. Pat yourself on the back for the things you've figured out, and remember, you hate yourself because you do nothing and have a grilled cheese. 

Here's a slightly more adult version of the simple childhood grilled cheese we all know and love. If you feel no nostalgia for that pan fried, orange cheese, crispy little sandwich, that tastes of never ending afternoons, and concentrated, gooey bliss, you have probably died inside. Go watch some Care Bears. Last photo even shows it with *gasp* ketchup. 

Scratch that. I'm gonna eat a grilled cheese, and watch The Jetsons. But like, before I was old enough to realize how 1950s sexist The Jetsons is.

golden beet + cranberry + goat brie grilled cheese

So, it's like I totally forgot that I have this blog. But it's a new year, and there's never a better time to carry on like you're not lazy, and distractible, and get back to regular(?) blogging. 2013 was kind of a forgettable blur. Every year, I say has been my best year, but 2013 was a standout throw away. Now, I'm not known for my beaming positivity, but I think I'm prone to seeing the world with a pretty optimism-slanted realism. I don't know how it's gonna roll, but what I will say about 2014, is that there will be more sandwiches. 

And if there's ever a remedy to a new year's hangover, it's a warm, melty grilled cheese sandwich. Here to kick off 2014 is the golden beet + cranberry + goat brie grilled cheese. 'Cause I had leftover beets in my fridge this year's gonna be golden.

heirloom cherry tomato + roast red pepper + 3 cheese melt

So, I have some wonderful guests visiting from France, and as happens when you're all most distracted with having lots of fun, and doing as many things as possible, things start to fall by the wayside, and you forget to do things like sweep the floors, take out the mountain of empties, and get groceries and stuff. So this was one of those sandwiches where I was like "Ah, we have nothing to eat", but realistically, more like, "we have definitely enough things in the fridge, just nothing left that I feel like having for lunch." Luckily, I was making this glutenous sandwich for Sybille, and Sybille loves red peppers, and tomatoes.