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'Wich of the Week: The Ex-Boyfriend at Ike's Place

YumSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:00:41 -0700

I love Ike's Place so much that I could start a 'Wich of the Week spinoff devoted solely to sandwiches from Ike's. I was hesitant to write about my new favorite sandwich place in San Francisco, since the lines are long enough already. But keeping the enormous, palate-entertaining creations to myself wouldn't be in the spirit of sandwich love.

Opened a year ago, Ike's is a tiny storefront in the Castro neighborhood, barely big enough to accommodate its sizable staff - making sandwiches this well is no easy task - and massive menu of 50-plus sandwiches with playful names like Nacho Boy (hot roast beef, mushrooms, avocado, and swiss) and the Paul Reubens (a take on the Reuben with poppy-seed coleslaw). Priced between $7 and $9, these are some of the largest sandwiches I've ever eaten; if I have one for lunch, I'm hardly hungry for dinner. But that's not even a taste of why I like Ike's. To count the ways, read more.

I have sampled several sandwiches from Ike's, all of which come with lettuce, tomato, and onions. My favorite so far is We're Just Friends, which features shredded chicken cooked in a sweet orange glaze, contrasted with avocado and pepperjack. On my most recent trip, I tried the similar but not quite as transcendent That's Too Bad (above), with chicken, spicy lime fajita sauce, mushrooms, and pepperjack, as well as today's featured sandwich, the Ex-Boyfriend, with salami, bacon, avocado, and cheddar. I've whipped up a recipe below, but first, here's are five reasons that Ike's is awesome.

The rolls - your choice of French, sourdough, wheat, or Dutch crunch - aren't baked until you order your sandwich, so they are fresh beyond belief.
Before baking, the rolls are spread with "dirty sauce," a homemade garlic and herb aioli. It's very subtle but adds a perfect little kick.
The ingredients are first-rate. The shredded chicken is so moist, I could eat a plate of it, and the avocados are always perfectly ripe.
The French fries are to die for. They're medium-cut but with a crust like curly fries that tastes vaguely of chipotle.
The staff is super nice. Clearly they care a lot about sandwiches, so they are happy to help you make a decision about which of the sandwiches suits you best.

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For a sandwich lover like myself, Ike's is something of an obsession. But I'll try to refrain from letting it take over 'Wich of the Week. I haven't quite figured out how Ike's makes its sammies (for instance, does it put them back in the oven after assembling them?) but here's an approximation of the Ex-Boyfriend to try at home.

Salami and Bacon on Dutch Crunch
Inspired by Ike's Place

Ingredients

1 Dutch crunch or French roll
2 tablespoons of garlic aioli
2-3 slices of cheddar cheese
Thinly sliced red onion, to taste
1/4 cup iceberg lettuce, shredded
1/2 avocado, sliced
3 slices of tomato, thinly sliced
8 slices of high-quality salami
6 strips of bacon, cooked

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Slice Dutch crunch or French roll in half horizontally, and coat the inside of the roll on both sides with garlic aioli.
Lay sliced cheddar on bottom half, and toast in the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Remove from oven. On top of the cheese, arrange onions, lettuce, avocado, tomato, salami, and bacon.
Place the top half of the roll onto the stack of ingredients, cut in half, and serve immediately.

Makes one sandwich.

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The Hills Food Quiz: Episode Five, "I Always Had a Little Crush"

YumSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:30:25 -0700

On this week's episode of The Hills, Lo, Audrina, Stephanie, and Lauren crash Brody, Doug, and Frankie's all-boys trip to Hawaii. Without their respective love interests nearby, Audrina and Brody only have eyes for each other. Meanwhile, back in Hollywood, Heidi introduces Spencer to her ex-boyfriend for the first time. Were you attuned to all the delicious details? There's only one way to find out!

To get all the fashion from last night's episode, check out CelebStyle!

Photo Courtesy of MTV

Take the quiz

Reader Recipe: Pumpkin Bread

YumSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:00:57 -0800

Another one of my latest Fall dessert obsessions I found while browsing the Kitchen Goddess group on TeamSugar. By looking at the photo, I can practically taste the moist texture of the cake! But my favorite part? The recipe source is wren's ex-boyfriend's brother. Who said exes aren't good for anything?

To make this bread, which would be delicious for breakfast, dessert, or as a gift for a friend, read more.

