Key West Chicken-Avocado Sandwiches

I had the hardest time remembering that that yellow stuff under the spinach in the picture is not cheddar cheese - it is mango. Every time I looked at the picture I thought that it called for cheddar cheese. Good thing I put mango on my shopping list!

These sandwiches were really tasty and unique. They were definitely unlike any sandwich that I have ever had. We really liked the avocado sauce but I would definitely at least double the amount of the green Tabasco that it calls for - it could have used more of a kick. The mango adds a little bit of flavor, but not a ton so even though I am not a huge mango fan I didn't mind it in my sandwich. The avocado is what really made this meal. Yummy!

The sweet potatoes that we ate as a side dish were just something that I threw together. I peeled the sweet potatoes and cut them into rounds. I sprinkled them with chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, a little bit of brown sugar and salt and pepper. I made an aluminum dish out of aluminum foil and put a little bit of olive oil to cover the bottom and then threw those babies on the barbecue to cook with our chicken. Oh. My. Yummy! Honestly, they were my favorite part of this meal!

This recipe and the picture at the bottom of this post are courtesy of Prevention.com and can be found at this site HERE.

KEY WEST CHICKEN-AVOCADO SANDWICHES

From Prevention

Servings 4

Nutritional Information per serving (provided by Prevention.com): Calories 291.6, Carbs 27 g, Fat 9.8 g, Saturated Fat 2.1 g, Sodium 199.7 mg, Protein 26.1 g, Total sugars 10 g, Dietary fiber 6.3 g

·         1 cup mashed Florida avocado (MUFA), about 1 med

·         1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1/2 large lime)

·         ½ - 1 tsp green pepper sauce (we used Tabasco), optional

·         1 cup baby spinach

·         10 oz grilled or roasted chicken breast, sliced (about 2 c)

·         1 C mango, peeled, pitted, and sliced

·         4 sm whole grain rolls (2 oz each), split

1.      Combine avocado, lime juice, and green pepper sauce, if using, in small bowl. Spread top and bottom halves of rolls with 2 tablespoons each of the avocado-lime mixture.

2.      Layer 1/4 cup of the spinach, one-quarter of the chicken, and 1/4 cup of the mango on bottom halves. Top with other halves of rolls.

Spicy Hawaiian Burgers

This post is dedicated to my wonderful Aunt Deanne!

Before I get to the recipe I want to send a small requests for prayers, good feelings and good karma towards THIS family. She is a friend of mine from school and my heart just absolutely aches for her and her family right now. Keep fighting Celeste!

__________________________________

We have made these burgers.... three times now? Yes, three. We love them. They are delicious and flavorful and the combination with the pineapple is AMAZING! We have had them with and without cheese and we actually have never refrigerated them for the 30 minutes the recipe recommends and they still have come out just fine. I would definitely not call them "Spicy." Maybe using smoked paprika makes all the difference? We just use normal paprika and DOUBLE the chili powder and still... not spicy. Oh well. Still delicious!

If you are worried about fruit on a burger - don't be. It isn't any more squishy than eating a burger with a tomato and, if I may say so, tastes a TRILLION times better. (Raw Tomato + Shayla just DOES NOT compute!)

If you don't grind the chicken yourself it can be hard to find already ground. I am happy to report that this excellent recipe works well with ground pork as well. I am sure it would be excellent with ground turkey. If you must try ground beef... go ahead; however, I am not sure it would work AS well. The spices have a very wonderful flavor and mixing them with less flavorful meats produces excellent results. Beef has a pretty dominant flavor by itself so.... good luck!

