Tea Sandwiches, Cookies, and Baby Showers!

(Originally posted on Monday, November 22, 2010)

My sister and I are both pregnant (her first and my second--both boys! Plus, we're due only 5 days apart!). We were so happy to have her come to town so that we could throw her a baby shower. My mom actually made all of these tea sandwiches (I helped by scouting out the recipes). She has been so busy and her computer has been on the fritz, so I thought I would do her a favor and put the recipes onto our blog to save her some time. However, I will leave it up to her to edit this post later and add her explanations, notes, and suggestions.

The shower was beautiful and the tea sandwiches were oh so yummy! They got gobbled up quickly! In addition to the tea sandwiches, my aunt made some awesome cupcakes and my sister-in-law brought her famous sugar cookies (aka cugar shookies because my mom kept mixing up the name the first time she shared them with us).

I am including recipes for the four tea sandwiches pictured here (though we made quite a few more kinds--but these were the best of the best!). I am also including the wonderful sugar cookies recipe.

You will love them. And we are all anxiously awaiting my mother's additions and comments to this post!



Cucumber Tea Sandwiches with Mint-Chile Butter

Use this recipe as a template, and customize according to your preferences. Try adding watercress, baby lettuce greens, or thinly sliced poached chicken breast.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 2 sandwich quarters)

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped
12 (1-ounce) slices white sandwich bread
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced English cucumber
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Directions:

Combine first 4 ingredients, stirring until well combined.

Trim crusts from bread; discard crusts. Spread each bread slice with about 1 1/2 teaspoons butter mixture. Place cucumber in a small bowl, and drizzle with lime juice; toss to coat. Arrange cucumber slices in an even layer over buttered sides of 6 bread slices; top with remaining bread slices, buttered side down. Cut sandwiches diagonally into quarters.

Nutrition information: CALORIES 89 (63% from fat); FAT 6.2g (sat 3.6g,mono 1.5g,poly 0.2g); IRON 0.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 15mg; CALCIUM 25mg; CARBOHYDRATE 7.9g; SODIUM 163mg; PROTEIN 1.2g; FIBER 0.4g

Source: Cooking Light, JUNE 2007

Goat Cheese-Pecan Finger Sandwiches

Instead of pimiento cheese for your party sandwiches, try this filling of creamy goat cheese and crunchy pecans. These sandwiches are great with wine for a fun night with the girls.

Ingredients:

4 ounces goat cheese, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
14 bread slices, divided
1/3 cup red pepper jelly

Directions:

Stir together goat cheese, cream cheese, pecans, and parsley. Spread on 7 bread slices. Spread 7 more bread slices with red pepper jelly; top with cheese-covered bread slices. Remove crusts; cut into desired shapes.

Southern Living, NOVEMBER 2009



Smoky "Pimiento" Cheese Sandwiches

Hands-On Time: 10 min.; Total Time: 15 min. Cut into smaller sandwiches for easy pickup.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Other Time: 5 minutes
Yield: Makes 7 servings

Ingredients:

1 (3-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded smoked Cheddar cheese
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded smoked Gouda cheese
1/2 (8.5-oz.) jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
14 bread slices (sourdough and dark wheat)

Directions:

Stir together cream cheese and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl until blended. Stir in shredded cheeses and sun-dried tomatoes until combined.

Spread cheese mixture on half of bread slices (about 1/3 cup on each); top with remaining bread slices.

Source: Southern Living, OCTOBER 2009

Crisp Vegetable Tea Sandwiches

You can change the flavor of these simple sandwiches by varying the herbs you add to the cream cheese. Any favorites will work well alone or in combination.

Makes 8

Ingredients:

4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, basil, tarragon, or mint
8 slices wheat bread
1 piece (4 inches) cucumber, very thinly sliced into rounds
2 radishes, trimmed and very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons softened butter

Directions:

Place cream cheese and herbs in a bowl; stir with a rubber spatula until combined.

