Sandwiches with a special touch

Ok, so you have no food in your house, you've been working hard all day, and your husband asks what you're cooking for dinner. And of course you say, "I'm not cooking" because that's the last thing you feel like doing. But honestly, I've had cereal for dinner for the past week straight (not very inventive but one of my favorite foods in the world and I haven't had time to be creative!) so I decide to make sandwiches. They're easy to make...and easy to make delicious ;)

I look in my fridge: white onion (always :D), tomato, various cheeses, lettuce, mushroom, salami, mayo, various condiments....the list could go on forever. Start with your bread because it's your blank canvas. I could have either done a crusty outside soft inside french loaf or your basic soft and hearty wheat bread. Wheat won this war. Then it's time to choose the insides. Well we only have salami right now because we also like to use it for egg sandwiches, on burgers, salads, etc. So salami it is. I also grab the white onion, pepper jack cheese, and start cutting.

I decided to kick my sandwich up a notch by frying my salami in a pan. THIS IS SO GOOD! The fat from the salami renders and the salami starts to develop a nice crisp and takes on almost a bacon-like quality. Top it on my bread with a few slices of pepper jack and a nice thin slice of onion. Then I use the grease from the salami fat in the pan to grill up my sandwiches. (Such a brilliant idea. Yum). Cut it from corner to corner after the cheese gets all melty and the bread is totally crisp and voila! So good. Ideally it would have been off the charts if I would have had banana peppers to add to the mix for a little Italian hoagie thing but it was great as is. I didn't even need to add mayo! I bet the sandwich probably cost around $.50 to make so thank you budget! BE CREATIVE!

Tips:
-Heat up your meats in a pan before placing them between the sandwich bread. It is amazing what it can do to a sandwich. I've even removed the bottom half of the bread after it's gotten all browned in the pan and just flipped the meat directly onto the stove with the rest of the sandwich in place. It really helps melt the cheese and get everything blended in flavors. So pull out your pan for more then your bread!
-Buy condiments. They last a long time and they are worth it when your salad, pasta, sandwich, or meat is lacking in that extra something. Pesto, mayo, jarred peppers, various spreads. You can pretty much add about any seasoning to your mayo to add a pop to your bland sandwich.
-I did not add lettuce or tomato to my sandwich because I just didn't want to but if you want these in between your bread then throw it on at the very end otherwise they loose their great texture and they're supposed to be cold or room temperature for a reason! What I like to do is dice up my salami, fry it, and throw it into a bowl with chopped lettuce, tomato, pepper jack cheese, croutons, white onion, and any vinaigrette I have to make a great salad. Don't add dressing and you can have the leftovers for lunch the next day because they flavors will meld but the lettuce won't be soggy!

I could go on and on but I just want to give you a head start to creativity. Experiment! Don't make just any sandwich. Take five extra minutes and make it a meal!

Must haves in the fridge:
-white onion
-salami
condiments

Recipe:
two slices bread (I used wheat for this)
one thin slice white onion
4 slices pepper jack cheese
4 slices of salami

Fry up salami in a pan first until it crisps a little bit but is not too deeply browned. Stack onto bread along with four slices of cheese and white onion. Use the greased pan to brown both sides of bread. DO NOT REMOVE UNTIL CHEESE IS MELTED TO PERFECTION! So keep the stove at medium high so bread doesn't burn while you are patiently waiting. Yields one awesome sandwich!