This Turkey with Artichoke and Sun Dried Tomato is a great way to get creative with your sandwiches!

So bread has kind of been the theme this week, huh?

First I told you about how I learned that it wasn’t so hard to make Light Whole Wheat Baguette using Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

Then I made Homemade Croutons with that very same baguette.

Shaina was nice enough to share a delicious recipe for Raspberry Vanilla Bean Bread Pudding, another great recipe that you can use leftover baguette in.

So many delicious recipes that you can make using a simple baguette.

I love to eat gourmet sandwiches, but it’s not exactly inexpensive to head over to a local deli or diner on a weekly basis.

Instead, I make gourmet sandwiches at home using baguette, or other homemade artisan style bread.

In fact, I don’t really like to make sandwiches on true sandwich bread very often.

Unless it is traditional grilled cheese, or almond butter and jelly.

It’s hard for me to get excited about a basic ham and cheese sandwich, so I often use a few of these tips to change things up in my sandwiches.

Lunch is much more exciting this way!

5 Simple Ways to Dress up a Sandwich

1. Use non-traditional bread.

Whether it is with baguette, a wrap, focaccia, or a bagel you can add a little more style to your sandwich if you stray from sandwich bread.

If you can, make your own breads.

It’s not as hard as it seems and will save you precious money.

Bakery bread is a pretty penny.

2. Spread it with something other than mayo and mustard.

Aioli, pesto, tapenade, guacamole, herbed cream cheese, or Italian dressing are some of my favorites.

3. Grill, toast, or broil it.

This can change a lot: melted cheese, a hot sandwich, crispy bread, all of these change the feel of the sandwich.

4. Use out of ordinary fillings.

Experiment with different cheese, vegetables, and meats (or lack of for vegetable loaded sandwiches).

Consider roasting or caramelizing onions and mushrooms instead of using fresh for different flavors.

Look around in your fridge for what you already have on hand and you’ll be inspired to create new combination.

I didn’t purchase any of the ingredients listed in this recipe for the sandwich (other than the turkey).

Sandwiches are a great way to use up remnant ingredients from previous meals.

5. When all else fails, take inspiration from your favorite deli menu.

Most deli sandwiches are not that difficult to recreate at home.

A simple glance at the ingredient list or sandwich name can give you all sorts of inspiration, and may even spark a completely new idea.

This sandwich features turkey, sun dried tomatoes, spinach, artichoke hearts and fresh mozzarella slices.

Instead of using boring mayo and mustard, I dressed the sandwich up with a basil Dijon aioli.

Portion the sandwich in your preferable size.

A one pound baguette is best divided into four sandwiches.

Serve this sandwich for lunch, or for dinner with fresh fruit and Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic and Parmesan, a perfect break from the winter doldrums.

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