Lazy Sunday Sandwiches

Sometimes, especially on a humid summer Sunday, you want a yummy dinner but you absolutely do not feel like getting into anything complicated that involves chopping, dicing, simmering, sauteeing, and most importantly - cleaning up. This is especially true if you've had one too many mimosas at brunch and have woken up hungry and foggy-brained  from a big nap. (Not that I've experienced this personally, I've just heard about it  ... from friends.)

I know that sandwiches are usually a lunch thing, but  you can totally ramp them up and make them dinner-worthy with very little effort. This is also the perfect way to use up those odd handfuls and bits of things - a small hunk of cheese, that last 1/4 of an onion -  you have left in the fridge by the end of the week. 

Frankly, if this didn't involve fresh ingredients I'd be guilty of pulling a Sandra Lee here, but then again, I just made mornay sauce so I'm entitled to a sandwich recipe, right? 

Lazy Sunday Sandwiches, Two Ways: Warm Arugula with Champagne Cheddar,* and Roasted Red Pepper, Garlic, & Goat Cheese

For the arugula sandwich you'll need:

1/2 baguette

handful of arugula

1/4  vidalia onion, thinly sliced 

spicy whole-grain mustard

1 or 2 ounces of  mild cheddar - I used a white  champagne cheddar

Slice the baguette in half, lengthwise

Layer your ingredients: bread, mustard, arugula, onion, cheese, bread.

Wrap  your sandwich tightly in aluminum foil

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes

For the red pepper sandwich you'll need:

The other half of the baguette

Roasted red peppers (I had a few left over from a trip to the Wegman's salad bar - you can use jarred roasted red peppers but make sure to pat them dry with a paper towel before you put them on the sandwich or they'll make the bread wet. Of course you could roast your own, but that's not the point of a lazy summer sandwich!)

One clove garlic, very thinly sliced

Olive oil

Goat cheese

Slice the baguette lengthwise and smear a thin coating of olive oil on both sides.

Layer your ingredients: garlic, red pepper, goat cheese (you can either dot the goat cheese at intervals or smear a thin layer on the top half of the baguette.)

Wrap it up tightly in foil and bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

You can cut the sandwiches in half or quarters - however you want to divvy it up. These are great with a freezing cold beer or iced tea.

(*Shout out to One Straw Farm: I see that you have an arugula sandwich recipe on your Web site ... I guess great minds think alike!)