This excellent recipe and source of the picture are from Homemade by Holman and can be located at this site here: http://homeiswheretheholmansare.blogspot.com/2010/06/spicy-hawaiian-burgers.html

SPICY HAWAIIAN BURGERS

Adapted from Homemade by Holman

2 pounds ground chicken
6 pineapple rings (or equivalent slices, cut about 1/2" - 3/4" thick)
6 slices pepper jack cheese (optional)
6 whole wheat hamburger buns
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder (if you want any kind of “spicy” you may want to double this…)
1/2 tsp seasoning salt (I use Lawry's)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced

Combine the ground chicken, soy sauce, paprika, chili powder, seasoning salt and cumin. Lightly mix with your hands and divide into 6 even balls. Form patties.. Refrigerate about 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill to medium heat. Coat grates lightly with oil. Grill burgers over medium heat about 6 minutes per side. The burgers should flip easily when they are ready to turn, if they want to stick, give them another minute. Top with cheese for the last 1-2 minutes of cooking time to melt. Remove to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to rest. Grill buns if desired.

For the pineapple, if you are using rings, grill directly on the grates over medium heat. Carefully turn after 1-2 minutes. If you are using pineapple slices or chunks, thread onto skewers and grill skewers in the same fashion. Assemble burgers and enjoy.

Spinach, Feta and Sundried Tomato Egg Sandwiches

It should be of no surprise to anyone that knows me that I LOVED this sandwich. I love all of the ingredients called for in this sandwich and I love how the flavors combine together. It came together very quick and very easily and I didn't change a single thing about the recipe except for the kind of sundried tomatoes that we used. Make this one. You will love it!

This lovely picture and source of the recipe are courtesy of Smells Like Home and can be found at this site here: http://smells-like-home.com/2012/03/spinach-feta-and-sundried-tomato-egg-sandwiches/

Spinach, Feta and Sundried Tomato Egg Sandwiches
source: Smells Like Home original

§  2 tsp olive oil

§  2 cups fresh spinach, stemmed

§  4 sundried tomatoes, rinsed, drained, and chopped (I just used sundried tomatoes that came in a nice little bag from Smith's. They are already dry and chopped and so I added about 1/2 cup.)

§  2 eggs beaten with a dash a water

§  Pinch of garlic powder

§  1/4 tsp dried oregano

§  Freshly ground black pepper

§  1 oz crumbled feta

§  2 English muffins, toasted and buttered (optional)

1.      Heat oil in a 10″ or 12″ nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add spinach and cook until wilted; stir in the sundried tomatoes and heat through, about 2 minutes.

2.      Stir the eggs into the spinach and sundried tomatoes and add the garlic powder, oregano, and a little black pepper.  Using a spatula, stir the eggs until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the feta.  Divide the eggs between the English muffins and serve hot.

Black Bean Burgers

My first experience with a black bean burger was at Costco with an obliging sample cart. My mom and I decided to give it a try and were so impressed with how delicious they were! Ever since that time I was determined to have them again and was thrilled when I stumbled across a recipe for them on Sweet Treats and More that looked so easy.

I will admit that the recipe was a little harder to make than I expected, but it wasn't bad. And the burgers were so delicious. My whole family loved them and gobbled them all down. Whether you are a meat lover or meat hater, this is a recipe that all will enjoy!

The picture and recipe are courtesy of Sweet Treats and More and can be found at this site here: http://www.sweettreatsmore.com/2010/06/black-bean-burgers.html

Black Bean Burgers

From Sweet Treats and More

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1 16 oz. can of black beans, drained well

1/2 c. frozen corn kernels
2 pieces of bread crumbled
1 egg white
2 tbs. flour
3 tbs. chunky salsa
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. onion salt
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil (for cooking)
Tomato, Avocado, and Lettuce for toppings, OroWheat Sandwhich Thins for buns.

1. Drain black beans then mash until almost smooth using large fork or potato masher.

2. Mix in all other ingredients and shape into 4 medium size patties.
3. Heat a large pan with thin coat of olive oil on bottom. Cook patties on medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes each side.

Zucchini Marinara Subs

We LOVED these! They were so delicious and filling. They are quite messy but since this is the meatless, healthy version of a meatball sub.... what did you really expect?

One of my favorite parts of this recipe was how "moist" the zucchini got after cooking it up in my skillet. It was the perfect crisp-tender. I even left the mushrooms in there and didn't mind it one bit!

Once again I must say that the Wal-mart bakery is the best place to get bread products. They have fabulous sub rolls there that made these even more heavenly.

