Best. Sandwich. Ever.

Like most people, we have sandwiches for lunch several days a week at our house. They're quick, easy, inexpensive, delicious -- and the options are endless.

Obviously.

We sometimes fall into a sandwich rut. We have lots of ham and turkey sandwiches, often with mustard, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce (if we have it) and some Miracle Whip. (Sorry, scoffers, it's just too delicious for me to give up!) Emma often requests salami, and rarely I'll venture off the traditional course and get some roast beef. But that's usually it. Again, they're good. But sometimes boring.

So the other day, Aaron and I got into a conversation about what is truly the best sandwich. He favors the day-after-Thanksgiving turkey sandwich. He says there's nothing better. In fact, once or twice a year -- other than for the holidays -- we'll make a turkey mostly so we can make those sandwiches.

I agreed. They're great, especially with the leftover cranberry sauce. But for me, there's only one greatest sandwich. It has nothing to do with turkey. And they're only spectacular for a few short weeks a year. That's right -- the BLT.

Sure, you can make them year-round. But I honestly cannot remember the last time I went to the supermarket and was inspired by the tomatoes. Not even the organic once can get me in the mood for a BLT. The tomatoes must be fresh from the vine. And if they're heirloom, that's even better. I favor romaine or green-leaf lettuce for my BLTs. Iceberg is just OK, and many other kinds (such as arugula) are simply too flavorful for me. Of course, fresh from the farmers market lettuce is my favorite.

And the bacon. Mmmmm, bacon! I've discovered, however, that the tomatoes need to be the star of my sandwich. So I choose excellent bacon, but I only use a slice or two on my sandwich. Otherwise, the saltiness of the meat outshines the sweetness of the tomatoes -- that's a total no-go in my book.

I am picky about the bacon I buy. I've tried turkey bacon several times, but I just don't care for it. I do, however, have two favorites. The first is the Oscar Mayer smokehouse thick-sliced center cut bacon. It's delicious, and two slices are very filling. For when I really want to splurge, I get some Niman Ranch bacon. It's even better, but it's terribly bad for me. The Oscar Mayer, surprisingly, is less fatty and, therefore, better for me.

There's two last must-haves for my BLT: toasted bread and Miracle Whip. I find that untoasted bread gets too soggy from juicy tomatoes. And the Miracle Whip -- maybe it's just a childhood thing that I haven't outgrown. However, I prefer it to regular mayonnaise. And I don't need much -- just a tablespoon or two. Again, can't let anything get in the way of those summer beauties.

Mmmmm. BLTs. There's nothing like a summer splurge. And this is it!

Food for thought

The New York Times Magazine published Aug. 2 had a fascinating article by Michael Pollan. It was about the rise of cooking programs on television, and how it's not necessarily a good thing. While reading it, I thought, "Wow. He and I share a lot of opinions." Of course, his argument is much more eloquent than mine.


Yeah, it's sorta long. But it is a really good argument. In fact, it makes me sad that I've never seen any of Julia Child's first programs.


Read it here at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/magazine/02cooking-t.html?ex=1264910400&en=253f036ffe8627de&ei=5087&WT.mc_id=NYT-E-I-NYT-E-AT-0805-L3. Then let me know what you think.


Bon appetit!

August 8: A great day for a birthday

Saturday was a big day for us. Our little Emma, who it seems we just brought home from the hospital, turned 5. Like most (if not all) children her age, she has been planning her birthday party for months. So like many parents, we indulged her in many of her whims.

But -- don't tell her this -- I rather enjoy the whole process. The treks to the party store, the grocery store, Target, wherever -- it really is fun because she and I do it together. We certainly have had our battles this year, but we still ended up with awesome party.

We opted for a party at the YMCA in Pleasant Hill. We couldn't have been happier with our choice. The party coordinator and her staff helped us with everything. They had a bounce house for the kids, and an awning with table and chairs outside so the guests could do an art project when they weren't bouncing. And they let us have water balloons -- probably everyone's favorite part on that hot afternoon.

I, of course, started worrying about what to serve. The party was from 3 to 5 p.m., an ideal time, but that got me to overthinking the situation. Do I get pizza for everyone? Is just cake and ice cream enough? How about sandwiches? Being on a budget ruled out several things -- for instance, no Baskin-Robbins cake this year. Plus, I had one additional twist I hadn't planned for: a party guest with an egg allergy. Hmm.

So, after hours of thought, I opted for snacks. Chips with guacamole and salsa. Pita chips with tzatziki and hummus. Vegetables with ranch dip. And a big tray full of fruit. Unfortunately, a sick child prevented me from making most of these dips. So off to Trader Joe's, where they offer delicious, low-cost and very convenient versions. I did, however, make my own tzatziki. It's too fast and too delicious to not take the five minutes.

I think the snack food was a good call. Everyone seemed to enjoy all the treats. And they certainly weren't too much on a hot afternoon.

For her cake, Emma wanted an ice cream cake. She's had them for the past few birthdays, and I love to serve them -- mostly because of the temperature in August. Who wants to get the oven going when it's 100 degrees? We found a delicious ice cream cake at Safeway, and at half the price of Baskin-Robbins. Another good choice.

As for the party guest with the allergy, I did a little online searching and found a great recipe. It's a Depression-era cake that eschews dairy products and eggs due to their high costs. Emma and I whipped the recipe up in about two minutes and had cupcakes half an hour later. We iced them using the recipe on the back of the C&H box (for the recipe, see the blog entry on cupcakes), which we doctored up a little. We added pink food coloring and a little raspberry extract. They were delicious! Unfortunately, our guest with the allergy was unable to make it to the party. However, a few others at the party opted for the cupcakes. And Emma and I have been enjoying the leftovers.

The party was an absolute blast -- lots of great friends, wonderful family, fun and games, gifts and, of course, yummy things to eat.

Yeah. It's good to be the birthday girl.

I've included two recipes that I served at the party. The first is for the tzatziki, a Greek cucumber dip that is one of my very favorites. The other is for the egg-free cupcakes.

This recipe is from the April 2004 issue of Cooking Light magazine.

Tzatziki

1 (32 oz.) container plain fat-free yogurt

1 1/2 cups shredded cucumber

3/4 tsp. salt, divided

2 tbsp. chopped fresh mint

1/4 tsp. fresh-ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Place a colander in a large bowl. Line colander with 4 layers of cheesecloth or paper towels, allowing excess to hang over edge of colander. Spoon yogurt into colander. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 12 hours. Spoon drained yogurt into a clean bowl, and discard liquid from yogurt. Cover and refrigerate.

Place cucumber into colander. sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt. Toss well to combine. Drain 15 minutes. Place cucumbers on paper towels; squeeze until barely moist. Combined drained yogurt, cucumber, remaining salt, mint, pepper and garlic. Drizzle with oil.

This recipe is one I found years ago. According to my mom, my grandmother used to make this cake all the time. I just wish it was her specific recipe!

Wacky Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tbsp. white vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Measure flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt into sifter. Sift into an ungreased 9-inch square pan. Make 3 wells in pan with your finger. Put vanilla in one, oil in another and vinegar in the third. Pour cold water over top. Mix with fork until dry ingredients disappear. Batter should be thin. Bake 30 minutes. Cool, then frost and serve from pan.