Tangy Chicken BLT Sandwiches

Yes, it's sandwich time at our house again, but it is summer - and it's 95 degrees outside today! I thought I had see a recipe like this online, but when I went to make these yummy sandwiches today, I couldn't find it anywhere, so I was on my own. It's super easy to put together and so delicious! Don't talk yourself out of the sauce - it truly makes this sandwich special.

I made these sandwiches on 2 medium sized french bread loaves (actually labeled "sweet italian bread" at Kroger). Then, each was cut into 3 servings for a total of 6 servings. Of course, you can make it any size, but this recipe will give you a place to start....

You will need:
2 french bread loaves, sliced lengthwise in half
1 fully cooked rotisserie chicken, sliced
12 slices of bacon, cooked (I baked mine at 400 for about 15 minutes)
a few slices of lettuce, washed
2 tomatoes, sliced
2 TB mayonnaise
2 TB ketchup
salt and pepper to taste

Mix equal amounts of ketchup and mayo (about 2 TB each) and set aside.

Put sliced bread under broiler for about 3 minutes or until just starting to brown, then remove from oven.

Layer bottom slice of bread with bacon, chicken, lettuce, and tomato. Sprinkle salt and pepper on tomatoes. Generously spread sauce on top layer of bread, then lay on top of sandwich. Slice into desired serving sizes and enjoy!

S'more Cookie Bars!

I came across these on lovinintheoven.com and had to try.. they are even better than they look!!

S'More Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)
• 1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
   
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.
   
3. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together).
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Makes 16 cookie bars.

Garlic Breadsticks

Easy Breadsticks!

1 1/2 c. warm (105-115 degrees) water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 c. flour


In a large bowl, combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.  

Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups,) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray or coat with oil and place dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.

Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then fold in half and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining pieces of dough.  Put them a few inches apart unless you want them to be connected when baked.

Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes. When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks  and sprinkle with garlic mixed with parmesan and parsley. For a sweet treat you could sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar. Enjoy!

Men vs. Women BBQ Wars...

So I sent this innocent (but hilarious) e-mail to a few guys in our family, my brother in law being one of them.. here is the e-mail I sent him and below that is his response.. enjoy!

BBQ RULES We are about to enter the BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity. When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put into motion:  Routine...  (1) The woman buys the food.  (2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables and makes dessert.  (3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - drink in hand.  (4) The woman remains outside the compulsory three meter exclusion zone where the exuberance of testosterone and other manly bonding activities can take place without the interference of the woman.   Here comes the important part:  (5) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.   More routine...  (6) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.  (7) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is looking great. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another drink while he flips the meat.   Important again:  (8) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.   More routine...  (9) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauce and brings them to the table.  (10) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.   And most important of all:  (11) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.   (12) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed her 'night off,' and, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women.

 Rob's response...

Suzy,

Heres how the guys see it.

One Month before the party (90 degrees out):

The man fertilizes the lawn
The man pressure washes the house and the deck
The man touches up the paint
The man fixes the pump on the pool and replaces the filters

The man mows the lawn

edges the lawn, trims the lawn, blows the sidewalks and driveway

Three weeks out (93 degrees out):

The man refinishes the deck
The man pressure washes the driveway
The man trims the shrubs
The man sweeps and shocks the pool
The man refreshes the mulch
The man sprays the yard for weeds

The man mows the lawn

edges the lawn, trims the lawn, blows the sidewalks and driveway

Two weeks out (97 degrees out):

The man weeds the flowerbeds
The man pressure washes the pool furniture and the pool deck

The man mows the lawn

edges the lawn, trims the lawn, blows the sidewalks and driveway

3-4 days out (record breaking heat since 1905):

The man mows the lawn
edges the lawn, trims the lawn, blows the sidewalks and driveway
The man fills the propane tanks
The man sprays for bugs and ants.
The man cleans the grill and the grill tools.
The woman goes shopping... for food and plates and clothes and shoes and purses
The woman assigns stuff for all of her friends to bring

Party day:

The man stands outside in the 99 degree 100% humidity weather and cooks over a 400 degree grill for 2 hours.
The woman stays in the air conditioned house and tosses salad.
Everybody else eats.
The man eats a cold hot dog and chicken breast with a diet coke.  The brats and burgers are gone.  The salad is wilted and the fruit is warm.  The regular coke is gone.  The only chips left are fat free veggie crisps.
The man gets in the pool and enjoys the rest of the day.

