Ham Salad

So you made the Dr. Pepper ham from yesterday's post and you have leftovers.  Well here is a very easy recipe to use up the leftover ham.  It took about 8 minutes from start to finish to make this dish and it served dh and I lunch for three days.  The salad isn't loaded with mayo and it has a nice combination of flavors.  Add some spinach or arguala to your roll or bread and it makes a fairly nice lunch that you can tote with you or have on a Saturday afternoon.  If your like me and not really a fan of ham salad, having only had the mayo heavy ones at the deli or those really gross canned ones in the past, you really need to give this ham salad a try.  Trust me you won't be disappointed.

 Ham Salad
Cook's Country April/May 2010 magazine

1 1/2 cups diced ham, rind removed
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Pulse ham in bowl of food processor until coarsely chopped, about ten one second pulses.

Combine mayonnaise, relish, mustard, and pepper in a medium bowl.  Add ham and mix.  Serve chilled.

The Best Tuna Salad

Those who know me know I don't like seafood and tuna ranks up there with something I'll never touch. However I married someone who loves tuna sandwiches and as such I've been learning how to make the best tuna sandwich. According to my husband this recipe comes the closest to perfection that I have hit. In fact he has asked for this to be made several times over the past month.

The Best Tuna Salad
Cooks Country Magazine Aug./Sept. 2010

3 5 oz. cans solid white albacore tuna packed in water
1/4 cup minced onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 celery rib, chopped fine

Place tuna in fine mesh strainer and press to dry with paper towels. Transfer to medium bowl and mash with fork until finely flaked. Microwave onion and oil in small bowl until onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Combine onion mixture, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and sugar with tuna and let sit 10 minutes.

Stir mayonnaise and celery into tuna mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. Can be refrigerated in airtight container for one day.

Hoosier Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

I noticed these in the latest Food Network magazine and showed them to my husband. He couldn't wait to give them a try. In the picture and in Indiana they make this sandwich to be oversized. I felt as a family we didn't need to have such a big sandwich so I used thin cut boneless pork chops instead of the pork tenderloin and making a big piece of meat. It worked great and probably helped cut a few calories out of this dish. This isn't something we will be eating on a regular basis, due to the high calorie count that I'm sure this dish had, but every once in awhile it will make an appearance.

Hoosier Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
Food Network Magazine May 2010
Made as listed in the magazine it is suppose to make 4 sandwiches. Done the way I made it I had enough meat to make 8 sandwiches.

2 pounds center cut boneless pork loin (I used 8 thin cut boneless center cut pork chops, if using the chops skip the pounding with a mallet)
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 cloves garlic, crushed
kosher salt and ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used 1 teaspoon hot sauce)
2 sleeves saltines (about 80 crackers)
2 cups instant flour (like Wondra)
oil, for frying
4-8 hamburger buns, split
1/3 cup mayo
3 tablespoons yellow mustard
1/2 head iceburg lettuce, shredded
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
4-8 dill pickle slices

(No need for this step if you use chops) Cut the pork crosswise into 4 equal pieces. Put each piece flat on a cutting board and slice horizontally almost in half (stop about 1 inch from the other side). Open like a book. Sprinkle each piece with water, place between 2 pieces of heavy duty plastic duty and pound to 1/4 inch thick with a mallet or heavy skillet.

Whisk the eggs, buttermilk, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, and the cayenne (or hot sauce) in a shallow bowl. Add the pork, cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Pulse the crackers into coarse crumbs in a food processor, then transfer to a shallow dish. Put the flour in another dish. Remove each piece of pork from the marinade, letting the excess drip off. Dredge both sides in flour, dip in the buttermilk marinade again, then coat with the cracker crumbs.

Heat 1/4 to 1/2 inch oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat until a thermometer registers 360 degrees. Fry the pork in batches until golden and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

Spread both halves of each bun with mayo and mustard. Layer the lettuce, tomatoes and onion on the bottom halves. Add a piece of pork and a few pickles slices. Cover with bun tops.

