We always buy take-away Thanksgiving dinner from an American restaurant here in Prague... and we order THREE meals so we can save one for Friday sandwiches!
I’m always on the hunt for breakfast sandwiches, and the best I ever had was in Madison, WI at an awesome restaurant called Shortstack. The sandwich is made on Stella’s spicy cheesy bread (a Madison staple), with a fried egg, perfectly crisped bacon, fried tomato, and fig jam. I still think about this sandwich all the time and dream about the day I return to Madison and indulge in it again!
I live in Madison, and I’ve never been to Short Stack, but I’m going to have to give it a try. I love Stella’s Spicy Cheesy Bread, and that breakfast sandwich sounds amazing.
I am going to give this recipe a try. It looks like Stella's bread. Let's see if it tastes like it! Stella's Bakery is a presence at the Farmers' Market around the Capitol Square on Saturdays, and they sell hundreds of loaves. Yum!
Liz, I went to Short Stack Saturday morning (12/7) with my granddaughter and a friend. She and I got the sandwich, and it was amazing. I'm not sure I would have ordered it if it hadn't been for your post. My granddaughter ordered the chocolate chip pancakes.
Cream Cheese and Strawberry Jelly Sandwich!!!! I have never met anyone who has ever heard of them. My grandmother use to nake them for me as a kid back in the 50’s and 60’s. I packed them for my lunches at school and everyone made fun of me for eating them. They insisted it should be peanut butter instead of cream cheese. And then I think in the late 70s maybe early 80s, Kraft came out with soft spread cream cheese with the strawberries already mixed into it. In the Amish country and Lancaster County, they make their own cream cheese and blend it with chocolate. So good. But when you come to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, you must go to Primantis Brothers and try one of their famous sandwiches. The sandwiches there were invented by a waitress who was so busy working that she did not have time to eat on her dinner hour so she created a sandwich where she could fit all the food side orders the sandwich so when you order a sandwich at this restaurant, it will include french fries and coleslaw on your sandwich. So good..
FYI, Kraft cream cheese is made in Lowville, NY which is 15 miles from my hometown. They have a cream cheese festival every year. Aren’t i a plethora of information? 🤣
Now you’ve met another 😉 I don’t eat peanut butter (allergic) so I ate cream cheese & jelly on the daily in elementary school. And yep, it was on white bread also.
I first heard of cream cheese and jelly sandwiches in the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs! I thought they sounded dreamy and kind of exotic, like the Turkish delight in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Now my 10yo daughter often makes them for lunch!
I went to college in Pittsburgh. Could go for some Primanti Bros right now!
I don’t know when you went to college here in Pittsburgh but they now have chains all over the city. No longer do you have to go to the strip district just to get one of their famous sandwiches.
This is big time Middle America trash food, but I still remember the first time I ate a Monte Cristo sandwich from Bennigan's in, like, 1983? No way my system would tolerate one now, but teen me devoured them *and* the side of fries with no problem. We had to drive to Wichita (about an hour away) to go to any chain restaurant except McDonald's so it was always a treat.
A few years ago on a European trip, we arrived in Rome just before midnight. It had been a long day and we’d had a stressful time trying to get transport to our accommodation. By the time we’d got ourselves, our family members and our bags up the 4 flights of pokey stairs we were well and truly starving. I commissioned my husband to seek out ‘any food he could find’ while I unpacked. He returned with the most delicious sandwich I’d ever eaten. It was crumbed chicken with oven baked Mediterranean vegetables in a tomato-y sauce, with mayo and semi melty cheese in some sort of crusty bread. It was so delicious we raced out to get more…only the tiny hole in the wall where the chef had been operating from was closed. And although we tried returning to it several times on other days, it mysteriously remained closed and no further sandwiches could be enjoyed. But it stays as an all time great on my list.
One of the best, that I still think about all the time, was the breakfast sandwich at a coffee shop in Seattle in about 2013? It had all the usual breakfast sandwich, but what made it truly special was that it was on pretzel bread. It was amazing. When I finally made it back to Seattle years later (after a cross country train journey, but that's another story), they'd just sold out of their last one that morning and so I missed my one chance to have it again. Sad times. But maybe an experience that good is meant to be a one-time thing?
