Bacon, Tomato, Swiss, Guacamole Grilled Cheese

We make fancy sandwiches for dinner quite often.  My kids love them and the possibilities are endless.  So get out your griddle and fire it up...these grilled cheese sandwiches aren't just for kids.

Ingredients:

Sourdough sliced bread
2 avocados
2 T cilantro, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
kosher salt
black pepper
garlic powder
1/2 lb thick cut bacon, cooked
roma tomatoes, sliced
swiss cheese slices

Preheat griddle over medium low heat.  Butter one side of the sourdough bread.

In a small bowl, mash up the avocados.  Stir in the cilantro, lemon juice, kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder (to taste).

Assemble the sandwiches by spreading a layer of guacamole on the inside of each slice of bread.  Add a layer of cooked bacon, roma tomatoes, and swiss cheese.  Grill until toasted and the cheese is melted.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Sjoblom's French Dips~Slow Cooker Recipe

Who doesn't love a great go-to slow cooker recipe?  Especially on a day full of after school activities.  You just throw all the ingredients into your Crock Pot, put the lid on, turn it on, and go about your busy day.  When you get home, the delicious smell hits you as you walk through the door and your dinner is ready.  This is another amazing recipe from Keeping Up Cookbook, by Grace Ivory Rock and Amy Henriksen Foulger.

The story behind this recipe is that when Grace had a new baby, her friend Amy Sjoblom brought these French Dips over...what a sweet friend.  These sandwiches have been a go-to dinner in Grace's home ever since.  They are now a go-to meal in our home too!  My family absolutely loved them.  

Don't forget to come back tomorrow and Friday because I have two more recipes featured from Keeping Up Cookbook.

Crockpot Ingredients:

1 (3-lb) rump or eye of round beef roast
1 (10 3/4 oz) can beef consomme
1 1/2 cups water
1 Good Seasons Italian dressing packet
1 au jus gravy packet

For Sandwiches:

Sliced swiss cheese
Hoagie buns (or your favorite...I used croissants)

Add all ingredients to the crockpot except for the roast and whisk well. Add the roast and turn over to coat all sides. Turn crockpot on high and cook for 8 hours, or until you can easily shred with a fork. Remove roast and shred. Strain crockpot juices for au jus dipping sauce and set aside. 

Turn on oven broiler. Place shredded meat on buns and top with swiss cheese slices. Broil open faced until cheese melts. Assemble and serve with au jus. Enjoy!

Pepperoni Sausage Burgers ~ Guy Fieri

I recently purchased Guy Fieri Food ~ Cooking' It, Livin' It, Lovin' It Cookbook.  I have tons of recipes bookmarked to try, so I will share of few of them this week. 

The first recipe is for these flavorful Pepperoni Burgers.  Guy's son could not decide between a burger and pizza at their family's restaurant, Johnny Garlic's, so this is what Guy came up with.  This is the first meal recipe in the cookbook that jumped off the page screaming "make for hubby ASAP!"  Needless to say, it's his favorite cheeseburger to date.  I adapted the recipe slightly to take these burgers over the top, as Guy would say.

Ingredients:

1 lb 80/20 ground beef
1 lb ground Italian sausage
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 T olive oil
1/4 lb pepperoni matchsticks
1/2 yellow onion, cut into one inch strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
pickled jalapenos (optional)
6 - burger buns, lightly toasted until warm
6 - slices cheddar/mozzarella cheese (Sargento)
6 - slices provolone cheese
Ketchup or marinara for buns

In a medium bowl, use your hands to combine the beef, sausage, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.  Divide into 6 equal size portions and form into patties.

In a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, add the olive oil.  When it's shimmering, add the pepperoni matchsticks.  Cook until just crisp, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

In the same skillet, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook another minute.  Transfer mixture to same plate as pepperoni.

In the same skillet, add the burger patties and cook for 5 minutes on the first side.  Flip over and cook another 3-5 minutes.  Top each burger with and a slice of both cheeses.  Add a few ice cubes to the pan and cover with a lid for 3 minutes.  This will allow the cheese to melt.

