Make-Do Sliders

Have you heard of sliders? They're pretty popular these days, it seems. Little tiny burgers are just too fun to pass up, I suppose. Haha. I admit, I enjoy them on occasion too. So when I looked in my freezer and saw I had some frozen dinner rolls, the gears started turning. I decided to try to make my own sliders, just for fun. I also had some leftover frozen french fries from the last time we made burgers, so it was perfect. So I "made-do" with what I had and ended up with sliders. Hence the title of this post. :)

These were easy, and although the rolls took a little while to bake, that was pretty much the longest part of the process. The fries also took a little while, but it was still easy. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
-frozen dinner rolls
-1 lb ground beef
-cheese slices (I used one slice for 4 sliders)
-Worcestershire sauce, to taste (I probably used just under a teaspoon)
-onion powder to taste (I used probably half a teaspoon)
-desired condiments

Directions:
Bake the rolls according to package directions.

When done, set aside.

Start the french fries. This was the second longest part of the meal, so I started them early. Bake according to package directions.

In a small bowl, mix together the beef, Worcestershire sauce, and onion powder. Shape into small patties.

Place on a grill.

Grill the patties until no longer pink.

I used my little countertop grill, so this took basically no time. When cooked through and still hot, add the cheese slices so they'll melt just slightly.

Slice the rolls in half to make a little hamburger bun. Place the meat onto the "bun" and add any desired condiments.

Serve with the hot fries and enjoy! Yum!

Homemade Deli Sandwiches

When I was growing up, my amazing mother made me a lunch everyday, and it usually contained a sandwich. Usually, they were the regular lunch meats and some cheese, but nothing terribly exciting. I mean, it was a lunch for school.

Sometimes, though, on a weekend, we would have "Hawaiian bread sandwiches." You've never heard of Hawaiian bread? How sad. It's amazing. It's a sweet bread, but not too terribly sweet. Amazing for sandwiches. And on those rare occasions we had these wonderful sandwiches, my parents would "splurge" on fresh sliced deli meat from the deli part of the grocery store, and some deli sliced cheeses. And we would be in hog heaven.

So...while this blog post does indeed show you how to construct a sandwich on Hawaiian bread, it is more of a nostalgic post for me, because I carried on the tradition of Hawaiian bread sandwiches. Hehe. Let's take a walk down memory lane now, shall we?

Ingredients:
-Hawaiian bread
-sliced deli meats
-sliced deli cheeses
-any sandwich condiments you prefer (mayo, mustard, etc)
-any sandwich trimmings you prefer (lettuce, tomato, etc)

Directions:
Hawaiian bread, at least the kind I get, usually comes in this awesome round loaf.

I use my electric knife to cut it. It's easier to me than a regular bread knife. I can get the slices more uniform. So I cut several slices, as many as I'll need to make the sandwiches, and leave the rest whole.

It retains it's moistness better that way.

Moving on. I take my two slices of bread and spread whatever condiments I'd like on the bread

(this one was for my hubby...I don't like mustard). Then I add the cheese (I used smoked provolone for this one) onto one slice of bread. Then I add the meat onto the cheese (I used roasted turkey). I usually fold it to fit on the bread, however that will work. I top it with the other piece of bread, and voila!

Yummy deli sandwich is ready to go.

Yum.

Chicken Salad

I would just like to say I am embarrassed by the amount of time that has elapsed between posts. I sincerely apologize to my numerous fans. haha. But really...it has been entirely too long since I shared the Picnic with you.

I made this chicken salad for a get-together, and then I had to make it again for myself. I didn't get enough at the party. Hehe. But I'm a fan of a sweeter, more fruity chicken salad than a savory one. So if you like savory chicken salads, this ain't for you. But you're welcome to try it anyway. :) If you're picky about your chicken salad...this one is probably a good one for you. I don't like celery. I refuse to add it to my chicken salad, even if it is a typical ingredient. I refuse. Celery haters of the world rejoice! No celery in this chicken salad. I hope you all enjoy this amazingness. Let's begin.

Ingredients:
-Chicken breasts (depending on how much salad you want to make...I used one for just lil' ole me)
-mayonnaise (I eyeball it, just enough to moisten the salad)
-grapes, halved or quartered depending on size (I would say 1/2 cup for each cup of chicken
-eggs, hard-boiled (also depending on how much salad you are making-I used one egg per chicken breast)
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a food processor, add in a rough chopped chicken breast. Pulse to shred the chicken, but don't let it get past the point of shreds to the pasty stage. Dump into a large mixing bowl. Rough chop the shelled hard-boiled egg. I usually remove the yolk because I'm not a fan. Place the egg in the food processor and pulse until the pieces are small but not pulverized.
Add to the chicken in the mixing bowl. Add the grapes. Stir until ingredients are mixed together. Add mayo a little at a time until the salad is moistened but not dripping. Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine well. Spread on bread to make a sandwich, or serve with crackers. Yummy. Enjoy!

