food

Open Faced Summertime Tomato Sandwich {& a Nasoya Nayonaise Review}

July 16, 2013

I haven’t been into cooking during the week. I try to do all my ‘big’ cooking done over the weekend and then just make something simple like boxed mac and cheese during the week. It’s too hot. I’m too tired. I don’t care.

But since I can’t live on boxed mac and cheese alone (or can I?), I’ve been trying to make some simple salads or sandwiches, besides PBJ. One that I have been turning to is a summer time favorite… a tomato sandwich.

I just feel that you can’t beat fresh summer produce so you should take every opportunity you can to enjoy it. And don’t mess around with it too much. Some bread, your favorite mayo, fresh greens, and slices of juice ripe tomato. Plus don’t forget the fresh cracked salt and pepper. Really, enjoy the best of every ingredient since there are only 4.

I recently received some Vegan Nayonsise from Nasoya to try. I’ve really been enjoying it on sandwiches, in dips for fries, and on burgers. Yes, I know. Dumb Dumb puts vegan mayo on a meaty burger. I’m pregnant. That’s my free card to do whatever. But really, because it is so good I’ve been putting it on and in all different things. I think that’s really impressive since I ONLY use Hellmann’s. Don’t try to give me Cain’s or Miracle Whip.

So naturally, I was hesitant to try the Original Nayonaise. But I was really pleasantly surprised with how much I liked it. No, this is not your typical mayo since it is Dairy and Egg Free, which means it is not going to taste the same or look the same as a ‘normal’ mayo but it really is very good. I think it is a great solution for someone to enjoy if they are vegetarian, vegan, or have a food allergy.

I had done some side by side comparisons while playing around with the Nayonaise by making some foods with it and some with regular mayo and mixing them up. If you were not really looking out for the difference I think you would not really notice it. The taste is subtually tangier than Hellmann’s, but I don’t think that is a bad thing. I never experienced a funny after taste with the Nayonaise either. I think the biggest difference I noticed was that it has a different texture compared to mayo. When mayo is pretty smooth, it is rather gummy, but I didn’t notice any problems mixing it up or spreading it on my sandwich.

Besides it being a great product for vegetarians, vegans, or people with food allergies, I think it would be great for people who are watching their figure. Compared to the average mayo that has 90 calories, 10 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat per serving, the Nayonaise has only 40 calries, 3 grams of fat, and .5 grams of saturdated fat per serving. The Nayonaise has slightly more sodium with 115 grams compared to 90 grams but overall a very healthy mayo alternative.

For real… look at this amazing perfect summertime sandwich.

Nom, Nom, Nom!!!

Open Faced Summertime Tomato Sandwich

Makes 4 ‘sandwiches’

Ingredients

1 boule of sourdough bread
your favorite mayo, such as Nasoya’s Vegan Nayonaise
2-4 super fresh tomatoes, depends on size
4 leaves of romaine lettuce
salt and pepper

Process

Slice the sourdough into 1/4″ thick slices. Lightly toast, if desired.
Slather on a generous amount of mayo.
Lay on torn pieces of romaine lettuce. Top with 1/4″ thick slices of tomatoes.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

*While I did receive this complimentary jar of Nayoniase from Nasoya, these opinions are entirely my own.

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Top 24 Recipes of 2012

December 31, 2012

What a year 2012 has been!! It’s been a crazy busy year for me. We bought a house, moved towns, had a summer filled with traveling near and far, and our later part of the year has finally allowed us to catch our breath. And now we’re getting a dog. We just never stop.

It was fun to go back through the blog to pick out 12 fan favorite and my 12 favorite recipes that I wanted to share again. Out of sight, out of mind… but these recipes need to have a special place in my dinner/dessert/drink repertoire. And I hope your’s as well.

So here’s the 24 recipes of 2012!

January

Fan Favorite: Spaghetti with Chickpeas

My Favorite: Spinach Salad with Shrimp, Avocado, and Grapefruit with Citrus Vinaigrette

February

Fan Favorite: Very Berry Sangria

My Favorite: Biscoff Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

March

Fan Favorite: Quinoa and Brussels Sprouts Salad

My Favorite: Irish Coffee Blondies

April

Fan Favorite: Slow Cooker ‘Roast’ Chicken

My Favorite: Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

May

Fan Favorite: Sugar Cookie Bars

My Favorite: Garlic Lemon Shrimp

June

Fan Favorite: Cheesy Garlic Knots

My Favorite: Garlic Butter Noodles with Scallions and Sambal

July

Fan Favorite: Baked S’mores Bars

My Favorite: Honeydew Melon Sorbet

August

Fan Favorite: S’mores Chex Mix

My Favorite: Mini Creamsicle Cheesecakes with Creamsicle Oreo Cookie Crusts

September

Fan Favorite: Spiced Black Bean, Grilled Avocado, and Goat Cheese Tacos

My Favorite: (I had 1 recipe post for all of Sept… WTF… ha!)

October

Fan Favorite: Bacon, Mushroom, Onion, and Cheese Stuffed Bread

My Favorite: Apple Pie Squares

November

Fan Favorite: Extra Cheesy Brussels Sprout Gratin

My Favorite: (Almost) No Baste Bacon Covered Turkey

December

Fan Favorite: Caramel Chocolate Kiss Cookies

My Favorite: Sausage and Lentil Soup

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I hope that everyone has a fantastic time celebrating New Year’s Eve and that they have an amazing year ahead!