Grilled Ham and Cheese

I love a little local diner called The Burger Stop. It's a cute little place done in a 50's theme and they have old car shows throughout the summer. However my favorite thing about this place is the grilled ham and cheese sandwich they have. Its the perfect blend of flavors and is just plain good. However driving over and dropping $25 every time I get a craving for this sandwich gets to be expensive and a time killer. So I've worked on making it on my own and think I've finally perfected it.

Grilled Ham and Cheese

2 slices bread, I prefer wheat or sourdough but white works too
1 tablespoon mayo, I use Best Foods but you could probably sub whatever you have or like
2 teaspoons honey mustard
2 slices of tomato
4 pickles slices
about a palm's worth of shredded lettuce
butter, to spread on the bread
about 3 ounces deli ham, I get my deli meat shaved so you may need more or less depending on how you get your meat sliced
2 slices deli cheddar cheese, I also like using horseradish cheddar
garlic salt

To assemble and cook:
Butter one side of each piece of bread and sprinkle with garlic salt.
Place butter side down on griddle or nonstick frying pan, heated over medium heat.
Add one slice cheese, ham, pickles, tomato, lettuce, and remaining slice of cheese.
On the other slice of bread butter and sprinkle one side with garlic salt. Mix together mayo and mustard. Spread the other side of the bread with the mayo/mustard mixture and place the mayo/mustard side down on the cheese.
Cook on one side until golden brown then gently flip over and cook until cheese is melted and the other side is golden brown.

Cooking Light Lunch #1Open-Faced Beef Sandwiches with Greens and Horseradish Cream

This sandwich turned out really tasty. At first I was a little worried as my husband picked this one but there was no need to worry. I did do a few things differently then the original recipe (which I'll post). I used spinach instead of arugula as every store in my local area was out of arugula the day I did my shopping. Second I left the creme fraiche out of the horseradish creme. And the last thing I did different was used thinly sliced deli meat instead of flank steak. Mainly I used the deli meat because the local store wanted $9.99 lb for flank steak and I felt that was way too pricey. My big mistake was not warming the deli meat up, which the next time I would do, because the sandwich was a little cold. Overall this recipe makes it to the make it again pile.


Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. Every time you leave a comment on a recipe during my cooking light challenge you will be entered to win a year's subscription to Cooking Light magazine. Feel free to mention it on your blog, websites you visit, and/or facebook. LMK that you did in a comment and I will give you an extra chance in the drawing.


Open-Faced Beef Sandwiches with Greens and Horseradish Cream
Cooking Light October 2008

Horseradish Cream:
2 1/2 tablespoons drained prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons light sour cream
2 tablespoons creme fraiche

Sandwich:
3 1/2 cups vertically sliced onion (about 2 large)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 (1 lb) flank steak, trimmed
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 cups trimmed arugula
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
4 (1 1/2 oz) slices Texas toast, lightly toasted

To prepare cream, combine horseradish, sour cream, and creme fraiche in a small bowl; cover and chill.

Preheat broiler.

To prepare sandwich, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and 1/8 teaspoon salt to pan; cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Uncover and cook 10 minutes or until onion is golden brown.

Sprinkle steak with 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place steak on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Combine steak and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl, and toss to coat.

Combine arugula, oil, and vinegar in a medium bowl; toss gently. Spread 2 tablespoons horseradish cream over each bread slice; top each with about 1/3 cup onion, 1/2 cup arugula mixture, and 3 ounces of steak. Yield: 4 servings (serving size 1 open-faced sandwich).


Calories: 383
Fat: 12.8 g (5.8 g sat, 4.6 g mono, 0.7 g poly)
Protein: 29.5 g
Carb: 36.5 g
Fiber: 4 g
Chol: 47 mg
Iron: 3.1 mg
Sodium: 543 mg
Calc: 186 mg

Crispy Taco Wraps

My sister left a comment on Melanie's (My Kitchen Cafe) blog about switching the Crispy Chicken Wraps into a taco wrap. I finally decided to give it a try and it worked pretty well. As you can tell from my picture I really filled the wraps and in the future I think I'd not put quite as much stuff in the wraps. However these wraps were a hit and a nice change from the typical taco dinner. Mix it up and add your favorite taco fillings. I think the chicken from the easy chicken tacos would work well here too.

