My new favorite place to shoot photos is our picnic table in the backyard. For a lot of reasons – the texture is great, the background images of our raised beds are always gorgeous, and most at the forefront right now, all of the photo lighting gear is in the basement because we are currently living in our guestroom, which usually also functions as the photo studio. Shooting outside or not shooting at all are basically my only options. Thankfully, it was still light even at 8:30 p.m., when I finished making dinner (where did the time go?) and was ready to shoot it.

I suspect my neighbors think I am crazy. Right now our queen-sized mattress is leaning against the back door, because it doesn’t fit down our 90-year-old basement staircase and it sure as heck can’t be upstairs while the construction is going on. SO, instead of taking the easiest/most direct path to our backyard picnic table, I load up my arms with food, props, camera, etc., open various doors/gates with my feet or put half the stuff down to do so, go through the driveway, around the giant pile of lumber for the remodel, into the backyard past gate to shoot, all in clear view of the neighbors’ kitchen window. Yeah, the probably think I am nuts. Either that or I think I am nuts, or both.

But despite all of the crazy, my favorite spot to shoot photos definitely came through for me tonight. Even though I got home at a normal time, I didn’t actually get around to dinner until a little bit late. But as soon as I finished taking photos of this baby, it was gone.

Here’s what you need:

• 2 slices of good bread, preferably a rustic style
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• Sliced tomato
• 2-4 tbsp. fresh pesto (use less of a commercially produced variety – I find they are saltier, whereas I could eat fresh pesto with a spoon)
• 3-6 slices of Genoa-style salami (enough to generously cover the bread area)
• High quality olive oil (not extra virgin, though, this will require too much heat!)

In your non-stickiest skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil on medium-high heat. Construct your sandwich on a nearby cutting board.

Stack the sandwich so that the cheese “glues” the bread to both sides of the fillings and some of the fillings together in the middle: i.e., bread, cheese, salami, lesser cheese layer, tomato, pesto, cheese, bread.

When the pan is quite hot, add your sandwich right into the middle of the oil, and make sure the bread soaks up as much as you can (that’s where that yummy golden crust comes from). Heat for 3-4 minutes, or until the bottom has a nice, golden-brown color to it. Flip over, and add another tablespoon of oil. Move the sandwich to make sure all edges of the bread get some oil, and cook until the bread is golden brown on that side as well. The cheese should be melted at this point.

Remove the sandwich to the cutting board and allow it to cool for a few minutes before you cut it, so the cheese has a chance to re-solidify. Cut in half using a serrated knife, using the point to break through the crust so you don’t displace the filling sawing back and forth.