You guys are just too much. Thanks to your votes, we’ve made it through round 5 of Project Food Blog! This is my entry for challenge #6: pack a full meal to go that looks and tastes great.
[Update 10/30: Sadly, we’re officially out of the competition but thank you so much for all your support, both in terms of votes and sweet comments. More than anything, it’s been really fun meeting so many new-to-me bloggers and discovering lots of great blogs. Good luck to everyone still in the competition!]
Almost a year and a half ago, almost at this same spot, and almost at this time of the day, Nathan and I agreed to go on a little adventure together. We sealed the agreement with a ring before heading off for some celebratory sushi (including, I kid you not, spoonfuls of happiness) and a rawk(!) show at the Hemlock Tavern. We then went home and spent the next six months planning the biggest party of our lives. So this weekend, about a week after our wedding anniversary, it seemed appropriate to take a little stroll over to where it all began.
We had wanted to spend a sunny afternoon picnicking by the lake, watching people float around in paddle boats, reliving the months leading up to the wedding. There was the funny story of how I was originally supposed to skip out of lab early that Friday, a year and a half ago, but a spontaneous meeting called by my boss nearly put a stop to our afternoon by the lake and Nathan’s secret plan to ask me a question. And the one of how we found that gorgeous Tibetan Buddhist center and how lucky we were that they had an open weekend last autumn due to a cancellation.
We could talk about us obsessively checking the weather forecast for weeks prior, relieved to hear that rain was forecasted only for a few days before our wedding. Little did we know then that the forecasted rain would turn into the biggest October storm to hit the Santa Cruz area since 1962. When the staff called us on Thursday night, two days before the wedding, to tell us that the center was closed due to mandatory evacuation orders, was running only on generator power, and that the roads leading to the center were partially buried under mudslides, we, to put it mildly, freaked out.
It was incredible how quickly our family and friends mobilized to help us reorganize the weekend of events, including dear Laura who was arranging alternate hotels for our guests even as she was walking down the jetway onto the plane that would bring her to our wedding. “We’re going to get married one way or another!” was what we declared to our guest list over email. Thankfully, the center reopened (with power!) Friday at dusk and one of the roads cleared for cars to pass.
We also wanted to reminisce about our wedding day, an amazing day which turned so sunny and warm that the heaters we rented weren’t even needed. Plus, there were all the hilarious stories of guests ignoring multiple emails to follow our driving directions instead of GPS and ending up on the other mud-buried road, so that they had to abandon their cars for the weekend, ford across the muddy road, and hitchhike the rest of the way to the wedding.
But then, for the second autumn in a row, the weather gods frowned upon us and sent us rain. “We’re going to have a picnic one way or another!” was what we declared to no one in particular. So we assembled a bag of goodies for the road – wedges of meaty, olivey muffuletta sandwiches on homemade bread, a tub of spicy Cajun succotash, a jug of sweet tea with mint (bourbon-ed at the last minute to ward off the chill of the rain), and a few sticky squares of strangely-apropos “dark and stormy” brownies. Rain jackets and umbrella in tow (singular because Nathan is steadfastly anti-umbrella), we made our way over to the lake, found a little bench under a gazebo, and did everything we had planned. Well, except the part about watching people float around in paddle boats for none could be found in this weather.
I guess when Nathan and I set our minds on something, whether it be a picnic or a wedding, we have a tendency to make it happen. Rain, mudslide, or shine.
Muffuletta sandwiches are perfect for picnics because they are best an hour or two after assembly. Plus, the instructions call for them to be smushed under heavy weights, which make them ideal for the bottom of your picnic baskets. Instructions are given below for making your own muffuletta loaves but don’t let bread-making stop you. Store-bought, Italian-style bread would work quite well as a substitute.
Since Central Grocery, where muffuletta sandwiches were invented, does not give out its recipe, many people have tried to reverse-engineer it. This recipe is based off of the one found in the book It’s All American Food, but modified to use half the amount of meat and cheese – seriously, just look at that original recipe and you’ll see why we halved it. Due to a shopping mistake, I used pimiento-stuffed olives in place of pimiento in the olive salad, but that still made for a pretty tasty spread.
Succotash can be served cold or at room temperature and in fact, that’s how I prefer to eat it. This Cajun version uses okra in place of the traditional beans and adds chili powder and jalapeños for a bit of heat.
38 Comments
Why is Nathan anti-umbrella??? I thought he was a rational man.
Unclear! You might need to have a little talk with him, Cosmo. Man to man. Maybe then he will listen to reason.
I love this post. Forever. The picture of that sandwich makes me wish for rain.
Nooo, enjoy the sun as long as you can… at least for me! :) Thanks Mariko!
What a great weekend that was, and a wonderful way to celebrate. Maybe next year, your anniversary can fall somewhere outside of the rainy season.