taco flavored ground beef (you could also use chicken or beef or pork or beans)
cheddar cheese
guacamole
shredded lettuce
tomatoes
salsa or taco sauce
sour cream
and any other toppings you like on your tacos

Lay a tortilla on a cutting board or counter. Spread with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. Nest sprinkle some lettuce and tomatoes. Add some cheese and spread your taco flavored protein item. Roll the tortilla up and seal at the seam, leaving ends open. Spray with cooking spray.
Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Dressed Up French Dip

I usually make a French dip as a quick and easy dinner. Sometimes though I love to make a dressed up version or a grown up version. While this one requires a little more time most of it is in the cooking of the meat. You can choose to cook your meat in the crockpot if you desire but I prefer mine in the oven. If your using your crockpot brown your meat and then cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours.

Dressed Up French Dip

3-4 lb chuck roast
Brown the roast on all sides. Place in a dutch oven with about 2 cups of water and place in a 325 degree oven, covered with foil. Cook 3-4 hours or tender. Check for water and don't let it run dry.

2 medium onions, sliced thin
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced or 2 4 ounce cans of mushrooms
3 tablespoons butter
Melt butter in pan. Add onions and mushrooms. Cook until a golden brown color. Stir occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.

After roast is done shred the beef into bite size pieces. Cover with foil and make the au jus sauce. You can you a packaged aujus sauce with the drippings or just water or you can make your own. I prefer to make my own.

1 (10-1/2 ounce) can French Onion soup
1 (10-1/2 ounce) can Beef Broth
1 can cold water
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt

Bring ingredients to a boil in saucepan; serve hot.

Next assemble the sandwich. I like to pile the meat onto my roll or bread, I used my Cuban bread for this recipe in the picture, and top with the cooked onions and mushrooms. I also like to put Gruyère cheese on top and melt the cheese under the broiler. Serve with the aujus sauce and enjoy.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

This sandwich was a winner. I took my recipe for Boneless Buffalo Chicken and used it to make these sandwiches. I made Roquefort dressing for the sandwiches but they would have been good with ranch dressing. This sandwich was really tasty and my husband can not wait for me to make it again.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
adapted from Cook's Country Feb/March 2009

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut so they are a thin fillet and you have 4 pieces
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup hot sauce, preferably Franks, avoid the hotter ones like Tabasco
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 large egg whites
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups vegetable oil
2-4 Hoagie rolls
lettuce
tomato
onion
dressing, blue cheese or ranch

Marinate: Combine chicken, buttermilk, and salt in large zipper-lock bag and refrigerate 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Combine hot sauce, water, sugar, butter, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch in saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until thickened, about minutes.

Coat: Whisk egg whites in shallow bowl until foamy. Stir flour, baking soda, remaining cornstarch, and 6 tablespoons hot sauce mixture in second shallow dish until mixture resembles coarse meal. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Toss chicken with egg whites until well coated, then dredge chicken in cornstarch mixture, pressing to adhere. Transfer coated chicken to plate.

Fry: Heat oil in dutch oven over medium high heat until oil registers 350 degrees. Fry chicken until golden brown, about 4 minutes, turning each piece halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to paper towel lined plate.

Toss: Warm remaining hot sauce mixture over medium low heat until simmering. Combine chicken and hot sauce mixture in a large bowl and toss to coat.

Toast Hoagie roll. Spread dressing on one side of the roll. Top with lettuce, tomato, and onion. Add chicken to the roll and serve.

Chicken and Roquefort Sandwiches

Sorry for a long delay in posting another recipe. I needed to take some time off to work on some family issues. I have a few recipes to post over the next few days although I did not cook much during my time off. Today's recipe came from the current Cooking Light magazine and turned out to be very delicious. I had to sub the Roquefort cheese with some South Africa blue cheese I had in the fridge. I love mixing the blue cheese with cream cheese and I used the spread on other sandwiches. I also made these sandwiches for two family members who are not fans of blue cheese so I used Parmesan cheese in their spreads. Overall these sandwiches were a hit and they will be made again in the not so distant future. Another change I made was to cut the chicken breasts in half so they were thinner. I am not a fan of a big chunk of chicken on my sandwich. Either way works though.