I made my own marinara sauce from scratch to use with this recipe. I want to post about the sauce but I want to get a picture of it first. I will be sure to do that soon!

Thanks a million to Real Mom Kitchen for this fantastic recipe and picture found at this site here: http://realmomkitchen.com/2847/zucchini-marinara-subs/

Zucchini Marinara Subs

From Real Mom Kitchen

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• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium zucchini, diced (cut lengthwise into fourths and the diced into 1/2 inch chunks)
• 2 mushroom, sliced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 – 1 cup marinara sauce (depending on how saucy you want it)
• 4 slices provolone cheese
• 4 (6 inch) crusty French or Italian sandwich rolls, split

1. In a skillet over medium heat, fry the zucchini and mushrooms in olive oil until browned and tender. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add garlic to mixture and sauté for 1 min. Stir in the marinara sauce and cook until sauce is heated.
3. Place a slice of cheese on each roll and broil in oven until cheese is melted. (Leave rack in the center of the oven, don’t move it up and you won’t burn the roll. That is as long as you keep your eye on it.)
4. Divide zucchini mixture evenly between the four rolls and enjoy.

Philly Cheesesteaks

I love a good Philly. They are so delicious. This one? It was okay - too much cream cheese for our taste and not enough flavor. Next time I make it I will probably eliminate the cream cheese entirely and add banana peppers for a little kick. That will definitely make it better suited to our tastes. But, if you are a cream cheese lover - this is the recipe for you!

Thanks to Favorite Family Recipes for the recipe and the picture. You can find them at this site here: http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2011/07/easy-philly-cheesesteaks.html

PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS

From Favorite Family Recipes

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2 c. beef broth
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 lb. Black Angus rare roast beef (regular roast beef works great too, just make sure it's from the deli and thinly sliced)
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 large white or yellow onion, sliced
8 oz. cream cheese
sliced provolone cheese (2 slices per sandwich)
3-4 hoagie rolls

Bring beef broth and onion soup mix to a boil. Add roast beef, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5-10 minutes. In the meantime, in a large skillet saute onion and green pepper. When beef is done simmering, drain juices (you can keep the juice if you want to make an "au jus" dip.. we did and it was awesome!) Add roast beef to skillet along with about 4 oz. of cream cheese. Spread remaining cream cheese on each hoagie roll. When the cream cheese in the skillet is all melted, generously portion beef mixture onto each hoagie roll. Top with provolone cheese and place sandwiches, open-faced on a large baking sheet. Broil on high for about a minute or until cheese becomes bubbly and bread becomes slightly toasty. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Grilled Turkey Reuben Sandwiches

My husband says, "If you don't know what a Reuben Sanwich is, that picture looks terrible." LOL! I guess he is right. Sauerkraut doesn't look very appealing. If you don't like sauerkraut you can stop reading right now - this post isn't for you. If you are truly devoted lovers of the awesomeness that is sauerkraut - keep reading! You don't have to love it as much as me - I eat it straight out of the jar without any added condiments - but you have to at least appreciate it.

I LOVE REUBENS!!!! They are probably my favorite sandwich. No. They are my favorite sandwich. Nothing beats a good reuben. Have you ever been to the sandwich store Schlotzky's? They have AMAZING reubens. Kneaders also makes a mean reuben as well.

Anyway, these were fantastic. You might think it is silly to post a recipe about what is, essentially, a glorified grilled cheese sandwich, but the directions in this recipe make all the difference in the world. By draining and heating up the sauerkraut and meat before you use it you help get rid of excessive water/vinegar that will make your sandwich soggy. These were delicious and will most likely become a staple in our home!

The picture and recipe are courtesy of Allrecipes.com and can be found at this site here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grilled-Turkey-Reuben-Sandwiches/Detail.aspx

GRILLED TURKEY REUBEN SANDWICHES

From Allrecipes.com

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·         1 cup sauerkraut, drained

·         10 ounces sliced deli turkey meat

·         2 tablespoons butter

·         4 slices marble rye bread

·         4 slices Swiss cheese

·         4 tablespoons thousand island salad dressing, or to taste

1.      Warm the sauerkraut and turkey, separately, in a microwave-safe bowls for 30-seconds; set aside. Spread butter generously on one side of each slice of rye bread, then spread the thousand island dressing on the other side. Divide the sauerkraut, turkey, and Swiss cheese on two slice of bread with the butter-side down. Stack the remaining two slices of bread with the butter-side up on top.

