My Childhood Lunch, All Grown Up

When I was little, my mom always packed half of a bagel with cream cheese in my lunch every day. It was a special treat, getting that plain white-bread bagel instead of the usual whole-grain peanut butter sandwich. Plus, the cream cheese didn’t stick to the roof of my mouth half as bad as the peanut butter!

As I grew older, those bagels turned back into whole-wheat sandwiches–this time with lunchmeat–or yogurts, or pita bread with provolone. Because it happened gradually, over a few years, I didn’t realize how much I missed the cream cheese until within the past couple months. (Yup, it’s been that long!)

So I bought a tub of cream cheese, but I did decide to switch things up a bit. I slathered it on an English muffin, threw in a few extra ingredients, and devoured my long-awaited cream cheese creation in a matter of minutes.

Creamy Cucumber-Dill Sandwich

serves 1

The dill adds an earthy tone to the filling, but for a sweeter taste, feel free to omit it. Basil or cracked black pepper would both make excellent substitutions (or additions!) as well.

2-3 tbsp cream cheese

¼ tsp water

pinch of dill

¼ c. diced cucumber

1 English muffin

Mix the cream cheese, water, and dill together in a small bowl with a spoon until smooth and creamy. Mix in the cucumber, being sure to coat all of the cucumber.
Cut the English muffin in half, spoon the cucumber mixture onto one half, and top with the other.