Chicken and Roquefort Sandwiches
from Cooking Light Magazine August 2009

• 1/2 cup (about 3 ounces) tub whipped cream cheese
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled blue cheese
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 (8-ounce) baguette
• 2 small heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced (about 8 ounces)
• 1/2 cup baby arugula leaves (I used spinach leaves instead)
  

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl.

2. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Cut lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick strips. Sprinkle evenly with 1/8 teaspoon salt.

3. Cut baguette in half lengthwise. Spread cheese mixture over cut sides of baguette. Arrange chicken, tomato slices, and arugula evenly over bottom half of baguette; cover with top half. Cut crosswise into 4 equal pieces.

Mexican BLT Wraps

I was flipping through a cooking magazine and stumbled across a recipe called Zippy BLT's. I was interested in the theory but not in the actual recipe. So I played around with the recipe until this came to mind. Its a nice twist on a BLT and was perfect for our picnic at the park. This will be a recipe we make often. The flavors mingled together perfectly and it was another quick and simple dish to make.

For one wrap:
Warm one flour tortilla. Mix together 1 tablespoon mayo with 1 tablespoon taco sauce and spread on tortilla. Next add about 1/2 cup shredded lettuce, some chopped tomato, thin slices of red onion, and three slices of cooked bacon broken into smaller pieces (do not crumble the bacon). Chop 1/2 of an avocado and add to the wrap. Add about 2 tablespoons shredded cheese and add some salsa or taco sauce if desired. Roll up and tuck in the ends of the tortilla. Wrap in foil and cut in half.

Blast Off Burritos

Out of the blue one day I decided to buy the Disney Kids Cookbook just for fun. The kids have loved looking through the cookbook selecting foods that they normally would not eat but wanted to try them cause their favorite characters told them this dish was good. Well this one comes from Buzz Lightyear and for those who know my kids know that Buzz is their hero. Don and I really enjoyed this dish too. Fun idea for a really quick lunch and overall it was pretty simple to make. Nathan ate one half of the burrito, which for those who know him is a big deal. The twins just sampled it and then tore it apart to eat only the pieces they like.

Blast Off Burritos
adapted from The Disney Kids Cookbook

6 8 inch flour tortillas
6 breaded chicken tenders, cooked and still warm
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 1/2 cups torn salad greens
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
about 1/4 cup mild taco sauce (salsa would work too)

Heat tortillas in 350 degree oven for ten minutes. Cut chicken into thin slices. Place chicken, corn, cheese, and taco sauce in bowl. Mix. Place a tortilla on a piece of foil place the chicken mixture on one side and top with some of the salad greens. Roll the tortilla up. Wrap the foil around the tortilla and cut in half. The foil helps to keep the burrito together so it does not fall apart while eating. I had to help the kids unwrapped the foil as needed.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Another quick and very easy meal for when days are crazy and busy. So many different ways you could make this your own recipe. This is a favorite of every one in the house. I used a homemade fry sauce for the dressing but you could use mayo and/or mustard or anything else you like.

hamburger buns
thin cut boneless/skinless chicken breasts
veggies of your choice, we like spinach, tomato, pickles, and onions
condiment, your choice
McCormick s roast garlic and onion seasoning

Grill the chicken breast until done. Assemble the bun with your desired toppings and serve. We prefer to toast the bun but that would be totally your choice.

Chicken Spiedies

This was one of the best chicken sandwiches I've ever made myself. It was so tasty and just plain good. A nice bonus being it takes only minutes to throw together with a small marinade time and then cooking the chicken. One thing I would do different is add some thin sliced red onions, tomato slices, and either some arugula or spinach. Also toast the bun, it really needed to be toasted, and if you like lots of sauce you'll want to double the sauce recipe.

