40 flippin’ years old

I can’t lie.

No really, I have a really hard time fibbing. When my husband asked me what I had planned for his 40th birthday — The whole surprise party idea came to a screeching halt and I sang like a bird.

“You know I hate surprises!” he balked.

Yeah, yeah. So a big surprise bash was off.

But his sister (unbeknownst to him) flew in from Alaska, so family and a few friends convened at our house to celebrate the momentous occasion.

We lit the backyard, gathered some tables and  ate, drank and filled out Jay trivia sheets (Now everyone knows his favorite animal is a buzzard).

Some party things we did that worked:

• Lee’s Sandwiches has $21 platters of Asian sandwiches (BBQ pork and vegetarian were the big hits).
• I got Trucking Good Food food truck to cater dessert. Unfortunately the duck-fat fryer was illin’ and the truck couldn’t fit in the backyard as planned, but it was still fun and different, thus a little more special than just having a cake.
• Upload pictures to Costco photo center and they’ll have a printed poster waiting for you in a matter of 2 days for $25 each (I had 2 made — one of baby pics, one of “the awkward years). They also do cheap enlargements (under $5).

Home-style Banh mi

I’m lucky enough to have friends and marriage partners that are really great cooks, bakers and sometime both.
Over the weekend, one such friend helped deplete my daikon radish reserve with Vietnamese sandwiches, also known as Banh Mi.

It really wasn’t that difficult once the ingredients were gathered — and they were DELICIOUS.

1) Start with a good baguette. These came from Lee’s Sandwiches. 1 baguette for $1 makes about 3 sandwiches.

2) Slice the baguette in half and slather on some butter or mayo.

3) Add in no particular order:

• Cilantro
• Jalapeno
• Onion
• Pickled daikon and carrot

4) Add the meat. She picked up the BBQ pork at Phoenix Palace in Chandler, which she also claims to have delicious dim sum. (We had enough left over to freeze for future noodle soups).

Tip: For vegetarians, we substituted baked tofu, which they said was pretty good.

Good egg award: Best meal under $5

Best meal under $5: BBQ Pork Sandwich and Chrysanthamum Tea with Boba @ Lee’s Sandwiches

I’ll gladly drive the 25 minutes to Chandler to get a Lee’s Sandwich. Delicious French bread baked in-house plus the combination of tangy pickled veggies, fresh cilantro, spicy jalepenos and sweet barbecued meat equals enjoyable sandwich.

Cool down the heat with some iced tea, made even better with some chewy gelatin balls. “Drinks aren’t supposed to be chewed!” says my sister of all boba teas. If that echos your sentiments, then you can get the tea sans balls…but I think they’re amazing.

According to Lee’s Website, the sandwich is only 340 calories — not a bad tally for something that feels nothing like a healthy lunch…and rings in for under $3.

Suggestion: As a sauce-y girl and like to put a touch of mayo on my sandwich for a little more
moisture — but it does add a few more calories and fat grams.

Lee’s Sandwiches
1901 W Warner Rd
Chandler, AZ 85224
(480) 855-1778
Open Daily 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.