Note:  You can obviously use an outdoor grill, indoor grill pan, or flat top to cook the burgers.

Toast the buns, spread some marinara or ketchup on each side, then place a burger on each.  Top with onions, pepperoni, cherry tomatoes, and jalapenos.  Enjoy!

Serve with Oven Baked Fries and Buttermilk Garlic Dressing. 

Philly Chicken Wraps

Here is a twist on the traditional Philly Chicken Sandwiches by using a wrap in place of the hoagie bun.  It was much lighter and a nice change, although I do love my bread.

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
kosher salt
black pepper
garlic powder
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 cup button mushrooms, cut in half
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
Provolone cheese slices
Tortilla wraps
mayonnaise
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes

In a large skillet over medium low heat, add the butter, mushrooms, and onions.  Cook until mushrooms are tender and onions just begin to brown around the edges.  Transfer to a bowl.

Season the sliced chicken with kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.  In the same skillet over medium high heat, add the olive oil and seasoned chicken.  Stir chicken and continue to cook until completely cooked through.  Add the mushroom and onions to the chicken and stir well.  Add slices of provolone cheese to top of chicken/mushroom/onion mixture, cover with a lid, and turn off the heat.

Dampen a few paper towels and wrap around the tortilla wraps.  Heat in the microwave until warm, about 45 seconds.  Assemble the wraps.  Spread the wrap with a layer of mayonnaise, chicken/mushroom/onion/cheese, shredded lettuce, and diced tomatoes.  Fold up ends, then wrap and roll.  Enjoy!

  

Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki

My hubby and I have been eating at little Greek restaurants since we were first dating.  I would alternate between lamb and chicken gyros with extra tzatziki sauce.  I found this recipe over at Closet Cooking and just had to give it a try.  It was easy and very flavorful. My hubby walked in the door from work and said our home smelled like a Greek restaurant. That was quite a compliment!  The tzatziki can also be served as an appetizer dip with pita chips and fresh vegetables.


Chicken Gyros:
1 lb marinated, grilled chicken breast strips (see below)
1 batch tzatziki (see below)
6 pitas or flatbread
shredded romaine lettuce
2 tomatoes, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced


Chicken Marinade:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 T Greek yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lemon, zest and juice
2 sprigs fresh oregano, removed from stem
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper


Place rinsed chicken in a large zip lock bag.  In a medium bowl, whisk together all marinade ingredients.  Pour marinade over chicken, zip up bag, and shake bag to coat all chicken.  Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.


Tzatziki: 
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, grated over colander
1 cup Greek yogurt (2 - 6 oz. serving cups)
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 T olive oil
2-3 T fresh dill, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
kosher salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)


Peel and remove seeds from cucumber, then grate over colander and let water drain.  Place grated cucumber in paper towels to squeeze out excess water.  Add to a medium bowl with remaining ingredients and whisk together.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour to let flavors combine.


Grill chicken on indoor or outdoor grill until cooked through.  Slice into strips.  Assemble gyros by layering tzatziki, chicken, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and more tzatziki on top.  Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Sliders~2 Ways

Yesterday was another warm and beautiful day.  My hubby and I decided to grill on our outdoor patio and enjoy the sunshine.  I have been wanting to make another slider ever since I made these cheeseburger ones last week.  At first it was about finding an excuse to enjoy King's Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls again.  In the end, all the flavors just worked together to make the sweet rolls even better than I remembered.

I made our grilled chicken sliders and topped them 2 different ways.  My hubby wanted his topped with mayonnaise, swiss cheese, bacon, tomato, and jalapenos.
 

I topped mine with mayonnaise, bbq sauce, cheddar cheese, bacon, and jalapenos.  We had some creamy sweet cole slaw on the side.  They were so good!

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Weber Kickin Chicken seasoning
Allegro original marinade
King's Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls

Toppings of Choice:
mayonnaise
mustard
bbq sauce
cheese
bacon
jalapenos
pickles
lettuce
tomatoes
onions

Place chicken in a gallon zip lock bag and pound to 1/2 inch thickness.  Remove to a plate and season both sides with Weber Kickin Chicken seasoning.  Pour 1/4 cup Allegro marinade into zip lock bag, add chicken, and seal up the bag.  Place in the refrigerator to marinade for at least 2 hours.  

