Turkey, Bacon, & Avocado Sandwich

Taking notes from the Sandwich King's show on Food Network, we wanted to create our own masterpiece.  There isn't anything too fancy about a sandwich, except, of course, when there's bacon and avocado involved.  This has been a new favorite around our house, so I hope you'll enjoy it as much as we have!

Turkey, Bacon, and Avocado Sandwich

1 whole wheat sandwich thin (you can use sliced bread, too)
2 slices bacon, cooked
1 slice cheese (I used American)
1/4 small avocado
4 slices deli turkey
2 slices ripe tomato
1 Tbsp light mayonaisse
Salt and pepper, to taste

Toast bread or sandwich thin.  Spread top half with mayonaisse.  On the bottom half of the bread, pile turkey, cheese, tomato, bacon, and avocado.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Put top half of sandwich thin on top, and enjoy.

Potato Chips and Onion Dip

Who knew it was so easy to make your own potato chips?  I certainly didn't.  Plus, we chose to bake them instead of fry them, and I made the dip low fat, so we didn't have to feel guilty!  So good and so easy!

I used a mandoline to slice the potatoes evenly (and I didn't manage to slice off a chunk of my finger, as I did in August).  We found 1/8" was the best thickness for the chips.  Some of them burned a little in places, but they were still really good.  If you're not using a mandoline, just slice them as thinly as possible.

The dip was also great.  I made it the day before I needed it, so the flavors had time to settle together.  Since fat-free Greek yogurt is the main ingredient, you can dip whatever you want in this and not feel bad about it.

Potato Chips and Onion Dip

Chips:
3 large Russet potatoes, cut into 1/8" rounds
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp coursely ground black pepper
Kosher salt

Dip:
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, minced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 1/4 cups nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup light mayonaisse
3/4 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Make the dip first: heat oil over medium heat and add onions and scallion whites. Cook, stirring often, until golden brown and soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Combine onions with yogurt, mayonnaise, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and scallion greens and stir well to incorporate. Chill for 1 hour to let flavors meld.

Now make the chips: preheat oven to 450.  Toss the potatoes in a large bowl with olive oil and pepper until well coated.  Arrange the potato slices in one layer on two cookie sheets.  Bake for 17-22 minutes, or until chips are lightly browned and crisp.  Remove from oven, and season generously with kosher salt.  Serve with dip.

Delicious Chicken Salad

This was amazing chicken salad!  It was my first time to make my own, and I'll definitely make it again.  I loved the sweet crispness of the grapes; that was my favorite part.  I ended up making sandwiches and serving them on Hawaiian rolls--to die for!  The two of us had them for dinner, and we both had chicken salad sandwiches for lunch for the next two days, so it makes plenty for leftovers. Yum!

Chicken Salad

3 cups cubed, cooked chicken breast
3/4 cup light mayonaisse
3/4 tsp paprika
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp seedless red grapes, quartered
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 green onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 tsp seasoning salt
ground black pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise with paprika and seasoned salt. Blend in grapes, celery, green onion, and nuts. Add chopped chicken, and mix well. Season with black pepper to taste. Chill at least one hour.

Buck's Favorite Sandwich

This is really a recipe from Pioneer Woman, and it's also her husband's favorite sandwich.  Our twist is to use venison cube steak because we have quite a bit of it in the freezer, but you can use beef cube steak, and it will still be delicious.  The other way I changed the recipe was to seriously cut down on the butter she uses.  While I want to feed my husband tasty meals, I also want him to be healthy.  (And it's still his favorite sandwich, so we all win.)

Buck's Favorite Sandwich

1 - 1.5 lbs venison cube steak
3/4 large sweet onion, sliced
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter
4 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Grill seasoning
Tabasco Sauce
Pepper Jack cheese, shredded or sliced
4 deli rolls

Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat, and add the sliced onions.  Cook and stir until onions are softened and lightly browned, 15-20 minutes.  While onions are cooking, slice cube steak into think strips against the grain of the meat.  Season strips with grill seasoning. 

When onions have finished cooking, remove them from the skillet.  Add the remaining two tablespoons of butter, and melt over medium high heat.  When the skillet is hot, add the meat, and cook it on one side until it's brown; flip the meat and cook it until brown on the other side, about 2 minutes per side.

Add Worcestershire sauce, a couple of shakes of Tabasco sauce, and stir everything to combine.  Add the cooked onions to the skillet.

Toast the deli rolls.  To assemble the sandwich, pile the meat on the roll, followed by a spoonful of the sauce.  Top with a handful of cheese and the other half of the roll.