Spread cream cheese mixture on 4 slices of bread; layer with cucumber and radish slices. Spread remaining slices of bread with butter. Place, butter side facing down, on radishes. Trim crusts; cut sandwiches in half.

Source: Martha Stewart website.

Sugar Cookies aka Cugar Shookies

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 c. flour (you will need more flour)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Cream butter, eggs, and sugar. Combine rest of ingredients and mix well. Add extra flour until dough isn't too sticky, and chill for a couple of hours or overnight. Roll out and cut (they will be sticky so add more flour to roll them out). Bake 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Frosting:

Ingredients:

Powdered sugar
Butter
Milk
Vanilla, almond, or coconut flavoring

Directions:

Mix ingredients together in the proportions you desire to attain the consistency of frosting you prefer.

Slow Cooker Sandwiches

(Saturday, November 20, 2010)

Thanksgiving is coming up. It is always a fun time of year to make old holiday favorites and try new ones. But, let's face it, Thanksgiving dinner is a lot of work. It takes hours and hours to make and it gets gobbled up in 30 minutes or less...and then there are the dishes that need to be done!

So, in order to make Thanksgiving as enjoyable as possible, I think it's important to take it easy cooking-wise just before and just after the big feast. One of the easiest ways to do this is to use the slow cooker. I LOVE the slow cooker! Bless the person who invented it (according to a quick google search, it appears that Rival Industries created the first slow cooker called the "Crock Pot" in the 1970's). Wonderful invention! I just wish I had invented it because I would be very wealthy. But I guess since I was only born in 1979, it would have been a lot to ask of an infant to come up with such an invention.

I find slow cooker sandwiches to be the easiest of all slow cooker recipes because you simply slice or shred the meat, place it on a bun and serve it with some easy side dishes. It also makes kitchen clean up so easy. Don't forget to use Reynold's Slow Cooker liners. Because then you don't even have to clean your slow cooker afterward.

Oh, and while some of these recipes call for a specific type of roast, I have found that any cut or type of roast works well. If you use a bone-in roast, just remember to remove the bones when you are cutting or shredding the meat.

I'm sharing a teriyaki pulled pork sandwich (a nice change of pace from the usual BBQ pulled sandwiches), pepperoncini beef sandwiches, and two versions of French Dip sandwiches (the first one is a new find, the second one is an old favorite). Both of the French Dip recipes are delicious, in my opinion. But the second one takes a lot less prep time. They both make a yummy au jus to dip the sandwiches in. To quote Homer Simpson, "Ahhhh. Au jus. Not quite gravy...not quite blood. Mmmmmmm." Hopefully that quote didn't gross you out, but I always get a kick out of it. Plus, it's a good way for me to test to see if you actually read the entire blog post!

One final note: shredded meat is very freezer friendly. If you have extra shredded meat, put it in a freezer zip top bag, label it (what it is and the date you froze it) and pop it in the freezer. When you are ready to use it, simply defrost it in the fridge overnight and reheat it in the microwave. So easy!

I hope you like these recipes and I hope they help to simplify your holidays!

Teriyaki Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 (3 lb) boneless pork shoulder roast, trimmed
1 bottle teriyaki sauce or marinade
1 (20 ounce) can sliced pineapple rings, drained and liquid reserved
8 whole wheat hamburger buns

Directions:

Place roast in a 5 quart slow cooker. Pour teriyaki sauce/marinade and liquid from canned pineapple rings over the pork. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the meat is tender.

Remove roast and shred meat with two forks. Return the meat to the slow cooker and stir.

Toast whole wheat hamburger buns and use a slotted spoon to top the bun with shredded pork and a pineapple ring.

Source: This is a recipe that I found on Allrecipes.com, but it is actually a Taste of Home Test Kitchen recipe.

