It’s officially summer… how do I know it’s officially summer… 1.) Because I just declared it… and B.) We don’t need a B because I just durn declared it was so and that makes it so. My ego is about to explode y’all from all of this declaring talk. Moving on. I know it’s officially summer because I had my first taste of summer in the form of my most favorite sandwich in the universe! The UNIVERSE! (when they make a sandwich out of chocolate and more chocolate, give me a call and I’ll be changing my opinion). Y’all might want to get your pens and notepads out. This sandwich is a difficult sucker to master. The culinary wonders of the world have had difficulty getting this guy just right. Don’t attempt this at home without professional assistance… I attended and graduated from the Using Your Toaster Institute of Technology so I do have me a toasting degree. Here’s what you’ll need:
- LIGHT Miracle Whip (mayonnaise is not an acceptable substitute unless you enjoy the taste of glue)
- Bread (I used my favorite Harper’s Homemade Bran Bread at 80 calories a slice, but I suppose some less superior brand will do :P)
- A Toaster… and a degree from the Toaster Institute of Idiots… oh and maybe a plug and electricity… though, my brain is so powerful, I was just able to stare intently at the contraption and it began it’s toasting duties.
- Swiss cheese (sliced… I once tried a whole block of swiss cheese… the traffic done backed up into the next town!)
- Pepper (you can also opt to use his cuzzin, Salt, but Whitney’s ankles are currently in a fued with pepper’s cuzzin)
- Tomaters (sliced… I ain’t graduated from knife using college, but I somehow managed)
- Lettuce and onions (OPTIONAL, Rabbits… OPTIONAL!)
- Cucumbers, soaked overnight in a brine of half vinegar and half water (you can also opt to cut up some onion in there for flavor)… the soaking cucumbers should swim around like so:
May they rest in peace... poor little buggers...
So, basically… this intricate recipe starts with the toasting of the bread… I like to toast mine as long as possible without burning it (only took me 7 tries this time!!) that way the liquid from the maters and cumbers don’t soak through the bottom piece as fast. The swiss cheese goes on one side of the bread to help block the mater juices and half a tablespoon of LIGHT Miracle Whip is spread on the other side. Then, you stack the maters on top of the cheese and follow those up with the vinegar cucumbers, optional lettuce and onion, and some pepper.
Do not even talk to me right now… I’m eating in heaven. GLORY HALLELUJAH! This must be what it’s like to enter the Farmer’s Market Pearly Gates… and he declared it was good. Calorizers… 280 calories (with my ingredients), and it’s like you’re taking a bite out of your garden… except with less worms, dirt, and manure. I think this was a Berger family favorite (correct me if I’m wrong) because I remember my mom making this during the summertime for dinner when I was a kid (except substituting the cheese with bacon). It wasn’t until I had my first bite of this sandwich had summer officially begun!
Question of the Day: What food(s) do you associate most with summer?
craving a life 
A good watermellon (which we had with you last week-end)! Bought one here–not so good. I remember my mom fixing cucumbers like that–I’ll have to try it.
See… I think picking a good watermelon is 99% luck and 1% how deep it sounds. Here’s to future good watermelon picking!
Squash! I love squash! Anything from raw on a salad to fried. Yes fried! And I do find a way to fit it in! YUM!
You will have to teach me how to love squash. Maybe it’s because I’ve only had it one way… cooked… but I can’t get past the texture!
Probably corn on the cob. I’ll have to try that sandwich when I can get some REAL tomatoes. I’m not a gardener–having been raised working on my dad’s farm I rebel against such things as growing my own food, but there is nothing quite like a home grown tomato!!
Corn on the cob is a summertime MUST! And AMEN about the garden grown tomaters. There is no comparison when you can get one straight off the vine!
Yep, I think I would have to agree that it sounds like a Berger favorite as my Mom made them all the time too and I believe it was passed on to Cindy. Me not so much. The corn on the cob sounds like summer to me though except it doesn’t grow up here in Alaska.
Oh Cary… the vinegar cucumber genes must have skipped over you! You need to come down here to eat you some corn. We have some dang good corn later in the summer!
Question of the Day: What food(s) do you associate most with summer?
BLTs ( bacon, lettuce, and tomato ) for sure!
Fresh farm raised tomatoes are so good. I don’t like those hot house maters…blech – no flavor.
Watermelon & Canteloupe & fresh corn – oh yeh! – Bought fresh right off the farmers truck or roadside. YUM!
Really good BBQ always makes me think of summer.
Berry Farm berries where you go and pick them yourself by the flats…YUM! Blackberries the size of a man’s thumb, red raspberries, golden raspberries, Gooseberries ( for pie -YUM) and really big fat and flavorful blueberries – THE BEST!!!
Peach farm peaches – you pick! AWESOME!
A good old fashioned Fish Fry also makes me think of summer.
A big ol’ banana split is also a summer time MUST!
End of the summer bottom farm raised baking pumpkins are the BEST!
I love summer!
How could I leave out the APPLES – love love love the apple picking !!!
What an awesome summer food list! Makes me want to make sure I eat everyone of them before the summer is over! Gotta love the Farmer’s Markets. Vegetables don’t compare in the store!
I’d have to agree that this sandwich is totes (see, I’m catching on) the best sandwich in the world and so good for you. Sometimes I get so many tomatoes and cucumbers on it that I have to just set it on a plate and cut it up.
Lately though, I’ve been craving baked beans. That reminds me of barbecues and summer.
Good job on the totes usage mommy! THat’s where I got my gene from then… piling on too many maters and cumbers!
I absolutely love garden-grown tomatoes. They taste so much better than the store-bought ones. My all-time favorite summertime meal is in the late summer when all the produce comes on and it’s a BLT (with the Harper’s homemade bread – delish!) with fresh tomatoes, corn on the cob, and fresh peaches.
Dude… home-grown tomaters are the best thing in the universe!! I could eat those all day… and corn on the cob. I’m ready to get me to the farmer’s market!
I love raspberries and peaches, though peaches are more of an early fall fruit.