Philly-Style Duck Sandwiches

Buck is an avid duck hunter, and of course, Teak is a mighty retriever now.  When Buck told me that he wanted to try a new duck recipe, I wasn't terribly interested.  Ducks haven't ever been my favorite.

Anyway, these duck sandwiches turned out AMAZING.  I'm not exaggerating; they were fantastic.  I went from being a skeptic to a believer just because of this recipe.  I really do look forward to Buck making these again.  

If you are also a skeptic or just don't want to use ducks, I'm sure it would be great with chicken or steak.  It would also be great wrapped up in a tortilla because these are very similar to fajitas, but the bun (we used potato rolls) were good because they absorbed some of the juices. 

The recipe from ducks.org says to use 3 cups of thinly sliced duck breast fillets for four servings; I'm not exactly sure how many cups we had, but I do know that it was the breasts from two wood ducks for our two sandwiches.  You can count one duck per sandwich.

I highly recommend that you try these.  If you're friends with a hunter, he (or she) probably has some duck breasts in a freezer somewhere, and this is the recipe you should try!

Philly-Style Duck Sandwiches (makes 2 sandwiches)

2 wood duck breast fillets, very thinly sliced (Place the duck breasts in the freezer for an hour or two to firm up before slicing as thinly as possible with a sharp, thin-bladed knife.)

1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Tabasco sauce
2 slices pepper jack cheese
Rolls

In a medium bowl, combine half the olive oil with the red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Add the duck slices and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for two hours. 

Heat the remaining oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are lightly browned. Mound the onion mixture on one side of the skillet. Add the marinated duck to the other side of the skillet and stir-fry for two to three minutes. Once cooked, season with a dash of Tabasco sauce. 

Combine the meat and onion mixture. Form into two rectangular mounds, top with cheese, and cook until the cheese is melted. Fill each roll with the meat, onion, and cheese mixture.

Sweet and Savory Burgers

We LOVED these burgers!  I don't eat a lot of red meat, but I couldn't get enough of these.  I think the sauce is what made them extra good.  It was really spicy just to taste it on its own, but it was perfect with the burger on both sides of the bread (and as a dipping sauce for the fries). 

This was a Southern Living recipe.  It called for chili sauce, and I wasn't positive what that meant, so I got a jar of sweet chili sauce in the Asian foods section of the grocery store.  I should also note that this is probably my first burger, ever, without cheese on it.  I didn't even miss it.  The recipe says you can top the burger with grilled pineapple slices and grilled red onion, and I'm sure that would be great, but both of us ate our burgers with the bread, the meat, and the sauce.  Simple and delicious.

The bottom line is that we'll definitely make these again.  I can't recommend them enough.

Sweet and Savory Burgers

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1.5 lbs ground chuck (80/20)
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup jalapeno jelly
Hamburger buns

Combine the first five ingredients, and pour them in a shallow dish.  Shape the ground chuck into five patties, and set the patties in the soy sauce mixture to marinate.  Make sure both sides of the patties are dipped in the marinade.  Cover and refrigerate for four hours.

Combine the chili sauce and jalapeno jelly, and set aside. 

When ready, grill the burgers over medium high heat for 6-7 minutes per side, or until cooked to desired doneness.  Smear pepper jelly mixture on both sides of the bun, and garnish burger with grilled pineapple and grilled red onion, if desired. 

Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets

In this month's Food Network Magazine, there are recipes for different dinner pockets.  Just like Hot Pockets, these were nice and tasty, but they're better because you can control the ingredients that go into them.  In the magazine, they suggest broccoli-cheddar pockets, shredded chicken pockets, and picadillo pockets.  We went with good ol' ham and cheese. 

These were so easy because the recipe only calls for refrigerated bread dough.  The can that I had expired in April, so instead of wagering a precious sick day over a $3 can of bread dough, I opted for the two new cans of crescent rolls that I had.  I think they were even better than they'd be if I'd followed the recipe.

I'm putting the recipe like it calls for in the magazine, but if I use two cans of crescent rolls again, I'll definitely make more filling next time.  Also, change it up to make it how you like it--I always use whatever cheese we have, which usually ends up being the Mexican four-cheese blend.  If you want to splurge on some gruyere, be my guest!

Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets

1 (11oz) tube refrigerated French bread dough (or 2 cans crescent rolls)
1 cup (about 4 oz) grated cheese
1 cup (about 4 oz) deli sliced ham
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
All-purpose flour, for dusting
Cooking Spray
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 425.  Mix the cheese, ham, mustard, nutmeg, and cayenne in a bowl until combined.  Squeeze the mixture together with your hands to make it compact.  Spray a baking sheet lightly with cooking spray. 

