Have a party, walk away with a sandwich

You think that I am writing this blog post to pander to the Super Bowl fans out there, with their need for myriad snacks on Sunday.  Maybe I am, maybe I'm just doing this for myself because I like snacking AND eating on the road.

So the thing is, I have long eschewed sandwiches as the food you eat when you can't do any better.  Bread, often dried out and boring, with some slippery stuff inside that makes said bread soggy.  It's not exciting. And it's not worth writing recipes about, is it?

But I eat while traveling a lot, and while I would love to have the time to eat a nice cold noodle dish out of a container with a fork like a civilized adult, or even to heat my homemade burrito in a nearby microwave oven, I don't always have that luxury.  Sandwiches are really practical.  And I figured out how to make them suck less: use spreadable dips as your flavoring!  Smear some hummus or guacamole on a piece of bread, pile on some vegetables, and cover with another piece of bread--that is actually pretty good. So, in honor of my a) love of cocktail hour + snacks and b) the fact that I will mostly be eating on the road all of next week (look for tips on all the hot spots to try in Omaha in a future blogpost!!), I offer you a little pairing guide, along with links to some of my favorite dips...


Guacamole + sliced red onion + slice red bell pepper
Hummus + pickles + fresh spinach
Ricotta and Herb Spread + chopped sundried tomatoes + smashed peas
Tuscan White Bean Dip + kalamata olives + sliced green bell pepper
Walnut-Feta Spread + arugula


If you're at home and can enjoy these leftovers warm, you can also easily toss the ingredients listed above with some freshly cooked pasta and gloat about not having to eat in your car.