2.      Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Arrange the sandwiches on the skillet and grill until lightly browned and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes on each side.

Honey-Chipotle Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches

Regardless of the fact that I am no longer pregnant, I am still on a serious sandwich and lemonade kick. Sandwiches are so great for the summer time - especially when they are as delicious as this sandwich! This spicy yet sweet combination of honey and chipotle makes for a mouthful of awesomeness! Add to the fact that this is pretty simple to make and what more could you ask for? How about the fact that it is another recipe that comes from Cooking Light? Delicious AND better for you?! What is that about!?

This sandwich is DEFINITELY going to go on our rotation. Although... I may have to wait awhile to make it again because it gave my poor nursing baby some pretty bad gas...

The picture and recipe are courtesy of Myrecipes.com and can be found at this site here: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/honey-chipotle-barbecue-chicken-sandwiches-10000001054888/

HONEY-CHIPOTLE BARBECUE CHICKEN SANDWICHES
Adapted from Myrecipes.com

·         1/2 cup water
·         1 teaspoon ground cumin
·         4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
·         1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast
·         1 (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce or 1/2 tsp. ground chipotle chiles
·         1 tablespoon canola oil
·         1 tablespoon minced garlic
·         1 teaspoon ground cumin
·         1/2 cup canned tomato puree (see note below)
·         1/4 cup cider vinegar
·         3 tablespoons honey
·         1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
·         1/4 teaspoon salt
·         4 (1 1/2-ounce) sandwich rolls
·         2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced (we used havarti - use what you have on hand!)
·         4 (1/8-inch-thick) slices red onion

Combine water, 1 teaspoon cumin, 4 sliced garlic cloves, and chicken in a large saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Drain, and place chicken on a cutting board. Cut chicken across grain into thin slices or shred (we preferred shredding for better portion control, easier sandwich compilation and better sauce distribution); keep warm.

Remove 2 tablespoons adobo sauce from can; set aside. Remove 2 chipotle chiles from can; finely chop and set aside. Reserve remaining chiles and adobo sauce for another use. (This step is unnecessary if you are using ground chipotle. The biggest advantage to using the ground is that it isn't as spicy as the canned chiles. Chipotle is quite hot and easily gets to be too much so be careful whichever way you go. Remember that you can always add more spice later but it is harder to take it away.)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic; sauté 3 minutes or until just beginning to brown. Add 1 teaspoon cumin; sauté 1 minute. Stir in tomato puree; cook 4 minutes or until mixture thickens to a paste like consistency, stirring constantly. Stir in reserved 2 tablespoons adobo sauce, 2 chopped chipotle chiles, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add sliced chicken to sauce; simmer for 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Preheat broiler.

Split rolls in half; arrange in a single layer, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Broil 1 minute or until lightly toasted. Remove top halves of rolls from baking sheet. Divide chicken mixture evenly among bottom halves of rolls, and top chicken mixture evenly with cheese. Broil chicken-topped rolls 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; top with onion and top roll halves. Serve immediately.

Jennifer Martinkus, Cooking Light
MAY 2005

*TIPS!*

~Surprisingly enough, all of my favorite store bought bread products come from Wal-mart. They have a great selection of different kinds of rolls that are really good and very reasonably priced. I got crusty sandwich rolls for our sandwich recipes this week and they were excellent.

~If you are wondering what a jar of Ground Chipotle Chile looks like this an example of what you should be keeping an eye out for in the store:

~Tomato puree is NOT tomato paste or tomato sauce. You can buy it in the store or you can buy a can of diced tomatoes, drain BUT RESERVE the juice from the tomatoes, and then blend the tomatoes in a blender or food processor. You want to reserve the juice in case your mix gets too thick later on and this will allow you to thin it out a bit. But DO NOT use tomato sauce or paste instead. 

Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches

OH.MY.YUM!!!! I must say that even writing about these sandwiches is making me want to make them again for dinner tonight even though we just had them. This recipe is so easy to make with so few ingredients that it is almost a crime that it is also SOOO good. I honestly can't wait to make this one again. I have another roast in my freezer waiting to be used for a different recipe but I may just have to postpone that one and have some more of these delicious sandwiches!

If you are afraid of the spice factor here you really shouldn't be (unless you are a major spice wimp). Pepperoncinis are mild peppers and the flavor is more tangy than spicy. This is the spice label on the pepperoncini bottle:

The pictures and recipe are courtesy of Our Best Bites (LOVE THEM!) and can be found at this site here: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/06/pepperoncini-beef-sandwiches/

 Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches

Recipe adapted by Our Best Bites from Allrecipes

1/2+ tsp. kosher salt (you really could use normal salt...)
1/2+ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of olive or cooking oil
3 lb. beef roast, trimmed of excess fat
4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 16-oz. jar sliced pepperoncinis, undrained
Crusty sandwich rolls (for sandwiches)
Sliced provolone cheese (for sandwiches)

Heat oil in a pot or high-sided skillet over high heat. While the oil is heating, combine the salt and pepper and rub it into the meat. Add more if necessary. When the oil is hot, sear the roast on all sides so the outsides of it is browned and a little crispy. Transfer the roast to a slow cooker and add the minced garlic and the entire jar of pepperoncinis. If possible, cook on high until the liquid comes to a boil and then turn it to low and cook until the roast shreds easily with a fork, for a total cooking time of about 6-8 hours. If not possible, cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the beef is fork tender. 

For sandwiches, slice the rolls and spread lightly with mayonnaise and then top with the shredded beef. Add a slice of provolone cheese and then place under the broiler for 1-3 minutes or until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted. Serve immediately. Makes 12 large sandwiches.

TIPS!
*In our slow cooker we cooked our FOUR pound roast on high for 1 hour and then on low for 5 hours. It was PERFECT in tenderness and shred-ability. Make sure you experiment with the cooking time to find out what works best for your slow cooker - unfortunately they are all a bit different.

*I would recommend toasting the rolls first all by themselves. Then place mayo, beef and cheese on one side and set the other half to the side. Broil until the cheese is melted. If you do it this way you will have 2 toasty sides instead of one toasty side and one soggier side.

Dripping Roast Beef Sandwiches with Melted Cheese

I may have mentioned already that the two cravings I cannot kick this pregnancy are lemonade and sandwiches. I am ALWAYS craving those two things. When I got this recipe in my inbox one day I knew right away that it would be a keeper around here. And boy was I right! It is extremely flavorful despite the very small ingredient list and came together super fast. I was definitely wishing that I had more room in my stomach for these bad boys! 

I have listed my adapted recipe below but if you would like to view the original you can find it and the link to this lovely picture here.

DRIPPING ROAST BEEF SANDWICHES WITH MELTED CHEESE Adapted from Campbell’s Kitchen Reminder Recipe! One Year Ago: Chicken With Lemon Sauce 1 can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed French Onion Soup

1 tablespoon reduced sodium Worcestershire sauce

3/4 pound thinly sliced deli roast beef

4 soft hoagie rolls

1 cup shredded mozzarrella cheese

1/2 - 1 cup drained hot or mild pickled banana pepper rings

1. Heat the broiler on your oven. 2. Heat the soup and Worcestershire in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil. Add the beef and heat through, stirring occasionally. 3. Divide the beef evenly among the rolls. Top the beef with the shredded cheese and place the sandwiches onto a baking sheet. 4. Broil for 2 - 3 minutes or until the sandwiches are toasted and the cheese is melted. Be careful to watch your sandwiches so they don't burn! Top each sandwich with amount of pepper rings that will best suit your taste buds. (Let's be honest though... banana peppers are AWESOME!) 5. Place remaining soup in a mug or small bowl. Dip sandwiches into sauce like you would a French Dip sandwich. TIP! You can also spoon the soup over your sandwiches. This sounded like soggy sandwiches to me so I opted for the dipping strategy. Good thing too because my husband loved the sandwiches by themselves so much he didn't want anything to do with the extra soup! Makes: 4 sandwiches.

