Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

This has become a go to crockpot meal for Sunday lunch.  Super easy!

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

4-5 chicken breasts
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
regular size bottle of buffalo wing sauce (17ish ounces)

Place chicken in bottom of crockpot.  Sprinkle with dressing mix.  Pour half of the wing sauce over the chicken and cook on low for 7 hours.  Shred in crockpot and serve on favorite bread choice.  (I love any of the King Hawaiian breads.)  I find that half of the sauce is plenty, but add more sauce to your preference.

Freezer Sandwiches

I made these for the first time right after Price was born, looking for an easy meal to grab in a hurry.  And then I forgot about them.  Until now.  We get home from church really late and by the time we walk in the door, everyone is tearing down walls trying to get something to eat.  Even if I rely on the crockpot, there is usually something else to do before we eat and I just don't have time for it.  So, I've loaded the freezer with these sandwiches and set them to bake while we are on our way home.

Freezer Sandwiches

1 stick butter, melted
3 Tbsp. mustard (I've used spicy brown and dijon, so choose your favorite)
2 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
8 hamburger buns
1 lb. ham, thinly sliced (I like a sweet ham to cut the spice of the mustard and horseradish)
8 slices swiss cheese

Mix together butter, mustard, horseradish and poppy seeds until smooth.  Open the buns and spread the sauce on the inside of both sides of buns.  Lay ham on bottom piece and cheese on top piece of bread.  Close up and spread sauce on top of bread bun.  Wrap in foil and freeze.

When ready to eat, bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes.

New Favorite Sloppy Joe's

This is my new favorite.  Definitely more flavorful than my original recipe that I have used all these years. And packed with veggies...

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 Tbsp. steak seasoning
1 carrot, shredded
1 medium onion, shredded
1 red bell pepper, shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. tomato paste

Using a food processor, shred carrot, onion and red pepper.  In a large skillet, combine ground beef, shredded veggies, garlic and steak seasoning.  Cook until meat is browned.  Drain excess fat, if necessary.  Stir in red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add tomato sauce and tomato paste and stir to combine, stirring until thickened.

Tomato & Egg Sandwich

This was my favorite sandwich from the summer.  I know it might seem gross, but it is delicious!  And super simple.  I just boiled a couple of eggs and kept them in the fridge during the week until I was ready for them.

Tomato & Egg Sandwich

bread
mayo
tomato
hard boiled egg
green onion
pepper

Smear mayo on each slice of bread.  Lay tomato and egg slices down.  Top with chopped green onion and pepper to taste.

Semi Homemade Pizza Pockets

I loved eating Hot Pockets as a little girl.  I remember walking down the street to my Grandparents' house and they always had them in the freezer.  It was a pretty usual lunch.  This recipe I came across really reminds me of those little pockets.  It is so quick and easy to put together.  The Dish Washer likes pizza but not enough to eat at home, so I make this for lunch for me and The Bun.  I think The Bun is going to take after his daddy, because he really doesn't love to eat this either.  But they are delicious, nevertheless, and I am the one pregnant.  I win!  We should come up with a name for this baby...let me think...all I can think of is the unoriginal Pea in the Pod.  Baby Pea.  That's it.  Anyway, here's the recipe.

Semi Homemade Pizza Pockets

1 loaf Rhodes freezer white bread, thawed and allow to rise according to pkg. directions
pepperoni
mozzarella cheese
shredded parmesan cheese
oregano
garlic powder, a little goes a long way
parsley flakes

Take thawed, risen dough and roll out into 11x11ish square.  (This isn't as easy as you would think it is since all that air is in the loaf.)  Next layer pepperoni, cover with cheeses depending on your preference with how much cheese you like and sprinkle with oregano, garlic powder (remember just a little) and parsley flakes.  Roll up cinnamon roll style.  Coat with melted butter butter or olive oil and bake on jelly roll pan at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until bread is baked through.  Allow to cool at least 10 minutes.  Slice and serve.

Quick & Easy Au Jus (for French Dip Sandwich)

I had some leftover Roast from earlier in the week and wanted to use it up by making another meal out of it. I decided on making an au jus and serving it as a French Dip Sandwich.

Quick & Easy Au Jus (For French Dip Sandwich)

2 Tbsp. butter
1 shallot, chopped (I just used onion I had on hand)
1 Tbsp. all purpose flour
2 cans beef consomme
Montreal Steak Seasoning, to taste
pepper, to taste

In a saucepan, melt butter and saute shallot until tender.  Add in flour being careful not to burn.  Whisk in the cans of consomme until smooth.  Season with Montreal Steak Seasoning and pepper to taste.  Simmer while preparing sandwiches.  Serve in a dipping bowl.

Sloppy Joes

We have had such a baby boom in our church! In one week, I made three meals for three separate families. It was so much fun. One of the things I decided to make was this recipe for Sloppy Joes. It is the easiest recipe to be able to make something from "scratch." Manwich is pretty good, but I prefer this recipe. Very quick fix!

Sloppy Joes

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. mustard
3/4 c. ketchup
2 Tbsp. flour


Brown ground beef and drain fat. Add other ingredients and mix well. Sprinkle with brown sugar and flour over top and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Other things I made for those new babies and their families were Sweet and Sour Chicken over Rice(instead of Pork), Squash Casserole, Oriental Slaw and a yummy new potato salad that you need to look for in the next post.

