I heart New York City!!! The history, the tall buildings, the Statue of Liberty, the people, AND the food! NYC is filled with wonderful things to eat, and on one of my first visits, I got to go to the historic Carnegie Deli. It’s near Carnegie Hall, and it’s a tiny little diner filled with photos of celebrities, charmingly brusque staff, and mile high deli sandwiches filled with over a pound of meat, plus salads and delectable desserts.
If you are a Tastefully Simple consultant, I hope you are in the know about our current “Life’s Delicious Share it Challenge” – because when you submit your Business Opportunity Meeting info on myHQ, you not only have the chance to win $500 each week…but you also earn chances for the grand prize – a trip to New York City! And I am delighted to be your guide! When you win the grand prize, we’ll trundle off to the Big Apple for a grand adventure – including lots of food experiences!
So today, I have attempted to replicate a Carnegie Deli experience…including a pastrami sandwich, macaroni salad and cheesecake. See the details and photos below, and this weekend…have a delicious deli extravaganza!
j*a*N*e
Pastrami Sandwich
- 2 slices caraway rye bread, buttered
- ½ lb. deli pastrami (I couldn’t bring myself to use a full pound in one sandwich…)
- 1 thick slice Swiss cheese (optional)
- Burger & Brat Mustard
Place the pastrami in a microwave safe container with just a splash of water in the bottom. Heat it gently in the microwave – you just want it warmed. Pile the pastrami onto a slice of buttered bread, top with cheese and mustard. Gently heat in the microwave, just until the bread is slightly warm.
Testing Notes:
- Caraway rye would be the traditional bread, but feel free to vary that to your personal taste.
- I found a big, square loaf of sour dough caraway rye at our grocery store, and one sandwich easily fed all three of us.
- At the Carnegie Deli, as I mentioned the sandwiches are huge – about 5 – 10” high depending on what you order! We decided to go a little more conservative…
- This made a very simple but delicious sandwich…I can’t wait to have another one tonight!
Let’s Luau Pasta Salad
Submitted by Rosemary (MN) HQ Resident Chef
- 1 packet Let’s Luau!™ Hawaiian Dip Mix
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup cooked, crumbled bacon
- 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
- 2 Tbsp. minced green onion
- 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
- 7-8 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked and cooled
Combine first 3 ingredients; chill 2 hours. Fold in remaining ingredients; serve cold. Makes 6-8 side dish servings.
Testing Notes:
- The Carnegie Deli has more traditional macaroni salads, but we made the Let’s Luau Salad because it is stinkin’ AWESOME!!! It has a little sweet, a little heat and BACON…oh yeah…
- I used ring macaroni because that’s what I had on hand.
- I added more green pepper than the recipe called for – maybe 1/3 cup total, because we like it a lot.
- I snipped 6 strips of bacon with my kitchen shears, then sautéed them until they were crisp. In the end, it was probably a little more than ¼ cup.
- I used an 8 ounce can of crushed pineapple, drained, which was about ½ cup.
- I mixed up the Let’s Luau, but it only sat for about 20 minutes before I added the other ingredients. Then I finished the other dinner stuff and we ate it, so it definitely did not sit as long as the recipe called for to let the flavors blend…but even still – it was wonderful! We absolutely loved it.
Nana’s Apple Cheesecake Bars
Submitted by Daphne Riddick (MI)
- Nana’s Apple Cake Mix®
- 2 cups chopped apples
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 (8 oz.) pkgs. softened cream cheese
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- Creamy Caramel Sauce
Prepare Nana’s Apple Cake Mix® as directed on package with apples, eggs and walnuts; spread into greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Combine next 3 ingredients with electric mixer; blend until almost smooth. Spread batter over baked cake; bake an additional 15-18 minutes or until mixture is set and browns very lightly on edges. Cool completely; drizzle with Creamy Caramel Sauce to taste. Keep refrigerated. Makes 20-24 servings.
Testing Notes:
- The Carnegie Deli is also famous for its cheesecake. Their recipe has a cookie crust, is twice baked, and takes several hours to prep and bake. It IS fantastic…and yet we have some easier and delectable Tastefully Simple options, so I went with Nana’s Apple Cheesecake Bars.
- Since we are in prime rhubarb season here in Minnesota, I substituted 2 cups of chopped rhubarb for the apples. (You MUST try this if you have access to rhubarb…it totally rocks!)
- There are a couple of tricks I have discovered for mixing up our Nana’s Apple Cake – 1) blend the mix and the eggs first, then blend in the fruit. 2) If you are using apples – note that it calls for 2 cups…NOT 2 apples! Unless you are using very small apples, 2 apples will be well over two cups chopped, and your cake will end up on the mushy side.
- This makes a lot of cheesecake bars!
- I baked the cream cheese mixture for about 3 minutes more than recipe called for, and the cream cheese was still looking a little liquidy in the center, but I took it out anyway (remember…baking is NOT my strength). It was fine! The cream cheese was fully set.
- It’s important (but challenging!) to let this cool completely before serving.
- It was delish!
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