Throw and Go BBQ Chicken

I am always excited to find new crockpot recipes! We have very long days on Tuesdays and unless we want to be eating at 10 pm I have to prepare a crockpot recipe or plan something that my husband can make himself.

I was really concerned about the cooking time for this recipe: 6 hours on high in my crockpot sounded like nothing but burnt chicken to me! I contacted Laura at Real Mom Kitchen (where I got this recipe) and she assured me that that is the correct cooking time.

I went ahead and tried the recipe and cooked it for 6 hours on high. As I feared, the sauce around the edge of the pot burned completely. Luckily, only 1/2 of 1 of my chicken breasts was unsalvageable. The rest were shreddable but very dry. I ended up adding about another cup of BBQ sauce, 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce and a little more liquid smoke to the cooked chicken. It was still very tasty and my family loved it. My husband "oooohhhed" and "ahhhhhed" through the whole meal.

But it made me wonder, what happened? The only thing I changed about the original recipe was to use Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce instead of the Kansas City. I looked up the Kansas City BBQ Sauce online and it didn't look like it was exceptionally more liquid based that it would have made that much of a difference.

So I contacted Laura again and asked if maybe my crockpot is just too powerful. She responded:

"Not all crock pots cook the same, unfortunately. Some do cook higher than others. You also don’t want to use a crock pot that is too big. That can cause issues too. Next time, try low for 8 hours. Chicken thighs are also good to use instead. They never dry out in the crock pot. Hopefully this helps, if not let me know."

So now you know! This recipe really is worth giving a try. The combination of spaghetti and barbecue sauces is DELICIOUS. If your chicken happens to turn out like mine just make the adjustments that I did by adding some more sauces at the end.

Thanks so much to Real Mom Kitchen for this recipe, the picture and the advice! Please check out her wonderful site for this and many other awesome recipes by going here.

Throw and Go BBQ Chicken

From Real Mom Kitchen
Reminder Recipe! One Year Ago: Brazilian Lemonade

·         5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

·         1/2 tsp garlic powder

·         1/2 tsp onion flakes

·         1/2 tsp salt

·         1/4 cup brown sugar

·         1 cup spaghetti sauce

·         1/2 cup Kansas City Style bbq sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's instead)

·         1 Tbsp. liquid smoke

·         rolls or buns to serve on

·         butter

1.      Place all the ingredients in the crock pot in the order listed above.

2.      Cook in the crock pot on high for at least 6 hours.  Remove the chicken and shred.  Return to the crock pot and mix into the sauce.

3.      Butter the inside of your buns or rolls.  Place them on a cookie sheet.  Broil them in the oven on the second highest level for the oven rack (this prevents burning).  Broil until golden brown.  You want them toasty because this bbq chicken is so moist and saucy you will end up with soggy bread if you don’t toast them.  Sandwich bbq chicken inside toasted buns or rolls.

 Recipe adapted from The Pearson Familee

Mini Meatball Subs

I love Allrecipes.com. There are so many different recipes and so many new things to try out! I am signed up for their daily newsletter and when I saw this picture I knew this was one we had to try. And it was DELICIOUS! The meatballs were very flavorful and giving the cheese a chance to melt in the oven made the rolls a bit crunchy which was a perfect compliment to the sauce. No soggy bread here!

The only thing we will change next time around is that we will use less pepper. The original recipe calls for a full teaspoon of pepper and I was pretty skeptical about using that much but no one that commented on the original recipe said that the pepper was too much. I will most likely use 3/4 of a tsp. next time around.

The original recipe also said to only make 8 meatballs. I made good sized ones that were perfectly sized for the rolls I used (French Steak Rolls) and got 12.