On a floured surface, roll out the dough.  (If using bread dough, cut the dough into four pieces, and roll out each piece into a 6"x8" rectangle.  If using crescent rolls, cut the dough into 8 pieces.)  Divide the filling evenly among each dough rectangle.  Fold the two shorter sides of the dough over the filling, stretching the dough to cover.  Fold the two longs ides of the dough to form a packet; pinch the edges to seal. 

Place the pockets seam-side-down on the prepared baking sheet.  Beat the egg and one tablespoon of water in a small bowl; brush the pockets with the egg wash.  Bake until golden-brown, or about 15 minutes. 

Open-Faced Monte Cristo Sandwiches

This is a yummy way to jazz up a regular ham and cheese sandwich; it's really good and has ingredients you already have at your house!  Instead of regular sliced bread, we used sandwich buns that were about to be stale.  It was quick and tasty.  We'll make it again.

The recipe below makes 6 servings, so scale it down to fit your family's needs.  Enjoy!

Open-Faced Monte Cristo Sandwiches

2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbsp honey mustard
6 bread slices
2 Tbsp butter
1 lb thinly sliced ham
6 slices Swiss cheese

Whisk together first three ingredients in a shallow dish.  Dip both sides of each bread slice into the egg mixture. 

Melt one tablespoon of butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add 3 bread slices, and cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Remove from skillet, and repeat with the remaining tablespoon of butter and three bread slices.

Place bread slices on a baking sheet.  Top each bread slice with ham and cheese.  Broil six inches from heat for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted. 

Ham and Cheese Rolls

Oh my gosh.  You will thank me for these little gems.  They're completely delicious, pretty easy to put together, and perfect for breakfast, lunch, or a casual dinner.  They're really filling, too; the full recipe makes 12 rolls, but you could cut it to 6 rolls easily.

I slightly tweaked this Southern Living recipe, and I'll definitely make it again.  As the recipe below notes, you can make them in a 10-inch skillet or round pan or a 9-jnch square glass dish.  I tried to fit as many as I could (which was nine) in a 9-inch round pan, and the other three I put in my muffin-top pan.  They all tasted equally delicious, but the ones in the muffin-top pan browned more quickly than the ones in the round pan. 

Ham and Cheese Rolls

12 frozen biscuits (I used Mary B's)
All-purpose flour
¼ cup dijon mustard
1 Tbsp minced onion flakes
1 cup (4oz) shredded Swiss cheese
1 (9oz) container deli sliced ham, chopped or torn into pieces
Cooking spray

Arrange frozen biscuits, with sides touching, in three rows of four biscuits on a lightly floured surface. Let stand 30-45 minutes or until biscuits are thawed but still cool to the touch.

Sprinkle thawed biscuits lightly with flour. Press biscuit edges together, and pat to form a 12x10” rectangle of dough; spread evenly with mustard, and sprinkle minced onion flakes on top. Top evenly with the cup of shredded Swiss cheese and then with the ham.


Roll up, starting at 1 long end; cut into 12 (about 1” thick) slices. Place rolls into a lightly greased 10-inch cast-iron skillet, 10-inch round pan, or 9-inch square pan. Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes or until center rolls are golden brown and done; cool slightly. 

Pimento Cheese

There was a big article in our newspaper's food section yesterday on how pimento cheese is the hot food trend of 2011.  My parents have always liked it, but the looks of it always scared me off.  So orange.  Somewhat creamy but lumpy.  Specks of red.  I never wanted any part of that.

I'll tell you, though, that it's really good--definitely better than any store-bought pimento cheese.  I'm glad I branched out.  My dad recommends eating it on white bread with a slice of tomato, but it's great as a dip with some crackers.  If you like it creamier, add a couple more tablespoons of mayo.  Try it yourself!

Pimento Cheese

1 lb sharp cheddar, grated
1 (4oz) jar diced pimentos, drained
4 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 Tbsp mustard
2 Tsbp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar

Combine all ingredients.  Refrigerate at least an hour before serving. 

Chipotle Ranch Chicken Sliders

In the July/August issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray, she has several slider recipes, and it inspired us to come up with our own recipe.  I read through them all and liked the idea of grilled chicken sliders, and I really liked how easily we could change the recipes according to our taste.  You could add cheese and bacon (and I'm a little shocked now that we didn't), onions and peppers, different condiments, etc.  You can also change the marinade, which would completely change the flavor of the chicken.  (The chipotle flavor could have been enhanced in this recipe if I'd put added a pepper from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, but I didn't have any, so we just relied on the marinade.)  We ate these with my favorite--sweet potato fries--and it was a quick and yummy dinner. 