"But maybe an experience that good is meant to be a one-time thing?" I sometimes think that might be true! The whole experience is what makes it sometimes. Like... the omelet sandwich we talked about in our Spain episode. The food was AWESOME, but the day itself was perfect, too. —Mel
I had a wonky shoulder and years ago took surfing lessons while on vacation in Australia. As I was swimming out on the board, I felt my shoulder come out of its socket... It did that a lot. I told my surf instructor, who seemed surprised by my calmness. He and my husband helped me get back to shore and then we took a taxi to the Manly Beach hospital (I was still in my rented wetsuit). The ER had seen this kind of injury before, so they cut me out of the suit (hadn't given a deposit so I think the surf school just ate that loss...).The hospital gave me drugs, took x-rays and reset my shoulder. While we were waiting for all the results they gave myself AND my husband the most delicious egg salad sandwiches we have ever eaten. Fluffy bread, delicious filling, the perfect amount of mustard. 10/10.
I sent my husband back to where we were staying to get our credit card because we had no idea what all of this was going to cost and being Canadian and unused to paying out of pocket for healthcare we were very nervous... I'd been triaged by a nurse, had x-rays, been given pain medication and had a medical procedure. We thought it would be in the thousands. It was $250. We couldn't believe how cheap it was.
I would have paid that for the sandwiches alone. They were that good!
Cut out of your wetsuit?! What an adventure! I also love egg salad, which feels like such a nerdy thing to love, but here we are. I make mine without mustard, though: eggs, homemade mayo, salt, pepper, dried chives. The homemade mayo is key. —Mel
My favourite sandwich ever was the morning after my water broke as I waited to go into labour. A local deli has wonderful sandwiches and this one was on an Italian bun, chocked full of veggies + provolone cheese + a generous layer artichoke caponata + sundried tomatoes. So so good! I am now fully gluten intolerant so I do remember this sandwich with love!
Believe it or not, the idea was from a rustic bread cookbook. The recipe was for rye bread with a note to try a slice with butter and thinly sliced radishes. I was gobsmacked at how delicious that was! What a surprise.
The best sandwich I can remember lately was a lobster roll in Belfast Maine that was served on a bulkie roll (this is just wrong but was so good). We were in Maine to go to The Lost Kitchen (amazing) and I had just gotten over COVID and we ate these sandwiches in our cozy motel room. I bought Sandwiches That You Will Like and it doesn't disappoint.
Great subject! I remember my first muffuletta sandwich. I was transported! My former husband used to make a peanut butter, mayonnaise and dill pickle sandwich. Sounds odd but it was delicious. Lastly, the peanut butter and brown sugar sandwich. Divine.
One of the best sandwiches I've ever had is also one of the most simple, but also proof that quality ingredients can make something spectacular out of simplicity. It was a bacon breakfast sandwich at a cafe on the pier in Falmouth, UK. Soft homemade white bread, spread thinly with butter, sandwiching thick slices of local bacon cooked just right. Absolute heaven. It still makes my mouth water thinking about it.
My brother and I used to eat PB and honey sandwiches as kids and I hadn't really thought about that until now...but will have to revisit those soon to see if they're as good as I remember! (guessing it will be yes)
We also used to eat PB and banana sandwiches, which I also loved, but I burned myself out on bananas and can't eat them like that anymore (only baked in banana bread).
On a trip to NH last year, we found a local place that made breakfast sandwiches on homemade bagels. When I was ordering online one morning, there was an option was to add cream cheese...probably not necessarily there for an egg, bacon, and cheese bagel sandwich, but I added it on a whim. It was SO. GOOD. Now, when I make bagel sandwiches at home, I always add cream cheese to the bagel!
Dave always eats PB and honey — I'd never heard of that combo before I met him. My family was not a honey family (?!), and I wasn't crazy about jelly then (I am now), so I always ate PB on buttered toast. DOUBLE FAT, WHY NOT? ;-)
The Czechs are big on cream cheese on sandwiches that you woulnd't necessarily think to put cream cheese on, and I am here for it. (Hard-boiled eggs, fresh chives, cream cheese, thin cucumber. Try it!)