Pimento Cheese

Are you ready for major updating on what's cooking? This will be a lot of posts in one day! Super Social Worker brought me some dip to try at the office that was very good and I figured I better get on here and acknowledge it if I ever want her to speak to me again! :) She got the recipe from Pioneer Woman and her recent pita chip recipe experiments. It was delicious and I didn't even have the pita chips to go with mine. Here's the link: Hot Olive and Artichoke Dip

--I was never a big fan of pimento cheese when I was growing up. It wasn't until The Dish Washer introduced me to the Hot Links with Pimento Cheese appetizer at Jim 'N Nick's that I really started to enjoy it. Since I liked it there, I decided to try the Toasted Pimento Cheese sandwich at Newk's and it is really very good. (Then I realized that sandwich has 900 calories in it and decided I better not be a regular partaker!) My favorite way is by far served with sausage, so I decided to attempt to make this at home. (As pictured above.) Mom had made some pimento cheese sandwiches for a party and recommended a very good recipe for pimento cheese, so I decided to try it and it was perfect. Here's the funny part of the story...I didn't actually have pimentos when I made it, so it is really just cheese but it accomplished what it was supposed to. This is what I used...

Bobby's Pimento Cheese

Our pictures look really different...don't know what's up with that! Mine seems more thick than creamy.

Ham and Cheese Fingers

Another recipe from the handwritten cookbook. These really are very good. I've never made them myself, but I have eaten my fair share...and then some.

Ham and Cheese Fingers

1 pkg. ham (long slices)
1 pkg. Swiss cheese (long slices)
3 pkgs. (24 to a pack) ready to serve rolls (finger size)

Sauce:
1 stick butter
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. grated onion
2 Tbsp. poppy seed
2 Tbsp. mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter and add remaining sauce ingredients.

Break pan of rolls into 3 rows. Slice each row open and spread sauce with brush on open sides. Add cheese and ham. Fold rolls back together and return foil pans. Brush tops with remaining sauce. Cover with foil and bake at 250 for 20 minutes. When ready to serve, can be cut into individual rolls.

Party Pinwheels

Polls are closing and I will be glued to the TV all night, but I wanted to help my Mama out. She is helping with a baby shower soon and was asking about any sandwich type foods that I would have posted. Sadly, not too many options. I thought I would fix that. I'm going to post TWO!

First, is my sister in law's recipe for party pinwheels. I have never had them, but they sound just wonderful. She shared the recipe with my mother in law who then wrote it in my cookbook she gave me last Christmas.

Party Pinwheels

10 small tortilla shells
2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, room temperature
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
green onions, chopped to taste
1 (4 oz.) jar chopped pimento
1 small can green chilies
1 small can chopped black olives

Drain, pimento, chilies and olives. Mix cream cheese, dressing mix and onions. Add other drained ingredients and mix well.

Spread mixture over each tortilla shell. Roll up and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

Slice and enjoy!

Check out Ham and Cheese Fingers for another idea.

Reuben Casserole

Since The Dish Washer is pulling our team along in Georgia this weekend, I "south bound and down" my way home! It's good to be here! I hijacked My Buddy and he spent the night with us. We were in bed by 9:00 and up at the crack of dawn (although I admit I did snooze a little longer once I knew Deese was up). That boy is obsessed with pirates so we spent the morning on the pirate ship (aka the deck) heaving and hoeing our sail, swimming with the crocodiles (Uncle Dish Washer will be glad he wasn't here for that!), and fighting off the pirates who were trying to come on board. On my way in yesterday, I stopped at the grocery store because I wanted to make this recipe this weekend. Sister turns the big 3-0 on the big 3-0!! She loves Reuben sandwiches and I've had my eye on this recipe for her a while. Sadly, the grocery store didn't have everything I needed...apparently they don't like party rye around here. They had everything that I needed though to make Corn Salad. Mom helped me take a picture of it...I just love her bowl! Sister, here is what I would have made you! Happy Early Birthday!! We're getting old!! I'll make this next time you are in my neck of the woods.

Reuben Casserole

1 (16 oz.) bag or 1 (14 - 16 oz.) can or jar sauerkraut
1/3 c. Thousand Island dressing
12 oz. corned beef lunch meat, thinly sliced
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Swiss cheese slices
About 1/2 loaf party rye bread slices
1 tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400. In a 9x13 inch baking dish, with fork, stir sauerkraut with its liquids and Thousand Island dressing; top with corned beef slices. Bake 15 minutes, until bubbly hot. Remove dish from oven. Place cheese slices on top of meat in a single layer; top with bread slices. Lightly brush bread with butter. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes or until bread is crisp. Makes 8 servings.

**I used sandwich sliced corn beef and placed in layers which made it very hard to cut into. I think it may work better to use canned corned beef or chop the meat up before layering.

Roast with gravy

Two things happened today:

1. I found this website...WHOA NELLY!!
2. I got my first recipe request from my S-I-L, which happens to use a crockpot and is super easy! So what perfect timing...

You all have probably made this or a variation of it.

Roast with gravy

1 Roast* (just needs to fit in the pot, but whichever size works best for your family will be just fine.)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope of Lipton onion soup mix

Place roast in crock pot. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Mix cream of mushroom soup and onion soup mix on top of roast. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Sister adds water to hers, but I choose not to do that. (The gravy tastes a little richer to me without adding water.) We usually don't, but you can of course add potatoes, carrots, and/or onions if you choose.

*The Former Roommate would even make this same recipe using pork tenderloin. SO GOOD either way and very tender!!! The Dish Washer and I usually like to take the leftovers and spoon it over toast for an open faced sandwich!