Tag: family food

The Art of ‘WichCraft, Pt 4: The Leftover Sandwich

I had to grin and bear it many times out of hunger and respect, because I knew what the alternative was…Deviled ham from the little can wrapped in paper with a little devil on it, just typing it makes my mouth salty and cringy.

“Life is good when you have a good sandwich.” – Keanu Reeves

I have no memory of life without sandwiches. As you must know by now, I have fond memories of food. Food was always an integral part of celebrations, holidays, and casual gatherings, just to name a few. Perhaps that association helped fuel my passion that eventually became what it is today. It’s not unlike my love for coffee; it goes beyond the final product itself. It has as much to do with what having a cup of coffee has meant over the years. Everything that has been shared and experienced over a simple hot beverage has contributed to the memories and fondness of coffee. There has also been so much shared over a meal in my life. Meals from simple to complex, have been a catalyst for so much life to happen.

Coffee, cookies, and a sandwich; one of the three always seem to be offered upon a visit. To my parents, my grandparents, or just about anyone, I can always be assured one of the three. I sure do miss my Grandma and her cookies, but today is about sandwiches. She could make a good sandwich, but hers were not always my favorite, I must admit. Simply because she didn’t always have the proper meat or filling for my taste. Besides, she buttered the inside, I always thought that was weird. She always had liverwurst, for which I just didn’t have a taste for as a kid.

I had to grin and bear it many times out of hunger and respect, because I knew what the alternative was…Deviled ham from the little can wrapped in paper with a little devil on it, just typing it makes my mouth salty and cringy.  That was another thing I didn’t have much of a taste for in my younger years.

I really wasn’t a fan of any meat in a can as a kid, tuna, chicken,  especially Spam! What was a treat, however, was when she was willing to make me grilled cheese. I wasn’t really a grilled cheese fan either, but my Grandma’s were the best. My guess is her secret was she probably buttered both sides of the bread. For that, the butter worked! 

I know what you are thinking; how can I even write about sandwiches when I’m not a fan of grilled cheese? Here’s the real kicker; I wasn’t much of a bread fan either! So, how then can I even discuss sandwiches? Yes, I was a bit of a picky eater, my favorite growing up was PB&J on Wonderbread. And yes, of course, I dipped it in milk! How else could I prevent the Wonderbread from turning into a paste-like substance that stuck to the roof of my mouth? Anyone from my generation knows exactly what I am talking about, and might have used a pry bar to remove said substance from the roof of their mouth on an occasion or two.. The bread that was as white as its bag, adorned with all the blue, red, and yellow dots was truly a wonder. Whether it was really bread or a wonder of science is still up for debate.

That said, my palate evolved over time. From simple to complex, as did my sandwich makings and cravings. The one I bespoke in the opening part set the stage for what was to come for me and sandwiches. For I truly believe that a sandwich is the original comfort food. That just might have to do with all the memories that come as a side to a couple slices of bread filled with whatever your imagination can conceive. It is a true creative culinary process that begins with a blank canvas that can take you just about anywhere you want to go. That is truly the beauty and essence of sandwiches and the art of ‘wichcraft…There are so many options and so little rules; the possibilities are endless, but what they create are memories that last a lifetime.

I am sitting in my new underground office as I update this one week from Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving with all the food, friends, and family. It is one of my favorite meals of the year, but what I love even more is the leftover sandwich. The Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich, yes it’s so good it needs to be bolded and capitalized. All credit for my love and ability to create a great leftover sandwich goes to my Dad. Just for this one sandwich there are endless options. The full works with every leftover from the fridge on the bread? Or simple with just turkey, mayo, lettuce, and tomato? Cold or hot? Toasted or not? My favorite version is hot. All I need is lightly toasted bread with mayo, a fried stuffing patty, warmed turkey, hot gravy, hot sauce, and to make this one of the greatest sandwiches of all time – a fried egg! Quite possibly one of the greatest lessons I learned from my dad. 

Give it  a try this year, trust me, you’ll thank me. Make sure you have the right hot sauce for it, My favorite is my Voodoo Fire or Ghosts of War or La Victoria’s orange sauce.Talk Soon,
Kevin
@coldfire_kev
@coldfire.coffee
@coldfire_hotsauce
kevin@coldfirecoffee.com

The Art of ‘WichCraft, Pt.3: Family Traditions

I grew up with a pretty close family that spent holidays and special occasions together. The meal and the food served was always very central to any occasion.

“I once went to a restaurant and ordered a chicken salad sandwich and an egg salad sandwich to see which would come first.” – Fuad Alakbarov, Exodus 

Let me return to a more current history, and of course,  sandwiches. If you recall from part 1, three of my most vivid memories from childhood involve food. I do have more than three vivid memories from childhood, and not all involve food, but many do.

Why is that? Is it because of the multiple senses involved that strengthen the memory? Is it the emotions attached to the events occurring when consuming the food? Is it the people that are there when the food is consumed, adding to the intensity of the shared experience? Or perhaps it is that I am just that obsessed with food?  If it is the latter, I would ask how I acquired this obsession? When did I acquire it? Maybe it is simply a combination of it all. Whatever the case, cause, and origin, I have a deep love for food, and those that I share it with make it even better.

So, let me take you back a bit in time. I grew up with a pretty close family that spent holidays and special occasions together. The meal and the food served was always very central to any occasion. From the Easter ham to the Thanksgiving family stuffing, to the Christmas Eve Seafood to the Corned Beef & Cabbage on St Patrick’s Day. For the most part, these meals were the same every year. They were traditional. Some of the traditions  started before my time and were passed through the generations. Others were started by my generation. To this day we still have the meal on many holidays and our kids now share the love, and obsession, of the holiday menu. The meals that changed annually were typically Easter & Christmas Day, which in itself became a tradition.

Let me not forget about the birthday dinners. As a child it was always about “what do you want for your birthday”, “what do you want to do?” That evolved into “what do you want for your birthday dinner”? The birthday celebrant was given the privilege to choose the menu to be cooked for them on the Sunday Dinner closest to their birthday. 

Sunday dinners, another long-standing tradition, provide enough memories to fill a hefty book. The food, the family, and the friends – what fond memories.

Many of the friends and family are no longer with us but the memories remain, as fond as ever. My great Uncle John, who would join us Sundays after Tata Ann passed away. My Uncle Dave with his eyebrows, cigars, financial advice, and Roquefort Steak. Uncle Gary with his jokes, infectious laughter, and shenanigans. Grandma and Grandpa Janich with his stories and her artichoke dip.  The list goes on as my parent’s home was an open, safe place for all to join. Anyone could enter and join us as there was always an open seat with the guarantee of a warm meal and a hot cup of coffee, and maybe a little something sweet.

I simply can’t express the love, the gratitude, the flavors, the aromas, the tradition, and the history that the meals and those people created for me.

This has to be the reason I love food and love to create it and share it with others even more. Our home has become the host, the place where most celebrations take place, Sunday dinners continue, where there is always an open, and most importantly, where the traditions continue to live and grow.

What does this have to do with sandwiches? I am afraid I have rambled on for too long so I’ll have to explain next time. 

Talk Soon,
Kevin
@coldfire_kev
@coldfire.coffee
@coldfire_hotsauce
kevin@coldfirecoffee.com