I almost forgot about my first fried bologna sandwich, which I had never heard of until a friend in college introduced me. Of course, with melty cheese on white bread...YUM!
I believe the sandwich is one of the greatest culinary creations. I love a good italian sub, french dips, and the classic grilled cheese. Thanksgiving we always make "leftover sandwiches" with a hodgepodge of stuff. You really can't go wrong with delicious ingredients between slices of quality bread.
Here's a timely one: sliced leftover roast turkey on sourdough with melty Brie and leftover cranberry relish. It's divine....
We always buy take-away Thanksgiving dinner from an American restaurant here in Prague... and we order THREE meals so we can save one for Friday sandwiches!
Maybe the best part of making all that food! Leftover stuffing is also so good on a Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich.
Strong agree! Stuffing must go on a Thanksgiving turkey sandwich! —Mel
I’m always on the hunt for breakfast sandwiches, and the best I ever had was in Madison, WI at an awesome restaurant called Shortstack. The sandwich is made on Stella’s spicy cheesy bread (a Madison staple), with a fried egg, perfectly crisped bacon, fried tomato, and fig jam. I still think about this sandwich all the time and dream about the day I return to Madison and indulge in it again!
That sounds amazing! The fig jam really got me. —Mel
I live in Madison, and I’ve never been to Short Stack, but I’m going to have to give it a try. I love Stella’s Spicy Cheesy Bread, and that breakfast sandwich sounds amazing.
I've never heard of/tried Stella's Spicy Cheesey Bread... just found this recipe, so maybe I can try it over here in Prague ;-)
https://www.browneyedbaker.com/spicy-cheese-bread/
Does that look legit?
I am going to give this recipe a try. It looks like Stella's bread. Let's see if it tastes like it! Stella's Bakery is a presence at the Farmers' Market around the Capitol Square on Saturdays, and they sell hundreds of loaves. Yum!
How fun! Let me know how it comes out! And if I should try the recipe, too.
That looks exactly like Stella’s!! Let me know if you bake it and how it is!
Oh, awesome!
Let me know if you try the sandwich! :)
Liz, I went to Short Stack Saturday morning (12/7) with my granddaughter and a friend. She and I got the sandwich, and it was amazing. I'm not sure I would have ordered it if it hadn't been for your post. My granddaughter ordered the chocolate chip pancakes.
I love this so much!
Oh this makes me so happy!! I’m glad you enjoyed it :)
This interaction has made my day.
Cream Cheese and Strawberry Jelly Sandwich!!!! I have never met anyone who has ever heard of them. My grandmother use to nake them for me as a kid back in the 50’s and 60’s. I packed them for my lunches at school and everyone made fun of me for eating them. They insisted it should be peanut butter instead of cream cheese. And then I think in the late 70s maybe early 80s, Kraft came out with soft spread cream cheese with the strawberries already mixed into it. In the Amish country and Lancaster County, they make their own cream cheese and blend it with chocolate. So good. But when you come to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, you must go to Primantis Brothers and try one of their famous sandwiches. The sandwiches there were invented by a waitress who was so busy working that she did not have time to eat on her dinner hour so she created a sandwich where she could fit all the food side orders the sandwich so when you order a sandwich at this restaurant, it will include french fries and coleslaw on your sandwich. So good..
I'm a huge fan of cream cheese and strawberry jelly on a toasted bagel with some pecans on top. YUM. - Dave
This company makes the most divine strawberry jam with habaneros! So delish on a bagel with cream cheese https://www.sakharjams.com/
100% yes to strawberry jam with habaneros!
It’s like eating dessert.
Totally.
Um... a sandwich with fries and coleslaw on it? Yes, please!
I don't think I've ever met anyone else who ate cream cheese and jelly sandwiches. Shout-out to my elementary school friend Tammy! :-) —Mel
FYI, Kraft cream cheese is made in Lowville, NY which is 15 miles from my hometown. They have a cream cheese festival every year. Aren’t i a plethora of information? 🤣
WHAT?! This is amazing news.
Now you’ve met another 😉 I don’t eat peanut butter (allergic) so I ate cream cheese & jelly on the daily in elementary school. And yep, it was on white bread also.
