a new series: the saturday sandwich.

hi y'all!

happy beginning of the week.

i'm starting a new series around here

it's called, the saturday sandwich.
i'm pretty keen on a sandwich,
and i sorta really hope you are too.

so here it is, 
sandwich number one:

a chicken salad sandwich made especially for summer.

it's got the crunch of celery

and the little tang of grain mustard.

it's got the calm and reserved of endive

alongside the peppery and fresh of arugula.

it's got basil from the garden

and chicken that was homegrown.

and it's a sandwich i'll say 
that sits near to my heart.

[and yes, i totally just said that.]

i'll quickly tell you why.

i grew up on farm.

i mucked stalls and i weeded gardens 

and i carried baskets brimming with eggs.
and we ate almost entirely 
from our land.

and yes, i realize my luck. 
  so much so, that it almost sounds a foreign thing to say,
that we ate almost entirely from our land, that is. 

my parents raised our poultry, our beef and our pork.

we ate farm fresh eggs and we drank water from a well.

my mom baked our bread and my dad juiced our juice.

we lived almost completely away from the grocery store.

save for the occasional treat and those staples you don't make at home.
butter and sugar,
and salt-and-vinegar chips.

i'll admit back then, 
all i wanted was juice from a box 

and cookies from the store.

i remember thinking the other children so lucky.

silly little kid i was, i so didn't realize my fortune. 

anyway, my parents live that way still.

and on the odd occasion they bring me chicken.

and so for this sandwich, i used one of theirs.

it was near perfect in texture, the legs a pleasing farm-grown dark.

for me, the feeling of home squished between bread. 

my self-indulgence and chicken aside,
i hope you'll try my first sandwich and report back,

i'm anxious to hear your take.

find the recipe below.

happy trails, friends. 

xox, n. 

////\\//////

the length of a skirt.

the view through glass: one. two. three.

fallen for. (via)

i'd like a paper crane mobile. 

i'd like to dress for a safari
and i'd like to see giraffes.
[so i got a new hat.]

everything about this video is great.

bodies of water: one. two.
i kinda love these bow ties. 

_______________________________________________

a chicken salad sandwich made especially for summer.

for the chicken salad:
all measurements are approximate! (the recipe was an afterthought)



3 heaping tablespoons of plain yogurt (3%)
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons grain mustard
1.5 teaspoons fresh morita salsa (perhaps substitutable with another fresh salsa or a finely chopped hot pepper)
2 teaspoons leatherwood honey (!!)
2 stalks of celery, diced
1/8 a red onion, diced
2 breasts + 1 leg shredded organic chicken (i roasted mine whole the night before)
salt + pepper


in a bowl mix together all wet ingredients, add the celery and onions 
stir in the shredded chicken and season to taste. 
cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.


for the bread:
8 thick slices of farmers white
(if you're in toronto, splendido's chef, victor barry does, in my view the best in the city, find it here) 
room temperature whey butter (regular butter will do too)
kosher salt


lightly butter both side of each slice, sprinkle with salt 
fry on a medium low until golden brown 
set aside


for the sandwiches: (yield 4)
2 heads belgium endive, cored and chopped
a couple handfuls of fresh arugula
about 20 small basil leaves
8 thin slices of a medium to hard cheese, i used peau rouge
1/8 of a red onion, thinly sliced


to assemble:
in a small bowl toss together the endive, arugula and basil leaves
divide evenly among the bottom halves of each your sandwiches
divide your chicken salad mix atop that
place 3-6 red onion slices atop there
then three small thin slices of cheese (i used a peeler to shave mine)
and then the final piece of bread
squish down a little and voila, you're done.