radish canapes

• fresh radishes, sliced thin
• fresh baguette, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
• spreadable cheese, I used rondele

Spread cheese onto slices of bread, top with radish slices and serve.

The dish: If you're new to the party, then you may not know that the red room is equipped with a deli slicer. I began slicer ownership with the idea of lunch meats and sandwiches, not thinking much beyond that. After the initial awe of making creations that would leave Dagwood jealous wore off, that's when the real learning began. Slicing veggies and bread wasn't something that I thought of the first time I took my slicer out of the box, but I can't imagine how I ever got along without it. There's an old saying, "if the only tool you have is a hammer, then everything will look like a nail". While this is true, figuring out new uses for your existing tools is a great compliment to acquiring new ones. I haven't figured out any thing else to do with a hammer, but I've learned that the usefulness of the slicer doesn't end when you're not eating cold cuts.

turkey with mixed spring greens and apples on rye

• thin sliced turkey breast (I roasted and sliced my own)
• 1 red delicious apple, slice thin
• mixed greens of your liking
• good quality mustard
• good quality rye bread

Assemble sandwich in this order: bread, mustard, turkey, apple, greens, top piece of bread. My many years in deli work have made me nutty with always making sure that condiments go on the bottom and veggies always go on top. Any greens will work, but if you're near a Hannaford pick up the spring mix with herbs. Likewise, use whatever mustard tickles you, I had some spicy brown Grey Poupon which rocked. I roasted and sliced my own turkey breast, but if your kitchen doesn't look like the inside of a deli any good turkey will work, but I avoid Boar's Head like the plague as their meats are nothing but a celebration of funk and salt.

The dish: I really miss the 90s sometimes. It could just be short term nostalgia but things really seemed so much newer and brighter in the decade that introduced us to cell phones and Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Although one part of the 90s I certainly don't long for anymore is what I like to call Seinfelditis, the tendency in almost any conversation for someone to make some analogy using an episode of the fabled TV show: wow, you like junior mints too? this is just like that time on Seinfeld... In the decade since Jerry has gone the way of the beanie baby and the phenomenon has mostly died out. That is of course until someone finds out I own a deli slicer, and then I always get remember the Seinfeld where Kramer feed the cat with the slicer? I'm not much of a TV person to begin with and the show never struck a chord with me, but the slicer episode is one of the two I've actually seen (the junior mints one being the other) and it was pretty funny, but slightly tragic when Elaine leveled her heel with the blade. Truth be told, the occasional bout of Seinfelditis is a small price to pay for the convenience of owning a slicer. Whether it's making my own lunch meats, slicing vegetables, or cutting perfectly even pieces of crostini for fresh bruschetta, the slicer is a must have for the red room. I highly advocate picking one up, just like Seinfeld you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.