When ready to cook, drain off the marinade.  Grill chicken on an outdoor or indoor grill pan until cooked through.  Let rest for a few minutes.  Cut chicken into slices and place on rolls.  Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Any leftover chicken is great on a mixed salad the next day.  And you won't feel so bad for eating all those King's Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls the day before!

Garlic Studded Italian Pot Roast~2 Meals

This is definitely a comfort Sunday meal.  The leftovers are even better the next day on a fresh roll or sandwich bread.  You can prep everything early in the day and let it braise in the slow cooker all afternoon.  Your house will smell divine!  I cook potatoes, onions, and carrots with the roast, mostly for flavoring the gravy.  My picky family has to eat mashed potatoes with their pot roast, and can't eat mashed potatoes without corn.  My kids pile their corn on top of the mashed potatoes and gravy, just like I used to do when I was little.  Now, I take a forkful of mashed potatoes and gravy, then dip it into my corn...some things never change!

Ingredients:

Chuck Roast
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
kosher salt
black pepper
1 T Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 white onion, cut into chunks
2 potatoes, cut into chunks
1 carrot, cut into chunks
1 can reduced sodium beef broth

Cut several deep slits in the top of roast, and insert sliced garlic.  Season both sides liberally with kosher salt and black pepper. 

Place the cut up vegetables in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Sprinkle the Italian seasoning, dried thyme, and minced garlic over top, then pour in the beef broth.  Place the roast on top of the vegetables.  Cover and let cook on high for 6 hours, or until fork tender and easily shreds.  You can also cook it on low for 8-10 hours. 

When the roast in ready, remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.  Strain the cooking liquid (gravy) into a small sauce pan, and either serve the flavorful veggies or discard.  Make a slurry to thicken the gravy by stirring together about 3 T corn starch + 3 T cold water in a small glass, then pour into the gravy.    Cook over medium low heat until thickened.  Taste and adjust seasonings. 

My Italian pot roast sliders the next day were oh so good!  That's why they are pictured 1st above.  I slathered the King's Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls with mayonnaise, topped with warm pot roast and gravy, then sprinkled on some shredded monterey jack cheese.  I could seriously eat these every day!  Enjoy!

Caramelized Onion, Swiss, and Avocado Beef Sliders

The weather has been absolutely perfect this week in Texas.  We grilled up these delicious little sliders on my hubby's day off.  You can top them any way you like.  Our other favorite way is with cheddar cheese, bacon, and pickled jalapenos (pickles for the kiddos).  Any way you make them, I guarantee they will go good! 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (80/20)
1 T Montreal steak seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
4 T A-1 steak sauce, or your favorite
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 pkg 12-count dinner rolls (I used King's Hawaiian sweet rolls)
caramelized onions
sliced avocados
Swiss cheese

In a large bowl, add ground beef, steak seasoning, garlic powder, steak sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.  Use hands to mix, but don't overwork the meat.  Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls, making a slight indention in the top (this helps burger to not puff up in the middle). 

You can either cook them on a hot grill outside, or use an indoor grill pan or cast iron skillet.  Cook to desired doneness.  Assemble and enjoy!

French Dip Egg Rolls with Au Jus

This is a perfect appetizer for your Super Bowl party.  These baked egg rolls are filled with lean roast beef, muenster cheese, pepper jack cheese, sauteed white onions, garlic, and flavored with Worcestershire and Tabasco.  You can use any of your favorite cheeses.  I enjoyed the mild smoky muenster and spicy pepper jack cheese together.  I made a simple Au Jus and a Buttermilk Garlic Wing dipping sauce.

