pickled fennel cheese melts

I made this sandwich. It is really yummy. I have eaten it every day for a week now. I was thinking about making it, for a couple months, and then it took me about a month to make all the parts and bring it together. I was inspired by a sandwich I ate at a cafe/deli in Canmore whilst on our last date weekend before this baby arrived. That sandwich was pure heaven. I asked if we could buy their pickled fennel as I have never eaten it before and was totally in love. They said no. So...I scoured the internet for a recipe. Its easier than I thought, and Oh so delicious. I also made basil pesto with Basil from the farmers market and it is amazing too. Well, I think basil pesto is just amazing, and anything with it on it ...amazing. Reminds me of living on Vancouver island in Glenora where we ate pesto every day on everything, except then we didnt make it ourselves, and I had no idea how easy it is to make (as long as one has a large source of basil...not as easy to come by I may add...unless you frequent the farmer's market...)

Here is what is on my sandwich:

Basil pesto - from this recipe

Sliced turkey (from cost-co)

Pickled fennel - from this recipe (I cheated on this...on the amounts and I used ingredients I had in the house - which was most stuff, but I think you can experiment a bit with this...next time I am going to make it with apple juice instead of water...I think that would be really good...)

And some old cheddar melted on top.

For bread I recommend the burger buns from superstore. They have these flat round burger buns that I have fallen in love with. They are multigrain...so healthy and yummy. They are round and no crust - so the kid will eat the whole thing when I make a sandwich, and they are thin, so you dont feel you are eating a tonne of bread. They go crispy when toasted and are perfect for melts. Also, the pack comes with 8, but each bun has two slices so it lasts longer than you think. We also eat a lot of banana and peanut butter sandwiches on these things too. Anyways, make sure to toast them in the toaster before making the melts, then they hold up and dont get soggy or floppy...

OK, thats my sandwich. Enjoy one for yourself. Its worth the effort.