Pepperoni Sub

So as I was digging through my pantry and fridge in search of something edible (I was kind of behind on that whole grocery shopping thing...oops), I came across some pepperoni, shredded mozzarella, and some hoagie rolls. This is what I ended up with when it was all said and done.

There is something magical that happens when necessity gives birth to invention, and this was one of those times. This is by no means my best meal ever, or even one of the most interesting, but I felt somehow victorious for creating it out of the leftover junk in my house. Haha. It was better than the typical PB&J that I would have had to resort to otherwise. So here it is.

Ingredients:
-Hoagie roll
-Pepperoni
-Shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat your oven broiler on low.

Open up the hoagie roll. Spread a thin layer of mozzarella on top of it. Lay as much pepperoni on it as you'd like, or as much as you have leftover from that one time you attempted to make a homemade pizza. ;) Spread another layer of mozzarella over the pepperoni. Place the sandwich on a baking sheet, and broil it in the oven for a few minutes, until the bread is kinda toasty and all the cheese is melted, and everything is hot and yummy. As I always say when using the oven broiler...DO.NOT.WALK.AWAY. Stand there and watch it. Otherwise...you will burn it. Trust me on this. I know from experience...many experiences actually.

Remove the sandwich from it's baking sheet, fold it together to make a real sandwich, and enjoy. It would be good dipped in marinara/tomato sauce, too, I think. Mmmm.

Cheesesteak Sandwich

I am not from Philadelphia. I've never even been to Philadelphia. I don't think I even know anyone from Philadelphia. I do not claim that my cheesesteak sandwich is a "Philly cheesesteak." Hence why it's just "cheesesteak" in the title. So if you are from Philly, or if you've been to Philly, or if you know someone from Philly, please don't send me hate mail about how my cheeseteak isn't authentic. I know it's not. It's persnickety-fied. But it's yummy anyway. :)

As you probably know by now, I'm not a huge fan of onions. This presents a problem when a meal is slathered in them. Most cheesesteaks have lots of sauteed onions or some such nonsense. Not on this blog, no sir. You can add them if you'd like. I won't take offense, I promise. Hehe. But none for me, thanks. I'll take my plain-ish sandwich, please. You'll see what I mean momentarily.

Ingredients:
-Thinly sliced roast beef, of the sandwich variety (I got mine at the deli counter at my local supermarket)
-butter, enough to saute your meat in
-onion powder, garlic powder, and oregano to taste (maybe 1/2 teaspoon each per sandwich? maybe? I dunno, I eye-ball it)
-sliced provolone cheese (once again from the deli counter)
-Hoagie/sub sandwich rolls
-any condiments you may desire...mine was plain.

Directions:
Preheat your oven broiler on low.

Cut your roast beef slices into 2 inch strips. Melt some butter in a saute pan over medium/medium high heat. When the butter is melted, add in some onion powder and garlic powder, along with the oregano. Add in the meat strips, and saute until the meat has browned a bit and is hot all the way through.

Open up one of your hoagie rolls. Put any condiments you want on the bread. Add the meat, then the cheese. Place it on a baking sheet and stick it under the broiler until the cheese is melted and the bread is a little toasty. Do.not.leave.the.oven. I'm not kidding. The second you walk away, it will burn. If you stand there, it will take forever. I think that whole "watched pot never boils" thing needs to be re-done...to "a watched sandwich never broils." But seriously...don't leave. Stare at that sucker until it's done...unless of course you like blackened bread and disintegrated cheese and charred meat. When it has reached its lovely toasted-y-ness, remove it from the oven, fold it up to a normal sandwich, and devour. Ok, you can put it on a plate with some chips or something if you want...but you will eventually devour it. Trust me. And enjoy. :)

Sloppy Joes

I was looking for an easy, simple, but tasty meal I could make quickly on nights when I am working during the day. My husband was incredibly too excited when he found out I was making sloppy joes. Haha. He's such a kid at heart.

This really is simple, though. I made mine from scratch, and personally, I think it tastes way better than a pre-packaged can-o-meat product. Very few ingredients, yummy results. Away we go.

Ingredients:
-Ground beef (I would say at least 1/4 lb per sandwich-I used a lb)
-Ketchup-I eye-balled it, but it was probably around 1 cup for a lb of meat
-1.5 tablespoons chili powder
-2 teaspoons cumin
-1 tablespoon garlic powder
-1/2 tablespoon onion powder
-Hamburger buns

Directions:
Brown the ground beef in a skillet or pot over medium high heat. I used the same pot I made the sloppy joes in; fewer dishes to wash. :) When the meat is cooked through and no longer pink, drain it. Return the drained meat to the pot, and reduce heat to medium. This is going to be kinda like a thick chili. You don't want a ton of liquid, but you don't want it to be too dry. You want it wet enough to stick together well, but dry enough that it will stay on the bun without completely slopping out. Start adding the ketchup sparingly, and add more if it's needed till the consistency is right. Add the ketchup and seasonings, stirring to combine well. When the mixture is well combined, reduce the heat to medium low, and let the meaty goodness cook a little longer, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have had time to permeate the meat really well. Yummmmmm. When the sloppy joes filling is done cooking, scoop a generous helping onto the hamburger buns. Like I said, about 1/4 lb per sandwich, so 1/4 of the cooked meatiness. If you'd like, you can add a piece of American cheese to the sandwich (as my husband preferred), or leave it plain (as I preferred). Either way, delicious. And really, not that unhealthy. Yum. I really want one right this second.
Yes please. Enjoy!

