TJ's 26th!

TJ's birthday was on Friday, and I had all kinds of fun things planned! A special breakfast in bed, a surprise picnic amid the beauty of Redwood Regional Park, presents and games, but alas....Thursday, while still at work, I felt that horrible nausea begin to creep over me that we all recognize as the onset of the stomach flu. I wanted to believe it was only going to last a couple hours, but I was wrong. Teeje is in NYC all week (I took him to the airport this morning), so I'll have to make it up to him when he gets back. We still enjoyed an evening at The Cheesecake Factory in Walnut Creek last night.
I was feeling much better and wanted to at least celebrate his 26th somehow so I didn't feel like a complete bum of a wife. We love that place! We had a great time, as we always do on our dates. Walnut Creek is a beautiful area on the East Bay that's just north of the Oakland Temple. If we had a million dollars, we'd live there :)

Here's what I was going to make TJ for our picnic on Friday. It's so fresh and delicious, you really can't go wrong. You can replace the mayo in the recipe with light sour cream (as I did) if you hate mayonnaise (as I do). Enjoy!
California Club Sandwich

Citrus Mayonnaise:
1/3 cup light mayo
2 T orange juice concentrate
1 tsp lemon juice
splash hot sauce
pinch of salt

Sandwich:
sourdough bread slices
fresh tomatoes
avocados
sliced chicken breast
arugula (or any dark green)
Swiss cheese

Mix up ingredients for citrus mayo. Spread on one slice of sourdough. Stack chicken, tomatoes, avocados, cheese, and arugula on the other slice. Don't forget to salt the tomatoes and avocados. Put the sandwich together and eat!

** I like to pat my sliced tomatoes dry with a paper towel before putting them on a sandwich. That way, it doesn't get soggy. Also, never put wet things (pickles, tomatoes, etc) in direct contact with the bread if you plan on taking it on a picnic or packing it for a lunch. The bread will always get soggy. Things like mayonnaise or butter help "seal" the porous bread so it won't get wet, but it also helps to put the tomatoes between the cheese and the meat. Also, if you want your avocados to last a few hours without turning yucky, toss them in lemon juice. This preserves their color. :)