Notes: I slightly altered the original recipe. The original recipe has a few more steps to it. First, they browned the roast in 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat and then cut the roast in half before placing it in the slow cooker. I simply found this to be an unnecessary step. They also discarded the juice from the pineapple rings and called for a can of unsweetened pineapple juice. Now, why buy another can of pineapple juice when you can use the juice from the pineapple rings and attain the same results? Also, in the original recipe, they thickened the teriyaki sauce in the slow cooker by whisking 3 tablespoons of flour into the teriyaki sauce and covering it and cooking it in the crock pot on high for 30-40 minutes until the sauce was thickened. At that point, they put the meat back into the slow cooker until the meat was heated again. Thickening the sauce isn't necessary, but it does make for a less juicy and messy sandwich. Again, I found this to be an extra step that wasn't absolutely necessary. Oh, and be sure to use whole wheat hamburger buns. They add such a nice flavor to the sandwiches. It adds much more depth to the taste than using just white buns for this recipe. If you keep a frozen pork roast and frozen buns in your freezer, this makes an easy pantry recipe that you can put together at the drop of a hat!
Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 (3 lb) beef chuck roast
4 cloves garlic, sliced (optional)
1 (16 ounce) jar sliced pepperoncini peppers
Sliced Pepper Jack or Jalapeno cheese
Buns or rolls

Directions:

If using garlic, make small cuts in roast and insert garlic slices into the cuts. Place roast in the slow cooker, and pour the entire contents of the jar of pepperoncini, including liquid, over the meat.

Cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until meat is tender. Shred or slice the beef. Place on toasted buns or hoagie rolls and top with cheese and pepperoncini, if desired. You can also place the sandwiches open-faced onto a foil covered jelly roll pan and broil for 1 minute to toast the bread and melt the cheese prior to serving.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Joyce.

Notes: If I'm in a hurry, I either skip the garlic, or just add it to the slow cooker with the jar of pepperoncini. Broiling the sandwiches is a must, in my opinion. Just make sure to watch the sandwiches closely while they are broiling. They can burn quickly if you aren't paying attention!

French Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 large sweet onion, sliced
1 3/4 cups beef broth
1 boneless beef rump roast (4 lbs.), trimmed of fat
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 package (0.7 oz) Italian dressing mix
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 hoagie buns, split
1 large green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
12 slices (1 oz each) provolone cheese, cut in half

Directions:

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray (or use slow cooker liner). In slow cooker, place onion; add broth. Brush all surfaces of beef roast with vinegar. Place roast on top of onions. Sprinkle with Italian dressing mix, salt, and pepper.

Cover; cook on low heat setting for 8-10 hours, or until meat is tender.

Remove beef from slow cooker; place on cutting board. Cut beef across grain into thin slices. Return slices to slow cooker; mix well. (You can also shred the meat, if you prefer)

Spoon beef onto bottom halves of buns and top each with bell pepper, cheese, and top half of bun. Serve sandwiches with juices from slow cooker.

Source: A cookbook of my mother's entitled Slow Cooker Sensations.

Notes: You can simply pour the balsamic vinegar over the roast. You don't really need to brush it on. I added a total of three cans of beef broth to the slow cooker. This allowed my entire roast to be immersed...which helped to make it really tender. Also, we usually saute or broil the bell peppers until they are softened. It takes a little of the bitter taste out of the green peppers. You can also use any kind of bell peppers you like. This sandwich is fantastic with green, yellow, orange, or red bell peppers. Oh, and although I didn't toast or broil my sandwiches this time (as seen in the picture above), I usually do because I like to melt the cheese on the sandwich prior to serving (just as described in the pepperoncini beef sandwich recipe above).

French Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 beef roast
2 cans beef consomme
1 can French onion soup
Hoagie rolls
Butter
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Place roast in a slow cooker and pour consomme and onion soup on top. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the meat is tender.

Serve on buttered, salted, and peppered hoagie rolls and use the consomme/onion soup mixture as an au jus to dip the sandwiches in.

