When it can't be sunny on Philly

I am enamored with cheese steaks. Gooey cheese, soft rolls, mushy onions, crispy beef- heaven.

I do my best to grab at least one of the magnificent creations each time I pass through the City of Brotherly Love. Those times are few and far between so I have to find a way to make due. Yesterday, I came close to recreating the cheese steak. NOTE_ I am not so vain to think that I could actually compete with the likes of Tony Luke's, Pat's, Geno's or Jim's.

The Cheese- Cheese steaks are to be made with Provolone or Cheese Whiz. I tend to prefer the Whiz over the Provolone, but I could not find proper Cheese Whiz at Ukrops or the drug store. I had to settle for Kraft singles. They melt well but lacks in true meat penetration.

The Roll- Cheese steaks should be made with Amorosa rolls. They are made in Philly and very few other places, if any. The are soft, light and chewy. Fortunately we can find these gems in our neighborhood WaWa market. Make sure to warm them up in a low-temp oven.

The Onions- This is the easy part. I generally use yellow onions, but lastnight I mixed both yellow and red together with a bit of peanut oil in a non-stick pan over medium-low heat.

The Meat- I am not a fan of Steakums or really any other processed frozen meat. I went down the street to Belmont Butchery, where they gladly cut up some local, ethically raised beef in what they term "Japanese Style". All that really means is that they slice it up similar to lunch meat and therefore perfect for cheese steaks. I cooked the slices on a griddle, topped with a dash or two of seasoning salt. That's it.

I threw on some Heinz Ketchup and mayo (I was out of hot pepper relish). Great sandwich.