A New Way to Use Mayonnaise

Grilled egg salad sandwich using Mayo instead of butter. 

In this morning's News and Observer there was an interesting article about the many ways to use mayonnaise in the summer.  The article was actually reprinted from the Chicago Tribune. Mayo is my favorite condiment, and being from the south, Duke's Mayo is the only one for me.  The article mentions many different sauces that can be made from Mayo, but what I didn't know is that Mayo can be used instead of butter when making grilled sandwiches.

And sure enough, it is so much better than butter and so easy too.  For lunch, I grilled an egg salad sandwich using Mayo for grilling.  The Mayo spreads so easily across the bread, and with all the oil in Mayo, it browns perfectly. 

I spread one side of the sandwich with Mayo and placed it into a hot cast iron frying pan.  While that side was browning I spread the other side with Mayo and then flipped the sandwich over.  Voila, a perfectly grilled sandwich.  So easy!!!!

Spread Mayo on the outside of the sandwich. 

Grill in a cast iron pan.  

It browns so beautifully. 

A perfect grilled egg salad sandwich. 

The next time I grill chicken I shall use this technique as well.  Or even when grilling vegetables this will work nicely. 

Berry and Peach Cobbler

Berry and peach cobbler. 

Today I had fresh blueberries, fresh strawberries, fresh blackberries, and fresh peaches.  The perfect combination for a berry and peach cobbler.  I chose a recipe from one of my favorite dessert cookbooks, Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts by Alice Medrich.  Her recipes are just that, sinfully easy to make.

Ingredients:

For the filling:
6 cups of berries (one kind of berry or a medley of berries) plus I added some peaches not called for
3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar

Ready for the oven to cook the fruit.  

For the topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fine cornmeal *
3 tablespoons sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup heavy cream (I used Trader Joe's

To make the filling: Mix the berries with the flour and sugar in the baking dish.  I dotted with a few bit of butter, although the recipe didn't call for this.  Place the dish in a 350 degree preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the mixture is bubbling at the edges.

Into the oven with the topping added. 

When the filling is ready, drop clumps of dough (each about a heaping tablespoon) all over the top of the fruit.  Turn the oven heat up to 400 degrees and bake for 10 to 15 more minutes, until the filling is bubbling vigorously in the center and the topping is browned.  Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Out of the oven and the aroma is terrific. 

Ready to eat.  So good. 

* The cornmeal gives a great little crunch to the topping.  I'll have to remember that.

Virginia's Cookbooks: Rhubarb Pie

I've been going through the cookbooks that I inherited from my friend Virginia, and I found this very unusual recipe for rhubarb pie.  Rhubarb is a favorite of mine whether in a pie, a crisp, or a beverage.  This recipe seemed so simple, and frankly, I was a bit wary of it considering the few ingredients it contained.

I had only one slice.  A friend was here and I shared. 

It was so easy, and it was delicious.  However, next time, I shall use about two full cups of rhubarb, because I thought it was a tad too sweet and the extra rhubarb should add enough tartness to counteract the sweetness.