hoagies 101 (and the awaited giveaway winners)

To Jersey-Italians, few things are as important as food. We take it seriously and few foods so much so as the hoagie. And when it comes to hoagies I am something of a snob (okay, so I'm a snob about a lot of things but especially hoagies). And, for the record, Subway is *not* a hoagie. That is a disgraceful knockoff that I shutter to mention in the same sentence. Just sayin'...

However, I realize that not everyone has had the benefit of being raised Italian and therefore may not know what a real hoagie is. So all you Subway eating people out there, I forgive you (gracious, eh?) and am here to properly educate you with five tips to the perfect hoagie.

1// It's all in the bread. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of good bread. And by good I mean a hoagie roll that is firm on the outside (you should have to bite...it shouldn't just mash) and yet soft and chewy on the inside. Bread is vital.

2// Mayonnaise. Lots of it. Don't skimp. This is not the place to worry about your waistline. And Hellmann's. Always, always, always Hellmann's.

3// Oregano. Considered the secret ingredient by some, oregano is essential to the perfect hoagie. It adds just the right amount of flavor.

4// Boar's Head. Giant sells it. Get it. Have it sliced thin (somewhere between 1 and shaved on the meat cutting scale...talk to the guys at your deli). Thick meat is blah. And so is any other brand of lunch meat. It you can't get Boar's Head, Dietz and Watson will do. It's a compromise but sometimes you have to make do.

5// Hoagie spread. This stuff is golden...and vital. If you don't like spicy, go light but do. not. omit. It makes a hoagie a hoagie. If you can't find it in the condiment section of your grocery store, look with the International goods. Or buy online. There are lots of brands, all basically the same, but Cento is my favorite because it's Jersey made.

There are other vital steps such as what lunchmeat and cheese you use, how much of each and the proper serving methods but we'll save that for another day. Follow these steps and you can't go wrong. But! If all else fails, buy one. But not from just anywhere (you already know what I think of Subway...). The three best places (in order) to buy a hoagie are as follows:

Quick-Chek -found only in north Jersey, they are the Cadillac of hoagies. You can't find better. It's what they put in the water...

Wawa -northeast tradition...late night hoagie runs to Wawa.

Jersey Mike's -started on the Jersey Shore they have exploded in the past few years and are now everywhere. You'd have to live in the middle of nowhere to not have one near you.

These are just mainstream names...check your local delis as well...cheers for supporting local. And Sheetz isn't horrible either.

Now I know the reason you are all reading this post is not to hear about my hoagie ramblings (as invaluable as they are) but because you're all on pins and needles about who on earth (obviously they are on earth because, sadly, our sponsors do not ship intergalatically) the giveaway winners are. Am I right? Well because I'm in a tolerably good mood tonight and feel like rewarding you for making it through my hoagie tips, without further ado, here they are.

The winner of the Heat Me Earrings from Cici's is according to Random.org...#52...Jenny Z!

And futhermore...

...the winner of the Aster bag in Lemon Chiffon from Luckycann is...#42 (neat the way that worked out...#52 and #42...)...Bree Holloway from Tea and Bree!

Congrats, ladies! Email me (briannatwachter@gmail.com) your addresses and I will forward them to the sellers who will send that right out to you.

Thank you all so much for participating (it was great fun swapping Downtonisms) and an extra special thank you to our fabulous sponsors! You guys are awesome.

On a totally different topic, today I registered to vote. Probably unexciting to you but it makes me feel very legal. (Yes, I'm weird like that. No, I don't care what you think)

Join us next time ladies and gentlemen when we will talk more about food. Yeah. What else do you expect from someone who claims food as their love language?

Cheers!
näna