The Frank Cilanto Sandwich: I Made It My Way!

Food. Who doesn't like to think about, talk about and EAT food? We all do to some extent. I have always enjoyed cooking. It's a perfect opportunity to let creative juices flow; and that's always invigorating for me. All of the senses are awakened when meals are prepared --the vibrant colors of vegetables and fruits, the smells of creative combinations of meat, spices, pasta, vegetables simmering together, and oooh, the textures of crunchy raw carrots, celery, or fresh green peppers dragged through a garlic hummus dip! And then of course, TA-DA!, there's the presentation of the meal!

I like to challenge myself to try to imitate a meal that I previously enjoyed in a restaurant. I'll think about what's in the recipe and recall the flavors. Then I'll try to make it at home for my family. Last week I was in a grocery store that makes fresh sub sandwiches while you wait. They had chopped cilantro as an offering for one of their signature sandwiches. I was pleasantly surprised at the thought of cilantro in a sandwich. My first thought was, 'YUM!' My second thought was, "I'm going to start using cilantro in my sandwiches!" I've been enjoying pondering this, too. Then yesterday I was thinking that I'd like to make some egg salad...and YES, put cilantro in it! I've always liked egg salad sandwiches. My mother made them often for her always-hungry brood of five children. Whether she was taking us to the beach or the golf course, she'd make loads of sandwiches. When I was very young she started a summertime Junior Golf Program at Corry Country Club in Pennsylvania. She loved and played golf all of her life and was a very talented, avid golfer. She wanted to pass on the joy and legacy to the rest of us! 

 

This is my sister, Julie Brown, during one of the Junior Golf days at the Corry Country Club. No, she doesn't look like this now but she is a very talented LPGA Instructor! Mom was so thrilled to see her become a golf pro and enjoy the game!

 

Since Mom was the enthusiastic organizer of the weekly junior competiton, she'd rise early in the morning to make our lunch. She'd take an entire loaf of bread out of the bread bag and make egg salad sandwiches until she ran out of bread slices. Then she'd carefully stack them back in the bread bag and tie it tightly. She took another loaf of bread, lined up the bread on the kitchen counter and either made peanut butter & jelly or baloney sandwiches.  They, too, were carefully stacked back in the bread bag and tied with a twist. Those were tossed in the car with our little golf bags and we headed to the country club! When we finished our little golf competition she'd direct us to the her big basket of bagged sandwiches and we'd devour them. We washed them down with a bottle of pop (soda) purchased in the clubhouse. Sweet, sweet memories!

So please let me direct you back into my kitchen with all the ingredients out to start creating egg salad. And I'm doing it my way....with cilantro. 

Ready or not, here I go!

 

Chop! Chop! Hard boiled eggs. Onions. Celery leaves. Cilantro.

 (Remember I made it my way.)

 

Of course I added mayo and thought it needed a little mustard, too.

TA-DA!

 I call it The Frank Cilantro....because I did it my way! (The bread is whole wheat pita).

 

 

My sweet husband --I think of him as Super Man (not Superman) but a SUPER Man -- does not like egg salad...and the sandwich was staring at me through my camera lens.....

 

...yep! I stood there at the kitchen counter and devoured it. Notice the crunchy pickle didn't have a chance, either. "And now the end [of the sandwich] is near...and so it faced the final curtain...and I made it my wa-a-a-a-a-y!"

And the Tigger glass in the photos? It's just a reminder not to take ourselves too seriously. Any correlation with me and that Tigger character is purely coincidental.

 

"So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do,

do it all for the glory of GOD."

(1 Corinthians 10:31)

 

I sincerely pray that's what I'm doing.

Polly

 

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