French Toast Sandwich

The dilemma of figuring out what to put in the kids' lunch boxes has now turned into what to feed them while they are enjoying their short winter break.

Pancakes are great and all but there's only so much the kids could handle before they start loathing the stuff. Solution - French toast! And to make it a bit more exciting - French toast sandwich!

It's easier to cook than ye old griddle cakes but is by no means less tasty. Although the one I made for this blog is ham & cheese this should not limit you from trying other combinations be it savoury or sweet (peanut butter, nuttela & banana anyone?!?!?!?!)

Essential to my French toast is good sliced white bread. Yes, I said white! it has to be thick enough to handle being soaked in the egg mixture. The other important ingredient is butter. Yes, butter! Full fat yummy butter!

Ham & Cheese French Toast

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

Ham slices

Cheese slices

4 slices of white bread

Salt (optional)

Real butter

1. In a large bowl beat the eggs and milk together. Season with salt (if you like).

2 Prepare your ham & cheese sandwiches as per usual. Add whatever sauces/seasonings you prefer.

3 . Soak your sandwiches in the egg mixture making sure all sides are well coated.

4. Heat up a large pan using low to medium heat. Melt the butter (enough to cover the pan) and wait for it to bubble.

5. Fry your soaked ham & cheese sandwiches in the butter. You probably need 5 minutes on each side or until the cheese starts to ooze.

6. Slice your French toast sandwiches in half and serve hot for breakfast (or any time of the day!).

“Fried” (leftover Christmas) Ham Sandwich

I’ve only now just started to breathe again. After so many things have happened to explain my extended absence I am now here, sitting down, and writing a blog.

If there’s one Christmas tradition I could not do without it would have to be the ham. And it cannot just be any kind of ham. It has to be a full leg on the bone! Semi-boned just does not cut it for me. It doesn’t taste as good and does not cook as well.

I normally would glaze the ham with a homemade pineapple preserve and bake it for a couple of hours (depending on the size).

Leftover ham though is even better. Not only is it tasty it is also a lifesaver days after Christmas when the last thing on my mind is to prepare another elaborate meal.


A special treat for breakfast that I prepare using leftover ham is a type of “fried sandwich”. Yup, I said FRIED! Some people prefer to call it a “grilled sandwich” but nothing can be further from the truth. It is fried and there’s no other term for it. It’s not for the “fainthearted” for reasons you’ll find out as you follow my recipe. It’s a bit like French toast, only better.

Fried (leftover Christmas) Ham Sandwich

2 slices white bread
Leftover Christmas ham (as much as you like)
Butter (real butter)
Mayonnaise (not the low fat variety)
Horseradish cream
A slice of Swiss cheese (or leftover Edam cheese from your Noche Buena)
A bit of sunflower oil (you can use butter as well but it burns too quickly)
1 egg
Some milk

1. Beat the egg and add a bit of milk.
2. Heat up a pan. Add a bit of oil and butter.
3. Butter the slices of bread. Followed by the mayonnaise and then the horseradish
4. Layer the slices of ham and then the cheese to make the sandwich.
5. Soak the sandwich in the egg mixture.
6. Fry the sandwich until golden brown on each side.
7. Serve hot straight off the pan!

Lunch Club – “Leftover” Sandwich

fresh baguette

Technically, the lunch I had on Thursday was not really part of Lunch Club. I was the only one who had it. In a way it doesn’t count. But anyway...

Lunch Club had a bit of a break last week due to our busy schedules. One of us went for a holiday overseas. I have been out of the office a few times. So we decided to cancel Lunch Club that week.

But anyway, I have prepared something for myself using all sorts of leftovers on Thursday. I think the title of this post should say “sandwich of leftovers” rather than leftover sandwich. It’s a freshly made sandwich using leftover food.

leftover roast chicken thigh

As I mentioned in a previous post a sandwich does not really hit the spot for me. But from time to time when there isn’t much choice I would have a sandwich. To satisfy me though, it had to be more than just a piece of meat in between two slices of bread.

To make my sandwich you need the following:

the ingredients

Baguette fresh from the nearest bakery
Roast chicken shredded by hand not chopped
Roasted eggplant about 50g (marinated in olive oil)
Artichokes about 2 hearts (marinated in dill and olive oil)
Avocado sliced into thin wedges
Lemon just a little squeeze
Salt & Pepper to taste

roasted eggplant in olive oil @ $15.36/kg...no, you don't need that much

artichoke marinated in dill & olive oil, $28.99/kg

Cut the baguette lengthwise but not all the way through. Layer the ingredients in the baguette starting with avocado, followed by the eggplant, then the artichoke and finally the chicken. Squeeze a bit of lemon. Add a bit of salt and pepper.

the avocado wasn't the best as you can see

It looks yummy. It tastes even yummier!

the finished product

Lunch Club – Tramy’s Vietnamese Pork Chops…NOT!

I was actually looking forward to the Vietnamese pork chops today as promised by our Vietnamese friend. But unfortunately no pork chop was on the menu. But she made up for it with a hell of a substitute!

A cut sandwich for lunch (or any other meal) does not really cut it for me. I get full for sure (after wolfing down half a dozen) but remain unsatisfied. Being full and being satisfied are two different beasts. You can be full and not be satisfied. Can you be satisfied though and not be full? Hmmm? *thinking*

Vietnamese Pork Roll served with fresh Lebanese cucumber salad (the chilli paste came in the "got balls?" bag...don't ask!)

For lunch today Tramy (not her real name to protect her identity) has brought Pork Rolls. No, they’re not spring rolls made from pork. They’re actually Vietnamese style pork cold cuts in French style baguettes. In short, a sandwich Vietnamese style. To a add a bit more Asian touch to the sandwich fresh coriander is included together with fresh Lebanese cucumber, pickled carrots and a bit of chilli paste.

Granny Smith apples for dessert

This is one sandwich that satisfies!