Sandwiches and hiking don't really go together, since the bread inevitably gets squished and the fillings get mushy banging around in your back pack. Tortillas and pita bread can survive, but it's better if you assemble on site.
It's even better if you can choose from everyone's snacks to fill the pita--hummus, salami, avocado, and carrots. It may sound weird, but it was awesome. And what a view!
When Beth and I went car camping with our friends in the Utah desert, we took everything except the kitchen sink. And lunch. Luckily, there was a natural foods coop on the way with tasty sandwiches. I'm a total sucker for curried chicken salad, aren't you?
Not only was the chicken salad delicious, the sandwich was stuffed with fresh veggies like carrots and yellow peppers. Perfect! If you find yourself in Mancos, CO, stop by Zuma and check out their sandwiches.
Angie just graduated from massage school so we had to have a Sandwich Night to celebrate. No massage theme, here (although something involving wagyu beef would have been appropriate if we hadn't just blown our life savings on Tinkerbelle's heart condition). Instead, we brainstormed something appropriately Angie like--Jucy Lucy sliders! Why sliders? So we could make a few flavor combos AND eat them all.
We stared out by rolling the ground beef out thinly--about 1/4 inch. You can't go too thin, or you'll get holes. Then we cut out small rounds with a cookie cutter. 
Then we filled them with three different combos. This is sharp cheddar, grilled onions and bacon.
This one was blue cheese, bacon and garlic. (That's also the one at the top of the post.)
And finally, the one we dubbed the Muffuletta Lucy: provolone, prosciutto, and olive salad made from green olives, garlic and capers. This one deserves a spot on the menu at the Blue Door Pub, I think. I'd also like to try it with ground turkey. 
Once the fillings were in, we added a second patty and pinched the edges together. This is important. You really have to get a good seal or the sides will open up during cooking and your lovely fillings will spill into the pan instead of into your mouth. We fried them up, just like they do at Matt's. Fry them on one side until nicely browned, then flip them and poke a hole in the top to relieve the pressure. Otherwise, your Jucy Lucy might spring a leak. Horrors.
Beth and I took a vacation to Colorado and Utah last week. Our plans were slightly delayed, however, by one naughty airline passenger in Los Angeles who ran off with his carry on bag before it could be screened. They had to shut down 3 terminals to look for him. Due to the interconnected nature of modern air travel, our flight to Colorado was delayed for two hours. Of course we found this out after we got to the airport, so we had some time to kill.
When I laid out the spread for our Club Mit sandwiches the other night, I completely forgot to include the three avocados I had been carefully ripening for the occasion. That's a lot of avocado to use up quickly.
To make the Club Mit, we had Seward Coop's sliced roasted turkey and Everett's bacon for the Club side. Then I got French banh mit rolls from a Vietnamese grocery store. Kris made daikon and carrot pickles. And I put my brand new mandoline slicer to use by slicing jalapenos and cucumbers. And I had to use the julienne attachment to make more carrot pickles. That's a fun new toy. I finished up the spread with cilantro, spicy mayo and regular mayo.
Kris also brought the "I'm not here to make friends" stinky appetizer:Holyland Deli garlic dip. This dip is made from garlic, oil, and lemon. That's it. It's blended to a smooth consistency and is so garlicky it could possibly kill you if you ate too much of it. Yum! Some people (Karen) even spread the garlic dip on their Club Mit.
They were really good--all the gooey sweetness of s'mores with a little crunch from the sugar coating on the Peep. We used blue chicks.
Did I mention that they were messy? Here's some proof. 
We also had some Peepshi, courtesy of Kris and seriouseats. They were showy and surprisingly delicious. Nice work everyone!
On Thursday I went out for cemitas at La Fonda. Cemitas are similar to tortas, but are served on big, soft sweet buns with sesame seeds. They are fantastic. The soft and sweet bread is a good counter to all the savory goodness inside. I got carnitas, but they also have a tasty milanesa. In addition to meat, there's avocado, Oaxacan string cheese, lettuce, beans, hot pickles and hot sauces. There's probably more stuff in there, too. It's a messy gooey treat!
On Friday, I went for sandwiches at the St. Paul Cheese Shop. It's a pretty new store, right by my alma mater, Macalester. I had heard about it, but didn't know they made sandwiches with their fancy cheeses and cured meats. Now I do, thanks to Karen! 
I ordered ham, butter and comte cheese on a ciabatta roll. 
Karen got Spanish chorizo, manchego and quince paste on ciabatta. My sandwich was simple and delicious. The ham, butter, and cheese were all high quality and the flavors worked well together. Condiments are unnecessary when the ingredients are great. I had a bite of Karen's sandwich and it was pretty awesome. I also had to get one of their gooey Valrhona chocolate brownies for good measure. It was very good, almost as good as mine!
The St. Paul Cheese Shop is located a couple of doors away from the original Dunn Brothers coffee, so you can pick up a tasty cold press coffee to go with your sandwich. The coffee tastes better at the original, don't you think?
