September 2009 - Sandwiches

So September’s theme is Sandwiches. Mmmm. A great sandwich is a joy forever, or at least an hour or two, right? They can be quick, easy, and fun—three of my favorite elements in a recipe. Sandwiches can be lunch, dinner, and sometimes even breakfast. They can be light, filling, hot, cold, homey or really different. Ya just gotta love a good sandwich.
This is a perfect theme for September for me. When time is really tight after school or work, or you need to get out the door for a meeting or Open House, a sandwich can be a real time saver. Especially a substantial one that you don’t have every day for lunch.
Far be it from me to determine anyone else’s ideal pb&j or what makes the best ham sandwich, swiss or cheddar. And I’m not even going to touch the Mayo vs. Miracle Whip debate. But I have gathered and tried a few that are worth passing on. Some are “duh-simple” and some are on the “huh-really?” side. They passed the, “Would you have this again?” test though.


In the “Too easy to even have a recipe” category we have:

BBQ Beef Sandwich
Put a boneless roast in the crock-pot with some seasonings (or not) and pour some BBQ sauce on top, reserving half for after. After the roast is cooked and falling apart you can either shred it, chop it, or put it in a food processor or grinder. Put beef in a pan and add the rest of the barbeque sauce until its “wet” enough for your taste. I warm it on the stove, but you could put it back in the drained crock-pot and warm it there. I really like to get a fairly cheap bbq sauce and add brown sugar and dried onion. Serve on buns.

Teriyaki or BBQ Chicken Sandwich
I use the Mesquite Grilled pre-cooked chicken from Costco or Sam’s. Nuke it for about 2 minutes, then simmer it in barbeque sauce or teriyaki sauce in a frying pan on the stove until it’s juicy and full of the flavor. Put on a bun with whatever floats your boat. If it’s teriyaki I like to put pineapple slices in the same pan and simmer them along with the chicken.

Hawaiian Pizza Sandwich
(This one may be more in the “huh” category, but we liked it.) Pepperoni, seasoned bread or roll. Ham slices, pineapple slices (grilled?), and mozzarella cheese. Bake, open face for about 5 min. at 350 degrees so bread toasts and cheese melts if using a roll. Grill for sliced bread. Serve with warmed spaghetti sauce on the side for dipping.

Salad sandwiches go really quickly around my house. When I have leftover roast, ham or chicken, I try and make some salad for sandwiches. Good add-ins besides mayo/miracle whip are; celery, green onion, flavored salts (like seasoned, onion or celery), sweet pickle (or just the juice), fruit (apples or grapes), and flavored mustards. Tuna and egg salad are faves too. I figure they’ll keep a week if well refrigerated, and no one has gotten sick at my house on that theory.


Follow the link for:

French Dip Sandwiches