Tomato Bisque with Grilled Cheese

Ok, I'm making an announcement. I ate butternut squash! Yes I did. It's in this soup. And it's covered up halfway by tomato, but hey. It's in there. Haha. And if you have kiddos who won't eat it, this is a good way to sneak it in. And it made a lot, probably about 2.5 quarts. It would feed a pretty big group. Just so you know. Haha. I'll be freezing some. :)

This is actually pretty tasty. I love to do tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches, but condensed canned soup gets old. So I decided to try making my own. I found a cool recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe, but it contained butternut squash. I was hesitant at first. I don't do squash. I decided to try it, but altered it a bit to make it my own. So...give it a try, even if you're "persnickety," because it's really pretty good. Here we go.

Ingredients:
2 cans of tomato puree
1 butternut squash, for about 2-2.5 cups of cooked squash
2 cups of chicken broth
1.5 cups cream or half and half
2 teaspoons onion powder
3 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons italian seasoning
2 teaspoons dried basil

Directions:
Cut the squash in half. Scoop out the seeds and pulp, and place them cut side down in a baking dish (mine was about 9 x 13). Pour in just enough water to come up about 1/4 inch onto the squash. I used about 3 cups of water. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes to an hour. When the flesh is tender and you can poke a fork into it easily, it's done. Take the squash out of the baking dish and put them on a plate or a cutting board to cool. After about 15 minutes of cooling, scoop the insides of the squash out. It'll look something like this:

Put the squash into a blender with about 3/4 of one of the cans of tomato puree. Blend it together until the squash is smooth. Dump the squash puree with the remaining tomato puree into a large pot. Heat it over medium/low heat. Add the garlic, onion, and seasonings, and stir well to combine. It will be pretty thick, kinda like a thick pasta sauce. Add the chicken broth, which will significantly thin it out. It will still be thick, just more soup texture. Let it heat up, letting the flavors meld together. Add the cream or half and half and mix it in well. Don't let it simmer or boil, or the cream/half and half will curdle. Eww. Haha. Stirring frequently will help with that.

Spoon the warm soup into a bowl, and garnish with a little shredded mozzarella. Serve it with a simple grilled cheese, and enjoy! Yum!

Turkey, Bacon, Cheese Panini

I really like my panini press. It's so easy to just throw a sandwich on it and let it do the work. I've made a bunch of panini on it lately, as you can see on my blog, or just a grilled cheese for a quick lunch. Haha. I know not everyone has one, but...it's nice. Anyway, here is yet another panini. :)

Ingredients:
-Bread (any kind will do)
-Turkey (of the lunch meat or deli variety)
-Bacon, cooked and crumbled (or if you're lazy, bacon bits. :) Just make sure they'll the real kind)
-Sliced cheese (I used American)

Directions:
Take two pieces of bread. Place a piece of cheese on each. Stack some turkey on one slice. Add bacon to the same slice as the turkey. Then place the other piece of bread and cheese on top of the meat. Place on the panini grill, or skillet, or whatever you're using. Grill and press until hot and yummy and the bread is toasted. Yum!

Honey Lime Chicken Sandwiches

Honey Lime chicken. Yup. Those flavors are kind of..tropical? I dunno. A lot of Mexican, South American, Caribbean foods include those flavors. So you can do JUST honey and lime, or add some other flavors to make it more elaborate. I added garlic and cumin. Mmm. To go along with a sandwich, there's nothing better than chips. Why not make your own?

Ingredients:
Chicken breasts (enough to feed everyone)
1/4 cup lime juice (juice of two limes)
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Bread or a bun for each sandwich
Cheese if desired (I used Swiss)
Any other fixin's you want (lettuce, tomato, etc)
Potatoes for chips (1 potato should be enough for 1-2 people)

Directions:
Wash the potatoes. You can peel them if you really want, but I think leaving the skins on is good. Using a mandolin or veggie slicer (they are sometimes on the side of a cheese grater), if you have one, slice the potatoes as thinly as you can. If you don't have a slicer or mandolin, just use a sharp knife and slice them as thinly as possible. Place the potatoes in a single layer on a greased baking sheet. Cook in a 450 degree preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes, then flip over the potatoes to cook the other side for about 10-15 minutes. When they're done, sprinkle with salt immediately, so it will stick to the chips. Set aside to cool.

In a bowl, mix together the honey, lime juice, cumin, and garlic. Marinate the chicken in it for a minimum of 15 minutes, overnight if you'd like. Grill or bake until chicken is cooked through. Slice semi-thinly and place on bread or a bun to make the sandwich. Add any cheese, or fixin's you'd like. Serve with the chips and enjoy!