Ingredients:

1 package egg roll wrappers, found in refrigerated produce section
1/2 small block muenster cheese, cut into small cubes
1/2 small block pepper jack cheese, cut into small cubes
1 T unsalted butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 white onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb lean deli roast beef, chopped
2 T Worcestershire
dash of Tabasco sauce
black pepper
egg and 1 T water, for egg wash

Au Jus:

1 can beef consomme
2 T Worcestershire
black pepper
garlic powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter and olive oil.  Add onions and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook another minute.  Add the roast beef, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and black pepper.  Simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the au jus.  In a small sauce pan over medium heat, add the beef consomme, Worcestershire, black pepper, and garlic powder.  When the onion/roast beef mixture is done, strain it over the au jus pan (you want all those flavorful juices in your dipping sauce), then set the roast beef aside to cool.  Simmer the au jus for about 10 minutes.  Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with sliced green onions, if desired. 

In a mixing bowl, stir together the cheeses and cooled roast beef mixture.  Beat an egg with 1 T water to make an egg wash. Take an egg roll wrapper and place it on a work surface on the diagonal. Brush all 4 edges with egg wash. Use about 2 Tablespoons of meat mixture and place it in the center of egg roll wrapper. Roll up the lower corner around the meat, fold in the left side, fold in the right side, and roll it over to the top corner. Lay them seam side down on prepared baking sheet.  Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with garlic powder and black pepper.

Bake for 12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and crispy.  Serve with warm Au Jus and Buttermilk/Ranch Wing dipping sauce.  You might also like these Philly Cheese Steak Egg Rolls I recently posted.  Enjoy!

Linked up at:

This Weeks Cravings
Tailgating Time
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Potluck Sunday

Honey BBQ Cheesy Sloppy Joes

OK, so the South Beach Diet is off.  It just wasn't my kind of life!  That being said, I love a good and messy Sloppy Joe!  So when I saw these on SteakNPotatoesKindaGurl this morning, I just knew I had to make them.  I already had some fresh bakery club rolls in the pantry and lean ground beef in the fridge.  These were the perfect amount of sweet and plenty sloppy.  They were fabulous!  The original recipe from Tried and True Cooking With Heidi is an open faced sandwich using Texas Toast as the base, which is how my hubby will probably want to eat his tonight when he gets home from work.  I used hot dog buns for my girls since they have little bitty mouths.  Whatever bread you decide to use will work just fine to soak up all those juices.

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef (93/7)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup Honey BBQ sauce
3 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
dash of cayenne pepper
shredded cheddar jack
Club rolls/hamburger buns, or bread of choice

In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown ground beef until cooked through and no longer pink.  Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes.  Drain off the grease.  Add the tomatoes, ketchup, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire, and spices.  Stir well and cover.  Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and simmer another 5 minutes until mixture is thickened up.

I have a little trick I use when eating sloppy joes on rolls or buns.  I hollow out the center of both the top and bottom insides before adding the sloppy joe filling.  This way, it stays in the roll instead of falling out onto your plate, the floor, your shirt, your jeans, your shoes...you get the point! 

Serve up on some warm toasted buns and top with shredded cheese.  I made some Oven Baked Onion Rings on the side.  I'm still full and only ate half...Enjoy!

   

Reuben Phyllo Cups

We recently attended my hubby's work Christmas party.  During the cocktail hour, they served mini Reuben pockets.  It was like a Reuben sandwich inside pizza dough balls.  I lost count at how many hubby ate throughout the 2 hours.  I just knew that I would need to recreate these at home for our next family party.  These were made for our New Year's Day party where we watched our TCU Horned Frogs win the Rose Bowl.  We should have lots of good luck and prosperity since we ate cabbage in both the Reuben cups and creamy cole slaw.  I also made Shannon's southern style black eyed peas.  They were Delectalicious! 

I was short on time, so I decided to buy some mini phyllo cups.  These were simple to make with only a few ingredients.  I also used pastrami instead of corned beef.  I hope you enjoy them as much as my hubby. 