Source: I have no idea. This is a recipe that my mom has been making since I was a child. I don't know where she got it from.

Chicken Sandwiches

(Originally posted on Sunday, July 18, 2010)

Summer is the perfect time for sandwiches. I mean, can anyone really have too many sandwiches during the summer? Plus, there are so many sandwiches to choose from--deli, burgers, veggie, pressed sandwiches, toasted, panini, shredded barbecue sandwiches, etc. Then, of course, there is our favorite cost-efficient and versatile protein of choice--chicken.

I'm not going to include a specific recipe for chicken salad sandwiches. I think the best chicken salad sandwiches come from being creative. But, if you need some ideas...start with a base of chopped or shredded cooked chicken and mayonnaise, plain yogurt, or sour cream. Add something to give it a little kick such as yellow mustard, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, etc. Then add a combination of some of your favorite add-in ingredients. Here are some of my favorite add-ins: dried fruit (such as dried cranberries), fresh fruit (such as sliced grapes), toasted nuts, chopped celery, chopped dill pickles (or relish), chopped onions, sliced green onions, and your favorite spices (just a dash). Be creative! Don't forget to taste as you go so that the balance is right. I've made some super tasty chicken salad sandwiches (and tuna salad sandwiches, for that matter--just follow the same guidelines) simply by throwing in a combination of ingredients that sounded good to me and that I already had on hand.

The first sandwich recipe is a sliced spicy barbecue chicken recipe topped with melted cheese (pictured above). The second recipe is a pulled chicken sandwich that is a nice change of pace from pulled pork or beef. The third recipe is a pulled buffalo chicken sandwich. The second and third recipes both use a slow cooker which is nice because then you won't heat up your kitchen too much during the heat of the summer. The fourth recipe is a cool chicken sandwich with an Asian flair. The final sandwich is a cool, summer friendly pita sandwich.

Also, if you keep frozen chicken and buns in your freezer, any of the first three sandwich recipes are great pantry recipes. You can throw them together quickly and easily if you keep your pantry and freezer stocked!

I hope you like them (come on, you've got to at least like ONE of them!)!

Honey-Chipotle Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches (pictured above)

This recipe yields slow-cooked barbecue flavor in less than an hour. The sandwiches need to be broiled at the last minute, but the rest of the menu can be made ahead of time.

Yield: 4 sandwiches (serving size: 1 sandwich)

Ingredients:

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
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup canned tomato puree
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 or Pepper Jack cheese, thinly sliced (see note below)
4 (1/8-inch-thick) slices red onion

Directions:

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; keep warm. (See my notes below)

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.

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 pastelike 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.

CALORIES 424 (25% from fat); FAT 11.8g (sat 3.9g,mono 4.7g,poly 1.9g); IRON 3.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 78mg; CALCIUM 211mg; CARBOHYDRATE 45.1g; SODIUM 765mg; PROTEIN 34.5g; FIBER 2.6g

Cooking Light, MAY 2005

Notes: The first time I made this, I was making it for a crowd and as a result, the pan that I was cooking the chicken in was too crowded. Because of that, the chicken took forever to cook and the water quickly evaporated before the chicken was done. The second time I made this, I simply poached the chicken by putting the chicken in a pot and covering it with water (with the cumin and garlic). This solved the problem perfectly. The chicken cooked faster and more evenly and the cumin and garlic was still infused into the chicken. I didn't think that adding more water diluted the flavor at all. It just simplified things! Also, my sweet husband went grocery shopping for me and got Pepper Jack cheese (which is the kind of cheese on the sandwich in the picture above) instead of Monterey Jack cheese. Both kinds of cheeses work well for this sandwich, so go with your preference!

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

The chicken and sauce can be made up to two days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Reheat the mixture in a saucepan before serving.

