It's Toasted Tuesday: Reuben Fried Toast!
Plus, March Madness snacks
Good morning!
It occurred to me only yesterday, as I was putting the final touches on this post, that I should’ve launched the new Toasted Tuesdays series on March 12th and led off with today’s fried toast, in time for St. Patrick’s Day.
I also just realized on Saturday that this weekend is Easter, and I didn’t prepare anything for it on the blog. I swear, I still have not recovered from daylight savings time, and since I no longer work a 9-5 after decades of that routine, I have no idea what day it is half the time.
But I do know that now is the time for today’s Reuben Fried Toast. There’s just something about a Reuben that’s universally loved. Even if you don’t like corned beef, or think sauerkraut is super sus, when you combine these ingredients with Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing on marbled rye, it becomes a “whole” that’s far greater than its “parts:” savory, puckery, cheesy, sweet, and creamy.
Oh, and yesterday’s lunch reminded me of yet another advantage of the open-faced fried toast. I was eating chicken salad on a bun, and even though that bun was a tender brioche, every bite pressing the two pieces of bread together squeezed chicken salad out the sides. Plop! I’m not saying the Reuben Fried Toast isn’t a wonderful mess all its own, but at least you won’t have ingredients shooting off the toast.
My quarterly full body scans are next week, and I’m deep in scanxiety. Fellow cancer patients and loved ones thereof, you know what I’m talkin’ about. (But honestly, I hope most of you have no idea what I’m talking about.)
But, on the other side of that, next week’s fried toast just screams “summer” to me, and yes, it will only be April, but I can’t wait!
If you’re thinking, wait a goshorn minute, that’s not sauerkraut on top there, you’d be right! Because when I was making this fried toast to photograph for the blog, I was pulling the ingredients out of the fridge and saw some leftover creamy coleslaw from the night before.
And thought, voila! A Rachel! Or a sort of Rachel. A … Reuchel (makin’ things up). I believe a Rachel is turkey pastrami and coleslaw, while a Reuben is corned beef and sauerkraut. The corned beef and sauerkraut are in there, under the coleslaw. Yes, two types of cabbage salads! Absolutely zero regrets.
Whether you go Reuben or Reuchel, I hope you’ll love this hearty twist with olive-oil fried toast. More fillings, less bread!
Well, my brackets are busted in both the men’s and women’s NCAA championships, and although my winners are still in the running, the Sweet 16 of the men’s is a Sweet 5 for me. And the Elite 8 of the women’s will be, at most, an Elite 2. Which means I have no hope of winning the money bags in pools with ex-colleagues, because there are still lucky twerps with perfect picks in the group.
But, as with all sportsball events, when you’re just an observer, the real prize for everyone is the snacks. And I have no shortage of those. People were hitting the apps hard on my blog over the weekend, and here’s what they visited the most:
This dip is always a crowd-pleaser because it’s beautiful in the bowl, and the combination of the three flavors — salsa, creamy cotija, and guacamole — is outstanding. Serve with sturdy tortilla chips!
This was my late mom’s favorite appetizer to serve at her legendary parties, and remains one of my favorites, too. It’s a can’t-miss hit of flaky crescent dough, baked and then topped with a cream cheese ranch mix, fresh herbs, and chopped veggies. It’s a filling app that’s easy to make in big batches.
The classic cream cheese cracker spread is still a game-day winner in my book. It’s one of those apps that disappears early and completely every time it’s served.
View all of my best game day snacks and appetizers in one place:
Until next time, friends, stay kind 🫶🏻, wear sunscreen 🧴, and get ready for some epic toast 🍞
Wishing you every good thing, Karen. Today, next week, always.
My husband is going to love this!! And I wish you peace in your soul while you wait for your next scan.