My mom made me cream cheese and strawberry jelly sandwiches so you're not alone!
You are my soul sister!!! Lol. Ye!!!
Primanti’s and fries on sandwiches (and salads, for that matter): a Pittsburgh classic!
Yins don’t know what you’re missing. 😀
I first heard of cream cheese and jelly sandwiches in the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs! I thought they sounded dreamy and kind of exotic, like the Turkish delight in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Now my 10yo daughter often makes them for lunch!
I went to college in Pittsburgh. Could go for some Primanti Bros right now!
I forgot to ask you which school you attended. Curious because I went to school here also.
I went to Pitt, in the late 90s! Pretty sure there was a location in Oakland by then?
I don’t know when you went to college here in Pittsburgh but they now have chains all over the city. No longer do you have to go to the strip district just to get one of their famous sandwiches.
I was in Pittsburgh in September and the lines at Primantis were so long I didn't get in! Next time.
This is big time Middle America trash food, but I still remember the first time I ate a Monte Cristo sandwich from Bennigan's in, like, 1983? No way my system would tolerate one now, but teen me devoured them *and* the side of fries with no problem. We had to drive to Wichita (about an hour away) to go to any chain restaurant except McDonald's so it was always a treat.
Oh, man. Monte Cristos. SO FREAKIN' GOOD.
A few years ago on a European trip, we arrived in Rome just before midnight. It had been a long day and we’d had a stressful time trying to get transport to our accommodation. By the time we’d got ourselves, our family members and our bags up the 4 flights of pokey stairs we were well and truly starving. I commissioned my husband to seek out ‘any food he could find’ while I unpacked. He returned with the most delicious sandwich I’d ever eaten. It was crumbed chicken with oven baked Mediterranean vegetables in a tomato-y sauce, with mayo and semi melty cheese in some sort of crusty bread. It was so delicious we raced out to get more…only the tiny hole in the wall where the chef had been operating from was closed. And although we tried returning to it several times on other days, it mysteriously remained closed and no further sandwiches could be enjoyed. But it stays as an all time great on my list.
Oh, yeah... a mystery sandwich shop. I love this so much!
One of the best, that I still think about all the time, was the breakfast sandwich at a coffee shop in Seattle in about 2013? It had all the usual breakfast sandwich, but what made it truly special was that it was on pretzel bread. It was amazing. When I finally made it back to Seattle years later (after a cross country train journey, but that's another story), they'd just sold out of their last one that morning and so I missed my one chance to have it again. Sad times. But maybe an experience that good is meant to be a one-time thing?
"But maybe an experience that good is meant to be a one-time thing?" I sometimes think that might be true! The whole experience is what makes it sometimes. Like... the omelet sandwich we talked about in our Spain episode. The food was AWESOME, but the day itself was perfect, too. —Mel
I had a wonky shoulder and years ago took surfing lessons while on vacation in Australia. As I was swimming out on the board, I felt my shoulder come out of its socket... It did that a lot. I told my surf instructor, who seemed surprised by my calmness. He and my husband helped me get back to shore and then we took a taxi to the Manly Beach hospital (I was still in my rented wetsuit). The ER had seen this kind of injury before, so they cut me out of the suit (hadn't given a deposit so I think the surf school just ate that loss...).The hospital gave me drugs, took x-rays and reset my shoulder. While we were waiting for all the results they gave myself AND my husband the most delicious egg salad sandwiches we have ever eaten. Fluffy bread, delicious filling, the perfect amount of mustard. 10/10.
I sent my husband back to where we were staying to get our credit card because we had no idea what all of this was going to cost and being Canadian and unused to paying out of pocket for healthcare we were very nervous... I'd been triaged by a nurse, had x-rays, been given pain medication and had a medical procedure. We thought it would be in the thousands. It was $250. We couldn't believe how cheap it was.
I would have paid that for the sandwiches alone. They were that good!
Cut out of your wetsuit?! What an adventure! I also love egg salad, which feels like such a nerdy thing to love, but here we are. I make mine without mustard, though: eggs, homemade mayo, salt, pepper, dried chives. The homemade mayo is key. —Mel
Ha ha, getting cut out of my website makes me seem very tough and strong, like a mighty shark instead of the soft, conflict-avoidant seal that I am!
