THE BREAKFAST BOMB scrambled eggs + french toast

So I think we can all agree breakfast is the best meal of the day. At least up until that point in the day. And it's becoming pretty clear from this blog I have a predilection for breakfast sandwiches. Just think about it, you finally peel yourself out of bed, hazy, and stiff, and having to face the world, and get shit done? Well, I need a little more convincing than that. So first thing I do, tends to be putting on some tea or coffee, and getting to work giving myself a real reason to be awake, and for me, that is food.

THE AB AND BANANA MELT almond butter + banana + gruyère

I love bananas, but I just can't, and don't ever eat them plain. There's always a better way. They're like toast. Never fewer than 3 things on 'em. Served on a plate. Sliced. There's usually a fork involved. I've just become really fucking particular about how I like things, and I'm wondering whether that makes me "difficult", but I'd rather think of it in terms of I put the extra effort into maximal enjoyment of my food/life. I don't own clothes I don't love. I don't go to shows I'm not into. I don't spend my time with people who aren't engaging. I don't eat my bananas plain. Here's some toast, and banana, meeting in this cheesy melt. No need for either of them to be lonely, there's lots of garnish to keep them in good company.

THE WALK IN THE PARK red anjou pear grilled cheese

The sandwich is sublime, and memorable, without an ounce of try-hard. Like my favourite shirt, I could eat it every day of the week, but instead break it out with the infrequency to keep it special. 

This sandwich, for me, will always be a classic. It's effortless, yet impressive. Simple, while still totally indulgent. It's a laid back, unpretentious grilled cheese, with sophistication. Like the sandwich equivalent of linen. It's also a top shelf idea for any occasion, any company. It's my take on a sandwich I used to order all the time at my favourite food spot in Toronto. On lazy days, or days, I would head out across Trinity Bellwoods park, visit the small galleries down the Ossington strip, then hang a left, and head for my favourite park-adjacent brunch hangout. It's got a classic, 50s diner layout, but none of the kitch. It boasts an all teak bar, with crystal glassware shelved behind, a vintage beverage fridge, and an open-air oyster icebox. The booths are small and intimate, each with a tall coat stand, that serves as a canopy in the cold months, with so many coats. The menu is short, and very carefully chosen. It's the kind of place I couldn't afford at night, but my friends and I used to frequent the brunch menu. We'd get a few dishes, share them around. It's simple food, done with an instinctual flourish. My favourite was their grilled cheese with bartlett pear, served with a chilli tomato compote, and a side of olives. It was a ritual I'd do when I needed out of a funk, or any time I'd have an out of town visitor. That, and a walk back through the park, could cure anything. 

heirloom cherry tomato + roast red pepper + 3 cheese melt

So, I have some wonderful guests visiting from France, and as happens when you're all most distracted with having lots of fun, and doing as many things as possible, things start to fall by the wayside, and you forget to do things like sweep the floors, take out the mountain of empties, and get groceries and stuff. So this was one of those sandwiches where I was like "Ah, we have nothing to eat", but realistically, more like, "we have definitely enough things in the fridge, just nothing left that I feel like having for lunch." Luckily, I was making this glutenous sandwich for Sybille, and Sybille loves red peppers, and tomatoes. 

roast beets + goat gouda + pesto grilled cheese

I'm very well obsessed with grilled cheeses lately. So I'm doing the tour around the selection at my local cheese outposts. This one is a goat gouda. Probably a running favourite. Not goaty, not piquant, but rounded, and far from tame. Damn. While I usually lean towards milky, extra aged cheddars, this one's kind of the perfect cheese. 

blueberry blue cheese

Close second title: Emily's blue period. 

Oh won't you join me on the Glorious Sandwiches Facebook page, and tell a friend. xxo

the strawberry caprese

Someone told me recently (or I read it on Buzzfeed, in any case some RELIABLE source #accuratereporting) that this year was poised to yield the very best strawberry crop in decades. Why? I haven't looked into it, but it's kept me with strawberries on the brain all summer. I just want to eat them all the time, make tarts, crisps, and pie, put them in salads, and start a jam factory in my apartment.

Alas, like most summer resolutions, this has gone almost entirely unattended. So here, to make it's debut in my summer, a strawberry featured sandwich, that is not gluten-free, so I couldn't fucking eat it anyway. But not to worry, this was one of the birthday sandwiches, so my parents were there to eat it, and tell me how nice it was. Hopefully this is not the last you'll be seeing of strawberry sandwiches this summer, and maybe(?) I will get around to making that jam. 

avocado + shiitake + ginger + mint

Hey glorious readers and friends. First sandwich back:

So, honestly, I never eat sandwiches anymore. No gluten = total change in diet. I'll make myself some gluten-free muffins, or pancakes every now and then, but for the most part, my main source of carbohydrates is LETTUCE. No joke. I eat a lot of salads. Lots of vegetables. I pretty much avoid grains and starches 90% of the time. Yea, even rice. Though sometimes I make my salads into spring rolls. I also rarely eat meat. Maybe once a week at most, sometimes not for months at a time. I even hold off on the cheese and eggs most days a week, and seem to be doing just fine. I'm not prescribing any diet. I'm not saying everyone should go paleo/gluten-free/or vegan. Do what makes your body feel good, and educate yourself.

In turn, this sandwich is very befitting of the re-naugural post, because were it not in sandwich form, this is pretty representative of what I eat on a daily basis. This wasn't really deliberate, this was just what's in my fridge. I imagine this will change, as I try to cultivate a food blog. Anyway, I love cooking with ginger. Ginger and mint, I don't think I could live without, at this point. Shiitake mushrooms are definitely the standout mushroom for me. They've just got this buttery, sweetness to them. Oh, and did I mention lime? At any given point, I have a bowl at least half full of limes in my kitchen. Running out would be the worst. Oh yea, and unless you previously read about this "bread", this post is VEGAN.