It’s my birthday today! Are you guys big on celebrating your birthday? For as long as I remember, my birthday has been an obsession of mine. It’s probably just a bit (okay, a lot) egotistical, but I just love the idea of a day celebrating me. I like planning elaborate themed parties with tons of friends (DIY grilled cheese party anyone?), but I also love the flip side of that – spending a day celebrating, just me and my boo.
No matter what I end up doing, there is one absolute must: eat ALL the things. It’s the one day you shouldn’t hold back. I know, I know, veggie sandwiches aren’t what one usually thinks of when they’re thinking about birthday eats, but when I saw this glorious picture of the ultimate veggie sandwich on Instagram, it had to be mine. I’m all about veggie sandwiches (and pizzas too, to be honest). I love the the different textures, the crunch, and the freshness.
This sandwich was truly epic – perfect for a pre-birthday treat!
The Ultimate Veggie Sandwich Recipe
makes 1 sandwich
- 2 slices bread of choice (I used multigrain)
- mayo and mustard, to taste
- 6 leaves romaine lettuce
- 1 small carrot
- 1/2 small cucumber
- salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1/8 head red cabbage
- 1 avocado
- handful of sprouts
- 3 slices tomato
- thin slices red onion
Start off by prepping your vegetables. Trip the lettuce leaves to the size of your bread. Julienne or shred the carrot, thinly slice the cucumber and cabbage. Pit and peel the avocado and thickly slice. Toast the bread and let cool (so it doesn’t get soggy). Spread on mayo and mustard to taste and build your sandwich: 1/2 of the lettuce leaves, carrots, cucumber, salt and pepper, cabbage, avocado, sprouts, tomato, onion, then the remaining lettuce and top slice of bread. Wrap tightly in parchment paper or wax paper and slice in half. Enjoy immediately!
i put a candle in it, because birthday :)
Giveaway: I hope you guys like chopping vegetables (and everything else) because for my annual birthday giveaway, I’m giving away a shiny sharp Shun Nakiri knife and a Walnut Boos Block Cutting Board from cuttingboard.com. I absolutely LOVE my nakiri and there’s nothing better than chopping and slicing on a beautiful wood cutting board.
To Enter: Leave a comment below with your favorite birthday memory. I want to hear ALL the details! I’ll randomly choose a winner and notify them through email. Open to US residents only. (Sorry international friends!) Also, if you’d like some extra entries (one per follow), follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest (and let me know in your comment). Contest ends September 17th at 12pm PST. Good luck!
Update: Congrats Willow! Get ready to get your knife skills on! Keep an eye out for an email :)
A few years ago on my birthday, my SO at the time woke me up with a breakfast composed of all of my favorite foods. It was a fish ball, sushi, spicy jarred bamboo shoots, etc breakfast and it was super amazing. I also got taken out to one of those Brazilian all you can eat meat restaurants where they come around with huge skewers of meat.
I follow you on IG, twitter and Facebook!
DAMN STEPH. THIS THING IS A BEAST!
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
For the last few years, I’ve gone to a stand-up comedy show for my birthday. It’s a lot of fun – me and my friends get together in a dark basement-esque comedy club and eat goopy cheese and drink luke-warm beer. And for two years in a row, the same comedian performed on my birthday. Of course, I didn’t realize this until we got there. Then we were all like, “hey, I know this joke! Wait. Why do I know this joke? Oh….”
A few years ago, I became very close with a group of friends and met my to be fiancée. They all got together and surprised me for my birthday by renting out a room at a Korean karaoke place. We ate bibim bap and bulgogi and drank soju and mahtguli. We laughed at the random video snippets of early 90s kpop stars and nature pans that were featured in the background as we sang our favorite throwbacks, making such a ruckus that strangers were peeping in our room through the window on the door. What made it more special was that it was the first large party I had since I was in the second grade, when my father had passed away. As a child, I had asked my mother not to host anything big because I felt like it would be burdensome and instead I always had little intimate dinners. Surrounded by all these people who care for me doing what I love, I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday.
My brother once (apologetically!) gave me enough of his aeroplan miles to fly anywhere in North America! I was a very poor student so it was an amazing birthday gift, one of the best I’ve ever gotten.
I hardly ever celebrate my birthday, but last year, for my 35th, I decided to have a huge cookout with all of my friends. The party was supposed to start at 4pm. At 1:30pm, I realized my beer keg wasn’t on ice. At 2:30, I got locked out of my house. At 3:30 my grill person called and said they weren’t going to make it. I was in full on panic mode. At 2:00 pm my friends showed up with 2 bags of ice, At 3:00 my mom showed up with an extra set of keys and at 4:00 a friend brought over their 25 year old Weber grill. By 5:00 we were drinking cold beer, grilling burgers and dogs and lounging in the back yard. I couldn’t believe it had all worked out and it turned out to be a wonderful party. Although, I couldn’t bring myself to repeat it this year!!!!
Favorite birthday (from growing up), my dad took me and a group of my friends to the drive in… picked up Little Caeser’s Pizza and sodas on the way and made a night of it… I don’t even remember what movie we watched, just that I had an absolute blast with my friends that night… cheep pizza and soda and big screen…
My favorite birthday memory was 12 or 13, we had gone to visit family in Toronto – all of whom cater or own restaurants or cook extensively for family… and what did I want to try? Boxed, Kraft, Mac n Cheese. I cringe now, but at the time, it seemed like a legitimate request.
Happy birthday! These sammies look like my idea of heaven, especially with the addition of some hummus spread on 1 side. I’m crazy like that. This year for my 30th birthday we kept things simple with just my dog, my man and me. We explored the Sunshine Coast in B.C. and went on one of my favorite hikes to date (Tin Hat Mountain, if you’re in the area). The views were out of this world.
My boyfriend (now fiance) threw me a huge surprise party for my 25th birthday. It was Arrested Development themed and amazing.