Yeah, can you talk to the weather gods? They don’t seem to listen to me…
The Muffaletta is one of my favorite sandwiches in the entire universe. Now, I don’t know if I would spend a day making a sandwich, but if I did, I can say without a doubt this is the recipe I’d follow! That looks fantastic.
You can do it, Rich! Once you make that olive salad, you’re pretty much set on the muffuletta front. And should a food processor magically appear to help you chop stuff, I won’t tell. ;) Thanks for reading!
Oh, how I love muffalettas. (It’s possible, though, that I just really love the olive salad. Put that stuff on any sandwich and I’m a happy girl.) I’ve had many a picnic moved indoors at the last minute – just some of the joy of living in Paris! :)
Congratulations on your anniversary!
Thanks Camille! And I agree – put that olive salad on any sandwich, or anything really, and I’ll eat it right up.
Oh my…that bread looks GORGEOUS. It was not wise to read this with less than a half-hour to go until lunch, because I’m hungry now.
What a lovely picnic! Happy anniversary!
If only I can send you a muffuletta sandwich via express mail for your lunch, Elizabeth… :) Thanks for reading!
I wonder if it’s a guy thing, my husband Joe doesn’t like umbrella either. Anyway, thanks for sharing your story about your wedding day and happy anniversary! The sandwich looks delicious especially with your homemade bread. Voted and good luck!
I don’t get it, Margaret – what’s wrong with umbrellas? I think they do a fine job of keeping your head dry! Thanks for your vote!
Happy anniversary. Lovely post and menu. Rain or no rain, beautifully done.
Thanks Lisa!
Rain or no, this picnic shines. The sandwich alone is cause for brightness in my life. GREG
Thanks Greg! Brightness, meatiness – that sandwich has everything!
I really enjoyed your post. The rain was terrible, wasn’t it? And yet not so bad?
I LOVE the photographs – they could be straight out of a magazine.
Joyti, you’re too sweet. :) The rain turned out not too bad after all. We made it to the gazebo before it poured. The rain even lightened up when we walked to the car and when we got home, we got the spend the rest of the day inside with cozy socks, hot tea, and a long movie.
What a great story! I can just picture everyone in their wedding finery picking their way through the mud… Good luck!
Hmm, now that you mention it, it’s a good thing no one asked us to pay for dry-cleaning of their nice clothes… Thanks Megan! :)
LOVE! especially the sweet tea with bourbon in a nalgene bottle :)
Heh, somehow my sister sense told me you might make a comment about the bourbon…. :D
Angi, happy anniversary and congratulations on moving on! I have never tried a muffuletta sandwich before, but yours looks delicious.
Rain can ruin a party, but it could be incredibly romantic. Cooped up with each other, a rum-spiked hot toddy, a fuzzy blanket, rain drumming against the windows…Bliss:)
Good luck in the next round!
Oh Lana, I hope you’ll try a muffuletta sandwich some day – they’re so delicious! I haven’t been able to find a place here that serves them since Bay Area seems to be lacking in the Cajun/Creole department, but I bet SoCal has a better scene. And you’re so right about the rain. After the picnic, we just hid indoors with warm socks, hot drinks, and a movie and listened to the wind and rain outside. So cozy. :) Thanks for reading!
Your muffaletta loaves look amazing! Way to go on this post, it’s a winner!
Thanks, fellow scientist/food blogger! :)
I am so impressed that you were able to still compete AND have your wedding! You have my vote this week just for your sheer amazingness.
Aww, I hate to disappoint but it was just my wedding anniversary this year. Thanks for the vote of support in any case! :) A wedding and a food blogging competition at the same time would be seriously hardcore… not sure if I’d be able to do it but I do believe Lick My Spoon did because she’s awesome like that. Cheers!
What matter if it should rain, as long as you’ve got bourbon-ed mint tea, mufulleta sandwiches and each other. Not to mention a nifty PFB cooler bag into the bargain :)
So true. Just bring it on, rain … me and my bourbon are ready for you! :) Thanks for reading, Spud!
The photos are so lovely and sweet. The rain probably gave you a hard time. But rain sometimes is so nice to look and feel at.
Actually, once we were safely under the gazebo and keeping dry, the rain made the picnic very cozy indeed. :) Thanks for reading!
I love that you made Muffaletta bread. It’s on my list to do as my husband loves Muffaletta sandwiches! Awesome job
I was a bit hesitant about making the bread too but turned out it wasn’t too difficult, just mostly waiting around for dough to rise. :) Would love to hear how you like this recipe. Thanks Jen!
I love your determination :) The rain was definitely not sent by the picnic gods, and I well understand how wet and cold your picnic must have been! But I love how you and Nathan pulled through – and created another memory that will last a lifetime.
Thanks Liren! And right back at ya, since I know you experienced the exact same weather conditions as us. :)
One Trackback
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Bertromavich Reibold, angi. angi said: a rainy, cajun-y picnic http://bit.ly/bW1Vch #pfb2010 […]