Sphere: Cool Summer Meals

Keep Cool Summer Meals

Sphere Magazine, August 1974

• Rice-Bean Medley Menu
• Rice-Bean Medley
• Cheese Triangles
• Relish Tray
• Choco Peanut Butter Freeze
• Iced Tea

• Cold Reuben Menu
• Cold Reuben Platter
• Spicy Rye Crisps
• Fresh Fruit Sundeas
• Beer Or Iced Coffee

• Tuna Salad Menu
• Tuna Salad Plate
• Marinated Vegetables
• Rolls & Butter
• Coffee-Peach Cream Pie
• Lemonade

Cold Reuben Menu

“When time is important and the heat has you beat, look to these three summer menus for a time saving, cool solution.”

Rice-Bean Medley Menu at top right. Tuna Salad Menu on bottom right. Cold Reuben Menu on left.

I like some of these recipes, just not necessarily together for one meal. I think rice, beans, sausage, cheese, peanut butter & chocolate for one menu would be a bit heavy.

Marinated Vegetables

Coffee-Peach Cream Pie, with a cinnamon-graham crust & a filling of marshmallow creme, coffee liqueur, whipping cream & fruit

Applegate Farms: All Natural Breaded Chicken Patties

"The golden crispy breading on our chicken patty is the perfect complement to our tender antibiotic-free chicken."
"Ready to heat * Fully cooked"









Recently, the AMW family taste tested Applegate Farms chicken patties. Normally I cannot get anyone here to eat chicken patties from the grocery store. Their response is always "But I want the juicy Chick-Fil-A stuff. Why can't we have that instead?" However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that wasn't the case when I cooked the Applegate Farms chicken.

I was excited to see "no antibiotics" and "all natural" on the Applegate Farms box. But what really got my attention was the nutrition label. Normally I find myself saying "What the heck is in this ? I can't pronounce half the ingredients." What a change from the usual chemical laden ingredient list:

"Chicken, Water, Contains Less Than 2% Of The Following: Corn Starch, Salt, Natural Flavor, Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Sugar, Yeast, Soybean Oil, Salt, Battered With: Water, Wheat Flour, Corn Starch, Yellow Corn Flour, Salt, Breading Set In Vegetable Oil."

The Applegate Farms breaded chicken patties were really easy to cook. Ordinary chicken patties become soggy if cooked in a microwave or an oven. The Applegate patties, however, were a pleasant change from that scenario. The coating came out crispy in both the microwave and oven tastings. The meat was moist and tender, too!

Another plus with the A.F. chicken was the creativity & flexibility I had in the kitchen. One night the AMW family had succulent chicken sandwiches with lettuce and tomato (Adios, Chick-Fil-A!) Another day I sliced the chicken into strips for a salad. The chicken patties were also delicious at dinner with sides of applesauce and green beans. I got requests for second helpings and even "Is there any left from last night ? I really liked the chicken."

I would definitely buy Applegate Farms Chicken. I liked the all natural ingredients and the ease of meal preparation. The patties also pleased everyone in the family. Thumbs up for Applegate Farms Chicken Patties!

Subway's Flatbread Sandwich Creations

Subway
located in Wal-Mart Supercenter
1580 Branan Field Rd
Middleburg, FL 32068

Subway recently added flatbread sandwiches to their menu. So of course a taste test was in order:

Chicken Florentine
"...tender, juicy chicken, olives, tomatoes, Tuscan spices and melted cheese, all topped off with our creamy spinach artichoke spread..."

This sandwich had just the right amount of chicken, cheese and Florentine spread. The bread was oh-so-soft and a perfect pairing with the chicken, in both the toasted and untoasted versions. The Florentine spread was deliciously savory. Thumbs up!


Steak & Bacon Melt
"...steak, crispy bacon, peppers, onions, melted cheese and your choice of veggies..."

When my sandwich was being made, I noticed two containers behind the glass. One had what looked like chunks of steak. The other had something that resembled Steak-Umms chopped into little pieces. What was put on my sandwich was the Steak-Umm type meat. I don't think I would've wanted the first bin, though; those pieces had an odd look and color. And by that I mean "overcooked and left to harden in a sunny, dusty spot." Ew.

Steak issue aside, I should have requested the bacon be left off. The salty bacon flavor overpowered the rest of sandwich's flavors. I wouldn't order the Steak and Bacon Melt again.

If You Want A Fresh Sandwich....

Source: "Slight change in order should bring fresh sandwich", by Jerry Romansky, SeacoastOnline.com: The Source For the Seacoast, September 07, 2008

The Starbucks Egg Sandwich Double-Cross

Source: "The Starbucks Egg Sandwich Double-Cross", Joe Nocera, Executive Suite: Joe Nocera Talks Business, The New York Times, September 5, 2008

Inlet View Espresso, Anchorage, Alaska

Inlet View Espresso
Ship Creek Center
333 W. 4th Avenue
Anchorage, Alaska
907-277-7332

The sandwiches at this cafe are not impressive. Don't get me wrong, the sandwiches were not poorly made or anything of that nature. It's just not worth $5 for one made from Kraft slices, some ham and the cheap brand of bread most of us buy at Carr's.

The selection of smoothies and desserts, however, is quite extensive and seems promising.