Specialty Sandwiches

These sandwiches are so so good. The secret behind them is the amazing vinaigrette dressing. Enjoy!

McCormick's Vinaigrette Mix

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon basil leaves
¼ teaspoon dill weed
1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoon seasoned pepper blend
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup white vinegar
1 ½ teaspoon salt

Directions:
Blend ingredients together.

Specialty Sandwiches

Ingredients:
Hoagie rolls
Pastrami
Salami
Swiss Cheese
Lettuce
Tomatoes
McCormick's Vinaigrette Mix

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Split hoagie rolls in half.
Layer pastrami, salami and swiss cheese.
Put in preheated oven for 3-5 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Take out of the oven and finish assembling with lettuce, tomatoes and vinaigrette.

Maple Drizzled Apple-Cinnamon Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Oh, these sandwiches are heaven.  I found these on the OurBestBites website this afternoon while trying to think of what to make for dinner.  We made them tonight for a quick and easy dinner, and the blend of different flavors was amazing.  I love when food is easy AND delicious!!



Photo from OurBestBites.com

Measurements are approximate. These are sandwiches- don’t overthink it!

Ingredients

• 4 slices rustic sandwich bread 
• 8 slices sharp cheddar cheese (or enough to cover all the slices) 
• 1-2 sweet, crisp apples 
• ground cinnamon 
• kosher or sea salt 
• 3-4 tablespoons real butter 
• 100% real maple syrup 

Instructions

Butter each slice of bread and place slices butter-side down on a cutting board. Place cheese on each slice of bread. Core apples and slice into 1/8 inch slices. Place apple slices on 4 slices of bread and lightly sprinkle them with ground cinnamon and salt. Put sandwich halves together and grill in a hot skillet, or on a Panini grill, or broiled in the oven, flipping sandwiches and cooking until each side is golden brown and cheese is melted. Drizzle with maple syrup, or serve on the side for dipping. Makes 4 sandwiches.

This would also be delicious for breakfast, lunch, snacktime, whatever!   :)  

Dressed Up Sloppy Joes

This is another great recipe from the amazing gals at Our Best Bites.  The whole family loved these.  Even Katelee ate it despite the fact that it contains green peppers - something she usually avoids like the plague!  :)  I thought these were better than the other sloppy joes I've tried in the past.  It was nice for something a little different on a busy night!  I tried the crockpot version, but I love that you can prepare this in a variety of ways depending on your schedule and what works for you.  Enjoy!

One thing I love about this recipe is that it’s versatile–you can make it in about 30 minutes, it can be semi-prepared and frozen and then cooked in the crockpot, or it can simmer in the crockpot for a few hours, whatever works best for you.

Dressed-Up Sloppy Joes

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• Seasoning salt to taste
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1/2 green pepper, minced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 3/4 c. ketchup
• 1 tsp. mustard
• 3 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar
• 3/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 3 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/3-1/2 c. water to reach desired consistency
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 6 hamburger buns 

Stovetop Instructions:

Brown ground beef with onion, green pepper, and garlic. Season to taste with seasoning salt. Add in mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Combine tomato paste and water and add to hamburger mixture. Add more water if desired. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve on hamburger buns.

Crockpot Instructions:

Brown ground beef with onion, green pepper, and garlic. Season to taste with seasoning salt. Transfer to slow cooker. Add in remaining ingredients and combine well. Cook on low for 3-4 hours and serve on hamburger buns.

Freezer Instructions:

Brown ground beef with onion, green pepper, and garlic. Season to taste with seasoning salt. Transfer to a freezer-safe container. Add in remaining ingredients and combine well. Freeze. When ready to cook, transfer to a slow cooker and cook on low to 3-5 hours. Serve on hamburger buns.

We ate these with Our Best Bites sweet potato fries.  I have to admit, I wasn't a huge fan of the fries.  Something about the texture of the sweet potatoes was gross.  For me, they were a flop and I won't try them again, but we are going to have the leftover sloppy joes tonight and I'm going to try the steak fries.  I'll let you know if they turn out yummy!

Update: We loved the steak fries!  These sloppy joes go great with them.  For the recipe, click here.

Ham & Cheese Sliders

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Recipe found here.

We tried these for dinner one night this past week, and thought they were really yummy! Gerald especially loved them. Great for a quick night dinner or these would also be fabulous served at a luncheon or when hosting a girls' night.

