Mushroom Steak Hoagies

I think I have mentioned here on this blog that I am famous for going through ‘phases’ of sorts. My poor hubby has seen me through ‘Thoroughbred Race Horse Phase’ which came as a result of reading and loving the novel Seabiscuit.  (Great book, btw) Kinda embarrassing now, but it was a thrill when I was 'into' it! 

He also saw me through a ‘Sperm Whale Phase’ which, truth be told, still exists today. That phase came about as a result of reading Moby Dick. (Another great book, btw) I actually did a huge research project for a graduate level class on the economics of the 18^th Century Whaling Industry…. (Did I just catch you yawning?)

My Mt. Everest phase was a great one – an excellent lesson plan came about as a result of that bizarre phase. (Which book inspired me at that time, you might be wondering? Into Thin Air of course.) I know every detail of that distant mountain. 

Food phases come and go: Asian, Mexican, homemade pasta, black beans, soup, (that’s a great phase….), a short barley phase, and most recently – vegetarian.

I had lots and lots of meals alone during January and early February (hubby travels) and I really explored vegetarian and vegan meals; I felt great, I lost weight, I was aware of my health and body in new ways. Inspiration? Forks Over Knives (great movie). This eating style is perfect for me; I predict here publicly that I will get there one day. 

Well, phases come, phases go, and we are now in the meat phase (Can you hear my son confirming with a loud ‘YES’? I think he had had enough black beans and lentil soup to last a while.)  We entered the current phase with the following excellent recipe – inspiration? Taste of Home: Winning Recipes pg 116. Do not change a single thing. Serve these excellent sandwiches to the meat eaters in your life.

As for me, I will continue along for a few weeks eating beef (my birthday dinner recently saw me at a 5 star steak house) and I will let you know when the newest phase comes upon me…. salmon, maybe? That’d be awesome.

Here you go: straight from the cookbook: the only tweak I suggest is to take out the soft insides of the rolls and toast them. You want the bread to stand up to all that juicy goodness. Leftovers? Excellent!