Summer Sandwiches – A Few Of Bruce’s Favorites

The summer months when I was a kid were all about waking up before the sun got hot, riding my bike for hours at a  time and eating sandwiches at lunch time.

The sandwich was the summertime staple for lunch at our place. I am willing to bet you ate your share of sandwiches on the front porch with a tall cold glass of lemonade when you were a kid too. Here are some of my favorite summer sandwiches.

Grilled Cheese: I know you don't really want something hot but a grilled cheese sandwich was as close to hot meal as I was going to come. We did it the poor man's way, two slices of white bread with a little butter or margarine spread on for good measure, a slice of something that may or may not have been cheese to put in between the bread, heat then eat. I understand there are actually gourmet versions of this classic but I am quite comfortable with my simple version.

Tomato Sandwiches: We always grew a garden when I was a kid and that meant loads and loads of fresh tomatoes. I would walk out to our garden just before lunch, find a ripe red tomato on the vine, pick it, slice and slap it between two slices of bread with a little mayonnaise and mustard and that may have been as close to heaven as I will ever get.

Bacon Lettuce and Tomato Sandwiches: See the above narration and add some thick sliced bacon, fresh lettuce plus mustard some pepper and a dash of Tabasco and you're talking about lunch with the angels. We only got to have BLTs when my Dad was in town. He spent most of his summer on the road working a cotton insect specialist so during the growing season we didn't see him that much.

Potted Meat and SPAM: You did not just have to use your gag reflex, stop being so mean. Potted meat is something you never want to microwave. If you do microwave potted meat it will disappear. No, it's not magic, it's just that there is a significant fat content in the potted meat product that heating will liquify. Liquid meat is not good on any sandwich. Spam for all the hell it gets may be the best portable meat product ever invented. It's always tasty and it slices perfectly to fit bread. I always did two slices of Spam with mayo, tomato and potato chips on my sandwich. Don't knock it until you've tried it.

What are some of your summer sandwich favorites? Did you stick with mainly PB and J or did you branch out into the wild world of Trix on rye or maybe cucumber, zucchini and Doritos on toast? I would love to hear about what your hot weather favorite food are.