Muffaletta

No, it isn't my stripper name.

It isn't even an alternate persona at all.

It is a sandwich!

An oddly named one at that... people don't generally want to eat anything with "muff" in the name... not in public at least.

The Muffaletta sandwich originated in New Orleans. It is a round loaf of bread loaded with meats, cheese, and topped off with an olive salad mixture.

A Jar of this happened to find its way into my possession, and I thought it sounded like a a great lunch idea.

I got a small round loaf from Maltese, added a layer of lettuce (to keep the bread from getting soggy,) tomato, red onion, ham, salami with proscuitto, provolone and at last the olive salad!



This seems to be traditionally served on a loaf of bread a bit hollower than this, so I carved a little bread out to make a nice little niche for the olive salad.

I cut into it, and from the side it looked almost like layers of rock. It is very colorful, and even more importantly, it is very delicious.



Though, I must point out the obvious and mention that if you do not like olives, you will hate this sandwich. Unless of course you love olives, then you will likely love eating it.

Bacon Brussels Sprouts.

Brussels sprouts are good for you. But, not the way I make them.

I have never really loved brussels sprouts. They have the potential to smell like cauliflower with a little "number one." thrown in for some extra nastiness. But, I cannot deny that they are good for me. They are full of wonderful vitamins and minerals! Yum.

Lochlan basically gagged when he ate one of these...a child who hates brussels sprouts?! How novel! I used to hate them as well, but enjoy them on occasion now.

This is a pretty simple recipe, and the best part is that there is bacon! You will only use a few strips so you will have to find a way to use the rest of the package. I made BLT's to go along with the Bacon Brussels Sprouts. It was Bacon-palooza over here!

Bacon Brussels Sprouts

5 strips of bacon, cut into pieces
1/2 onion ( red, white, or yellow) sliced thinly
Red wine
Balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup of water
2 handfulls of brussels sprouts


...and yes, that is a baby photobomb

Heat a dutch oven or another pot( that has a lid) on the stove.

Put the bacon and the onion in the pan and cool until the bacon is crispy and the onions are nice and translucent and beginning to caramelize (about 10 minutes.) Pour in about 1/2 cup of wine to deglaze the pan, scraping the browned buts off of the bottom of the pan. Throw in a splash of balsamic vinegar, and put in some salt and pepper. Stir. Add the Brussels sprouts and the water. Put the lid on and let everything cook for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally, and be sure to test some of the bacon...quality control purposes of course. When the brussels sprouts are tender open the lid and let any extra juices reduce.



Put them on your plate and eat them now.