Submitted by TeamSugar member wren

Pumpkin Bread
my ex-boyfriend's brother, Brad Allen

This recipe is easy, always comes out moist, and is tasty! It makes 2 loaves and freezes well.

This was the first blog I did when I signed up for Sugar. I didn't belong to any groups then, and also recently remade it, so I thought I'd repost it, now that I belong to KG, in time for fall

Ingredients

2 cup canned pumpkin
3 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
3.5 cup flour
2 Tbsp baking soda*
1.5 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp Nutmeg
1/2 Tbsp ginger powder

Directions
Preheat oven at 350.
Grease and flour two 9x5 or 8x4 loaf pans. Blend first 5 ingredients (pumpkin, sugar, oil, water, eggs) and beat for 1 minute on medium.
Add remaining ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger) and blend on low speed until moistened. Then beat for one minute on medium speed.
*NOTE: Make sure to sprinkle baking soda evenly when you add it to the batter.
Pour into pans, and bake 60-70 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes and remove from pan.

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What's Yummy This Week - YumSugar Weekly Recap

YumSugar — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 09:31:03 -0700

All the reasons why I love my ex-boyfriend (the sandwich, that is).
See if you can identify favorite candy classics!
Plan a festive election night party, courtesy of PartySugar.
My great uncle shows me the secret to his great gin fizz.
A New Zealand woman finds a mouse head in frozen beans.
It's perfectly fine to eat mussels that are still closed, one expert claims.
Competitive eating takes a dark turn when a student dies during an eating contest.
Table salt is mysteriously absent at restaurants.

Come Party With Me: Romantic Valentine's Day Dinner - Invitations

partysugar — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 06:58:12 -0800

Valentine's Day is a perfect excuse to plan a romantic dinner for two: you and your (insert boyfriend / girlfriend /lover /husband /crush) here. I love planning romantic dinners. When I was living with my Spanish ex-boyfriend I surprised him once a week with a romantic dinner. Unfortunately I won't be having a romantic dinner any time soon, but with my plan you can prepare one for your honey. If you have never created a romantic dinner then you must make one next Wednesday. Even if your squeeze is one of those unromantic types, I guarantee that he/she/it will be impressed, touched, and satisfied with your efforts. To see how I suggest you invite your sweet significant other, read more

You have two options when it comes to romantic dinners:

1. Surprise him (this is what I would do). Tell him you want to have a low-key Valentine's Day (it is on a Wednesday) and dine with him at your side at your favorite pizza place. He will be relieved that there is no pressure to do something extravagant. He must of course pick you up at your house. When he does (or if you live together, when he comes home from work) have the dinner cooking, the house transformed into a romantic haven (don't worry I'll tell you how to do this on Thursday's Come Party With Me), and be wearing a sexy outfit (ex. his nice white collared shirt only the three middle buttons buttoned, your new sexy Dolce & Gabbana undies, long pink knee socks, tousled heavenly hair) . He will be floored and incredibly surprised.

2. Send him the following seductive little love note.

To make the love note invitation you will need:

computer (if you are reading this you have one)
printer
scissors
cardstock (in a valentine hue: red, black, hot/light pink)
pen (in a valentine hue)
the image below (I told you I was doing everything for you!)
gluestick
pink envelope
red lipstick

To assemble the invitation:

Open Microsoft word on your computer. Drag the hot pink/light pink tiger print image into the document.
Insert a textbox onto of the image. Change the preferences of the textbox so the there is no line and no fill.
In the font of your choice (I used Footlight MT Light) write Happy Valentine's Day Tiger. You can make the text how ever big you like but I decided to leave mine smaller to have it sort of camouflaged in the tiger print.

Cut the image out.

With the gluestick, glue to the cardstock (I used black).

Cut the cardstock down to the size of the image on the front.

On the blank side in your sexiest handwriting write a mysterious message along these lines (I used a silver gel pen):

Baby, I’m making you dinner!
Valentine’s Day
8 o clock
My place

Dot the i's with hearts. Let the ink dry.

Slide invitation into the envelope. Address in the same sexy handwriting. Do not put a return address and stamp with a Valentine themed stamp. Seal closed.

Line your lips with the red lipstick. On the back of the envelope leave a kiss mark. (totally cheesy I know, but it will set the romantic tone of the evening).

Got a great romantic invitation idea? Please tell me about it below. And stay tuned, there is lots more to come! Next up on the party plan to-do-list, the menu.

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