I just returned from taking all three girls shopping at Valley Fair mall, which is the big mall in San Jose; a 45 minute drive from our house in Santa Cruz. We have a small mall here, but it really sucks.  The stores are mostly tart stores filled with tarty clothes and since I don’t want my three daughters dressing in Britney Spears skank, I take them two or three times a year on a pilgrimage to the big mall. This is torture for me since most people who know me well know that I HATE shopping. Somehow I just missed out on that gene. It is not just because of the crowds or the dressing room lighting and three way mirrors, it’s just that it just… takes… forever. When I see something I like I buy it and leave. I don’t feel the need to ruminate over it like I was deciding my last meal. Let’s get on with it so we can go get a club sandwich at Nordstrom’s Bistro. (recipe to follow)

My children did not inherit my lack of shopping gene, and they LOVE shopping and embrace it with as much enthusiasm as they do for the Jonas Brothers. (B-t-w, did you hear Kevin got engaged?) So I realize I must embrace this time with them in much the same way that I should have embraced the colic years… and I try really hard, but sometimes I fail. Like today when I lost my patience when Cheryl couldn’t decide between the light pink, dark pink or hot pink sunglasses. When it became apparent that my ire was up because I said something like, “MAKE UP YOUR MIND AND LET’S GOOOOO!”, Eva, my new friend on Facebook, said, “Mom, chillax.” So I did. I chillaxed. We drove home to the sounds of Avril Lavigne blaring on the CD player and talked about all the cool stuff we bought.

Here’s the recipe for the Nordstrom Club sandwich I promised. It has become a tradition with the Shwanda women to order this sandwich ever since we first shopped together  for our wedding and bridesmaid dresses three years ago.  The special ingredient is the olive sauce. I asked the server for the ingredients so I could make it at home. It is also a great dip for French fries.

For the sandwich you will need sourdough bread, lightly toasted, avocado, bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, string beans (slightly blanched) and thick turkey slices. For the sauce, blend in a food processor: 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup kalamata olives, 1-2 cloves crushed garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Ingredients are approximate. So long at it looks light pink (not dark or hot pink) you’ve got it right. Spread the sauce on the bread and layer all the other ingredients. You will have a meal fit for a tired shopper.