Chipotle Ranch Chicken Sliders

1 lb chicken tenders
1/4 cup Lawry's Baja Chipotle marinade
Lettuce
Tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1/4 cup Ranch dressing
Dinner rolls

Marinate chicken tenders in Lawry's marinade for at least 30 minutes (the longer, the better).  In a small bowl, combine the Ranch dressing and chopped cilantro; set aside.

When ready to cook, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray.  Grill chicken tenders, turning occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until cooked through.  Let rest briefly, and then shred the chicken with two forks.

Slice the rolls.  Layer the chicken on the bottom half, and top with lettuce and tomato.  Spread the cilantro-ranch mixture on the top half of the rolls, and place it on top of the slider. 

Italian Chicken Wrap

We're trying to get creative with the wraps, and it's easy to see how you can keep tweaking these recipes and making them different and better.  Last week, we made these wraps and really liked them.  Next time, I'll add more sun-dried tomatoes.  More wrap recipes will certainly be coming.

Side note:  Happy Mothers' Day to all the moms out there, including my sweet mom and my sweet sister!  (And Happy Birthday to I Hope You're Hungry; it's been a year since our first post!)  I hope it's been a good day for everyone!

Italian Chicken Wrap

1 lb chicken strips
3/4 cup Italian dressing
1/4 cup basil pesto
Sun-dried tomatoes
Mozzarella cheese
Tortillas

Marinate chicken strips in Italian dressing for at least an hour.  When ready to eat, grill on grill pan until done.  Set aside.

Spread pesto on each tortilla, and lay chicken strips on top.  Sprinkle chicken with mozzarella and desired amount sun-dried tomatoes.  Fold tortilla over chicken mixture, and grill for 3-4 minutes on each side in grill pan.

Chicken Pesto Wrap

We loved this wrap; I can see more of these coming in the future.  As long as you remember to marinate the chicken earlier in the day, the rest of this recipe comes together really quickly.  (Or you can be even faster about it and use frozen chicken strips or rotisserie chicken.)  We mostly followed Plain Chicken's recipe, but you could change this up adding other vegetables.  It would also be really good as a cold wrap with some lettuce or spinach and diced tomatoes.  Very tasty and easy. 

If you're not making all six wraps at one time, still grill all of the chicken and just use it for leftovers later in the week.  We had these two nights in a row, and they were great both times. 

Chicken Pesto Wrap

1 lb chicken tenders

3/4 cup Italian dressing

3 Tbsp pesto, divided

2 Tbsp Ranch dressing

6 tortillas

6 mushrooms, sliced

Shredded cheese of your choice (I used Monterey Jack)

Marinate the chicken in the Italian dressing and 2 Tbsp pesto for at least an hour--the longer, the better.  Grill until done, and set aside.

Mix the Ranch dressing with 1 Tbsp pesto, and set aside.

Lay the tortilla down, and layer ingredients on the tortilla, starting with shredded cheese.  Follow with chicken and sliced mushrooms, and finally drizzle pesto-Ranch mixture on top.  Roll up the sides of the tortilla, and place in a hot grill pan.  Grill 3 minutes per side, or until golden.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  Serve with Ranch, if desired.

Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich

This is another Hungry Girl recipe, and let me tell you, Biz and I were shocked at how good it was.  We will definitely be making this again.  I didn't have high hopes going into this, knowing I was going to eat chicken that had been coated with ground up Fiber One cereal (which is not a cereal I'd eat for breakfast).  Honestly, though, it was great.  It tasted like it had been fried, and it reminded us both of the spicy chicken sandwich from Wendy's. 

It doesn't hurt that if you follow the recipe, the sandwich has 313 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 12 grams of fiber, and 31 grams of protein!  I'm not a calorie counter, but I do like patting myself on the back if I eat something that isn't terrible for me.  I didn't have egg substitute, so I just used one beaten egg.  The recipe below is just for one sandwich, so we doubled it easily.

You should try this sandwich; you will like it!  You can even get a coupon for Fiber One here.

Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich

3 oz  raw boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 small hamburger bun
1/2 cup Fiber One cereal (original)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp fat free mayonnaise
2 slices tomato
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, divided
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 375.  Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency.  Add half of the cayenne pepper (1/8 tsp) to the crumbs and mix well.  Place crumbs in one small dish and egg in another.

