Summer Sandwich Magic from @JHAuthors plus #giveaway

MADDIE DAY here, so pleased to bring you my good friend and Wicked Authors blogmate, Julia Henry (aka Julie Hennrikus), for our Sunday guest feature. I love her Garden Squad Mysteries, and I know you will, too. Take it away, Julia! (Maddie note: both she and I are traveling home from a big mystery convention today and will pop in to reply to comments as we can!)

Summer Sandwich Magic

My goddaughter’s birthday is at the end of August, and when she was growing up her parents always celebrated with a cookout.

My favorite part was the pesto/mozzarella/tomato sandwich Tom grilled as an appetizer. In the years since, I’ve used the same technique for what I like to call the leftover magic sandwich.

I write the Garden Squad series, which takes place in Goosebush, Massachusetts. Though the central interest of the series is gardening, food also plays a part. Group dinners, trips to the Star (Stan’s Theater and Restaurant), stress bread baking–these are all part of the stories I write. In The Plot Thickets, my fifth Garden Squad mystery, sandwiches play a role in the story. Stan Freeland, the owner of the Star, has made a mess of his life, and comes to talk to Lilly Jayne about it. He had trouble opening up, so Lilly suggests he make sandwiches, and he takes leftovers and condiments and makes magic. It’s a fun way to get Stan to open up and add food to the story.

In my life, I love a good sandwich. These two sandwiches are perfect for late season cookouts, fun to make, and a great way to use the bounty of a garden or leftovers.

Pesto, Mozzarella, Tomato Sandwich

Take a loaf of French bread, and slice it lengthwise but not all the way through. Hollow out some of the bread in the middle.

Slather pesto on both halves of the bread. You are welcome to make the pesto, or use whatever brand you like. Late summer, this is a great way to use up basil.

Lay fresh mozzarella on both sides.

Lay fresh cut tomatoes over the cheese.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Wrap the sandwich tightly in foil.

Leftover Magic Sandwich

Decide which leftovers to use. We had leftover eggplant parmesan and garlic pasta. But meatloaf, seafood casserole, mac and cheese–anything will work.

Take a loaf of French bread, and slice it lengthwise but not all the way through. Hollow out some of the bread in the middle.

Drizzle the bread with olive oil.

Take leftovers out and slather them on both sides of the bread.

Add cheese, or sauce. In my opinion, fresh mozzarella works every time.

Wrap the sandwich tightly in foil.

 

The final step is to grill the sandwich. That’s what makes these great appetizers for a cookout. Grill for 5-8 minutes. Pull the foil back gently. You want the cheese to melt, and a bit of char, but you don’t want to burn the sandwiches.

A special thanks to my nieces Tori and Mallory for their help with photography, and Jason for the slicing and dicing. 

Readers: what can you imagine grilling on French bread? I’ll pick one commenter (please include your email address) and send you an ARC of The Plot Thickets.

As Julia Henry I write the Garden Squad mysteries. The Plot Thickets will be released on October 25. Follow me on social media @jhauthors and sign up for my newsletter on jhauthors.com.

About The Plot Thickets:

With spring’s arrival in Goosebush, Lilly and the Beautification Committee turn their eyes to new projects. A cleanup of the historic Goosebush Cemetery may be in order after Lilly and Delia find the plots there sorely neglected and inexplicably rearranged. Lilly soon discovers that Whitney Dunne-Bradford snapped up custodianship of the graveyard once she inherited Bradford Funeral Homes. But before Lilly can get to the bottom of the tombstone tampering, she stumbles upon Whitney’s body at the Jayne family mausoleum.

Although it at first appears Whitney died by suicide, Lilly has doubts, and apparently, so does Chief of Police Bash Haywood, who quickly opens a murder investigation. Plenty of folks in town had bones to pick with Whitney, including her stepdaughter, Sasha, and funeral-home employee Dewey Marsh—all three recently charged with illegal business practices. But when the homicide inquiry suddenly targets an old friend, Lilly and the Garden Squad must rally to exhume the truth before the real killer buries it forever.