Ingredients:

1 - 15 count mini phyllo cups (found in frozen section of grocery store by desserts)
1/4 lb sliced pastrami deli meat, diced
Spicy deli mustard
1/4 cup prepared sauerkraut, chopped
4 slices Swiss cheese, diced
Thousand Island dressing

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place the mini phyllo cups in a mini muffin pan or line up on a baking sheet.  Place some pastrami in each phyllo cup, squirt in some deli mustard, add some sauerkraut, and top with Swiss cheese.  Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until cheese is melted.  Serve with some Thousand Island dressing.  I told you they were easy to make.  Enjoy!

Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls

My hubby saw Guy Fieri make some Philly Cheesesteak egg rolls on Guy's Big Bite one day and has been asking me when I'm going to make them ever since.  My hubby told me how I should make them and I went from there to figure out the rest.  These were served with some spicy mayonnaise dipping sauce and were  so good.  I forgot to take pics of the inside of the egg rolls, but it looked just like a cheesesteak sandwich.

Ingredients:

1 package egg roll wrappers (refrigerated section in produce area)
1 T butter
1 large white onion, cut into thin strips
4 oz. mushrooms, sliced
kosher salt
black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 thick slices deli roast beef, diced
6 slices provolone, diced
egg and water (for egg wash)
garlic powder

Mayonnaise Dipping Sauce:

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 T milk (to thin sauce)
hot pepper sauce, to taste
pinch paprika
kosher salt
black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the onions, mushrooms, salt, and pepper.  Cook until mushrooms and tender and onions are slightly browned.  Add the garlic and cook another minute.  Add the roast beef and cook for 3 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.  After it has cooled to room temperature, add the provolone cheese and stir.

Beat an egg with 1 T water to make an egg wash.  Take an egg roll wrapper and place it on a work surface on the diagonal.  Brush all 4 edges with egg wash.  Use about 2 Tablespoons of meat mixture and place it in the center of egg roll wrapper.  Roll up the lower corner around the meat, fold in the left side, fold in the right side, and roll it over to the top corner.  Lay them seam side down on prepared baking sheet.  Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with garlic powder.  

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.  Place on a paper towel to drain excess grease. 

In a small bowl, whisk together all mayonnaise dipping sauce ingredients.  Serve with warm Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls.  Enjoy!

Christmas Eve Appetizer and Dessert Party

What are your plans for Christmas Eve and Christmas day?  We are starting a new tradition this year that includes our entire family.  We draw names on Thanksgiving for an ornament exchange that takes place on Christmas Eve during our appetizer and dessert party.  Our girls have always opened one gift each, which just happens to be pajamas.  They always look so cute Christmas morning tearing into their presents all dressed up in new pj's.

We are keeping the menu simple so I can enjoy time with my family:

Jalapeno Poppers In A Blanket

Spinach Dip and Tortilla Chips - Mom's Recipe

Shrimp Salad Phyllo Cups - Paula Deen Recipe "kicked up" by ME

Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls - Hubby's Idea and recipe creation

Iced Sugar Cookies - Adapted From Created by Diane (Link to her blog is not allowed)

Red Velvet Cake Truffles

I will add the remaining recipes after Christmas.  Have a wonderful Holiday weekend with your family!  Merry Christmas!  See you back here next week. 

Slow Cooker Roast French Dip Sandwiches

My hubby and I love a good French Dip sandwich.  I decided to make them using a chuck roast, low simmered in a Crock Pot all day with mushrooms, onions, garlic, and all the same spices I use when I make Prime Rib.  The house smelled really good all afternoon, and I kept sneaking bites of the roast when it started to become nice and tender.

The au jus was very flavorful and the mushrooms were incredible after cooking in the roast juices all day.  I only put a handful of mushrooms since they were more for me to eat than to add flavor to the sandwiches.  See the whole mushrooms waiting for me in the au jus bowl?  I served these with some homemade oven baked onion rings 2 ways. 

Ingredients:

1 Chuck Roast
1 white onion, chopped into large chunks
4 cloves garlic, smashed
handful of whole white button mushrooms
1 T dried rosemary
2 tsp dried thyme
kosher salt
black pepper
2 cans beef broth
1 cube beef bouillon
2 T worchestershire
Hoagie buns

Toss half of the the onions and all of the garlic in the crock pot.  Add the chuck roast, the remaining onions, and then the mushrooms.  Add all the spices, beef broth, beef bouillon, and worchestershire.  Cover and let simmer on high for 6 hours.  You could also cook it on low for 10 hours. 

