November Sassy Holidays: National Sandwich Day

As the days get shorter and cooler, we think more and more about food. Food is a very important part of our life here at Knitted Wit, and, if you’ve been taking part in our Sassy Holiday celebrations for any length of time, you know that we are almost always down to celebrate a holiday that centers around food. We’ve mostly focused on sweet treats, but this month, with the cool weather, we want something savory, which is why we are celebrating National Sandwich Day on November 3rd (not that sandwiches can’t be sweet, too…)

Legend states that in the 18th century, the Earl of Sandwich would order his meat and cheese served betwixt bread, so he could more easily play cards without dirtying those cards. Folks became intrigued by this new way to package their food, and started asking for theirs to be made in the style of the Earl of Sandwich, which was eventually shortened to sandwich. Voila!

Here are recipes for two of our favorite sandwiches; November 3 might be a good day to host a sandwich party with your favorites!

Classic PB&J:

Take 2 slices of white bread (a seedy multigrain if you want to add a little extra), and smear nut butter, either creamy OR crunchy on one half. Peanut is the most classic of classics, but almond or even a mixed nut butter takes it all up a notch. Smear jam or jelly on the other half. Go classic with grape or strawberry jelly, or add a little pizazz with raspberry or even (gasp!) a marmalade. One of our favorites is mixed nut butter and grapefruit marmelade on toasted seedy multigrain bread. 

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese:

Take 2 slices of seedy multigrain or fresh-baked sourdough, and spread one side of each with a thin coating of butter. Put one slice on a preheated pan (we like a cast-iron pan), butter-side down, and add a layer of brie, then a layer of thinly-sliced pears. Add the other bread half, butter side up, and cook until the bottom bread is toasty brown. Flip and cook until that bread is toasty brown. Enjoy!

Now that we’ve gotten everyone nice and hungry, enjoy celebrating the humble sandwich today. 

Next month is our final Sassy Holiday shipment; we are discontinuing the club, but my, have we had fun making these colors for you! We’re focusing next year on HerStory, and a new club called the ShannaJean Club, so ask your LYS if they’re taking part in either or both of these clubs in 2020. Thanks for learning all about these holidays with us, and enjoy your sandwich! The Final Sassy Holiday is December 26th, which is National Thank You Day

Here are some extra sandwich recipes we ran out of room for in the love letter!

Lotsa Veggies on a Bagel:

Take an everything bagel, and toast it if you like. Thinly spread both sides with hummus, then add thinly-sliced cucumber, thinly-sliced tomato, sprouts, and avocado. Eat!

Caprese Sandwich:

Take 2 slices of seedy multigrain or a baguette, and spread fresh basil pesto along one piece. Add slices of mozerella and fresh tomato. Enjoy!

HerStory November 2019: Alice Waters

Our November HerStory recipient is Alice Waters, who is known for her advocacy of local, organic, and healthful eating. She opened her restaurant, Chez Panisse, in 1971, and helped to pioneer what’s now known as California cuisine, a food movement based around on using local and sustainable ingredients with a focus on foods in season. Immersing herself in local and sustainable food set Waters apart from much of what was happening in the food scene, and inspired her food activism. 

In developing Chez Panisse, Alice Waters realized that she had to create her own network of farmers and food producers, because the framework for organic, local foods simply did not exist. Her advocacy for organic foods arose as a matter of taste. Simply put, she discovered that organic foods just plain tasted better, and that’s why she started to use them and seek them out.

In 1996, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Chez Panisse and to further promote and expand on her own food activism, Waters created the Chez Panisse Foundation, with the mission of transforming public education by using food to teach, nurture, and empower young people. The foundation created the Edible Food Program and the School Lunch Initiative, both of which began in the Berkeley Unified School District in Berkeley, CA, but have been adopted by limited school districts nationwide. The Edible Food Program involves students in growing the food that is served in their school cafeteria, and promotes school gardens and gardening being incorporated into the daily curriculum. The School Lunch Initiative is focused on providing healthful school lunches to students. Waters is a vocal critic of existing American school lunch programs, and has been pushing for healthier options, based in organic ingredients. She inspired Michelle Obama’s planting of a White House garden, and was one of Obama’s inspirations in her Let’s Move campaign.

Waters continues to advocate for healthier school lunches for children in the USA. She is working to expand both the Edible Food Program and the School Lunch Initiative nationwide, and has been working toward free school lunches in all public schools in the US. She is also working with Yale University on a sustainable-food program, and is an integral part of the Slow Food Movement, which is dedicated to preserving local, sustainable, small-scale food programs around the world. Our Chez Yarn colorway is a playful celebration of good food, sustainable choices, and fibery tastiness. We hope you enjoy something local while knitting up this skein.