Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

"You have to leave the kitchen while I make this - I can't share the secret ingredient with you," I told Alyssa as she hovered near me, watching my every move as I prepared dinner for some friends that were joining us later that evening. Lesson learned: telling a kid that a secret ingredient lurks within their coveted salad dressing opens the floodgate to a handful of silly guesses.

"What is it? Is it limes? Poison? Dog toenails? Fish?"

She had guessed fish correctly, but there was no way I was going to let on that tiny, oil-packed anchovies are the key to her favorite Caesar dressing. And they really, really are - if you can't get past the anchovies and are tempted to skip them, don't. Use anchovy paste if you must, but their flavor is absolutely essential!

You will need:
2 chicken breasts (I used a precooked rotisserie chicken from the store)
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1-2 anchovies in oil, drained and diced, or 1 tsp anchovy paste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup mayonnaise
1 loaf Italian or ciabatta bread, or 4 Italian or ciabatta sandwich rolls
Romaine lettuce leaves, washed and dried
Shaved Parmesan cheese
Cooked sliced bacon (2-3 slices per sandwich)

Slice chicken breasts into thick slices and set aside.

To make the Caesar dressing, combine the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely minced, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the anchovies/anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice and mayonnaise. Process until smooth and well blended. Adjust seasonings to taste if necessary. Refrigerate the dressing if not using right away.

Slice the bread in half horizontally and toast if desired. Spread both cut sides of the bread lightly with the Caesar dressing. Layer the bottom half of the bread with the romaine leaves, then top with shaved Parmesan, cooked bacon slices, and sliced chicken. Place the top half of the bread on top. If using a loaf of ciabatta, slice the assembled sandwich into individual servings. Serve immediately.

Adapted from Annie's Eats.

Spicy Grouper Sandwiches and my Blog-o-versary!

Today marks one full year of blogging for me. In the last year, I have improved my writing skills (tremendously), my photography skills (slightly), made new friends, and pushed myself into sharing my kitchen stories both of triumph and of failure with the public. I've shared recipes and picked up new tricks and hints along the way, and I'm so happy to look back on the past year and wonder with excitement where things will go from here. I am making a point to blog more often, to find something special in everything I cook and share it with you. Until I have a new camera/a better lit kitchen, I ask you to bear with me when the pictures are less than gorgeous!

Just...thank you, thank you for sticking around for the last year.

On to the recipe! I was without dinner ideas tonight, so after an early dismissal from work (snow leaves Nashville debilitated), I slowly perused the grocery store waiting for the proverbial light bulb to go off. It happened at the fish counter - fresh grouper? Grouper sandwiches? Yes please!

I'm avoiding excessive calories/fried foods lately, so I simply sprinkled on a little panko for crunch before baking the fillets, and didn't miss the fry factor at all. Served up with a little lime-cilantro tartar sauce, and this was a quick, warming dinner for two on a snowy evening.

You will need:

2 grouper fillets
Cajun seasoning (I used Zatarain's)
2 tablespoons Panko bread crumbs
Rolls of your choice
Sliced tomatoes, red onions, lettuce - toppings of your choice

For the cilantro tartar sauce, you will need:

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 green onion, chopped, white and light green parts only
1 clove garlic, grated
Zest of half a small lime
Juice of half a small lime
Pinch salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Season the fish with cajun seasoning, then sprinkle with a small amount of Panko on each side. Spray a roasting rack with nonstick cooking spray and place fish on rack. Cook without flipping 5 minutes, then turn on the broiler. Broil until Panko starts toasting, about a minute, before flipping and toasting Panko on the opposite side.

Combine all tartar sauce ingredients in a small bowl. To assemble sandwiches, spread tartar sauce on buns, add toppings and fish.