Our Cruise Dining- Carnival Cruise 4 night New England/Canada Cruise

July 25, 2012

Did you know that avg cruise passenger gains one and 1/2 pounds PER DAY?

Yep! Well that is what Cruise Director Josh said during an info session on Friday morning on our first day Fun Day at Sea. Umm, excuse me? 1 1/2 pounds is 5,250 calories. An extra 5,250 a day! How the hell is that possible?!?! As I sat there in stunned disbelief I started to consider that on a cruise people would eat larger, more indulgent meals, eat more often, and drink a lot of high caloric alcoholic drinks. Well that made me immediately want to die. It actually was good to hear that as it made more much more aware of what I was ordering and made me (try to stick to) the 3 bite rule for desserts.

Here is a little run down on the meals we had in the main dining rooms. There were plenty of amazing food that we enjoyed from the buffets and serving stations for other meals but I didn’t bring my camera around for everything. I do really suggest going to the Mongolian BBQ (Stir Fry) station because that was so good… glass noodles with shrimp. yum!

For sit down meals in the main dining rooms there was a menu that had the standard menu items (left page) and the specials of the day (right page).

-Thursday Dinner-

Cream of Sun-Dried Tomato Soup. Must make this at home

Grilled Flat Iron Steak- Price didn’t get to eat this tonight, he had a horrible headache and went to bed. I was tempted to eat 2 dinners, but I didn’t. I swear!

Steamed fish on a bed of tomatoes & onions, a teeny tiny portion of mac & cheese, and steamed, glazed carrots. Everything about this was perfect

-Friday Lunch-

The weather was crappy and it was the first day at sea so we decided to have a long lunch in the dining room instead of the various stations on the lido deck.

My California roll sushi and Price’s Mongolia Hot Pot. We both loved our appetizers. The sushi roll was made with real crab, none of that imitation junk!

Shrimp and crap sandwich. Not what I expected but it was good. I did find that all of their tomatoes were not a great quality and/or under ripe and didn’t eat any on the cruise.

Creme Caramel. ‘nuf said

-Friday Dinner-

Must hydrate after an afternoon lying out by the Azure Lido (adult only) Pool. We split a bottle of wine for dinner. (Maybe that’s why I fell asleep during the show that night!)

Stuffed mushroom starter. This was very light and so good! Mushrooms stuffed with spinach and topped with some cheese.

Broiled lobster and shrimp with mashed potatoes and broccoli. I heard some people swapping out the shrimp to get some steak instead- wow!

Melty chocolate cake and a carmel apple napoleon. The chocolate cake was insanely rich and the portion was insanely large. I honestly think they should make it half the size, which is what we had and that was pushing it. The napoleon was great and will be easily recreated at home.

-Saturday Breakfast-

Just as the woman next to Price said ‘No, thank you. It’s too early for a drink.’ I ordered one for us. That is just how we roll. It was 8.10 in the morning.

Worst eggs benedict that I have ever had. I had a side of hash. I ignored at as well as I was so turned off from the meal in general. At least that meant I had room for a great lunch in Saint John.

-Saturday Dinner-

ah-MAH-zing french onion soup

Penne with shrimp, scallops, calamari, and mussels. This reminded me of penne al la vodka, but with very fresh sea food.

We always ordered different desserts so we could always have a taste of each other’s. We shared the date and fig cinnamon cake with rum raisin ice cream and a diet lemon cake.

-Sunday Dinner-

My starter: Maryland crab cake | Price’s starter: small portion of the grilled chicken breast over pasta with a mushroom cream sauce

I did not like this as it had olives- which the menu did not say. I picked out all the olives but I could not get past it to enjoy it.

Orange souffle with a vanilla cream sauce. This was the after pic.

I give a lot of credit to the chefs and staff on board for preparing and serving such wonderful dishes. I’m proud of myself when I can cook for a party but I can’t imagine cooking for THOUSANDS of people. Amazing job.

7.13-15: weekend recap

July 16, 2012

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Best Pancakes Ever- Polly’s Pancake Parlor

July 9, 2012

We don’t typically have pancakes at home. I tend to burn them or ruin them in the flip. Plus I tend to enjoy waffles more. Mitch Hedberg and I would have been best brunch friends as we share similar views on pancakes and waffles.

That being said Polly’s Pancake Parlor is the only place that I LOVE for pancakes. We typically only go there when we are camping in the Whites, as a 2 1/2 hour drive just for breakfast is a little tough. So while we were in the area to see the sunrise at Mt. Washington, Price planned on us going there to have breakfast. sweet!

While they have a large menu we each go to the pancake sampler when we are there. Price went with plain blueberry, whole wheat walnut, and cornmeal coconut with a side of bacon.

I had cornmeal (no add-in’s), whole wheat blueberry, and plain chocolate chip with a side of sausage. nom nom nom!!!

They bring the pancakes out in 2 batches so that by the time you are nearing the finish line your pancakes are not cold!! The pancakes are so good and are such a treat but they still got the best of me and I left defeated- ha!

This cat found Price and had some fun running around after him as he was making a call. Clearly the cat knew Price is highly allergic and knew it would be much appreciated to rub its body all over him.