Chicken Spiedies
from Cooks Country June/July 2009 issue

1/2 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons grated zest plus 1 tablespoon juice from one lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 1 1/2 pounds
6 6 inch sub rolls, slit partially open lengthwise

Combine oil, garlic, basil, oregano, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes in a large bowl. Transfer 2 tablespoons oil mixture to separate bowl and whisk in mayonnaise, vinegar, and lemon juice; refrigerate. Sauce can be refrigerated, covered for 2 days.

Prick chicken breasts all over with fork, cut into 1 1/4 inch chunks, and transfer to bowl with remaining oil mixture. Refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.

Remove chicken from marinade and thread onto six 12 inch metal skewers. Grill chicken over hot fire, covered and turning frequently, until lightly charred and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to sub rolls or bread, remove skewers, and drizzle with mayonnaise mixture.

Chicken Salad

I love chicken salad. But I do not like the chicken salad that the grocer stores make. I serve the salad in different ways. Sometimes I use biscuits or croissants. Or I'll make fresh bread for the sandwiches or even use lettuce or spinach leaves and roll the salad up in the leaves. And I'll even serve chicken salad on top of a pile of greens. This is a off the top of my head recipe so feel free to make subs as needed for what you have on hand or your families likes and dislikes. This is a very quick and easy recipe and one I use when I need a quick meal.

3 chicken breasts, baked, cooled, and cut into small cubes (or you could use a rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken the possibilities are endless)
1 carrot, shredded
2 celery ribs, diced
1/2 onion, I like red, white or sweet but yellow and green onions work too, diced
1/4 cup diced sweet pickles
1/2 cup mayo, may need more or may need less I like it to just be sticky
1 tablespoon buttermilk, to thin the salad just a little
salt and pepper, I like using garlic salt
1 tablespoon dehydrated sliced onions
1/2 teaspoon dill, more or less depending on how much you like dill

Mix chicken and veggies together. Add mayo and stir until blended and sticky. Add buttermilk until the salad is creamy. Add the seasoning, let set for about 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Serve.

Ham and Cheese Roll Ups

This was a huge hit in our house. These roll ups were quick and easy to put together and they were adaptable to every taste in the house. My boys love the fact they get to dip their sandwich into something. I made about 5 different versions of this dish since everyone had different tastes. I used spinach on some and arugula on a few. I left the red peppers out of some and like the one pictured just had meat and cheese in one.
I found the recipe in the March/April 2009 issue of Simple and Delicious magazine.

2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
4 flour tortillas (10 inch)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 lb thinly sliced deli ham
1/4 lb thinly sliced provolone cheese
1/4 lb thinly sliced hard salami
1/2 cup roasted sweet red peppers, drained and julienned
1 cup (4 oz) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
marinara sauce, optional

Brush 1 Tbsp oil on one side of tortillas. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Layer tortillas with ham, provolone cheese, salami, red peppers and mozzarella cheese. Fold in sides of tortillas; roll up.
Place seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with remaining oil; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce if desired.

Hawaiian Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

Simple and easy dish to make. However I think these are better as an appetizer than a main dish, which is how I served them. The kids actually ate them which is a bonus. I must warn that if you eat one that has not firmed up it tastes very soggy with a weird after taste. Somehow I managed to get about 2 of the soggy ones and it really turned me off of the sandwiches. But everyone else in the house loved them. It's an interesting taste combination that works. I found the recipe in the World Wide Ward Cookbook.

2 dozen King Sweet Hawaiian Rolls
1 to 1 1/2 lb thin-sliced ham
12 slices Swiss cheese
1 cup butter or margarine
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp poppy seeds (I did not use)

Cut rolls in half. Place desired amount of ham on each roll. Cut slice of Swiss cheese in half, then fold cheese in half and place on top of ham. Fold sandwich back together. Melt butter. Stir Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder into butter. Allow to cool a bit. Pour all the mixture over the top of the sandwiches; it is okay for them to be soaking in the butter! Sprinkle poppy seeds over the top. Place foil lightly over the top and refrigerate overnight or 6-8 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Ginger Ale Meatballs

I was a little worried that these meatballs would not taste good to me but I was rather surprised. This is a very easy to make, quick to put together, and uses only a few ingredients. I usually make my own meatballs because I do not like the taste of frozen meatballs at all. However my father bought some frozen meatballs and I've been trying hard to find recipes to use them up. Overall the flavor for the sauce was really good considering the few ingredients that were in the recipe. I did eat the meatballs although I did have a hard time getting past the texture of the frozen meatballs. I found the recipe at Real Mom's Kitchen .

