Dinner at the Improv- California Roast Beef

I like to improvise sometimes, which means I just throw things into the pan and wing it. Every once in a while, it is horrible, more often though, it turns out pretty darned well. I wanted to share these improvisations to inspire other cooks who feel comfortable cooking by taste.

I think that recipes for cold sandwiches are kind of silly, but alas, I have a whole bunch of sandwiches to share. Thankfully we have "Dinner at the Improv" which makes sandwich sharing so much easier. Instead of a step by step process with pictures to insult your intelligence, I'll give you my sandwich concoctions with general measurements and trust you to make it to your liking.

For episode three of Dinner at the Improv, we're having- California Roast Beef Sandwiches and Wraps. 

If you'll remember, I don't eat bread because of a yeast intolerance, but I can eat wraps until the cows come home, so most of my sandwiches will be prepared both ways.

Now, this specific sandwich comes from my childhood when I grew up in California and there was a food court restaurant called A.T.C.'s , which stood for avocado, tomato, and cucumber, and it had quintessential California ingredients in all kinds of sandwiches. One of our favorites to get was this: rare roast beef, cream cheese, avocado and the piece de resistance, alfalfa sprouts. Really, the sprouts are what make this sandwich special. They have an earthy crunch that is as perfect as potato chips on sandwiches.

To make a California Roast Beef Sandwich (or Wrap) you'll need:

Chewy roll or bread - like sour dough or challah (or a wrap/tortilla)

Cream cheese (about an ounce per sandwich, softened)

Rare roast beef, thinly sliced (about 1/4 lb per sandwich)

Ripe avocado, thinly sliced, (2-3 slices per sandwich)

Alfalfa sprouts (a large pinch, mine ends up being about 1/4 cup, but I realllllly like sprouts)

I start with toasting the bread and softening the wrap, which I do by microwaving refrigerated tortillas, covered with damp paper towels, for about 25 seconds.

Then, I soften my cream cheese in the microwave, about 30 seconds (I made 5 sandwiches so used 5 oz from the 8 oz bar). Once it is soft, the cream cheese goes on the bottom of the roll/wrap. Then on top of that goes the roast beef, then the sprouts, then the avocado. You can change the order if you like, I just find that this order gets the best taste combination per bite.

Then, close your sandwich, or roll up your wrap, flipping up the bottom, then bringing in the sides, to make it look like the wrap in the picture...

And then you are ready to eat. It is that simple, because sandwiches are pretty stinkin' easy... but they certainly don't have to be boring. 

Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies

Two or three Springs ago, my husband planted a few raspberry bushes in our backyard, and raspberries are total hussies in case you didn't know, so during the summer, our back patch is full to the brim with raspberry bushes. I came up with this recipe to utilize the abundance of raspberries that I have when the plants are producing, but then I wanted this recipe during the winter, so I present the non-green thumb version of my original recipe.

What you'll need for a 9x11 pan of brownies:

Oreo Breakfast Bake

Yes, sometimes, I want cookies for breakfast. I'm willing to bet I am not the only one, and since I count as a grown up, cookies are what's on the menu! Oreos to be exact.

I was using up the rest of a package of Double Stuf Oreos, but I am pretty sure, any of their fancy flavors that you like would work. You could even double the cookie with the new Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Oreos. Seriously, are you drooling yet?

What you'll need for 6-8 servings:

Peaches and Cream Brown Betty Biscuits

Breakfast sweets- I don't know if I can trust people who can't enjoy a good rush of sugar first thing in the morning. I have seen apple skillet biscuits around, and while I am down for a good apple treat, my heart really belongs to peaches. There is little more satisfying than biting into a ripe juicy peach...and nothing quite as disappointing as biting into a totally unripe peach, amirite?!

Totally avoiding that possibility by using premium peach pie filling here, paired with a sweetened blend of cream cheese and sour cream, over fluffy cinnamon sugared biscuits, with a buttery crumble on top. When I dreamt this up, I knew it would be good, I just didn't know HOW good it would be.

And though I made this recipe with breakfast in mind, it would actually make a really amazing dessert too, especially with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.



