MONDAY

Corned Beef on Rye Sandwiches  |  Pickles

 

Rainy Days & Mondays...

After such a lovely weekend together, we all disperse into several different schedules on Monday morning.  Saturday & Sunday {on a “normal” weekend}…I love waking up, all together, weekend breakfasts in the kitchen…Michael & I, with the children, all of us in our robes & jammies, sipping on coffee, tea or hot chocolate, planning out our day & eventually meeting up in the afternoon for a relaxed dinner {as the children get older, “normal” weekends become fewer & farther between}. On Monday, chores & deadlines rear their persistent little heads and we MUST be productive…but “Don’t Worry, You’ll Make It”.  I believe I will print this lovely quote {above} and affix it to my refrigerator every Sunday night before I go to bed, as a reminder that Mondays, thankfully, only last for 24 hours & Fridays do, eventually, come again.

It is always nice to have a simple dinner on Mondays.  Tonight’s dinner was simple because I cooked an extra corned beef yesterday {St. Patrick’s Day}…leaving only the details of our sandwiches this evening.  Last Friday, I posted Corned Beef on Rye with Caramelized Onions & Swiss Cheese Sandwiches as our dinner for tonight.  Well, this evening, I implemented my own version of Corned Beef sandwiches and they tasted AMAZING, with a few less steps!  Begin with a finished Corned Beef {approximately 4-6 pounds, pre-cook weight}, followed by the cole slaw…

Cole Slaw with Creamy Yogurt Dressing…

• 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
• juice from one fresh Meyer lemon
• 1 tablespoon dry celery seed
• ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• a pinch of dried Dill Weed
• Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 large bag of shredded cole slaw mix {green cabbage, red cabbage & carrots}

1. In a glass mixing bowl, whisk yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon juice, celery seed, paprika, mustard & dill weed until smooth.  Add salt & pepper to taste. 
2. In a separate bowl add the shredded cole slaw mix and toss with some of the dressing.  We prefer our cole slaw “just coated” with dressing & NOT “swimming” in dressing, but dress the greens to suit your own tastes.  Any left-over dressing can be transferred to a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerated for up to three days.
3. Place the tossed cole slaw in a covered glass dish & refrigerate until ready to serve.  Cole slaw is best after sitting for an hour or two after being tossed.

Next, grate the cheese…we used a premium Gruyère tonight…

And then I sliced the corned beef…

Grab your fresh bread {we had a lovely loaf of Jewish rye this evening} and your favorite dill pickles…

Place one-half {1 piece of bread} of each sandwich onto a foil-lined broiler pan.  Top each slice with some of the corned beef & then mound with a generous helping of cheese.  Place the sandwich halves under a preheated broiler for about a minute, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.  Remove sandwich halves from oven and top with remaining bread slices {halves} that have been coated in   Spicy Horseradish Cream  and/or  Malty Guinness Mustard. Serve with pickles.

The finished dinner plate…

 

Simple, Savory, & Satisfying for a Monday dinner!

For the last few weeks, we have been enjoying an early Spring here in the San Francisco Bay area, but I know so many of you have been stuck in the late stages of winter {namely, my readers on the East Coast & in Canada}.  Well, if it makes you feel any better, the temperatures here in the SF Bay area are expected to drop {I won’t give you the number because it is still double what you all are having back East} and rain returns tomorrow.  The season of soup & casseroles has not yet finished {keep those grills covered a few more days}.  Stay warm & join me tomorrow for a comforting Potato, Green Cabbage & Leek Soup with Lemon Crème Fraîche served up with homemade Irish Soda Bread…a perfect one-bowl dinner easily enjoyed in front of a roaring fire!

Before I go…

A week or so ago I introduced you to a favorite artist of mine, Val @ Lily & Val {on Etsy}.  She specializes in chalkboard art and I posted one of her pieces, a Julia Child quote that I love, that was also available as a pad of tear-out placemats.  Well, I ordered and have since received my pad of placemats & we enjoyed our sandwiches tonight on plates set atop these lovely placemats…Thanks Val!