This recipe takes a lot longer to make than some of the recipes I make - 50 minutes just to cook. BUT I promise that it is well worth it and if you have the time you should definitely go for it. You won't be disappointed with the end product. This was easily one of my favorite recipes that I made this month - right behind the Spinach Pesto Manicotti. Kind of ironic that my two favorite recipes from this month both had the longest cooking times!

The picture and recipe are courtesy of Allrecipes.com and can be found here.

MINI MEATBALL SUBS
From Allrecipes.com
Reminder Recipe! One Year Ago: Beef Stroganoff
Reminder Recipe! Two Years Ago: Skillet Enchiladas

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (next time I will not use more than 3/4 tsp.)
• 1 (26.5 ounce) can spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 12 dinner rolls, split

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Combine ground beef, onion, green pepper, crackers, and egg in a large bowl. Season with Worcestershire sauce, garlic, seasoned salt, and pepper; mix well. Form mixture into 12 meatballs. Place meatballs in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Bake meatballs in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Pour the spaghetti sauce into a large saucepan; bring to a simmer over low heat. Stir baked meatballs into the simmering sauce. Do not turn oven off. Simmer sauce until meatballs are fully cooked, about 20 minutes.
4. Place one meatball, a sprinkle of mozzarella, a sprinkle of Parmesan, and a bit of sauce between each roll. Place sandwiches in hot oven; bake until cheeses melt, about 7 minutes.

Burgers Stroganoff

Talk about an easy recipe - This one only has 4 ingredients! We really enjoyed this recipe and I especially liked the sauce even though it is so basic. I only used 1 lb. of ground beef and patted my patties thin enough that I still got 6 out of it. We didn't want super thick patties. The only thing that I would change next time would be to add some onion somewhere whether it be Lipton onion soup mix to the ground beef, onion powder to the sauce, or just eating the burger with onions. The ketchup makes the sauce just a little sweet and I thought it needed the edge the onion would give it. But, once again, this recipe is so simple and comes together so quickly you can't really complain! The picture and recipe are courtesy of Campbell's Kitchen and can be found here.

BURGERS STROGANOFF
From Campbell’s Kitchen

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I just used 1 lb.)
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/3 cup sour cream
6 bagels, split

1. Shape the beef into 6 (1/2-inch thick) burgers.
2. Cook the burgers in batches in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until well browned on both sides. Remove the burgers from the skillet. Pour off any fat.
3. Stir the soup and ketchup in the skillet and heat to a boil. Return the burgers to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the burgers are cooked though.
4. Stir in the sour cream. Serve the burgers and sauce on the bagels. (And any of your favorite burger toppings: pickles, tomato, lettuce, etc..)

Makes: 6 servings.

Sloppy Joes

Need a quick, easy, and tasty meal? This is it! Make a homemade sloppy joe without the hassel! I don't remember where I originally got this recipe but the picture is courtesy of Vacation.com.

SLOPPY JOES
adapted from Dave Lieberman

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 cup smoky BBQ sauce (or whatever BBQ sauce is in your fridge)
¼ cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until it is finely crumbled, the liquid boils off and the meat begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, and keep stirring until the meat is coated. Add the BBQ sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. You can make the sloppy joe up to 2 days in advance and reheat it over low heat or in the microwave.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

This is a great and simple lunch! I got the original recipe from Mindika Moments and slightly adapted it. Check out her blog! It is awesome!

The only changes I made were to use canned chicken instead of chopped boiled eggs and onion powder because I used the last of my onion in a different recipe. It was great! I loved that there was not very much mayonnaise so it stayed light. Try this one out! Ymmy!

CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICHES
Adapted from Mindika Moments

1 can premium chicken chunks, mixed into shreds
1/2 C. celery; diced (about 1 or 2 stocks)
1/4 C. red onion; minced (or green onion)* (or onion powder if you still want the flavor and not the raw onion)
1-2 T. fresh parsley; minced
1/4 C. mayo
1 1/2 t. lemon juice
1/2 t. paprika
salt & pepper

1. In a small bowl combine the mayo, lemon juice, and paprika. Mix well.
2. Add the canned chicken, celery, onion and parsley. Fold to combine.
3. Salt & pepper to taste.
4. Serve on your favorite bread. (serves 4)


