Picnics Full of Pudgy Pies

It may be the middle of fall and the beginning of December, but some days in California, we still get enough warmth and sunshine for a picnic.  Boy and I have made Toas-Tites at home.  We’ve made them camping.  But we had never actually transported Toas-Tites that had been cooked in the kitchen and eaten them far afield.

So last weekend, it was about time to give it a whirl.

In the morning, we cooked up 3 Toas-Tites.  Two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches…

…and one pastrami and American cheese sandwich…

We let them cool on a wire cooling rack to ensure that when we put them into the Ziploc bags, they wouldn’t sweat or steam out.

Once they were completely cool, we put them in bags and threw them into our picnic basket with ice packs (along with some fruit, water, a few cookies, and other goodies of course).  Then we hopped in the car and drove to Point Reyes Station.  After adding some bread and Cowgirl Creamery cheese to our picnic, we sat down to eat.

While the sandwiches were cold and they were not quite as crisp as when they came right out of the grills, they held together brilliantly and the jelly didn’t even soften the bread too much on the PB&J sandwiches (and that was the real test).  They were nearly as delicious as warm Toas-Tites though and they are definitely far more practical for picnic transportation than traditional unsealed sandwiches.  Not to mention, eating them on the go is far easier and far less messy so if you forget to pack napkins in your picnic basket, no worries at all.

Boy and I don’t have any kids to make brown bag lunches for, but any time we have a picnic or need a packed lunch, cold Toas-Tites will definitely be on the menu.  To keep them as crispy as possible,

1. Toast your sandwiches in the morning.
2. Let them cool on a wire cooling rack until they’re completely cool to the touch (about 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on how hot they are when they come out of the grill).  If you need to speed up the cooling process, throw your sandwiches into the fridge (although that’s probably not the most energy efficient way to go).
3. Wrap each sandwich individually in plastic wrap or in a Ziploc bag.
4. If you have a cooler or insulated bag or lunchbox, put your sandwiches in with an ice pack, other treats, and a love note (if you’re packing your hunny or little one’s lunch).
5. Enjoy!