Roasted Vegetable Sandwich

To me, there are not many things that are as satisfying as a sandwich. No matter what you are in the mood for, there is probably a sandwich that would tickle your fancy. I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things, no real particular plan. I was getting my usual weekly vegetables of zucchini and yellow squash when I noticed how good the eggplants looked. Eggplant parm is my all-time favorite dish, so anything with eggplant sounds good to me. I had roasted a lot of vegetables last week as a side dish, so I thought mmmm roasted eggplant. Then I wandered by the bread selection and saw a fabulous loaf of sun-dried tomato and herb bread. A good bread is possibly the key to any sandwich. I decided I would make a roasted vegetable sandwich for dinner, so I picked up a red onion and a nice soft hunk of fresh mozzarella.

I roasted the vegetables with just some olive oil, fresh cracked pepper, and a little bit of italian seasoning. Once they were done, I brushed each side of the bread with a little more olive oil and let them crisp a little in the saute pan. Once the bread was done, I stacked the eggplant first, then squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and red onions. Then I topped the vegetables with a slice of fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of olive oil. Just looking at the finished product caused me to salivate. My first bite was nothing short of scrumptrelescent (thank you Will Ferrell). I have to say, I think the bread really made this sandwich, the crust was crispy and flavorful while the inside of it was delicate and airy. The earthy flavor of all the vegetables fit perfectly with the bread, the softness of the eggplant with the crunch of the red onion and then the creaminess of the mozzarella...mmm truly a magical bite. Now, when I sat down to eat I thought it would be pretty good, but after the first bite I was just in awe of the deliciousness of this sandwich. It was satisfying, wholesome, and flavorful. If you love roasted vegetables, you would love this sandwich.

4th of July Deliciousness

Mmm food. So this is my first blog entry and I thought it would be appropriate to share some of the delicious morsels I ate over 4th of July weekend. I ventured out of Delaware and up to an old family vacation spot in Maine where my older brother happens to live in. We spent most of the time on Sebago Lake, grilling, eating, and of course, watching fireworks. Now onto the more important things - what I ate all weekend.

Sometimes (or a lot of times) you just want a big, juicy, meaty burger. Burgers and hot dogs just seem to go with summer, especially the 4th of July. So naturally we grilled on the Lake for lunch. The first burger I had was by far the best. It was cooked just to my liking - medium well (all you medium rare people probably wouldn't appreciate it, I apologize). The meat was juicy and plump and perfectly topped with a slice of melted cheddar cheese. Then I added some traditional toppings - sliced tomato, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and relish. All very ordinary ingredients, but let me tell you, the first bite into this burger was magical. The juicy meat and creamy melted cheese melded together along with the tangyness of the toppings. I couldn't have asked for a better burger. Mmm I want another one right now. Hats off to my big broski for his grilling skills.

Now onto bigger and better things - Dinner.
My brother fired up his grill every night as we indulged in classic summertime dining - steak tips, ribs, potatoes, corn on the cob, etc etc. The steak tips had been marinated in a Lowry's marinade (Steak & Chop flavor). If you have not tried this marinade, it is a MUST. It is a mixture with black pepper and garlic with a great tang to it. It's pretty much mouth watering. My sister-in-law made a great refreshing summer salad as a side dish as well. It was romaine lettuce, mandarin oranges, fresh strawberries, chopped pecans, and an asian sesame ginger dressing. The lightness of the salad went along great with the meatyness of the steak. These steak tips though, mmm. You could have cut them with a fork they were so tender. One bite was a giant burst of flavor in your mouth. I might be drooling just writing this, might be.

More importantly, what is a trip to Maine without fresh Maine lobster? That would be a giant failure my friend. After a long day of boating and swimming, lobster was the main dish for dinner. Now I really have never been a huge fan of seafood but I have a newfound love of lobster, calamari, and coconut shrimp, so I was not passing up the opportunity to indulge in a plump Maine lobster. After patiently awaiting the boiling process, I was rewarded with "Mikey." Yes, my lobster had a name thanks to my niece and nephew who named all of them before the were boiled. Poor little Mikey. Anywho, the lobster was fantastic. It was well worth the giant amount of work and energy it takes to actually get the lobster meat out of the shell. The claw meat is by far my favorite - so tender and flavorful. Lets not forget how good lobster is when dipped in melted butter. You could dip anything in melted butter and it would taste good. I got about half way through the lobster and decided I was going to have to hand it over to my Dad for help. After the steak tips, corn and salad, I just couldn't take another bite. My Dad is pretty much a human garbage disposal, so don't worry - no piece of lobster went to waste.

When I was younger, I was the fat kid. For real. And I loved ribs. I was notorious for "taking a bath" in the ribs. I always ended up with a pile of bones in front of me and a face painted with BBQ sauce. My brother actually has a very blackmail-worthy picture of my rib indulgence as a fatty. But that's neither here nor there. Of course, I absolutely dove into these ribs my brother made last weekend - but I will happily say I was not covered in BBQ sauce nor did I have a giant pile of bones in front of me. I guess I've learned some manners. Anyways these ribs were amazing. SO incredibly meaty and the taste - tangy with a hint of sweetness. They were dry rubbed, slathered with sweet baby ray's BBQ sauce and doused with some beer, which my brother believes is the key ingredient to everything. He may be onto something as these ribs really were fantastic and they were HUGE. They weren't your typical grocery store ribs, literally they were the biggest ribs I've ever seen. Mmm well I don't know about you but now I am hungry so until next time, Ciao!