Hot Ham and Brie(z!)

First of all, I apologize for my extended absence.  I have been so busy lately that I haven't known what to do with myself.  I guess time flies when you're not having fun. 

For the past few years, my husband and I have vacationed in Hot Springs, Arkansas over spring break.  We are always sure to take a ride out to Cafe 1217 for a delicious light lunch.  The neat thing about this restaurant is that the menu changes on a monthly basis, so there's always something new and exciting to try.  Last year, my husband's pick was a hot ham and brie sandwich.  He let me try a bite and I was hooked.  I recreated the sandwich at home for a quick supper and it was just as delicious as I remembered.

Inspired by Cafe 1217

INGREDIENTS
Sandwich buns
Brie cheese
Sliced deli ham
Jam of your choice (I used strawberry)

DIRECTIONS
1.  Layer ham and brie slices on bottom half of the bun.  Place in toaster oven at 350 and cook until ham is heated and cheese is beginning to melt.  Put the top halves of the bun in the toaster oven until lightly toasted.

2.  Remove.  Slather the top half of the bun with jam of your choice.  Enjoy!

Pimiento Cheese

Back in junior high, my best friend brought pre-packaged pimiento cheese for lunch every single day.  To put it nicely, that stuff looked like your neighbor's cat grabbed a mid-afternoon snack of carrot sticks, lemon Skittles, and rancid tomato sauce and then...

I guess I'll spare you.

Suffice it to say that it did NOT look appetizing, and I told her as much.  Almost a decade and a half later, I can still remember my visceral reaction when she tore off a corner of her sandwich and offered it to me.  "Try it, it's delicious," she protested, her mouth full of the offensive goop.

No, thank you.

Now that I'm old(er) and wise(r), I know that pimiento cheese isn't meant to be some tri-colored glop manufactured on heavy machinery and stuffed into vacuum-sealed packaging.  Last weekend, Mom and I whipped up a batch of this delicious homemade pimiento cheese.  The freshly shredded cheeses and chunks of red pepper were hard to resist.  It was a delicious topping for Bagel Thins, a great dip for kettle-cooked potato chips, and a wonderful sandwich filling.  (But I think my favorite way to eat it was straight out of the bowl!)

We opted for the suggested combination of cheeses, although you can mix and match to suit your preferences.  I hope you enjoy this pimiento cheese as much as I did.

Serves 20-25
Recipe adapted from Food.com

INGREDIENTS
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 oz jar of pimientos, with juice
1/2 cup white cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS
1.  Add cream cheese, mayonnaise, and pimientos to a large bowl and stir to combine.
2.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Adjust seasonings to taste.
3.  Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Open-Faced Avocado Sandwich

It's a rare occasion to find perfectly ripe avocados at my local grocery store, but I hit the jackpot yesterday.  As I pondered the destiny of my delightful green fruit, I stumbled upon recipe for an avocado sandwich that I just *had* to try. 

This sandwich was perfect for an avocado fiend like me- simple and delicious.  Next time, I'm going to save the calories and omit the olive oil.  (It didn't add anything extra to the flavor or texture.)

And, just a disclaimer, this meal is not husband-approved.  He'd probably look at me like I had three heads if I plopped a plate of avocado-on-toast in front of him.  (He doesn't know what he's missing out on, does he?)

Adapted from The Hungry Mouse
Serves 2

INGREDIENTS
2 slices of bread, toasted
1 avocado, pitted and peeled
Juice of half a lime
1 tsp olive oil (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1.  Place the avocado in a medium bowl.  Add lime juice.  Mash the avocado with a fork, stirring to incorporate lime juice.  Spread half the avocado mixture on each slice of bread.  Drizzle with olive oil if desired, and season to taste.

Chicken Salad, My Way

 

I loooooooves me some chicken salad. The problem with ordering it out, though, is that you never know what you're going to get. It might be like that from the Gristmill in good ole Gruene, Texas- lightly seasoned with fresh crumbled bacon and the perfect amount of green (gruene, ha!) onions. Realistically, though, most restaurant chicken salad either has 15935987987 ginormous chunks of celery or it takes like you're consuming a Mayonnaise cocktail with a side of atherosclerosis. Hence, I prefer to make my own so that I can control what goes in it.

INGREDIENTS
2 diced chicken breasts, poached and cubed
1 tsp Dijon mustard (trust me here, I don't even like Dijon mustard)
5 green onions, finely sliced
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
Mayonnaise to suit your preference (about 1/2 cup is what I use)
Seasoned salt to taste
1 tsp dill weed
Splash of lemon juice

1. Mix everything in a medium bowl.

Easy, huh? You can either refrigerate this and serve it cold or you can just serve it warm right after you poach the chicken. Either way is good. We like to eat this atop Hawaiian bread buns. It's also good on croissants or plain ole bread.

French Dip Sandwiches

So I've been trying to find good crockpot recipes to break in our slow cooker. I told the hubs that I had found a french dip recipe using chuck roast. (He orders a French dip sandwich every time there's one on the menu!) He said why not just use deli roast beef. Who was I to complain about him making my job 100x easier???

This was so easy, quick, and very tasty. It's a good after-work meal.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pkg deli-sliced roast beef
2 bolillo bread rolls (or any other deli bread roll)
1 can French onion soup
1 can beef broth
2 slices provolone cheese

DIRECTIONS
1. Stir together broth and soup in a small pot. Heat over medium heat until piping hot.

2. Halve the bread rolls. Using tongs, dip the roast beef into the soup mixture, then place on bread. Top w/ provolone.

3. Put the sandwiches, open face, into a toaster oven and toast until the cheese is nice and melty

The Perfect Boiled Egg/Egg Salad

For the perfect boiled egg, stick your egg in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Then just cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let it sit for 12 minutes. It's good eatin' there.

For a quick lunch, I like to boil up 3 eggs, discard two of the yolks, chop them up finely, then add a little mayo, mustard, seasoned salt, and dill. Then I make a sandwich out of it.

Sloppy Joes

I got this sloppy joe recipe from the Allrecipes site. (Sloppy Joes II) It is delicious, perfectly seasoned, and easy!

INGREDIENTS
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
3 teaspoons brown sugar
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.