What a great party.

It is conceivable in some cases the the word Man above may not be referring to the man of the house, but possible some other man who was picked up at QT that morning, but the man of the house still gets the credit.  After all he did go pick up the man and pay the man and take the man home.  Us men have to stick together.

Rob

Toasted Ravioli!!

If you have never tried fried ravioli- you are missing out!  We grew up in St. Louis where it is a local favorite, but lots of our country hasn't caught on that everything fried is better... It is super easy and worth the calories!

Toasted Ravioli
1 bag of frozen beef ravioli (you can use cheese, but then it is just fried cheese!)
3-4 eggs, beaten
Italian breadcrumbs
Oil of choice

Heat the oil in a frying pan.  Put eggs into medium to large shallow bowl.  Do the same with the breadcrumbs.  Dip frozen ravioli into eggs then breadcrumbs and fry in hot oil until brown on both sides.  Drain and serve with favorite marinara and parmesan cheese!

Baked Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

Since the first time I had these little sandwiches (at a tennis match last year), I fell in love with them! I like to try different meat/cheese combinations each time, but will say that I like all of them, so I can't recommend a favorite yet.

Today's version is using Oven Roasted Turkey and Cheddar Cheese - once again....delicious! Also, today I used the Honey Wheat rolls, and we loved them!

Combine these first 5 ingredients in a saucepan and cook over low heat just until combined.
1 stick butter
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. honey mustard
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. brown sugar

You will also need:
2 packages of King's Hawaiian Rolls OR small dinner rolls in foil pan
10-12 slices of cheese
1 lb. thinly sliced meat

Place rolls on large baking sheet. Slice each package of rolls HORIZONTALLY. Remove the top layer of bread and pour 1/4 of the sauce over the bottom layer, using a brush to spread it evenly across the surface. Cover with about half of the meat and cheese. Replace the top layer of bread. Pour 1/4 of the sauce over the top layer of rolls. REPEAT with second package of rolls.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Cut apart and serve. Enjoy!

*note - If making for a large crowd with appetizer portions, I prefer to use the foil package dinner rolls (found in the bread aisle). When making lunch for my family, we use King's Hawaiian Rolls because they provide a little heartier meal.

Summer Squash Bread

Each year, we plant a small garden in our backyard. By we, I mean my husband. I watch it from the window - the planting, growing, and harvesting. But, when he brings me beautiful veggies like these, I want to start experimenting!

Maybe you've never heard of summer squash bread, but just think about zucchini bread - it's the same thing!!! This year, we planted summer squash (also known as crookneck squash) in our garden, so I need to start working on recipes to use the squash as it ripens. Unfortunately, I let these first ones ripen too much, so they are large and full of seeds. I ended up removing most of the seeds as I grated the squash for this recipe, but normally it isn't necessary.

Here's the recipe to make 2 loaves:

3 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
1 T. vanilla
1 T. cinnamon
½ cup applesauce
½ cup vegetable oil

Add all of the above ingredients in a large bowl, and mix until blended.

Add 2 cups grated summer squash. (It is not necessary to peel the squash, just wash and grate. If you want to take the time to remove the seeds, then go ahead, but it isn’t necessary unless you have a LOT of them.)

After blending again, add:
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
½ t. baking powder
3 cups flour (I add one cup at a time and mix well before adding more)Pour into 2 greased loaf pans, and bake at 325 for about 55-60 minutes, or until golden and set. Cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from pan, then slice.

My favorite way to eat any sweet bread is with cream cheese! Enjoy!