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Maryland mom's schoolbook sandwich recipe is a fun add to kids' lunchboxes
By Nicole Pelletiere
Published October 10, 2022
A mother's creative and fun school lunch presentation is wowing others on social media.
Carlena Davis, a mom, food content creator and children's book author in Bowie, Maryland, shares quick and easy recipes for busy parents on her blog, Spilling the Sweet Tea.
Her recent textbook-inspired, back-to-school tortilla sandwich recipe with an instructional video garnered more than 92,000 views on Instagram Reels.
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Davis said she borrowed the sandwich idea from a post she saw one day on Pinterest and made it for her 7-year-old daughter, Maya, who's in second grade this year.
Carlena Davis, a Maryland-based mother and author of "The ABC's of Cooking in Maya's World," shared tips for making schoolbook sandwiches with Fox News Digital. (Carlena Davis)
"I love creating cute stuff to entice her to eat it because she can be picky," Davis told Fox News Digital.
"Once you get the cuts right and make it fit to size, they're really, really fun to make and fun for the kids," she added of her sandwich idea.
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The sandwiches are assembled with deli meats and cut, folded tortillas.
They're made to resemble schoolbooks.
Edible pens can be used to write the names of school subjects on the fronts and sides of the small sandwiches. (Carlena Davis)
Davis uses edible pens to write the school subjects on the tortilla "book covers."
"That’s what makes it cute," she said.
"Stack it up and you can see the subjects on the side as well as the front."
Try the recipe below from Davis of SpillingtheSweetTea.com.
Schoolbook sandwiches by Carlena Davis
What you’ll need
Bento box
Edible pens
Tortillas
Turkey or thick-cut deli meat of choice (Davis suggests thick-cut meat so you have enough space to write the subject title on the side of the tortilla sandwich)
The deli meat should be cut smaller than the tortilla, so the meat fits inside the sandwich. (Carlena Davis)
Cheese
Mayonnaise or condiment of choice
Snacks on the side
(In her video, Davis adds fruit, pretzels and shortbread cookies. "Anything Maya-approved" is what she includes, she said.)
Directions
1. Cut the round edges off the top, bottom and sides of the tortilla until you have the perfect square.
2. Cut once more and fold in half.
3. Cut the deli meat and cheese to a size a little smaller than the actual tortilla book, so that the meat and cheese are not hanging over the edges.
These schoolbook tortilla sandwiches by Carlena Davis put a unique twist on school lunches for kids. (Carlena Davis)
4. Add any type of condiment that allows the meat and cheese to stick to the tortilla book.
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5. Use the edible pens to write the name of your child’s favorite school subjects on the sandwiches. Davis chose art, reading, math, science and writing for Maya, who said her classmates thought the lunch was "so cool."
Davis said the lunch may take parents a little more time to make than the average sandwich, though it's enjoyable to create.
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In the past, she's also made a sandwich that resembles an owl and a tomato caterpillar dish for her daughter.
https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/maryland-moms-schoolbook-sandwich-recipe-fun-add-kids-lunchboxes