TonTon and I fed the cows, sheep and the useless, non-egg laying, bad tempered, locked up forever in their own little minds chickens, this morning, in a lovely crisp 26F (-5C). One day I shall show you the particularly sexy quilted farm overalls that I don for the job. But not until I know you better.
I had to go and find my sharp garden hoe to bash through the ice in the water troughs. Of course the garden hose is now officially frozen solid and later today I shall put it away for the winter, and then my darlings we are CARRYING buckets of warm water to the animals each morning and evening. One day the barn will have its own water line, but not yet. However as I have told you before this is a tremendous workout for my arms. When I was little my dad used to say to me “And the muscles on her scrawny arms stood out like spiders knees!” It was not kind. He always said it is a Scottish accent. The ‘out’ was an ‘oot’. I have real muscles now Dad!
Also today I will scrub, fill, then plug in all the heated water buckets. Each pen in the barn has one, the chook house has one, even the dogs and cats have one. As an aside the pens in the barn all still have their exterior doors open, so the animals are wandering in and out from their home paddocks, at will.
Food first though I think. I bet that when you were little you thought a sand witch was at the beach. So did I. Every time I heard the word I SAW a Witch made of Sand. A SandWitch on the beach. I still see her with my little girl’s mind’ s eye. She is not pretty. And how does one Toast her?
What is that hunk of old junk doing sitting beside the ham, I hear you say. It is a very old castiron hand iron of course. It is part of my toasted sandwich arsenal. Though some time ago it lost its detachable handle. I know it is around here somewhere. But where?! You see, old irons are not only good as door stops (or toe stoppers as the case may be… ouch), they are useful in the kitchen too!
The fire is hot in the wood stove, the stove top is ready for cooking. So we will compile our ham and cheese toasted sandwich. Just a yellow rubber cheddar today – someone needs to go shopping! Often in NZ the sandwich is called a sammy, and the cheese will not be dyed yellow, just keep that in mind in case you visit.
And on with the hot iron. These came before panini machines you know! Where is that handle? (sigh) It would be very useful at this rather heated juncture.
There. Ham and cheese toasted sammie with onion. Crunchy and squashed. Just the way I like it!! It is not gourmet my darlings. It is lunch!
OK, interlude is over, it is warmer outside now. Beautiful sun today. Time to fill the buckets and get to work.
c
The Kitchen's Garden 
93 responses to “Toasted Sand Witches”
I love the look of your sammy – in fact, I could eat one right now!
there is something very comforting about crunchy food! I love hot crunchy food. thanks Phyllis.. c
I’m hungry! That looks so darn good. My grandmother used those irons for ironing clothing and putting on the stove, heating up, and wrapping in something to put at the foot of the bed for my mom and her siblings little toesies. I’m still hungry 🙂
Yup, one was always on the stove waiting to be swapped and they just detached the handle from the cooled one and attached it to the hot one waiting. How cool that they were also used as hot bricks in the bed! Do you have still have her old irons or did someone else in the family nick them? c
Those belonged to my grandmother and I think they were either lost long ago or nicked by one of my mom’s siblings. I always wanted to get one as a door stop though when I saw them at antique stores. t
That’s a fantastic iron and your sandwich looks far better than those made with a panini machine 🙂
Your cast iron frying pan looks familiar, I’ve got one that looks exactly the same and made in the USA.
I have a number of them and look after them like babies, I bet you do too, I once bought an entire box of junk at an auction to get one! You know how they sell stuff in box lots to get rid of it! But I got my frypan and a few other interesting but useless bits and pieces as well.. c
Hot iron looks totally hot! I want one!!!
Lurk about in the second hand stores, there are often one or two in there! Our John sandblasted mine to get it clean again.. useful having a workshop with a man in it! c
Fabulous!
Thank you Rosemary, i wonder what you are having for lunch, something fabulous I am sure.. c
Ah, a yellow cheese sarnie, you do need to go shopping 🙂
And as ever your photos and compositions are wonderful!
Sarnie!! awesome. but you know how I hate the supermarket, maybe tomorrow! c
You can add “Butty” to your list as well 🙂
Oh Chip Butty.. I have should have made one of those! c
What a delish idea for using my old iron. In South Africa we call them ‘sarmies’ … alas, too many people here like dyed cheese … 😦
oh you have dyed cheese as well? John loves it. When i first got here I was like Your cheese is the wrong colour, why is it this colour?, milk does not come out of a cow THIS COLOUR!! Well you will have to make your own then, he said.. Little did he know (winky smiley face) OK so in NZ they are sammies, UK they are sarnies and SA they are sarMies.. hmm. we should write a travel book!! c,
Looks pretty gourmet to me. I love that you put that iron to use. Who needs another fancy kitchen gadget you hardly use?
Exactly. Made with NO ELECTRICITY! c
Great use of an old iron, Celi. I use a foil-wrapped brick for both panini and grilled chicken under a brick recipes. It’s probably the Italian in me that goes for cement/mortar type, as opposed to metal, objects. Either way, I love a good grilled sammich!
Sammich!! The brick is interesting though. I might try that I have always had problems with slippage with the iron!! c
I’m not partial to grilled cheddar, but I adore that gorgeous iron. I may have to find something like that to add to my own wee kitchen arsenal. Lovely pics, C, as always 🙂
Hi desi, hope you and your crew are having a great day!! c
Love the look of your sandwich. What a novel use for an old iron.
Thank you, hope you are having a great day! c
What an ingenious and original way of making an eternally tasty Sand Witch! Actually, my Italian Dad always calls then Sangweech….makes me chuckle!
sangweech, so sweet!! those italians! c
Who says it’s not gourmet? It sure looks like it to me. Yes, the winter chores are officially here. Out feeding while dawn lightens the sky. We have a frost-free hydrant outside, so I have water available year round, just so long as I remember to drain the hose every time I use it, but we have lived in many places where chopping ice from water buckets and carrying water were the norm. Love the idea of the iron for the Sand-Witch. 🙂
I am glad to hear I am not alone, I could do with one of those frost free hydrants, I am sure it is on Johns wish list too.. But now I know what to ask for! thank you Ted.. c
Sarnie is what we call them round this part of Sussex, and I had a toasted cheddar on fresh out of the oven wholemeal bread for lunch today. Slapped some tomato and onion on it, and I was all set to go for a few more hours. 😀 Oh, I nearly forgot. My gran had an iron just like that. She used it to keep the kitchen door open because not one door in her house stayed open without a bit of something stuck under it to keep it in place.
Perfect lunch.. SAME HERE with the doors, every time I see an old iron I grab it for just that very job, hence the stubbed toes in the night!!c
My kids call it sandweesheh lol and I am sure yours is better than anything out of a panini gadget
especially with the home made bread, my loaves are so little that i am unlikely to over indulge.. your kids sound so sweet.. c