*If you're not a fan of raw onion, try adding diced radishes. They add a wonderful crunch and a bit of spice without the overpowering aftertaste of onion

Pulled Chicken Suiza Sammies

This recipe has been a lot of places on the blogosphere, but from what I can tell it is originally from Raechel Ray and adapted by a blog called Taste and Tell. These were very uniquely flavored. The tomatilla salsa that we used was VERY spicy to begin with, and it didn't get a whole lot better in the end, so make sure that you don't use salsa that is too spicy. I really want to try these ones again with less spicy salsa because they really were good, but the spice was a bit overpowering.

PULLED CHICKEN SUIZA SAMMIES

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 cups store-bought tomatillo salsa or salsa verde
1/2 cup sour cream
1 rotisserie-style chicken, skin discarded and meat shredded
4 sandwich rolls, split
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

Preheat the broiler. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and honey, then stir in the salsa and heat through. Mix in the sour cream. Stir in the chicken to coat.


Pile the chicken mixture on the roll bottoms. Top with the cheese and broil to melt. Set the roll tops in place and serve with the chips.

Monte Cristo Sandwiches and Potato Pancakes

The Monte Cristo Sandwiches are a classic repeat for this house! Sweet but with a wonderful complement of meats and cheeses, they are DELICIOUS! The Potato Pancakes were a new recipe I found on "Recipes of a Cheapskate." We have TONS of leftover mashed potatoes from our good old chicken fried chicken with gravy, corn and mashed potatoes dinner yesterday... so I decided to use some of them up. Yes, I said mashed potatoes. I was skeptical too but they turned out DELICIOUS! Put a little bit of salsa on top and I liked them even better than the Monte Cristos! SUPER easy to make too! The pictures are not mine. I give full credit to "Recipes of a Cheapskate!"

MONTE CRISTO SANDWICHES

2 eggs
1/4 c. maple syrup
4 slices of bread
cream cheese
2-3 slices deli black forest ham
2-3 slices deli turkey
2 slices Swiss cheese
powdered sugar
Raspberry Jam (or any jam you like)

Mix eggs and maple syrup together with a fork and pour in a shallow dish. Dip the bread in the egg (make sure the bread is well-covered with the egg mixture) and cook on a griddle or in a frying pan (as if you were making French toast). Spread a good amount of cream cheese on half of the toasts. On the same toasts, add half of the ham and turkey and a slice of Swiss cheese. Top each sandwich with the remaining toasts. Turn the griddle to a low heat and add the sandwiches. Warm each sandwich until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and sprinkle each sandwich with powdered sugar. Cut into halves or fourths and serve with raspberry jam.

POTATO PANCAKES
From Recipes of a Cheapskate

• 1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup flour
• chopped, cooked bacon
• seasonings of choice (salt, pepper, seasoned salt, garlic, etc.)
• onion (optional, I use onion powder)

Mix together the eggs, flour, seasonings, and bacon. Add the potatoes and mix well. Make your patties and cook in a little bit of the bacon grease, or oil, until crisp on each side. Drain on a paper towel.

The Logan County Hamburger

This was an excellent recipe that I found at http://threeonfood.blogspot.com/. It is a spin on grilled cheese sandwiches that was delightful! We added bacon, pickles, ketchup, and barbecue sauce and these were a hit! It IS SOOOO EASY! You'll love it! The picture is courtesy of Three on Food.

THE LOGAN COUNTY HAMBURGER
From Three on Food

1 pound ground beef (85 percent lean)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 medium yellow onion, half grated, the other half thinly sliced (Or onion powder)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 slices white bread
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
12 slices American cheese, optional

In a medium bowl, combine the beef, egg, grated onion, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined. Form into thin patties. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the burgers about 3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Drain the grease from the skillet. In the same skillet, place six slices of bread, butter side down. Top each with a slice of cheese, if desired, some onions and a burger. Top with remaining slices of cheese, if using, and bread, butter side up. Cook each sandwich until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Serve with mustard, ketchup, pickles, or any other desired hamburger toppings. Makes 6 burgers.