Memorial Day Weekend Sandwich Frenzy

So I've been trying really hard not to skew my sandwich count upward by eating sandwiches when I normally would not. As a result, I think I have skewed the count in the other direction. I find myself faced with a choice between a tasty salad and a tasty sandwich and I think, "Do I only want the sandwich for the count? I should get the salad." Who knew counting sandwiches could cause such inner turmoil?
Well, this past weekend I decided to stop worrying about it. As a result I ate a barrage of sandwiches! It started Friday night after a trip to Everett's to get something to grill. Beth wanted to make hamburgers, so that's what we did. We melted pepper chevre and cheddar on them and served them with bacon, lettuce and Dijon mustard. Fantastic!
On Saturday we went over to Ben and Amy's house for a smorgasbord of treats including hot dogs before we went to the Saints baseball game.
On Sunday we went to Beth's mom's house for hot, open-faced turkey sandwiches and an orgy of tv viewing. We stayed long enough that we had a second round of cold turkey sandwiches--just sliced turkey and butter on white bread. Yum.
Then, on Monday, we drove around Lake Pepin. We stopped in Alma, WI and had barbecue sandwiches at Pier 4. They bill themselves as the "best BBQ by a dam site." (They overlook Lock #4 on the Mississippi.) The sandwiches were great--a mix of beef and pork with a few sauces on the side. The sauces were good alone and great when combined.

I feel so much better now.

Lunch With My Peeps

Today we had an ANTM season finale rehash lunch at work. I made a fantastic sandwich for the occasion: telera roll, marinara sauce, grilled eggplant slices and mozzarella. That's close enough to call it an Eggplant Parmesan for the count!
Karen, Karen and Sarah joined me for in depth discussions and behind the scenes dirt thanks to Sarah's inside connection. Apparently the judges deliberated for 6 hours over who would become America's Next Top Model. Ken Mok had to step in to encourage the process, much to Tyra's chagrin. Also, Whitney was generally despised by all crew members. Good times.
We are hatching a scheme to Netflix season 1 and watch it over a series of Sandwich Nights. Anyone game?

Hostage Crisis Over

I'm back and I wrested control on my blog back from Beth. (By the way, nice job on the Jucy Lucy Sandwich Night!)
I spent the last week in Oklahoma City for a conference. I'm cheap so I signed up for as many free meals as I could find. Which meant I ate a series of uninspiring box lunches with mediocre sandwiches. Each box lunch did come with 2 cookies, however. So yummy and so not what my waistline needed!

Jucy Lucy Season Finale!

Hijacked Sandwich night went off with a bang. All three guests; Dawn, Karen, and Lisa had their first Jucy Lucy in classic ANTM style. In honor of the plus size model winner, we threw in Dawn's fabulous root beer floats. Thumbs up for the Jucy Lucy. It was cheesilicious!

Hijacked Sandwich night

Hello fellow hijackers,

Come over anytime after 7:00 pm, Thursday evening. I will place the sandwich night order at 7:15 pm. So, either show up or let me know your order by then. While Matt's does have a more extensive menu, you're choices are this, Jucy with or with out fried onions, fries or no fries.

Rebecca update: Rebecca arrived in Oklahoma at 12:43 am, only three hours later than scheduled. That is a new speed record for flying through Chicago!

Sandwich Night Hijacked!

Rebecca is out of town. I (Beth) have hijacked her site for the purposes of completing the ANTM season. This will be lazy style, the style to which I have become accustomed. I have hockey on Wednesday, and am proposing a Thursday night double header starting with the season finale of The Office, with the taped ANTM finale to follow.

We, or I, depending on who really thinks this is the greatest idea ever, will order Jucy Lucy's from Matts, the only true Jucy Lucy. We will eat in front of the TV, like good Americans!

Who is with me?!

Recent Sandwiches of Note

Our friends Jen and Jr. were in town over last weekend. Unfortunately, we were in Boston for the weekend. We managed to squeeze in lunch together between our flight arriving Monday morning and theirs leaving Monday afternoon. We went the Birchwood Cafe and I had this beauty. It's called the 7 layer Delight and it was quite delightful. I can't remember all of the layers, but there was definitely roasted beets, jicama, spicy micro greens and some sort of bean puree. Yum!
Yesterday we had to go to Everett's to pick up bacon and sausage for Beth's mother's day breakfast. We were hungry at the time so we picked up some Everett's homemade salami and brought it home for sandwiches. I used green olive sourdough bread, yellow mustard, provolone and lettuce. Deelish!
Yay for using up two more tablespoons of yellow mustard as well!

