Bread

Avocados and good cheeses make this sandwich a standout. With the beautiful avocados in my fridge, I needed to come up with another reason to serve their creamy goodness. When the avocados have just reached the peak of ripeness, it's hard to resist the urge to eat one right out of its skin. This sandwich is a marriage of flavors and states. I took California avocados and two Wisconsin cheeses, and brought them together on a fresh, whole-wheat bread, grilled with garlic olive oil and thin slices of red onion for color and snap.

Hagerstown resident Donna Wagner said she doesn't cook much now, but she used to cook all the time. Nothing fancy, she added. "Plain American food - meat and potatoes, two vegetables," she said. Wagner said she is a self-taught cook, and gathered recipes from friends. This recipe, which Wagner got from a friend, Kerby Mumma, is a little fancy. "I made this just once for the Singer Society. It's a lot of work," she said. It might take a little advanced planning to find unsliced bread, Wagner said.

In keeping with my recent grilled theme, I decided to go with dual grilled items. Both the steak and flatbread were grilled to make this sandwich. I choose soft, pliable flat bread similar to flour tortilla but more like naan bread. I first grilled the flank steak, then thinly sliced it on the bias and chilled it. Next, I grilled the flatbread to give the edges and sides a nice, crispy grilled texture. I've also made this with a flour tortilla but I find the flatbread much better when grilled.

Italian bread soup, or zuppa di pane, is simple, quick and delicious. It's also a perfect dish for anytime of year. -   Scott C. Anderson is associate food service director and chef with Shepherd University dining services in Shepherds-town, W.Va., and Chef Ambassador to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. Looking for Chef Scott's past recipes? Read his column at www.herald-mail.com/lifestyle . Italian bread soup 3 large yellow onions 5 tablespoon butter 5 cups beef stock or hearty broth 6 slices thick artisan crusty bread - stale 1 cup grated Gruyere 1/2 cup grated Fontina Fresh-ground black pepper Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

The traditional British pub lunch sandwich, the Ploughman's Sandwich, is quite simple.   Start with hearty, rustic bread such as 7 grain, pumpernickel  or seeded rye. Stay away from the traditional soft and squishy breads that you buy on the grocery store shelf.   I like to go to the local bakery or to the fresh breads section to pick up some fresh-baked loaves. What you are looking for is a nice bread with chewiness and great aroma and texture. This sandwich is created with three basic ingredients - bread, cheese and chutney.

By ANNE CHOVEY Special to The Herald-Mail The website for Fratelli Italian Pizzeria & Grill states, "Fratelli Restaurant is here to serve good food in a family atmosphere. " That sounded like a good invitation to me, so my friend Pap Ricka and I stopped in for dinner. Fratelli's has a cheerful exterior in one of the units in the South Pointe Shopping Center, on Oak Ridge Drive in Hagerstown. To the left of the front door is an outdoor eating area with tables and chairs under umbrellas.

Nothing says delicious more than a crisp, melted panini sandwich that gives you a powerhouse of delightful flavor. Make sure you get fresh, thinly sliced prosciutto, not that pre-sliced store packaged meat. Watch the deli counter technician slice the meat and be sure to ask for a slice to sample. The meat should be flavorful, with no slimy feel or off-odors, and it should have a nice chewiness to it, with a hint of salt to round out the flavor. Make sure the panini grill or ribbed skillet is nice and hot in order to get a good sear and marking on the sandwich.

Consumers are often told to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables as they contain many disease-fighting nutrients.   Whole grains are often overlooked and are also an excellent source of these key nutrients. Experts agree that incorporating whole grains into a healthy diet has many added health benefits including reduction in heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and obesity. There are few foods that offer such a diverse array of health benefits.   The United States Department of Agriculture recommends that half of our consumption of grains should come from whole grains.

This recipe was included in "Food For All," a cookbook Dodie Ruskie and friend Donna Catling created in 2007 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Hagerstown. Ruskie and Catling compiled the cookbook from church members' and friends' favorite recipes. Many were recipes for popular dishes served at church potlucks or during the refreshment hour after the Sunday service. "This bread is one my whole family enjoyed," Ruskie said. "It is a recipe my mother, Dorothy Carberry, had written on a blank page in one of her many cookbooks.

Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside was a man who knew his limits, yet was often thrust into situations above his comprehension and ability to control. Such was the situation during the Battle of Antietam at the Lower Bridge, which is known today as Burnside Bridge. Burnside was in command of the 9th Corps., Army of the Potomac, because he had been removed as wing commander by his old friend, Gen. George B. McClellan. As such, Burnside ended up as a traffic cop directing the flow of men and materials across the bridge instead of commanding his corps.