Of Muffulettas and Breakfast Casseroles

So… the party after the baptism had a Lebanese motif. The Christmas celebration with Char’s family was Italian-themed. And Christmas eve with my parents was down-home New Orleans.

In lieu of the work-intensive and elaborate cooking that I usually enjoy, Char and I decided on something simple, yet delicious. Muffulettas.

So, what is a muffuletta?

It’s an Italian sandwich first created in the deli at Central Grocery on Decatur Street.

Levels of sliced ham, Genoa Salami, Mortadella, provolone and mozzarella… crowned with a house-special Italian olive salad mix… all on a large round Italian loaf. You talk about good!

One muffuletta (also spelled muffaletta) is enough to feed two or more, depending on appetite. But, for us, with the cheese and crackers and the salad, we were able to split just one. Good eats.

One thing that I do that’s different than the original is toast the sandwich before serving. I fix it up the way you normally would, making sure to cover the inside top with the olive mix first, then a layer of cheese. I don’t want the olive mix to burn. Then I broil it until the cheese starts to bubble and brown. Then you mash it down and go to town!

And then, we had to leave a special little morsel for someone special:

We woke up on Christmas morning to a wonderful egg casserole that Char prepared: eggs, spinach, bacon, cheese, and more! Yum-O! But we couldn’t enjoy it until we cleaned up all the bacon grease that fell all over the floor. Oops!