Fresh | Adult sandwiches make for an excellent sack lunch

By Sara Gettys

Yakima Herald-Republic

Every morning as I drink my coffee, a steady stream of youngsters toting backpacks, sometimes hand in hand with their parents, make their way to school. Every year, about this time I, too, want to head back to school. As a kid, I loved school, and as an adult, part of me (the part that doesn't have to pay bills) would love nothing better than to spend every day learning about all sorts of different things.

Of course, the class schedule would be full of things I find interesting (not so much algebra) -- classes like geography, biology, river rafting, sewing, painting, pastry baking. Of course, I'd get to go back-to-school shopping -- new clothes, new pens and pencils, new haircut, everything shiny and nice. And finally, I'd get to pack the best sack lunch ever.

Since I can't go back to classes and have a tight budget for a wardrobe makeover, I'm devoting this month's column to my sack lunch, and sharing some sandwich recipes with you.

The first recipe is from my college years. I went to a small women's college in Virginia, and one of the things I loved about it was how very Southern it was. Every event -- campus speakers, poetry readings, even some meetings -- seemed to have a tray of cucumber sandwiches. So simple, yet there's an element of perfection in the combination of textures of soft bread, creamy cheese and crisp cucumber.

Start with a loaf of cheap white bread. You want something fluffy without a lot of taste, really. Spread a layer of cream cheese on both sides of the bread, then crack some black pepper or, even better, a sprinkle of lemon pepper on each side. Add a few thin slices of cucumber. Once you put the sandwich together, and this is key, cut it into four pieces, cutting corner to corner, so you end up with four dainty triangles. Pour yourself some sweet tea and enjoy!

The next recipe is inspired by one of my favorites when I was a kid. We used to go to this sandwich shop called City Lights that was decorated with half walls and painted city scenes. The ceiling tiles were even painted different colors and a huge fake wrecking ball hung down from the ceiling. Though it was probably a little cheesy, it was a decorating scheme that definitely appealed to a little artistic girl.

My favorite sandwich there, and one that has influenced my sandwich tastes from that point forward, was a turkey, bacon, avocado and sprouts sandwich. So here's my version, a little more grown up, still mouth-watering.

Start with pretty good meat. I realize we all have our scale of what "good meat" is, but for me, this is the all-natural smoked turkey from the grocery store deli case. Also, some good bread. When I'm treating myself, I get bread from Essencia. Either a baguette or a slice of bourdelis would be great for this sandwich. I used a loaf of their triple pepper bread, which has three kinds of peppers and a bit of cornmeal in the crust.

Now, here's my ideal sandwich, starting from the bottom: bread, cream cheese, turkey, thick sliced bacon, avocado, alfalfa or clover sprouts, mayo and topped off with another piece fo bread. I go back and forth on whether the bread should be toasted. Depends on the day.

To finish off your lunch, grab some of your favorite veggies, fruit or chips and definitely pack yourself a chocolate bar. Maybe two. After all, while we can't all get new sneakers to start the fall off on the right foot, there are a couple of perks to being an adult and packing our own sack lunches.

* Fresh is a photo/food column by Yakima Herald-Republic photographer Sara Gettys. To see more, visit the photo blog at yakimaheraldphotos.com.