By Kathi Dameron

"Arrivederci Roma. Goodbye, goodbye to Rome."

The lyrics sang across my heartstrings as I climbed aboard the train and settled in for the three-hour journey.

As the clanging and puffing high-speed Eurail train rolled out of the station, I reached into my travel bag and pulled out the rustic country bread sandwich – the panino I had purchased earlier that morning from an irresistible display of authentic edible hearth-baked masterpieces.

It was a great adventure to be traveling across Italy by backpack and rail with dad’s blessing and dad’s financial backing. Even though many years have come and gone since that passage of time when the world stretched wide open with its panorama of possibilities, my memories are as fresh as if they had just been baked.

At the time, my dad’s third wife suggested to me that I should journal my experiences.
“Write some travel articles, dear, that you can later put into a book,” my high-achieving stepmother with her freshly inked PhD advised. But instead I gave her prophetic suggestion “the boot” and simply stepped into each day of my Italian adventure with gusto and verve, allowing the experiences to become forever pressed into the pages of my memory bank.

Like any traveler enthralled with a new destination, I reveled in the delight of discovery.
I learned that new culinary discoveries are often as memorable as the magnificent art and architecture of the places visited.

On that day my panino lunch, enjoyed during the stunning and scenic train trip to the great renaissance city of Florence, left a lasting impression on my idea of a great tasting picnic sandwich.

True Italian panini’s are expressions of simplicity, anchored in absolute freshness with perhaps occasional bursts of pungent, aromatic, fruity or creamy richness.

Having once savored a true panino, it is difficult to say arrivederci to this great tasting edible masterpiece of pure simplicity.

More Ideas from Kathi

If the splendid days of springtime beckon you outdoors why not create your own Tutto Italiano or “all things Italian” spring picnic? Whether you are into styling your own backyard trattoria or are more in the mood for an adventurous jaunt to some hideaway off-the-beaten-track with a picnic basket in one hand and the hand of a companion in the other, you are bound for an adventure that will satisfy more than your taste buds. My picnic menu begins with panini sandwiches, to which you might add:

A pesto-laced and garlic-infused antipasto pasta salad of rich jeweled morsels of sun-drenched tomatoes, ripe olives, creamy imported cheeses, al dente pasta and artichoke hearts bathed in fruity olive oil.
A basket of luscious strawberries, red grapes and figs.
A rapturous homemade tiramisu torte with just the right high-octane notes of java for a sweet edible finale.
Perhaps a few select Italian-flavored musical CD’s, a good bottle of Italian vino and perhaps someone wonderful with whom to create a new memory.

(c) Kathi Dameron, Kathi Dameron and Associates


My recipe for how to create a classic panino picnic sandwich is posted at http://www.letsentertain.blogspot.com

Kathi Dameron is a food writer and former caterer. She writes a regular newspaper column called: Entertaining with Kathi.

If you would like to read the Entertaining with Kathi column in your local newspaper or favorite magazine, you can perform a wonderful random act of kindness by sharing my writing with interested parties!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathi_Dameron

Final SUBMARINA video, third of three.

See the Friar surf!

Cowabunga Dude!

 

Second of three SUBMARINA videos.

See the Padres Friar hit the beach.  Surf's up Dude!

 

YouTube is an amazing thing.  While surfing youtube I came upon three videos SUBMARINA did in partnership with the San Diego Padres in 2006.

The first one is shown below - I will post the other two next week.

The Friar is the Padres mascot, didn't know that did you?

Enjoy!

 

By Nick Messe

The sandwich has become one of the food staples that keeps us going. In fact there are places to get great sandwiches and subs all over the world. Places like Bob's Pantry in Highland Park and Ravinia Illinois - a famous Ravinia Deli.

Sandwiches have been around for hundreds of years. Today a typical sandwich consists of two pieces of bread with filler in between, but early sandwiches were not always like this. The modern sandwich owes a lot to what we now usually call a "wrap". For example, for centuries there has been a Jewish food preparation consisting of Paschal lamb wrapped between two pieces of flat unleavened bread eaten during Passover.

But the open-faced sandwich has an interesting history too. Before the 1800's slices of stale bread were used by taverns instead of plates. They would place these slabs of bread - known as trenchers - on the tables and meat or other food would be placed on top of them, and the bread would sop up the juices from the meal. At the end of the meal the trencher would either be eaten or thrown to the ever-present dogs.

The word "sandwich" began to be used in the mid to late 1700s because the 4th Earl of Sandwich liked to eat his food in a manner that allowed him to carry on with other activities. More often than not this consisted of meat between two pieces of bread. This allowed him to continue working at his desk or playing cribbage with his friends without getting his hands greasy by having to handle meat directly.

The term "sandwich" eventually caught on in London because others who noticed this practice started asking for "the same as Sandwich". Eventually the name caught on to describe what we now call a "finger food" that could be eaten with the hands without causing a mess.

By the 1800's a sandwich usually meant a piece or several pieces of cold meat slapped in between two pieces of bread. Today there are many varieties of sandwiches, and many businesses that have profited from just selling sandwiches.

Today's sandwiches have grown from being just meat in between bread. Now we have a much broader range of sandwiches of different kinds - from fast food hamburgers to submarines and Italian sandwiches. These different varieties usually substitute a special bun for the classic two slices of bread. We now also add many different kinds of condiments and toppings to them. The most common condiments include lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise, pickles, mustard, relish, ketchup and many more. These are just a very few of what is out there to use to create your own masterpiece.

There are hundreds of different types of meats and sandwich fillers that one can build a sandwich around. When you walk into a carry out restaurant or deli store you order exactly what you want on that sandwich. Some restaurants have even created hot versions of sandwiches. These are much tastier than ones in the 1800's.

There are many different types of breads available too. The same sandwich can become a completely different creation depending on the bread that is used. That makes what used to be the common sandwich into a more exotic, more nutritious, and more tasty alternative to heavier fare. making lunches and dinners easier to do at a much more rapid pace. Sandwiches are a quick fix to supper and can accommodate even the busiest of schedules.

So as one can see, sandwiches have gone from the simple bread and meat variety into a nutritious food with a thousand variations. Each one is created to suit an individual's needs and tastes and they are perfect for the rushed pace that many people live their lives at. Since sandwiches are so readily available and can be made to order, they have become a staple in our busy lives.

These days having a sandwich doesn't mean sitting at a smokey tavern sopping up juices with bread. It means having one of a thousand different varieties of what has become the perfect food for busy people on the go.

For an outstanding sandwich or sub visit Bob's Pantry and Deli - the best Highland Park Deli you're going to find - deli sandwiches, Italian subs, garden and Caesar salads, gourmet coffee. For delivery call 847-432-DELI.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Messe