Ingredients:

Chicken:

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs (for the slow cooker version, chicken breasts, or a mix of chicken thighs and breasts can also be used)
Cooking spray

Sauce:

2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses

Remaining ingredients:

8 (2-ounce) sandwich rolls, toasted
16 hamburger dill chips

Directions:

Regular Version:

Prepare grill.

To prepare chicken, combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture evenly over chicken. Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; cover and grill 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 180°, turning occasionally.

Let stand for 5 minutes. Shred with 2 forks.

To prepare sauce, heat canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar and next 5 ingredients (through pepper); cook 30 seconds. Stir in ketchup, vinegar, and molasses; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in chicken; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Place about 1/3 cup chicken mixture on bottom halves of sandwich rolls; top each serving with 2 pickle chips and top roll half.

Slow Cooker Version:

Place chicken in a slow cooker. Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle spice mixture evenly over chicken. Cook on low for 5-7 hours. Shred with 2 forks.

To prepare sauce, heat canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar and next 5 ingredients (through pepper); cook 30 seconds. Stir in ketchup, vinegar, and molasses; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in chicken; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Remove chicken from the slow cooker (or, if you prefer, drain the juices from the chicken and leave the chicken in the slow cooker). Stir half of the barbecue sauce into the chicken and reserve the other half of the sauce to serve with the sandwiches.

Place about 1/3 cup chicken mixture on bottom halves of sandwich rolls; top each serving with 2 pickle chips and top roll half. Top with extra barbecue sauce, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)

CALORIES 365 (23% from fat); FAT 9.1g (sat 2.8g,mono 2.6g,poly 2.6g); IRON 3.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 94mg; CALCIUM 78mg; CARBOHYDRATE 42.8g; SODIUM 877mg; PROTEIN 28.2g; FIBER 2g

Source: Cooking Light recipe found on Myrecipes.com

Notes: When I made this, I doubled the barbecue sauce so one batch was stirred into the drained chicken in the slow cooker and the other batch was used on top of the chicken when it was served on the sandwich rolls. I created the slow cooker version of this recipe because I thought it sounded great, but I simply didn't have time to do the version of the recipe as printed.

One final note: shredded meat is very freezer friendly. If you have extra shredded meat, put it in a freezer zip top bag, label it (what it is and the date you froze it) and pop it in the freezer. When you are ready to use it, simply defrost it in the fridge overnight and reheat it in the microwave. So easy!


Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches (Slow Cooker)

Ingredients:

6 frozen, skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 (17.5 fluid ounce) bottle buffalo wing sauce, divided (Winger’s or Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce works well)
2 (1 ounce) packages dry ranch salad dressing mix
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
2 tablespoons butter
6 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise

Directions:

Place the frozen chicken breasts into a slow cooker, and pour in ¾ of the wing sauce and 1 package of ranch dressing mix. Cover, and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Once the chicken has cooked, add the butter, and shred the meat finely with two forks. Mix the other ranch dressing mix with the sour cream. The ranch/sour cream mixture can be spread onto the hoagie rolls and used as a dip for carrot/celery sticks or chips. Pile the meat onto the hoagie rolls, and splash with the remaining buffalo wing sauce to serve.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Divinesoalce21

Notes: I made a few changes from the original recipe. Sometimes this sandwich can be pretty spicy (depending on what wing sauce you use). I have found that spreading the sandwich with a ranch spread (the sour cream/ranch dressing mixture) or blue cheese salad dressing adds just the right balance to the spiciness of the chicken. You can also add blue cheese crumbles and additional wing sauce, if you desire. This recipe is also freezer friendly (just like the pulled chicken recipe above).

Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle teriyaki marinade
6 hamburger buns

Suggested Toppings (all or a combination of):

Sliced cucumbers
Alfalfa sprouts
Sliced avocado
Sliced tomato
Pineapple rings
Favorite cheese slices
Mayonnaise

Directions:

Marinate chicken breasts in teriyaki marinade at least one hour or up to overnight in the fridge.

