damn to sandwiches

All of this "liking things" is really disruptive to my grouchy mood - goddammit! Gah.

On Sunday we spent an awesome day at Disneyland with Miss Bliss and Kate (separate post, coming up) and at one point we all needed a snack so we went to the Village Haus restaurant (one of the last strongholds of beautiful Disney theming) and I was talking my picky eater (Ryan) through the options, one of which was the kid's meal with a PB&J. Ryan opted for a cheeseburger, but Bliss was sold on the sammie. Her meal came in a really cute little lunch box and had apple slices, juice, and an Uncrustables sandwich. We all had to stare and wait for the first bite (does Mikey like it?!) because none of us had ever tried one before... and lo! It was good!

To backtrack a bit: I despise the idea of Uncrustables. The name is atrocious. The thought that we, as a country, are too damn lazy to spread peanut butter on our own bread (no cooking required!) is a bit sad. I also kind of get irked by people who don't eat bread crusts - why?! WHY?! (because they are picky and I am a jerk) So all in all this product is a culmination of things that make me itchy. AND THEN BLISS HAD TO GO AND TRY IT AND OH MY GOSH IT'S ACTUALLY PRETTY GOOD.

Damn.

So Ryan and I were shopping at Target yesterday and in the freezer section (our store has a GIANT grocery area) I saw these silly little sandwiches and was like "oh, pfft, how much do they charge you for the priviledge of not making your own... oh, wait.... $2.50? For 4 sandwiches? That's not too bad, actually..." and so, yes, we bought some. And, obviously, they are delicious. And - of course - I really like them and they're handy and convenient and... I am ashamed. Even worse? THEY ARE REALLY GOOD STILL FROZEN. The jelly doesn't actually freeze and the peanut butter sets up really firm (not frozen or icy, but just really firm - like hard ice cream) and it is actually really good. *sigh*

But I realized that what I like the best about this product is the novelty of a frozen sandwich. So, I think I am going to follow the lead set by Megan's Bargains & More and make my own at home. She even uses a pastry sealer to achieve the same look as Uncrustables, which only costs $4.99 and might be a good investment, since I think the 'sealed' edges of the sandwich trap in the flavor (what? I dunno. It sounds like a good argument to me!). She stores them in individual ziploc baggies so that her children have grab-n-go lunch options (smart!) but I think I am going to make a bunch and just wrap in wax paper and then store in a big tupperware in the freezer. This will make sure that my Big Kid always has something to eat that is ready and waiting for him and is actually something that never really sounds 'bad'... you might be in the mood for a hamburger or tacos or something, but PB&J is one of those things that you always end up saying "yeah, ok, I'll take a PB&J."

Extra bonus (?): Uncrustables are vegetarian and apparently vegan too, (obviously, you can make your own with whatever ingredients you like - and increase/decrease the vegan appeal) so if you have any hippies drop in on you, trade them a frozen sammie for the fuel pump on their VW Bug and send them along their merry way...