My favourite sandwich ever was the morning after my water broke as I waited to go into labour. A local deli has wonderful sandwiches and this one was on an Italian bun, chocked full of veggies + provolone cheese + a generous layer artichoke caponata + sundried tomatoes. So so good! I am now fully gluten intolerant so I do remember this sandwich with love!
What a great memory! —Mel
The first time I had a turkey, Brie, pear, and arugula sandwich on the most deliciously perfect bread. This restaurant is now one of our favorites.
Adding arugula is genius.
Believe it or not, the idea was from a rustic bread cookbook. The recipe was for rye bread with a note to try a slice with butter and thinly sliced radishes. I was gobsmacked at how delicious that was! What a surprise.
That sounds like one of those 'simple but so perfect' kinds of sandwiches. Love it. —Mel
The best sandwich I can remember lately was a lobster roll in Belfast Maine that was served on a bulkie roll (this is just wrong but was so good). We were in Maine to go to The Lost Kitchen (amazing) and I had just gotten over COVID and we ate these sandwiches in our cozy motel room. I bought Sandwiches That You Will Like and it doesn't disappoint.
Oh, fun! I don't think I've met anyone else who also loves Sandwiches That You Will Like. Such a fun book! (and a great travel-eating guide).
Great subject! I remember my first muffuletta sandwich. I was transported! My former husband used to make a peanut butter, mayonnaise and dill pickle sandwich. Sounds odd but it was delicious. Lastly, the peanut butter and brown sugar sandwich. Divine.
Pickles + peanut butter is so tasty. It almost leans toward Thai, right? I'm into it. And yes to brown sugar and PB. On hot toast? YES, please.
One of the best sandwiches I've ever had is also one of the most simple, but also proof that quality ingredients can make something spectacular out of simplicity. It was a bacon breakfast sandwich at a cafe on the pier in Falmouth, UK. Soft homemade white bread, spread thinly with butter, sandwiching thick slices of local bacon cooked just right. Absolute heaven. It still makes my mouth water thinking about it.
YES UK BACON SANDWICHES ARE THE BEST.
My brother and I used to eat PB and honey sandwiches as kids and I hadn't really thought about that until now...but will have to revisit those soon to see if they're as good as I remember! (guessing it will be yes)
We also used to eat PB and banana sandwiches, which I also loved, but I burned myself out on bananas and can't eat them like that anymore (only baked in banana bread).
On a trip to NH last year, we found a local place that made breakfast sandwiches on homemade bagels. When I was ordering online one morning, there was an option was to add cream cheese...probably not necessarily there for an egg, bacon, and cheese bagel sandwich, but I added it on a whim. It was SO. GOOD. Now, when I make bagel sandwiches at home, I always add cream cheese to the bagel!
Dave always eats PB and honey — I'd never heard of that combo before I met him. My family was not a honey family (?!), and I wasn't crazy about jelly then (I am now), so I always ate PB on buttered toast. DOUBLE FAT, WHY NOT? ;-)
The Czechs are big on cream cheese on sandwiches that you woulnd't necessarily think to put cream cheese on, and I am here for it. (Hard-boiled eggs, fresh chives, cream cheese, thin cucumber. Try it!)
I LOVE PB on buttered toast! Why wouldn't you have both??
I would fit right in there...I am all for cream cheese on all the things. It's a very overlooked condiment! :-)
I almost forgot about my first fried bologna sandwich, which I had never heard of until a friend in college introduced me. Of course, with melty cheese on white bread...YUM!
YES. That is all.
If you don’t have cholesterol issues, then croque Monsieur sandwiches are delicious, and the US Good Housekeeping team have taken it up a notch by turning it into a casserole: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/a62543105/croque-monsieur-casserole-recipe/
Genius.
I believe the sandwich is one of the greatest culinary creations. I love a good italian sub, french dips, and the classic grilled cheese. Thanksgiving we always make "leftover sandwiches" with a hodgepodge of stuff. You really can't go wrong with delicious ingredients between slices of quality bread.
"I believe the sandwich is one of the greatest culinary creations."
I concur!