Welcome to Grace Lin
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 11:59AM 
Hunka hunka burning love...
I remember seeing Aloha From Hawaii on TV when I was really young.
There was a man in a sparkling jumpsuit, who was wearing a cape, and had a lei of beautiful flowers around his neck.
He was singing his heart out, and leaning off the edge of the stage, reaching out to what looked like millions of screaming, hysterical fans.
I was a baby, and didn't know who he was, but do remember thinking, "That guy...he's THE BEST!"
It was like the first time a kid sees Batman in a cartoon.
They never forget him, and think he's the most amazing person ever.
Haven't you ever wanted to be Batman (or Batgirl, Catwoman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman)?
To this day, I love Elvis.
A '68 Comeback Special figurine lives in my Christmas tree, I have a few records from my dad (and some that I hunted for), and one year, I dressed as him for Halloween; ironing sparkle studs onto the back of a shirt, after arranging them in the shape of an eagle. The sunglasses are still in my dresser, they're too funny to throw out.
My family joins in on the fun, too. When I was a teenager and we couldn't celebrate Christmas, my brother gave me a gold-plated Elvis ornament for my birthday, because he knew that as soon as we were old enough to move out, I would be getting a tree and we could make up our own fun. Our mom also loves Elvis, and is the one who lit this little firecracker of events.
She was the one watching Aloha, and played his music when I was around. Mom was born in the 60's, and was alive for most of his career, even if she was too young to know his work, or didn't have access to it. She's so lucky to have lived during an period of Elvis-mania. It is sad to me that he died before I was born, because even though some of his music is silly and a lot of his movies were terrible, and are funny to watch because of it, some of his songs touch my heart and will linger there forever.
He's special to both of us, and Mom continued to enable my mash-up traditionalist ways the day she found an Elvis Christmas tablecloth.
Really!
It looks exactly as ridiculous as you're thinking it does, which is part of why I love it and will never let it go. There is holly all over and little Elvis heads in picture frames everywhere; the sheer absurdity of this fabric makes me laugh, and the thoughtfulness of my family makes up the rest.
Cool news: My mom's birthday is today! Unfortunately, I have to work and can't be at dinner with the family, so she and I spent a day together, instead, cooking, shopping, laughing, and eating...you know, mom-and-daughter stuff. We also watched a Youtube video of a tour of Graceland that a fan had uploaded, and laughed at hideous 60's/70's wallpaper choices.
My brother, Tarek, and I were walking down the street the other day, and he said, "Mom's getting really good at texting!"
We laughed. She is adapting and picking up on technology, as many other parents have to, so a little birthday post for her seems in order.
I hope it doesn't make her cry!
Maybe next year I'll come up with a fancy Elvis-themed cake, but this year, I thought it would be funny to make a little sandwich in her honour. It also makes more sense because I can not eat an entire cake myself at home, try as I might. That's just crazy.
Most people have at least heard about the infamous Elvis Sandwich: Toasted bread, peanut butter, bananas, honey and bacon...Those are my favourite food groups. The King and I would totally be friends.
Sandwiches are awesome, but I always find that there's too much bread, which makes them hard to finish. Even though I love good bread, in this scenario it's annoying and gets in my way. It's supposed to be a vehicle for the delicious fillings inside, not the carby goliath that has eaten your lunch, who you must now destroy with your mouth to take back what's rightfully yours. Geez!
So open-faced mini-sandwiches, it is.
These wouldn't be considered as hors d'oeuvres or canapés, which are really fun and one of my favourite things to make, because they're too big.
I can, though, imagine myself making smaller versions of them in culinary school, during canapé menu development, cutting out tiny circles of bread with ring molds, and having an instructor shake their head and walk away after asking what I was making.
The thought makes me laugh, from a place of fondness and imagination.
One-bite Elvis canapés would be hilariously undignified and ill-fitting at a fancy party.
Maybe that's why I love the idea.
I am a one-bite Elvis canapé. A mouthful.
In any case, using less bread means more room in your stomach for the rest!
If I were one of those cooks with an unfortunate drinking problem, these would be my daily hangover cure.
"That's All Right, Mama!" Open-Faced Mini Sandies
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
These are so easy and fun to make, perfect for a hearty breakfast, hangover, or Elvis movie marathon with your friends. It doesn't need a recipe, just as much of the ingredients that you want to use. I used a baguette from Olivier's Breads (they truly are beautiful), and bacon from Big Lou's Butcher Shop.
Warning: You may have the urge to watch Johnny Bravo and show off karate moves after eating a few.
Also: I'm Canadian and we use the Metric system. Don't scoff at these measurements.
bacon (about 1/2 a strip per sandwich)
baguette slices (bias cut, 1 cm thick)
banana slices (5mm coins)
honey for drizzling
crunchy natural peanut butter (as much as you want)
1. Set your oven to BROIL and move one of the racks up to about 4 or 6 inches from the broiler.
2. Cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy and fully cooked. Pull the slices out to cool and drain off.
3. While bacon cooks, slice and arrange the banana slices closely onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle them lightly with honey until almost fully covered, and put them under the broiler until blistered and bubbly, a few short minutes. Don't forget about them!
4. Gently dip each baguette slice into the rendered bacon fat, just until one side is coated. Don't soak it all up, or it becomes a soggy, salty mess. Arrange them, fat-side-up, on a baking sheet, and put them in the oven on a lower rack to warm up. After the bananas are done, lower the oven to 400°F, and let bread bake further, until crisp and toasty outside, but not hard throughout.
5. Chop up the bacon.
6. Spread peanut butter on each slice of bread.
7. Assemble the sandwiches: One slice of bread with the peanut butter, a few banana coins (careful not to burn yourself on the honey if it's still hot), a generous sprinkling of bacon.
These little sandies are messy and carby as all heck to eat, but love is messy and filling, too, and we might as well try and enjoy it, no?
I got through 3 of them before needing a break. Ooof.
Happy birthday, Mom!!!!! I love you!!!
Thank you for working hard to raise us right, help us all to grow up healthy, and for being our friend who is proud of everything we do. Thank you for teaching me the basics of baking, how to take care of others, and for playing Elvis music and concerts when I was little.
Karima
Reader Comments (2)
Well, I don't know how your mom reacted, but I felt a little sting in my own eyes.
You
rock
it
little sister.
You're just so full of awesomeness, I can't begin to take it in.
Thanks, Roanna!!!!! Glad you liked this post. I hope my mom likes it. If she didn't, at least I got to eat 8 little sandwiches! Ha ha!! :)