My Recipe For A White House Sandwich...

 When I was single and in my twenties I lived for about eight years in

Portage, Wisconsin. It's about thirty miles north of the state capital, Madison.

I worked as a paralegal and office manager for the city attorney, and on many

occasions walked across the street to a restaurant called Lord Chumley's Pub.

My favorite meal, by far, was their signature White House Sandwich. Of course,

I never ate it as much as I would have liked, as I consider it a bit decadent.

I don't believe the restaurant is open anymore, but I've been making my own

version in our home for years. I think it's the perfect cold weather/comfort food.

 I don't really measure things for this recipe, but I'll tell you just how I make it.

Liljegren's White House Sandwich

Ingredients: 

two slices of toasted bread (I used Paneras' Country Miche)

fresh-sliced deli ham and turkey (four slices each per sandwich)

1 cup of sliced baby portabella mushrooms

sliced cheddar cheese (four thin slices per sandwich)

White sauce 

Begin by sauteeing the mushrooms just until tender. Make the white sauce: Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add white flour and mix (using a whisk) until paste forms. Slowly add milk (or half and half), whisking to keep from getting lumpy. Be sure to bring to a boil to avoid a flour taste. Salt and pepper to taste. At this point, you can add the mushrooms to the white sauce, or keep them separate to layer when you make the sandwiches.

Toast sliced bread (I butter it when it's comes out of the toaster). Now it's time to make your sandwiches. Place one slice of bread on a plate. Add two slices of ham and two slices of turkey. Place two slices of cheese on top of the meat. Top with mushrooms and spoon white sauce onto the sandwich. Repeat for a second layer, ending with white sauce. Place under the broiler just until the sauce starts to bubble. Serve.

 It's just that easy, and I believe it's a really delicious meal.
(You can always add less meat or make as a single layer, too.)

Add a tossed salad and you won't even have to feel guilty!

Enjoy.

I nearly finished my production-line project yesterday. I can't show you my 

progress because there are Miss Nosypantses who might see their gifts. I'll

get them completed today after I get back from Coffee Club. I promise to

share little peeks next week so you have some idea what they look like...but

only very little peeks. I won't be stingy with pictures of my next project, though.

Next up is my handcrafted gift for our gift exchange for the quilt guild.

For now, I'll be heading out to Coffee Club.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Memory Lane Monday - Comfort Food...

Welcome to Memory Lane Monday for August. It's always so much fun choosing a favorite story to share. I originally planned a "Back to School" memory for you, but I was unable to locate the specific old photo I wanted to complete the post. I'm going to save that story for next month, and will spend the time between now and then tracking down that missing image!

In it's place, I've chosen a "Homemaking/Cooking" them instead. Mum taught me how to crack eggs and prepare them when I was about eight years old, so I've been a bona fide cook ever since. Nothing makes me happier than making meals for my family and watching them enjoy the fruits of my labor as they enjoy each others company.

Handsome's mother was a consummate hostess, entertaining guests, caring for her family and filling their home with the fragrances of delicious meals. In addition to a few of her favorite cookbooks, I consider myself fortunate to have her copy of the Sunset Hostess Handbook.

By the way, if you're interested in obtaining your own copy of this handbook, I found them available at eBay, etsy and even Amazon.com. Just do a Google search under "Sunset Hostess Handbook". 

It was written in 1936 (there's also a 1937 edition) and is full of tips, black and white images and recipes for being a good homemaker. There are helpful articles about hosting a dinner party, planning a special meal or features like The Kitchen Cabinet with recipes for delicious dishes.

I think my favorite thing about turning the pages in this book is finding a little check mark or notation in the margin where Evelyn showed which recipes she made and liked. On this particular page, she made the Cranberry Salad Mold, and left a check mark as her note.

I do the same thing with the recipes I try. I like to leave a comment in the margin to say what I did or didn't like, what I might change, and the date that I made it the first time. I always make it exactly as the recipe instructs the first time. I improvise from there, unless I'm making it with notes provided by a previous cook. In that case, I follow their recommendations.

I'd like to think that my daughters-in-law (or whoever ends up with any of my cookbooks) will enjoy turning the pages for the same reason. It seems to me to be another way to share an interest across time. I hope Evelyn is smiling down on me as I prepare the same dishes that she did, and as I aspire to create a happy home for our family.

Do you have the same rapport with your family cookbooks and guides? Perhaps some day, our grandchildren will turn the pages of Grandpa's bread cookbook and read his handwritten notes as he perfected his favorite Seven Grain Bread. Or they'll find the full dinner menu in my hardcover annual collection from Gourmet magazine that has become our Christmas meal for the past twenty plus years and want to make it for their families.

So many of us create family memories over meals. I hope that our family can continue the tradition of making those special dishes...as they add their own favorites to hand down. I think that's the true meaning of "comfort food". Don't you?

Thanks for joining me for this month's memory. I hope you'll share a memory on your blog (Don't forget to link back here!) or visit the other contributors (below) to read their stories, too! Bloggers will have until September 4th to add their link to Memory Lane Monday.