Dec 2006

Sandy's Restaurant – Philadelphia

December 1, 2006
Cuisine: American (traditional), Diner

231 S 24th St
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Phone: 215-732-8335
Website: none

Entree I: Egg Sandwich with Cheese ($3.35)

Entree II: Egg Platter – Two eggs over easy, home fries, bacon, whole wheat toast with jam and butter ($7.95)

After months of talking about going out for a meal, my friend Wes and I finally had lunch at his favorite eatery. Sandy’s is conveniently located across the street from Wes’ house–he’s been frequenting this joint for years and the staff know him by name AND order. Very impressive.

Sandy’s is more or less a greasy spoon, a charming greasy spoon, but a greasy spoon nevertheless. They serve hoagies, grinders, cheesesteaks, fried chicken, regular sandwiches and even some seafood and Greek specialties. Sandy’s also serves breakfast all day long, which Wes and I took advantage of on our visit.

I had the egg and cheese sandwich, while Wes had his usual. My sandwich was made on whole wheat bread with Swiss cheese. The sandwich was pretty straight forward; it tasted like the sum of all it’s individual parts. It was good, but I’ve made the same sandwich on a number of occasions at home. Perhaps next time I will have a Gyro since I can’t make that at home.

I didn’t taste any of Wes’ egg platter, but I’m pretty sure I knew what it tasted like–the sum of all its individual parts.

Sandy's Lunch on Urbanspoon

Dec 2006

Banana Cornbread

  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 bananas, mashed
  • ¼ cup apple sauce
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 banana, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 8 x 8 inch baking pan. Place the maple syrup, mashed bananas, apple sauce, milk and vanilla into a blender or food processor; puree until smooth OR mix by hand. Mix together cornmeal, whole wheat flour, baking powder, soda and cinnamon. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture until blended. Fold in sliced bananas. Pour into prepared pan. Bake is preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until brown on top.

Adapted from Prevention.com recipe for Banana Walnut Cornbread. [For Printable Recipe Click Here]

Dec 2006

Skillet Noodle and Sausage Supper

 

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, minced
  • Salt
  • 1 pound hot or sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped fine
  • 8 ounces penne (2 1/2 cups)
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach
  • 1 ounce Parmesan, grated (1/2 cup)
  • Pepper

1. Heat the oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

3. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Sprinkle the tomatoes and penne evenly over the sausage. Pour the broth and milk over the pasta. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.

4. Stir in the spinach a handful at a time and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 to 6.

Recipe from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Substitutions: Sauteed the onions using water instead of olive oil. Used shallots instead of onions. Used Trader Joe’s Chicken Sausage. Used non-oil packed sun dried tomatoes. Used a pound (1 bag) of whole wheat rotini pasta and doubled the broth and milk. Did not add Parmesean directly to the pasta, but had on hand for everyone to use to their own liking. Added carrots.