39 ( 1 1/2 pounds) frozen, fully cooked meatballs (I only use 1 pound, that was enough for my family of 5)
2 cups ginger ale
2 cups ketchup
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Place frozen meatballs in a 3- to 4-quart slow cooker prepared with nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl, combine ginger ale, ketchup, and garlic. Pour mixture over meatballs. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or on high heat for 3 hours (I did the 3 hours on high). Serve with toothpicks as an appetizer, on hoagie buns, or over hot cooked noodles.

Easy French Dip Sandwiches

Here is a favorite go to recipe for days when its crazy or I'm not feeling up to cooking. I can have it ready to eat in less than 10 minutes. While I prefer my french dip to be made from beef roast this still makes a nice french dip sandwich.

1 package of AuJus mix
1 pound shaved roast beef from the deli
hoagie rolls
cheese, optional (I did not use cheese in the picture)
butter, optional
cooked onions and mushrooms, optional

Mix the AuJus according to package directions. Add roast beef and allow to warm up. You can butter the hoagie rolls and broil them in the oven until toasty, if desire. When rolls are toasted add cheese, if using, and then add the roast beef. Add onions and mushrooms if you desired. Serve with a bowl of AuJus sauce for dipping.

Beer-Braised Ham with Melted Onions

Oh my all I can say is this was one of the best sandwiches I've made. You know when after the first bite your husband is yelling "damn this is good," that you've made something tasty. I love the fact it was so easy to make for all the great taste. I thought about making it with chicken stock or even nonalcoholic beer but I went for the real stuff. This recipe called for a small fully cooked ham and I used some sliced deli meat. Using the deli meat shaved about one and a half hours off the total cooking time. I also cut the recipe down to feed a smaller crowd as posted the recipe serves 16. I added baby swiss to the sandwich just because my husband likes cheese with most sandwiches. This is definitely a recipe I will be making again. The recipe as in the March 10, 2009 Standard Examiner.

3 large sweet onions, halved, thickly cut into wedges
12 ounce bottle pilsner beer
3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 small fully cooked smoked ham, 8 to 9 pounds

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix the onions, beer, mustard, brown sugar, and pepper in the bottom of a large roasting pan, spreading the onions in an even layer over the bottom. Place the ham, cut side down, over the onions. Cover tightly with heavy-duty foil; bake until heated through, about 2 hours.

Remove ham to a cutting board; cover with foil. Put the roasting pan over medium high heat. Cook, stirring nearly constantly to reduce the pan juices and glaze the onions, about 25 minutes; cool. Thinly slice the ham; serve with the onions.

Chicken Wraps

I love the chicken wraps at McDonald's. So I came up with a way to make them at home and have them me a little healthier than the McDonald's one. There are so many ways you can adjust it to your tastes and desires. Instead of lettuce I use arugula or spinach when I have them on hand or just for a different twist. I like adding tomatoes and/or pickles to the wrap. I also love having red onions on my wrap when I make it at home. I usually add some colby cheese but cheddar or any flavor works pretty well. The other way I make it different is I use homemade ranch or the Creamy Tomatillo Dressing or even a french dressing tastes really good.

tortillas
breaded chicken pieces baked in the oven until cooked
dressing
lettuce
red onion
tomato
cheese

Warm the tortilla up. Spread the dressing all over the tortilla. Sprinkle the cheese and lettuce on the tortilla. Add the tomato and onion if using. Cut up chicken into bite size pieces or leave as a whole piece if desired. Roll the tortilla into a wrap and serve.