 When it easily pulls apart, remove the roast to a cutting board and shred.

This is the way we eat our French Dip sandwiches...Split and butter the hoagie buns and lightly toast in the oven.  Slather on some mayonnaise, add lots of shredded roast and top with provolone cheese slices.  Return the loaded up bottom half to the oven to melt the cheese.  Ladle the au jus into little bowls for dipping and dunking.  Enjoy!

BBQ Sloppy Joes

I was searching my favorite cooking blogs for inspiration before my trip to the grocery store this week.  I wanted a dinner that would be easy, comforting, and something my kids would eat and not just move around the plate.  I read several sloppy joe recipes and then decided to make up my own.  It's a super quick meal and you probably already keep all the ingredients in your pantry and fridge.  I used my homemade bbq sauce, which is sweet and tangy and slightly spicy.  I would recommend using a tangy bbq sauce in this recipe since the ketchup is so sweet.  

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean ground beef (93/7)
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T Montreal Steak Seasoning
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1 T chili powder
1 T paprika
1 T dry mustard
2 T worcestershire sauce
1 cup ketchup
3/4 cup BBQ sauce (your favorite)
1/2 cup water
Kaiser rolls
butter

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef until cooked through.  Add the chopped onions, green peppers, and garlic.  Cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.  Drain off excess fat.  Add all the spices, ketchup, BBQ sauce, and water.  Stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium low, and partially cover with a lid.  Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  You want the meat and liquid to make a nice thick sauce and become one.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler to 425 degrees.  Cut the kaiser rolls in half, slather some butter on the insides, and lay butter side up on a cookie sheet.  Toast in the oven broiler for about 2 minutes.  Watch them with the oven light turned on...toasty becomes charred very quickly.

Now it's time to load up lots of sloppy joe mixture on the warm, toasty buns.  Add some potato chips, cole slaw, or pickles to your plate so your sloppy joe won't look as lonely as mine  Good luck eating it all.  It's very filling and oh so comforting.  And throw away that canned Manwich sauce in your pantry.  It's too easy to make this homemade.  Enjoy!

Jalapeno Blue Cheese Burgers with Bacon & Swiss

I was craving a good homemade burger cooked by my grill master husband on his Weber grill.  To close him on the deal of dragging the Weber out of the garage and firing it up, I decided to make a very flavorful burger he couldn't turn down.  He grilled some hot dogs for our girls since these burgers aren't exactly kid friendly with the jalapenos and blue cheese.  Everything was delicious!  I made a Party Pasta Salad to go with our burgers and hot dogs as seen here on my blog.

After dinner, we watched our Dallas Cowboys gets spanked by the Washington Redskins.  What's up with that!?!  Next weekend is my youngest daughters' 3rd birthday.  My husband and I will be smoking a beef brisket.  I will find some new sides to try, and hopefully they will be post worthy.

Ingredients:

1 lb 85/15 ground beef
2-3 fresh jalapenos, finely diced
2 Tbsp soy sauce
4 Tbsp A-1 steak sauce, or your favorite
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
pepper
blue cheese crumbles
sliced bacon, cooked
sliced swiss cheese

Prepare your Weber grill and get it really hot.  It's ready when you can only hold your hand 4 inches above the fire for 2 seconds before pulling away.

In a large bowl, add the ground beef, jalapenos, soy sauce, steak sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper.  Mix with your hands until combined.  Divide the mixture into 4 pieces if you want 1/2 lb burgers, or 8 pieces if you want 1/4 pound burgers.  Form patties and place on a baking sheet.  On half of the patties, press the center in to make a well, and add some blue cheese crumbles.  Place another patty on top and seal the edges with your hands.  Set aside if your grill is almost ready, or place in the refrigerator if it's still getting HOT.  