Chickenyliciousness

We had chicken parmesan sandwiches for Sandwich Night last week. Beth made some kick ass tomato sauce and I used a recipe for "light" baked chicken parmesan. (Not because I was trying to cut calories in the sandwich. This is Sandwich Night, after all! I used it because it sounded easy.) You toss wheat bread, shredded parmesan cheese, olive oil, herbs and salt and pepper in a food processor and grind it up. Then you dip the chicken breasts in flour, then egg, then the breadcrumbs. The recipe called for only coating one side of the chicken. I opted for both and I baked them on a rack set on a cookie sheet so both sides would get crispy. Just before the chicken is cooked through, you sprinkle shredded mozzarella and provolone on the breasts and let it melt and brown. It was quite delicious--I'll make that recipe again! I used long foccacia from the New French Bakery store for the bread. (They discount everything after 4 on weekdays--check it out!) I spread garlic butter on the split bread and toasted it. I also served up sauteed crimini mushrooms and hot giardiniera peppers to go with the sandwiches. I put some extra sauce in a dipping cup for good measure.And if you recognize the pattern of provolone, mushrooms and hot peppers, then you will have deduced that Angie came! It was so nice to have our little Angie back for a Sandwich Night! Yay!
Kate, Karen, Lisa and Sienna the dog came as well. Karen brought Burgess bars for dessert--a secret family recipe involving marshmallows, graham crackers, peanut butter and butterscotch. And a diabetic coma. But soooo worth it.
It was a good episode of ANTM--we got to yell at the TV and stop and rewind a bunch. And while we not sad that batshit crazy Dominique got thrown off, we were surprised she got the boot before Whitney. All of our allegiance to her as a fellow big girl has evaporated due to her mean girl personality. She'll go next, mark my words.

Chicken Parmesan it is!

The poll had tacos, patty melt and chicken Parmesan running neck and neck until chicken Parmesan pulled ahead at the last minute. So, we will be having chicken Parmesan sandwiches on Wednesday and watching ANTM. The viewing will begin around 8:30 since Beth has hockey at 6:45. See you there!

All Star Sandwiches!

My sister in law has been promising me a trip to the All Star Sandwich Bar for a while now. Those promises finally paid off this trip. We ended up going twice!
On the first visit, I ordered the Veggie Cuban. It has a bunch of grilled vegetables, Swiss cheese, pickle, and a yummy sauce. A lovely combo.
Meghan got the Funky which has Texas style brisket, avocado, cheese, lettuce and tomato. She gave me a bite (for research purposes, of course!). It was delicious! My dad got the Cuban and Beth had a 1/2 panini with salami and roasted red pepper.
The sandwiches gave me the fuel I needed to finish decorating Lila's cake.
The next day, as I was working on my nephew's cake, my brother suggested a trip to Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage. Our plans were thwarted, however, by a very long line of customers spilling out of the door and into the rain. Luckily, the All Star is nearby! I drowned my Mr. Bartley's disappointment in an All Star Patty Melt.
Rye bread, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, caramelized onions and a burger patty. Quite delicious. And it gave me the strength I needed to decorate the Train Cake my mom so kindly baked!

Can I get a Teamster Sandwich?

Last night we got the kids in bed in time to watch The Office and 30 Rock and I'm so glad we did. 30 Rock was hysterical. It included a plotline about a legendary sandwich brought in by the Teamsters every year. I won't reveal any of the twists and turns because you should watch it.

Belmont Sandwich Night!

We are visiting with my family in Boston this weekend. We had to have a quick dinner tonight so my niece could get to her swim practice. My sister in law put together a build your own sandwich buffet with sourdough bread, olive bread and potato rolls; Niman Ranch Jamon (super YUM!), roasted turkey, sliced Swiss and American cheese; lettuce and cucumber; and mayonnaise and Dijon mustard.
While we were eating my niece said, "We're having a Sandwich Night!"
It's true!
In the true Sandwich Night spirit of innovation, my dad added Kettle Chip Salt and Black Pepper chips to his turkey and cheese on potato roll.
Yay for our first family Sandwich Night! Hopefully we can get the kids into bed in time to watch The Office to make it a true sandwich and TV occasion.

Plane-wiches

Beth and I flew to Boston last night to attend birthday parties for my niece and my nephew. I had enough time to make a dinner for the plane: cheese and pickle sandwiches with chips, guacamole, pineapple and Girl Scout cookies. I slipped the guacamole past security (is it a gel a liquid?) by putting it in a small container and including it in my 1 quart baggie. Beth told me to say it was face cream if they asked. Hee hee.

Anyways, the sandwiches were great. I used good sourdough, Carr Valley Baby Cheddar and Branston Pickle. Perfect!