The Bread. Be sure to choose the right ead for your sandwich. Keep in mind that the more moisture in the fillings, the drier and denser the ead should be. Breads with thick crusts work perfectly, or swap your regular ead for flour tortillas, bagels, English muffins, or pitas. Grill or toast the ead to add crunch and flavor. Keep wet ingredients from making your sandwiches soggy by adding a light layer of butter to the ead. Get creative with cookie cutters for fun sandwich shapes!
The Ingredients. To keep sandwiches crispy and delicious, place a single layer of lunchmeat on each slice of ead, then spreading the condiments on those. The meat creates a barrier between the ead and the rest of the ingredients. Cheese also works nicely as a barrier. One rule of thumb is to never place tomatoes directly on the cheese – the juice from the tomatoes will make the cheese soft and cause the ead to become soggy. Instead, place tomatoes in between lettuce slices. Cucumbers are also great alternatives for lettuce.
The Storage. Another good defense against sogginess is to pack the separates and let the kids make the sandwiches at school. Bread goes in one bag or container, meat and vegetables in another, and throw in little restaurant packets of mayo or mustard. Some insulated lunch bags are equipped with freezer packs. If not, try freezing juice boxes or reusable bottled waters instead of adding freezer packs. The boxes or bottles will thaw to provide a refreshing beverage and keep the sandwich fresh.
The Back to School Bagelwich
Yield: 1 sandwich
4-6 slices Hillshire Farm Deli Select Ultra Thin Honey Ham
1 bagel
2 teaspoons cream cheese
1 teaspoon honey mustard
1 thin slice beefsteak tomato
6 thin cucumber slices
Split the bagel and spread each half with one teaspoon cream cheese.
On each half of bagel, layer half of each of the ingredients in this order:Ham, honey mustard, tomato, and cucumber slices.
Join the two halves together. Cut in half and wrap.
