Mushroom Focaccia Sandwich

I’m about to talk about Bakers Square.

Do Bakers Square restaurants still exist in the USA?

I’m not so sure.

I vaguely remember several branches going out of business.

Has the whole operation gone belly up?

Someone please answer me.

I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep tonight unless I know.

Anyone?

For as long as I can remember, visits to Bakers Square involved one meal and one meal only.

The Chicken Focaccia Sandwich.

Sautéed mushrooms and red onions, a grilled chicken breast, Swiss cheese and honey mustard sauce served on warm focaccia bread with a side of seasoned fries.

Once I became a vegetarian, I didn’t give up the Bakers Square Chicken Focaccia tradition.

It just became: sautéed mushrooms and red onions, Swiss cheese and honey mustard served on warm focaccia bread with a side of seasoned fries.

Dinner tonight was a new and improved version of my favorite sandwich from the restaurant chain which might not exist anymore.

Tofu Mushroom Focaccia Sandwich

Ingredients

• 2 servings of focaccia bread, toasted
• drizzle of olive oil
• 1 block smoked tofu, drained and sliced
• 2 cups mushrooms, chopped
• 2 small red onions, sliced
• Italian seasoning to taste
• Seasoned salt to taste
• 2 slices Swiss cheese
• 2 Tbsp. honey mustard

Method

1. Warm the olive oil in a non-stick pan. Sautee the onions, mushrooms and tofu with the spices until golden brown.
2. Toast the focaccia bread. Place the cheese on the hot bread, top with the sautéed mixture. You can either spread the honey mustard on the sandwich or use it as a dipping sauce.

 

This sandwich is so tasty and easy.

When you can make this in 15 minutes, who needs Bakers Square anyways?

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Autumn Almond Butter

It really is official now.

The leaves are falling from the trees.

Today I smelled the first fire of the leaf-burning season.

I even made a fresh batch of pumpkin pie spice.

 

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

2 Tbsp. cinnamon, ground

2 tsp. ginger, ground

1 tsp.cloves, ground

1 tsp. allspice, ground

1 tsp. nutmeg, ground

2 pinches cardamom, ground

Sift all ingredients together and store in an air-tight container.

Autumn has always been my favorite season.

I love the cool weather and warm sun.

Vibrant autumn leaves against a blue sky.

Cuddling up in a blanket with a cup of hot tea.

In the Midwest at any rate, autumn is the most beautiful time of year.

When I first moved to Germany and said how much I was looking forward to autumn, the Germans laughed at me.

I now know why.

For as bright and cheerful the Midwest autumns are, they are dark and gloomy here.

There are beautiful days, like today, but the majority of autumn is wet, cold, grey and depressing.

Luckily, I now have a fresh batch of homemade Autumn Almond Butter to cheer me up on the dreary days.

 Sweetened with maple syrup and flavored by pumpkin pie spice, this almond butter has got to be the best I’ve ever made.

God help me not to eat the entire jar tonight.

But in case I do, I made another jar of Vanilla Bean Almond Butter.

Just in case.

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