When your grill is ready, place the burgers in the middle of the grill over the direct heat.  Cook until both sides are almost cooked to your preferred doneness.  During the last minute of cooking time, add the bacon strips and top with swiss cheese.  The burgers are done when the cheese is melted.  Serve on toasted buns.  Now that's a big delicious burger!!! Enjoy!  

First side grilling with hot dogs on indirect heat

Ham, Provolone & Carmelized Onion Hoagie

Hubby's Rainy Day Lunch

It rained all last night and all this morning.  Most of the streets around our house were flooded and closed.  So instead of sending my hubby out to pick us up some take-out lunch from a restaurant, I decided to make some hot sandwiches.  You don't need a recipe for this sandwich, but here's how I made it.

Ingredients:

Slices of deli ham
Slices of provolone cheese
1/2 yellow onion, sliced into half rings
1 T butter
1 tsp olive oil
Salt
Peper
Paprika
Cayenne pepper
Garlic powder
Mayonnaise
Hoagie buns

Preheat oven broiler to 400 degrees.  

In a skillet, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat.  Add sliced onions, salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne pepper.  Cook onions until golden brown and caramelized, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with foil.  Split the hoagie buns in half.  Drizzle insides of bread with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder.  Broil in oven until nicely toasted, about 3 minutes.  Remove and set aside.  

When the onions are caramelized, place in a small bowl and set aside.  Put 2-3 slices of ham in same skillet.  Cook on both sides for 1-2 minutes.  I used 2 pieces of ham on my sandwich and 4 slices on my husband's.  Cook all the ham and set aside.  

Spread mayonnaise on the top half of the hoagie bun and set aside.  On the bottom half of hoagie, layer ham, caramelized onions, and provolone cheese.  Broil in oven until cheese is melted, about 3 minutes.  

Remove and assemble your sandwiches.  Enjoy!      

BBQ Chicken Hoagie

I picked up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store today so that I can easily make some chicken and cheese flautas tomorrow.  My daughter loves the chicken legs, so she ate them for lunch.  I shredded the remaining chicken to cut down my work tomorrow...we are having my big brother over and cooking a Mexican feast.  There was way too much chicken for 20 flautas so I decided to make myself some lunch too.  I also bought hoagie buns for my kids' lunches next week.  You seriously don't need a recipe for this, but I wanted to share it since it was so tasty.  I love BBQ chicken.  I love chicken phillys.  I didn't have time to caramelize onions, but that would have made my sandwich complete.  Here's what I did.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
Lite mayonnaise
BBQ sauce
Sweet or sour pickle slices
2 slices provolone cheese
Hoagie bun
butter

Preheat oven broiler to 400 degrees.  Split hoagie bun in half.  Lay open face on foil lined baking sheet.  Spread mayonnaise on bottom piece of bread and butter on the top piece.  On the bottom bread, layer on the chicken, BBQ sauce, pickles, and provolone cheese.  Place sandwich in the oven and watch it (it will burn quickly if you walk away).  Broil until top is slightly toasted and provolone cheese is melted.  Remove from oven and enjoy.  Like I said, caramelized onions would have been excellent on this sammy too!!! Enjoy!

Kickin' Buffalo Chicken Wraps

This is a very flavorful and quick wrap sandwich perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon or busy weeknight.

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
black pepper
garlic powder
Weber Kick 'N Chicken seasoning
1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Wings buffalo sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
shredded lettuce
grape tomatoes, halved
Jalapeno Cheddar wrap tortillas

Season chicken on both sides with pepper, garlic powder, and Kick 'N Chicken seasoning. Grill on outdoor grill until cooked through, about 20 minutes depending on size. Remove to cutting board and slice into either long strips or bite size pieces. Place chicken in large bowl, add buffalo sauce, and toss to coat.

To make blue cheese sauce, combine sour cream, blue cheese crumbles, and pepper in small bowl. Mix to combine.

Heat tortillas in microwave for 20 seconds. On tortilla, layer buffalo chicken, blue cheese sauce, shredded lettuce, and tomatoes. Fold in the left and right side, then roll bottom to top to form the wrap so nothing falls out.  Enjoy!