Ham and Cheese Sliders
adapted slightly from the Recipe Club
(We halved the recipe)

• 24 good white dinner rolls
• 24 pieces good honey ham
• 24 small slices Swiss cheese
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup miracle whip
  

Poppy seed sauce (The original recipe said that this was too much and to have it. Since we already were halving the recipe, we only used 1/4 of the following amounts and I think it was just right.)

• 1 T. poppyseeds
• 1 1/2 T. yellow mustard
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 T. minced onion
• 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and miracle whip. Spread onto both sides of the center of each roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet. Place very close together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. You do not have to use all of the sauce! Just use enough to cover the tops. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes or until tops are slightly brown and crispy. Serve warm.

** sandwiches can be assembled a day ahead and kept in the fridge ready to bake. I assembled them and poured the sauce over them a couple of hours in advance, and they still turned out great.

Egg & Bacon Breakfast Sandwiches

For Gerald's birthday breakfast this year, I wanted to make him egg and bacon sandwiches. I cooked the eggs in a muffin tin, as shown in this picture - it made it very easy for me to do enough for everyone all at once!

To cook eggs like this just lightly spray the muffin tin, crack one egg into each muffin cup and then bake in the oven on 350 for 15-20 min.

Because I was making bacon and egg sandwiches, I cooked the bacon in the oven at the same time, as I showed in the previous post. Since they do ask for slightly different oven temperatures, I just started the oven at 350 degrees, stuck the bacon in first, then prepared the eggs and put them in as soon as they were ready. I cooked the eggs and bacon together for 10 minutes and then increased the temperature to 375. I took the eggs out after about 5 more minutes and the bacon followed 5 minutes after that. I toasted and buttered the English muffins while these were in the oven. The eggs came out the perfect size for English muffin sandwiches, and these were definitely the easiest and fastest egg and bacon breakfast sandwiches I have ever made! The only thing I will do differently next time is slightly scramble the eggs in the muffin tin before baking, because Katelee doesn't like having a big chunk of cooked yoke in the middle of her egg. Gerald and I don't mind it, though, but scrambling slightly before cooking would be an easy fix to that problem, I think.

When everything is done, just throw an egg, a couple halves of bacon, ketchup and any other toppings you want on an English muffin and enjoy!

I love ideas that make my life easier! :)

Source: macheesmo.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Hot Beef Hoagies

2 T. butter
1 lb. top sirloin steak, thinly sliced
1/2 c. thinly sliced onion
1 c. thinly sliced green pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. grated mozzarella cheese
4 hoagie buns (toasted if desired)

In a frying pan, melt the butter. Add steak slices and cook and stir over medium heat until cooked through and browned (about 10 minutes). Add onion and green peppers. Stir-fry about 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove pan from heat. Place grated cheese over top of meat and vegetables. Put lid on. Allow cheese to melt (about 5 minutes). Spoon mixture on hoagie buns. Enjoy!

Beef Roast / French Dip Sandwiches

This is how I always cook my beef roast whether I am making french dip sandwiches out of it or just having a roast for Sunday dinner. It always turns out so tender and juicy.

1 beef roast
1 packet of Au Jus gravy mix
1 packet Italian dressing mix
1 14.5 oz can beef broth
If you are making sandwiches you will also need:
6 large buns
sliced Swiss cheese

Pour a little oil in the bottom of a frying pan and heat up. Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper. sear the roast on all sides. this goes fast maybe a minute on each side. This step is a must it keeps all the juices in and makes all the difference when cooking a roast. When it is done searing place roast in a crock pot and sprinkle both the Au Jus, and the Italian seasoning mix then pour the beef broth in. Cook on low for 8 hours. If you are just eating the roast shred and eat.
If you are making french dip sandwiches take your buns and broil them for a minute until crusty. take the top side of bun and set aside. place shredded beef on bottom half of bun. Then place the swiss cheese on the beef. Place back under the broiler for a minute until cheese is melted. Don't walk away it melts really fast. Place top bun back on, and ladle the juice from your roast into bowls for dipping your sandwich. Enjoy!

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

6 lb. beef roast (sirloin tip works well)
1 onion, chopped
2 T. butter
2 c. ketchup
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. barbecue sauce
1 dozen large, soft rolls

Cook roast until desired doneness, either in the oven or in a slow cooker. Cool for about 14 minutes then cut the roast into thin, sandwich-sized slices. Return sliced meat to pan with drippings. Sauté the chopped onion in butter. In a large saucepan, combine ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce, and sautéed onion. Heat through. Pour desired amount over the beef. Fill the rolls just before serving. Makes 12 sandwiches. This is a great dish for potlucks or picnics.