Something New for Sandwiches

Do you ever get bored with boring sandwiches? Here are some clever little tips to impress your friends or to give someone a treat in their lunchbox.

Make pretty open-faced sandwiches by cutting your favorite sandwich fixings and simply arranging them artistically on a piece of bread. (Cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and cheese are fairly easy to shape.) Spread butter, mayonnaise, mustard, or other sauces on the bread before layering on the toppings, or can pipe stiff sauces using an icing bag and a star tip. It's an unusual way to serve even your typical ham sandwich or peanut butter and jelly.

Rolled sandwiches look like they have come from the caterer, but they are very simple to make.

1. Trim the crust off half a loaf of thin sandwich bread.
2. Mix separate portions of cream cheese with different shades of food coloring. (You coordinate colors for a party or shower.)
3. Spread a different color on each slice of bread.
4. Stack the slices in groups of four or five layers.
5. Roll the layered slices into a cylinder shape and tie the roll together with a piece of string or two until it holds together on its own.
6. Use a cheese slicer or a sharp knife to cut dainty little circular sandwiches (as you would a jelly roll).

You can also do peanut butter and jelly this way for a sophisticated twist on a very ordinary sandwich.

Braided sandwiches are another unique way to serve your favorite sandwich combinations.

1. Make or buy bread dough.
2. Prepare ingredients for a sandwich. (Grated cheese and thin strips of meat work best. You can also use pizza toppings or veggies inside a braided sandwich.)
3. Roll out the dough in an oval shape about eighteen inches long, nine inches wide, and 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
4. Lay the meat and cheese down the center of the rolled dough, leaving about 3 inches of dough down each side.
5. Cut parallel strips about one inch wide on a diagonal down each side on the exposed dough.
6. Alternate between the two sides to "braid" your bread strips over the top of your sandwich filling.
7. Bake at 350°F for ten to twenty minutes, or until the bread is cooked to a golden brown.
8. Brush the top of baked braided sandwich with melted butter as soon as it's out of the oven to give it a nice sheen.
9. Cut sandwiches about two inches wide and serve them with mustard, mayo, fresh veggies, etc.