TWO SPAM NEWS FLASHES!

In the last week or so I have noted two interesting articles about Spam in the Star Tribune. First Spam Balls were new this year at the state fair and they earned a four star rating! That means they sold them by the carloads. I so wish I could have made it to the fair to taste them. The same stand also sold Spamburgers, they also sound good. The other article, featured on the front page of the business section was headlined "Spam minus a can? Can Do" They now sell spam in one serving pouches. I suppose if tuna and salmon can do it, why not spam? So if you are in the grocery store and have a SPAM ATTACK you can act on it. Just pick up a pouch of spam and eat it, or open the loaf of bread in your cart and make a real sandwich out it. You might carry a plastic knife in you purse in case you have mayo or butter in your cart, same goes for mustard. You can eat on the way to the checkout counter or even in the car or on the trip out to the car. I would think any of these would be acceptable. So for those of you who have missed these two important articles, this is the latest news from Minnesota, the land of Spam, wild rice, Boundary Waters, Guthrie Theater, St. Olaf Choir, and oh yes I almost forgot 15,000 lakes. The Countess of Cuisine

A Very Important New Ingredient!!!!

We had overnight guests yesterday and true to my new quest (Denver Sandwiches and Omelets), I cooked a nice Denver Omelet for breakfast. My guest asked where is the pickle slice??? Okay so now I know a true Denver Sandwich or Omelet has to include a pickle slice. In view of this new discovery I think we will have to hold out for a few more days in case some new things come up. I was so excited about this new development I forgot to ask her where does the pickle slice go? In with the eggs?? On the bread?? An accompinment?? More on this issue later. The Countess

Denver Sandwiches - again and again

Hello, here we are again, still talking, cooking, and eating Denver sandwiches!! I agree with Paul's comment, making the sandwich in the pannini press makes for a great Denver sandwich. Following are some of the ways we have been experimenting with Denver sandwiches.
When Denver sandwiches and omelets first came into being only GREEN peppers were available, now we have red, yellow, orange and colors in between. They are sweet, mild and add a lot of flavor to the eggs. Also we are more adventerous cooks and adding a new ingredient is the way to go. Some examples are left over Caprese, diced and scattered on top of the omelet and let the mozzarella soften and melt a bit, a wonderful addition. Leftover hamburger, steak, roast beef can be sauteed with the peppers. I do use all colors of peppers and I think to be true to the original sandwich you must use green pepper or really you cannot be allowed to call it a Denver Sandwich!! To be a truly Minnesota edition you must use SPAM, either diced and sauteed with the peppers, onions and mushrooms or sliced and fried separatly and put into the sandwich (One day soon we will do a blog on SPAM). I enjoyed reading all of the comments, keep them coming! In the next day or so I will be a posting a general recipe for a Denver sandwich or omelet, please feel free to add your own version. And on to other subjects.

What is a Denver sandwich???

A Denver sandwich or omelet apparently goes back to the early forties. It was a popular dish in restaurants.
You start with 2 or 3 eggs scrambled a bit, throw into a small frying pan with a few sauteed onions, maybe a some mushrooms, and the most important ingredient is chopped sauteed green pepper. Among my relatives people did not eat green peppers, celery or anything that resembled them. We did eat mushrooms as my Mother knew how to gather the safe ones in the fall of the year.
You cooked this mixture like an omelet and served it in a sandwich or left it as an omelet.
I remember sometime in the 60's my parents had a small work party at their house. Ma made delicious home baked crescent rolls and they were filled with chicken salad. I know she cooked the chicken herself which made for a delicious filling. One of my brothers was just livid because she put a small amount of diced celery into the filling. He could not believe she ruined the sandwiches with celery!!! That is my point about using green pepper in an omelet, really, how gross is that??? Change came slow, I don't know if it was this way in all families, but the men had a hard time eating something new and unknown. I will have more stories about this subject at a later date, The Countess of Cuisine