Sandwich love

Oh dear.

I was forced to break up with a constant force in my life today: the Walgreens Photo department. The store near my home ruined yet another roll of precious 35mm film, and it did so after raising the price of developing 24 exposures to $7.99 + tax ($10.99 for doubles!) I can't continue in this relationship after so many terrible developments.

We've had our good times, me and Walgreens Photo. The Walgreens at 55th and Broadway, my old stand-by, developed this arresting picture of a cream pitcher last winter.

Mr. Fish never did sell on Craigslist...

That location always had the nicest deals on coffee, too. For months, I could get a free Lindt milk or dark chocolate truffle with only a 99-cent coffee purchase. Heaven, right? I stashed those truffles away, using them later to top Christmas presents. My new Walgreens, the one close to my new home, is not helpful in the photo department. This picture came out well from the last roll, but how could it not? It was taken of snow, in bright lighting, and focused by my (mostly) steady hand. At least I got to commemorate the freak Wichita snow blizzard of March 2009.

The blizzard of March, 2009: perfect for snowballs

But most of the roll turned out like the photo below. Who wants to eat that? Nobody.

Does the Contrast Fairy hate me?

I spent ten minutes taking pictures of this zucchini/red cabbage stir fry, adjusting the shades in my dining room, tinkering with sunlight, rotating the plate. Every one of those half-dozen photos turned out this way, with a white bleached spot and dark corners. Was no one watching the photos develop? I know those shadows weren't there when I took the pictures. Instead of a sumptuous photo of stir-fry, rippling with purples and greens and browns, I see a blackened pile of blah along several wedges of butter-colored Fontina. Now I own six bad photographs of blah with butter. Maybe I can work them into a collage of some kind...

So, after that lengthy and photo-heavy introduction, I offer you my sincerest apologies about the photos of today's recipe. I don't usually overhaul my blog pictures in Photoshop, to give an accurate portrait of what the food looks like, but I had to tweak the contrast on these. For the good of you, the reader, and for the good of The Internet.

Behold! The creamy Swiss and pepper sandwich, which combines the comfort of grilled cheese with the sweet crunch of bell peppers. I used Laughing Cow Swiss cheese on them, but any other Laughing Cow flavor (roasted garlic? onion?) or a good cream cheese will work well. It's the perfect sandwich for Wichita's "not-quite-spring-like" weather. Oh, April, you are so fickle.

roasted peppers, garlic, and cheese --> oh my!

Creamy Swiss and sauteed pepper sandwiches

• 4 slices of chewy artisan bread (I used a semolina sesame bread from a local grocery)
• 2 wedges of Laughing Cow Swiss (or 2 oz. cream cheese in a pinch)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced finely, finely, finely
  
• about 1/3 cup sweet bell pepper, cut into thin strips (I used a mix of red, yellow, and orange mini-peppers)
  
• 1/3 cup chard, cut into thin strips (optional)
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

In a small saucepan, heat 1 tsp. olive oil over medium heat. While the pan warms, prepare the vegetables: cut chard and peppers into thin strips, garlic into flaky, minced bits. Saute the vegetables in the saucepan, just until the chard is wilted and the peppers have begun to look toasty and to release a sweet fragrance.

While the vegetables are cooking, generously spread cheese on each piece of bread. Load up your sandwiches when the vegetables are finished, evenly layering chard, then peppers and garlic. Sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes on each sandwich half.

Coat the pan with more olive oil, then lightly grill each sandwich for 2-3 minutes on each side, enough to melt the cheese and to toast the bread. Remove the sandwiches, then carefully cut each one in half with a serrated knife. Serve warm and with complementary finger foods like olives and artichoke hearts.

served with olives, artichokes, peppers, and tomato pesto