You can grill or broil the chicken breasts. If grilling, grill on high heat for about 6 minutes per side (or until juices run clear and the chicken is no longer pink in the middle). If broiling, broil on high heat for about 6 minutes per side (again, until juices run clear and the chicken is no longer pink in the middle).

Place chicken breasts on hamburger buns and top with toppings of your choice.

Source: My mom has been making this for years. I'm not sure if she just came up with the idea or if she saw it in a recipe book.

Notes: You might want to either consider pounding the chicken breasts to flatten them prior to cooking or thinly slicing the chicken once it has been cooked because once you add all of your toppings to the sandwich, it is one tall sandwich (and pretty difficult to eat without everything slipping out of the bun!).

Chicken Caesar Salad Pitas

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
Bagged Caesar salad kit
Pita bread

Directions:

Cook chicken according to your own preference (you can poach it, saute it in a pan, grill it, etc.). Once the chicken is cooked, slice or cube it. You can also often find pre-cooked and sliced chicken in the refrigerated/deli section of the grocery store, if you would prefer to use that.

Prepare Caesar salad kit according to package directions. Mix in chicken.

Slice pita bread in half and open the pockets. Fill the pockets with the Caesar salad mixture and enjoy!

Source: Again, this is a recipe my mom made for us years ago. I'm not sure of its origins. The bagged salad kit is a time-saving idea, but you can also make your own Caesar salad from scratch, if you prefer.

Pressed For Time?

(Originally posted on Sunday, April 25, 2010)

We had a family dinner with my husband's side of the family tonight. We decided to take it outside since it can get kind of crowded inside when you're having dinner with 9 adults and 6 children/babies.

So, we needed a main course that could travel with us to the great outdoors. I was in charge of the main course this month and because of a Primary Eight is Great program right after church, I knew I wouldn't have any time to cook on Sunday. I was inspired by my mother (who made them about a month ago) and I chose to make pressed sandwiches.

I found too many recipes to resist and I ended up making five different kinds of sandwiches (some created by me, some improvised, and some following recipes). I created a mozzarella sandwich following the caprese salad formula that I've described in past posts. I made two different sandwiches using salami. I made a turkey and cranberry sandwich, and I made a sandwich using Italian cold cuts.

I made them all on Saturday night and we ate them on Sunday evening. They were all flavorful and none of them were soggy (that's the great thing about pressed sandwiches! I'm sure the thick ciabatta bread helps avoid soggy situations).

They were all a hit! I'm going to share the three sandwiches I was personally able to try (no, I didn't eat three full sandwiches for dinner, I promise!).

I went to Granatos in Salt Lake City to get the ciabatta bread. I got the large loaves and they were massive! I would probably get the smaller loaves next time if I do multiple sandwich recipes. But if you're doing one kind of sandwich, the large loaf size will be perfect because it can be cut perfectly to feed a crowd. But, if you would like to try the bread at Granatos (it is fantastic, by the way), they have three locations. You can find the locations listed on their website: http://granatos.org/cart/index.php?main_page=contact_us&zenid=743790a1edcdc08aaa2738ce0d134c11

These sandwiches will be fantastic at any summer picnic!



Pressed Mozzarella and Tomato Sandwich

Ingredients:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 large loaf of ciabatta bread
6 roma tomatoes, sliced
12 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
12-18 large basil leaves

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper).

Slice loaf of ciabatta bread in half lengthwise. Brush the olive oil mixture onto each half of the bread. Layer bottom half of the bread with mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired. Place the top half of the bread on top.

Wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place on a baking sheet. Top with another baking sheet and weigh it down with something heavy (such as canned goods, a heavy skillet, or cookbooks). Leave the weight on for about 30 minutes.

Remove the weight and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight to meld flavors. Cut into desired serving size and enjoy!

Source: I basically created this one myself. I meant to do a similar sandwich recipe that I found on the Martha Stewart website, but I forgot to buy some of the ingredients, so I made this one instead. I figured that you can never go wrong with caprese salad. It works on so many levels! This sandwich was very flavorful.