Sprinkle salt and black pepper evenly on both sides of the chicken.  Then coat chicken on both sides--first with egg and then with seasoned crumbs.

Place chicken on a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray.  Top chicken with a light mist of nonstick spray and then place in oven.  Cook for 10 minutes, and then flip the chicken over and add another light mist of cooking spray.  Cook for an additional 10-12 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked and the coating looks crispy. 

While the chicken is cooking, combine mayo and the remaining cayenne pepper in a small bowl.  Spread half of the mayo mixture on each half of the bun.  Layer chicken and tomato slices between the two buns and serve!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

I can't say enough good things about this pork.  It was easy.  It was delicious.  It was very affordable.  (Pork was on sale that week, and a Boston butt is even more affordable than a pork tenderloin and still so flavorful!)   It only used a few ingredients.  You have to try this! 

Depending on the size of the Boston butt you get (and they're all pretty big), it feeds a crowd, so you could easily do some pulled pork sandwiches for the Super Bowl or any other get-together you have coming up.  Ours had a small bone in it, but all the meat just fell off the bone, so it easy to remove.  YUM!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

1 (3lb) Boston butt
Salt
Pepper
Minced onion flakes
12 oz root beer
1 (18oz) bottle barbecue sauce
8 hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted

Season the pork with salt, pepper, and onion flakes, and place the pork in the slow cooker.  Pour root beer over the meat.  Cover with lid and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 5.5-6 hours.  Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred with forks; drain crock pot.  Put pork back into crock pot and cover with desired amount of barbecue sauce.  Cook on low for an additional hour.  Serve on hamburger buns.

Grilled Cheese, Apple, and Bacon Sandwich

One of my favorite things on a Saturday morning is mindlessly watching Food Network shows, and last weekend I was lucky enough to catch Tyler's Ultimate.  He's was making the ultimate soup and sandwich, and his sandwich was a grilled cheese, apple, and bacon sandwich.  Umm, yes please.  I had to make it that afternoon.

This was honestly delicious.  This could easily be a Saturday afternoon (or laid back Sunday night or Friday night or whenever) staple.  Tyler's recipe called for country-style white bread, but I just used by regular wheat bread, and he also said to generously spread Dijon mustard on the bread before starting to assemble the sandwich, but I forgot to do that. 

You HAVE to try this.  It's so good!

Grilled Cheese, Apple, and Bacon Sandwich

4 slices of bread
6oz sliced Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 Tsbp butter
6 slices bacon, cooked to desired doneness
1/2 green apple, thinly sliced
(Dijon mustard, if desired)

Heat griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat.  Assemble sandwich: if desired, spread Dijon mustard on bread.  Top with slices of Cheddar, 3 pieces of bacon, apple slices, and additional Cheddar.  Place the remaining bread on top, and spread the outsides of the bread with butter.  Cook until cheese is slightly melted and bread is browned.  Flip the sandwich and continue to cook until cheese is thoroughly melted and bread is golden brown. 

Pesto Chicken Panini Sandwich

I feel strongly that this sandwich is restaurant-worthy.  I loved it!  I already have this down on next week's menu.  Plus, you have options, and although my terribly indecisive nature makes options a bad thing for me, I like to provide them to others.  Observe.  You can use a panini grill, a grill pan, or a good skillet.  You can use ciabatta bread, deli rolls, sourdough bread, or regular sliced bread.  You can add arugula, basil leaves, or spinach leaves.  The possibilities are endless!  Next week, I think I'll put sun-dried tomatoes on mine.  This was so, so good.  


I adapted the recipe from Sandra Lee.  The recipe I'm putting up is how we made it, which was enough for two sandwiches.  You will definitely like this sandwich.  

Pesto Basil Panini Sandwich


2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp pesto 
2 Tbsp mayonaisse
2 deli rolls
Mozzarella cheese 
1 tomato, sliced


In a plastic bag, combine chicken strips and 1/4 cup pesto.  Marinate in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes (I marinaded mine for a few hours).  In a small bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons each of pesto and mayo.  Spread the pesto-mayo mixture on both sides of the deli rolls, and set aside.  


Spray a grill pan with cooking spray, and place over medium heat.  Grill chicken strips for 5 minutes per side; remove and let rest for 5 minutes.  Re-spray the pan, and lower heat to medium.  


On the bottom half of the deli roll, place cheese, chicken strips, tomato, a bit more cheese, and the top of the roll.  Place sandwich on the grill pan, and place another heavy pan on top of the sandwich.  Grill for three minutes per side or until cheese starts to melt.