Best Picnic Lunch; Pressed Grilled Chicken Sandwich and Mascarpone Fig Dessert Sandwich

I am sensing a food trend starting.  Or perhaps it has already started and I am just catching on, but I have been thinking a lot about the pressed sandwich lately.  We had the occasion for a picnic a few weeks ago and I always want to do that one extra thing to make it special.  So instead of peanut butter and jelly, I scouted out the fridge and threw together a giant baguette sandwich, only made edible by pressing beneath my heaviest dutch oven.  If I had thought ahead I would have done this overnight, but true to my style had no extra time.  So it was pressed beneath my dutch oven and... me.  I put the thing on the floor and stood on it.  Hey it worked.

Pressed Grilled Chicken Icebox Sandwich

Baguette

Pesto

Leftover (or not) grilled chicken

Cherry tomatoes

A little extra basil to up that pesto flavor

Some really awesome gouda.  Cheddar is overrated, get some gouda.

I added some diced pancetta just because it was in the icebox

Put the whole thing together carefully and press it.  Some descriptions include bricks and lots of cling wrap.  Mine just involved a dutch oven and gravity.  If I had time I really would have done this part over night, but express pressing worked just fine too.

Before and after the express press

And don't forget the dessert.  I used the rest of the baguette to make a fig jelly and mascarpone masterpiece.

Fig is totally underrated.

I pressed this one too and once mushed together the baguette/fig/mascarpone somehow morphed into donut like deliciousness.

Add a few peaches, water, (or if you happen to not be pregnant) some nice chilled white wine, and there you have the best picnic lunch ever!

Week in Preview

Sunday:  Another Packer Sunday and I admit I have been looking forward to the excuse to have my Beer Cheese Soup, soft pretzel, and roasted broccoli again.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday:  I am going to ask my husband to grill lots of chicken.  I am talking six pounds of chicken breasts.  He will think I am crazy until he has Grilled Chicken Arugula Sandwiches with watermelon salad on Monday, Grilled Chicken Sesame Noodles and veggies on Tuesday, and BBQ Grilled Chicken Naan with salad on Wednesday.

Thursday:  This is CSA day and I am picturing lots of fresh tomatoes.  So I am making a bunch of homemade salsa, some guacamole, and making some turkey nachos.