Turkey-Cranberry Pressed Sandwich

Ingredients:

1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt and pepper, to taste
2-3 sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
1 large loaf ciabatta bread
1/2 pound sliced deli style turkey breast
8 ounces sliced Provolone cheese
2 cups mixed salad greens (such as spring mix)

Directions:

Mix together the whole-berry cranberry sauce, whole-grain mustard, ginger powder, salt and pepper, to taste, green onions, and chopped pecans.

Slice the loaf of ciabatta bread in half lengthwise. Spread both halves of the bread with the cranberry mixture.

Layer the bottom half with the sliced turkey breast, Provolone slices, and mixed salad greens.

Place the top half of the bread on top. Wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place on a baking sheet. Top with another baking sheet and weigh it down with something heavy (such as canned goods, a heavy skillet, or cookbooks). Leave the weight on for about 30 minutes.

Remove the weight and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight to meld flavors. Cut into desired serving size and enjoy!

Source: I looked everywhere online for some pressed turkey sandwich recipes. I could only find panini-style sandwiches (that required cooking of some sort, which I wanted to avoid because I didn't have time to cook anything the day of our dinner). So, I created my own. As my inspiration, I used a Weight Watcher's wrap recipe (I'll have to post that recipe sometime because it is a lovely recipe). Basically, I got the cranberry sauce mixture from that recipe. The turkey and provolone were my idea. I figured it was somewhat of an homage to Thanksgiving. It turned out great! I also doubled this recipe and made two of these sandwiches because I wasn't sure how many people would like salami. It turned out that they loved these sandwiches as well as the salami sandwiches found below.



Pressed Mediterranean Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 large loaf ciabatta bread
3/4 pound sliced Genoa salami
4 ripe tomatoes, sliced
16 fresh basil leaves

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

Halve the loaf of ciabatta bread lengthwise. Brush each loaf generously with oil mixture; set aside some of the oil mixture.

Cover the bottom half with salami and then tomatoes; brush tomatoes with remaining oil. Place basil leaves on top of tomato slices. Place top half of loaf on top and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.

Wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place on a baking sheet. Top with another baking sheet and weigh it down with something heavy (such as canned goods, a heavy skillet, or cookbooks). Leave the weight on for about 30 minutes.

Remove the weight and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight to meld flavors. Cut into desired serving size and enjoy!

Source: I found this recipe on myrecipes.com (it is an All You recipe first published in July of 2006).



Make-Ahead Dagwood Sandwiches

Ingredients:

2 loaves herb-flavored or cheese-flavored bread, such as Foccacia, Ciabbata, or Asiago cheese bread (1 lb. each about 1 inch thick)
1 container (6.5 oz) garlic-and-herbs spreadable cheese
1 lb. thinly sliced smoked turkey
8 oz sliced provolone cheese
8 oz thinly sliced salami
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
8 slices bacon, cooked
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced, separated into rings
3 small plum (Roma) tomatoes, thinly sliced
4 cups lightly packed torn arugula
1/2 cup basil pesto

Directions:

With long serrated knife, cut bread in half horizontally. Spread cut side of each bread bottom with half of the spreadable cheese. Overlapping slices, arrange remaining ingredients except pesto in order listed over each bread bottom. Spread cut side of each bread top with half of the pesto, and place over arugula.

Place each whole loaf in large food storage plastic bag; seal and refrigerate topped with cast-iron skillet or other heavy weight up to 24 hours.

When ready to serve, cut each loaf into 6 equal sandwiches. Secure sandwiches with toothpicks or small skewers.

Recipe note: You can tailor make this sandwich to suit personal tastes. Replace the tomato slices with sun-dried tomato or roasted red pepper strips.

It you don't have anything heavy to weigh the sandwich down, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap instead.

Source: Betty Crocker website.