Sandwiches

Fire Frog's

Sandwiches.

1.Banana and sugar or Nuttella.2.Vegemite & 'salt n vinegar' crisps.3.Dried apricot and cottage cheese with peanut paste.4.Fairy bread.5.Twistys and baked beans.6.Cucumber and cheese.7.Honey and peanut paste.8.Chip butty.9.Cheese and tomato.10.Cheese and chutney.11.Cheese and sweet gherkin.12.Cream.13.Mock Chicken.14.French Toast.15.Welsh Rarebit.16. Mock Chopped Liver.

Bread.

This is important. Bread for sandwiches tastes nicest when fresh, thick and 'white'. Bits really can get caught in your teeth from brown bread, I know, I've cracked a tooth on the stuff!

I like pre sliced bread for the convenience, but it does taste stale quickly. (Hurray for Coles bringing out the half loaf - finally recognition for the thousands of single people living out in the real world.) You can pop a loaf in the freezer and microwave two slices at a time (20 to 30 seconds) to make a loaf last longer.

Crusty rolls have their place, as do poppy seeds. It is outside of the bed, possibly of the house. A case of taste versus cleaning up. Crumbly crackers are not worth bothering with. Fresh doughy rolls are the perfect choice, if available.

Butter.

Use lots of it, and spread it to the very edges of the bread. I like the taste of Canola based butter, and the product known as 'Nuttelex' is ultra scrummy too. The problems with real butter are stated here for the record. A) Too cold and it has to be chipped off with a pick axe and wont spread. B) Too hot and you need a pail to put it in as it melts and turns rancid. Also, the producers tend to add too much salt.

Lids

The lid is the top slice of bread that gets slapped on last. Mostly sandwiches only need the bottom slice to have any spreads added to them and the lid is merely buttered. (I feel compelled to add that my nutritionist and work-out instructor (Hi Nicole!) insists that you do not need to add any butter at all. Um. Yeah.

Fillings.

1. Cut up banana as if it were a carrot and lay it out on a pre buttered slice of bread. Sprinkle with sugar and put the lid on. Or slather the lid slice of bread with Nutella spread then slap them both together.

Be aware that bananas go brown fast, best to make and eat the sandwiches as you go. You could add a sprinkle of lemon juice to stop the browning of the banana, but unless you love lemon, why bother?

2. Vegemite and salt n vinegar crisps. Take heed of the way to treat Vegemite. First, butter your bread well. Next, take a thin scraping of vegemite, a pinch at most. Smear it on evenly. Taste it. Add a wee bit more if you like. Do not under any circumstances layer it on like peanut paste or Nuttella! Vegemite has a strong flavour that can easily overwhelm anything else.

Layer the crisps on, having given the packet a gentle squeeze to break crisps into five cent piece size first. I have been told that crisp makers no longer cook in animal fat, but read the packet ingredient lists carefully just in case.

3. Spread bread with peanut paste then layer on dried apricot and cottage cheese. Be sure to drain the cottage cheese first and cut the apricots up into strips. Don't want a whole one swelling in your tummy and causing a blockage!

4. Fairy bread. Butter your bread thickly all the way to the edges. (Tea biscuits can be used instead of bread as well) Into a shallow saucer place a packet of hundred and thousands sprinkles. Place bread butterside down into sprinkles and gently press.

For a different look, use cookie cutters to cut out stars and moons etc from the bread, before buttering and adding sprinkles.

5. Add baked beans to a bowl, gently warm in a microwave then add the Twistys. Butter bread, use the knife to scoop the mix onto a slice, add the lid. Do not cut in half, your sandwiches are done.

6. Cucumber and cheese. Remove crusts from the bread and feed them to the geese (get geese, they make wonderful pets). Flatten the bread with a rolling pin. Butter the bread and add thin slices of cheese. Wash the cucumber and either peel it entirely or take four or five stripes off its length with a potato peeler. Now slice the cucumber wafer thin.

Layer it onto the sandwiches, but use only a single layer, don't heap it on. Put on the lid. Cut into triangles and nosh away.

7. Butter the bread then spread with peanut paste. Drizzle on honey, then smear it evenly with a knife. Pop on the lid. This topping tastes good on crumpets too.

8. Chip butty. Find somewhere that makes their own chips (store pre made ones sometimes soak their spuds in animal fat so they cut easier) and fry them in Canola oil (most people do these days). Buy a small serving.

Use thick bread or a roll for this to soak up the fatty goodness. Butter both sides of the bread well, add the fried egg and top it with tomato sauce. Layer on as many chips as will fit and put on the lid. Eat while still warm.

9. Thinly slice cheese and tomato, then layer onto sandwich. Sprinkle on some black pepper, and if feeling adventurous, a few rings of white onion. Nice if grilled.

10. Cheese and chutney. Remember, more cheese than chutney, and more bread than either of those. Nice if grilled.

11. Cheese and sweet gherkin. Must be 'sweet' gherkin (you can buy it pre sliced!), and tastes best if chilled. Avoid gherkin relish, it is not the same.

12. Cream Sandwiches. Use fresh bread. Whip cream until it forms peaks. Generously spread butter (real if you can get it to spread without making holes in the bread). Slather on cream thickly. Gently add lid. Mmmmm.

The following all take preparation and involve 'ingredients'.
Just thought I'd warn you.

13. Mock Chicken.

1 tin small peeled tomatoes.	1 tablespoon butter.
50g cheese.	1 large white onion.
Salt & mixed herbs.	125g breadcrumbs.
1 egg.

Mince onion, tomato and butter together with a fork. Put in a sauce pan and simmer 1/4 hour (15 minutes). Beat the egg with a whisk or a fork. Take pan off heat and mash contents. Add seasoning and beaten egg. Warm mixture, don't boil it. Add cheese and breadcrumbs, stir well. Remove from heat and put into a covered bowl in the fridge. Use as a deliciouse spread when cool.

14. French toast.

2 eggs.	Bread.
2 tablespoons milk.	3 tablespoons sunflower oil.
Salt and pepper.	Frying pan.

Beat the eggs, milk and salt & pepper in a shallow dish. Dip in bread till well covered in mixture, then fry in pan with sunflower oil. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Usually cut into triangles. Not sure why. Great for breakfast!

15. Welsh Rarebit.

155g grated Cheddar cheese.	1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce.
1 teaspoon plain flour.	1/2 teaspoon English mustard.
2 table spoons milk.	1 egg yolk.
1 teaspoon margarine.	Toasted white bread.
Pinch grated nutmeg.	Pinch paprika.

Combine cheese, flour, milk, margarine, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and egg yolk in a bowl and mix. Add nutmeg and paprika. Top toast with mixture and grill till cheese has melted.

16. Mock Chopped Liver

1 cup sliced onion.	1/2 cup walnuts.
3 Tablespoons butter.	1/4 teaspoon salt.
2 hard boiled eggs.	1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
Dash of tomato sauce.	Barmix or food processor.

Cook the onion in the butter until soft. Place in a Barmix bowl and add the eggs, tomato, walnuts, salt, and pepper. Chop until very fine. Chill the mock liver paste and use in a sandwich with lettuce, boiled egg and mayo.

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