What you'll need for 9 servings:

Lemon Oreo Cheesecake Doughscuits

I have heard through my foodie friend in Los Angeles, that Doughscuits are the next big thing (and apparently he heard it from NPR).  Like the Croissant Doughnut, the Doughscuit is a hybrid of a doughnut and a biscuit, and I feel confident in telling you, they are DELICIOUS!

They taste a little like funnel cakes, but are much more filling. And today, I have them for you filled with a no bake lemon cheesecake filling, coated with a thick lemon glaze, and dipped in crushed Lemon Oreos.

If you've not tried Oreo's new lemon flavored cookies, go out and get some now. After tasting them last night, I realized I needed to get a recipe done with them really quickly or I was going to eat them ALL before I had a chance.

Super Bowl XLVIII: Seattle Stud Muffins

If teams won the Super Bowl according to how delicious their Stud Muffin was, this would guarantee that the Seahawks would win.

I took influence from Seattle's pacific islander flavors and mixed buttery salmon with cream cheese, salty soy sauce, fresh bright chives, and sweet tangy teriyaki sauce. My house smelled AMAZING while they were in the oven and I about fell over when I popped one in my mouth, so good. Your friends are going to absolutely LOVE these.

This one has a few more ingredients, but each one perfectly harmonizes with the others and they are TOTALLY worth the effort.

Ginger Lemon Creme Parfaits

Carr's Ginger Lemon Cremes are one of my most favorite cookies EVER, which of course means that my local stores have stopped selling them. Whenever I declare something my favorite, it stops being made or sold.  It is a curse I must live with.

If you haven't had them, I am sorry. They are the perfect crisp gingersnap, sandwiching a tart tangy lemon creme filling. So very tasty.

This parfait borrows those flavors for a fast, easy dessert.

If, by chance, the idea of using canned products makes you gag, you could easily make all of these components yourself for a super gourmet treat, but I only have so much energy, and no shame whatsoever, so I take shortcuts.

Ingredients:

One 5.25 oz package of Anna's ginger thin (or gingersnaps of your choice), crushed

1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup), melted  

4 oz cream cheese, softened 

1/2 cup granulated sugar (I use extra fine sugar because it dissolves better)

8 oz of whipped topping (like Cool Whip, but you could easily use real whipped cream)

21 oz can of Lemon Creme pie filling (lemon curd would work too) 

You'll also need:

Six 9 oz plastic cups (or another parfait container that lets you see the pretty stripes)

2 quart sized zipper storage bags (or piping bags if you're fancy)

An extra one of those cups to tamp down the crust


This really is as simple as mixing a few things and making pretty layers. And by pretty layers, I mean, as pretty as you can make them without hating life.

Directions:
Start with the crust. I crushed my gingersnaps to a fine crumb in the food processor, and then drizzled in the melted butter, pulsing to mix it. You could do that, or do it by hand if that strikes your fancy.
Use a spoon to add about 5 scoops of the crust mixture into the parfait cups. You'll want to reserve some of the crust mixture for garnishing the top, so adjust your crust size accordingly.
Use the extra cup to push the crust mixture down and even it off.

With a mixer, combine the softened cream cheese and the sugar until well combined and smooth.
Add in half of the container of whipped topping, and mix to combine.
Put the mixture in a quart sized storage bag. I fold over the top of my bags to create a cuff and put it in a tall cup to make loading the bag easier. Zip the top of the bag, squeezing out extra air, and cut off one corner to make a piping bag. Pipe the cream cheese layer on top of the crust.

If you don't feel like dealing with the piping bag, you COULD just spoon the mixture in, but I found out that it got everywhere and made the layers not so pretty.

Next, open that can of Lemon Creme and cram it in another "piping bag" like you did with the cream cheese mixture. Pipe a good sized layer of it on top of the cream cheese layer in the cup. You may have some extra, so don't panic.

Next, divide the rest of the whipped topping evenly between the 6 cups, and smooth the top with the spoon.

Sprinkle those cups as liberally as you'd like with the remaining crust mixture, and then eat the heck out of these things. Whatever you don't finish should be stored, covered with cling wrap, in the fridge.