A Rose and a Thorn

Photo by Zara Walker on Unsplash

Last night my husband and I started what I hope to be a new layer of our day with each other.  We named our Rose and our Thorn of the day, then talked about each of them for quite a little while.  I didn't come up with this idea all on my own, it was something that I heard on a TV program. 

I'll be Gone in the Dark, a book and an HBO documentary about Michelle McNamara (a writer, well known for her true crime interests), the Golden State Killer and the stories that surround the cases. (It's an incredible documentary if you are looking for something excellent to watch.)  In the 5th part of the documentary the daughter tells one of her Aunts that she has her rose and thorn for the day.  The sister then explains that Michelle had her daughter Alice come up with a rose and a thorn for her day and they'd discuss it when Michelle tucked her in at night.  The rose being a good thing that happened during the day and the thorn being something that was a tough part of the day.  

I thought that was a neat idea, a lot better than, "How was your day, dear?"  Steve and I are, like most folks, at home all day with each other.  We both do our own thing for most of the day.  He works on his computer - online businesses that we have, working on a book of his own, putting together special projects for friends or family and who knows what else.  He can keep himself busy!  So between the two of us fairly busy in the house, we don't get a chance to sort out our day until we both come together to watch some TV later on at night.  

Photo by Sheri Hooley on Unsplash

The rose and thorn might be another way to talk about what we've been up to during the day but also a way to talk about a frustrating aspect of the day.  Sometimes it's nice to be able to talk about something that bothered us but not want to dwell on it, or bring it up when there seems to be no need.  The rose and thorn idea helps to be able to talk about the good and the bad without it being too much.  (At least in theory.)  We both agreed that each day the rose can't be that we are so happy that we are together or that we love each other so much!  Although, on our first day, I did say that my rose was one of the cats.  So I can't use that as my rose again for a long time.  The cats are endlessly entertaining, this is a known fact.  

We are only on day one.  I hope it continues.  We aren't going to write them down or anything, just discuss.  I think it'll be nice.  Something new for our pandemic life. 

Have a great day! 
Kristin

Mushroom, Ricotta and Gruyere Sandwich

Mushroom, Ricotta and Gruyere Sandwich

This pandemic has kept me busy in the kitchen, that's for sure.  My husband and I used to go out to eat at least once a week with friends, I was a trivia host twice a week right at the dinner hour, and there was always some reason to stop by some place else for a dinner to go.  We always seemed to have leftovers in the fridge - really good leftovers. 

Now all of that has changed.  As it has for many of you, I'm sure.   I have spent hours looking through Pinterest, Foodgawker and other assorted places looking for new ideas on what to eat.


I have a giant library of great recipes, but with my MSG and L-glutamic acid avoidance, most of those recipes have to be tweaked a lot or I need to find new recipes.  The past month I have been researching ricotta cheese recipes. I picked up a 3 pound tub of ricotta and gathered together all of the recipes that used it.  I can't have any kind of tomato sauce, so white cheese all the way around. One of my first ricotta recipes we tried was this one - Mushroom, ricotta and Gruyere sandwiches. 

The above picture shows the middle of my prep -- the mushrooms and onions are almost done, the ricotta has been stirred and is ready to be put on the bread, and the Gruyere has been grated.

I didn't find any hearty rustic bread when I went to the store, so I opted for French bread.  I cut the bread in a long diagonal to get as much surface area as I could.  The 5th piece in the photo above, the one in the middle is the end slice that I couldn't just throw away, so I added all the fixings on it.  I thought it might tip over in the baking process since the bottom was rounded, but it stayed upright. 

Here you can really see the layers.  I tried not to overwhelm the bread with the toppings, mostly so we could pick these up and eat them and not have to use a knife and fork.  

I put a big dollop of ricotta mixture on the bread, spread it to all sides then took the bread to the pan with the mushroom mixture.  I used a spatula and gathered up some of the mixture and poured it over the top.  What didn't stick fell right back into the pan.  If more was needed, I did it again.  Doing it this way saved a lot of spilled mushrooms on the sheet pan.

Next up, the Gruyere.  I shredded my own and placed little bundles of cheese on top and made sure to spread the cheese to all edges.  

I slid the tray into the oven, on convection, for about 10 minutes and the photo below was the result.  My husband and I ate these for dinner and we loved every single bite.  The warm melty ricotta softened up the top of the bread just slightly, but created a rich, warm, creamy base.  The mushroom and Gruyere mixture gave more texture to the sandwich and so much flavor!  I forgot that we weren't eating a meat based dish.  The bottom of the bread was browned and crunchy. All in all, this was a fairly quick, absolutely delicious meal.  I do wish I had some chives, but sometimes you just gotta make do.  We are absolutely keeping this on our dinner rotation. 

Mushroom, Ricotta and Gruyere Sandwich
An open faced sandwich with sauted mushrooms, ricotta and Gruyere cheeses - then baked for a few minutes to become warm and toasty.

Yields 4+ sandwiches

snack, appetizer, light dinner or even a hot brunch item

Ingredients
1 T olive oil
1 large onion, diced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced (or crushed)
1 c ricotta cheese
2 T chives, chopped
4 slices thick sliced bread (rustic style, French baguette)
1 c shredded Gruyere cheese
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Use a non stick liner or parchment paper to line baking sheet.  Or you can use a non stick cooking spray.

Slice French bread diagonally for the open faced sandwiches.  Cut the bread while the onions are cooking.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet - cook onions until translucent and then add in mushrooms.  Stir often until cooked and browned. 

Mix in minced or crushed garlic and cook until full incorporated, about a minute or so, stir constantly. Season with salt and pepper, if so desired. 

Combine ricotta with 1 tbsp. chives, then season to taste with salt and pepper. (I didn't have chives so I minced up some green onion tops)

Brush one side of the bread with olive oil, if you desire, and place oil side down.  I didn't do that for ours.

Spread a spoonful of the ricotta mixture on the bread, top with the mushroom mixture and then top with Gruyere cheese. 

Bake the open faced sandwiches for about 15 minutes, a little less if you are using convection, until the cheese on top is hot and melted.

Top with extra chives if desired.  

Serve immediately.  

adapted from: Hello Little Home