Gouda Chicken and Egg Sandwich

This sandwich is such an odd combination, but it works so well! The shredded Gouda melted on the chicken combined with the hot mustard and cooked egg makes for one of the best combinations in a sandwich that I have tried so far. My husband also absolutely loved it!

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, butterflied and cut in half
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. shredded Gouda cheese
Romaine lettuce
2 eggs, cooked over-hard
2 Pita bread halves
1 Tbs. Miracle Whip, light
1 Tbs. sweet hot mustard

Heat a saucepan at medium heat. Season both sides of each half chicken breast. Place in the pan for 3 minutes, flip over and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until the chicken is cooked (it won't take long since the chicken is butterflied). Sprinkle each piece of chicken with 1/4 c. shredded Gouda and place the lid on top. Cook for about 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted. To assemble the sandwich, cut each pita half again in half. Spread 1/2 Tbs. of Miracle Whip on two pita halves, and the mustard on the other two pita halves. To assemble, place an egg on top of the mustard on the pita. Top with the chicken breast half, romaine lettuce, and then the pita top with the Miracle Whip.

Creamy Pesto Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients:

1 c. Creamy Chicken Pesto mixture
1 1/2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 large tortilla shells
1/2 c. Hunt's pasta sauce (I used traditional)

Heat a large skillet to medium heat. In a medium size bowl, mix the chicken mixture and shredded cheese together. Spoon half of the mixture onto the tortilla shells and fold each tortilla in half. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until the tortilla is golden brown and the cheese is gooey and melted. Serve each quesadilla with warm pasta sauce.

Beer Chicken with Cheese Sauce

This sandwich is packed full of flavor and juicier than ever! Everyone knows beer and cheese pair well, so why not add them together in a way you would never normally do it! These would be great for a football party, or pretty much any party.

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breasts, boneless skinless
12 oz. beer
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Place the chicken, beer, garlic, salt, pepper and beer in the slow cooker and cook everything for 8 hours on low heat (or 4 on high). I use a plastic liner for easy cleanup later. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred on a cutting board. Place back into the cooking liquid and stir.

Cheese Sauce:

2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. flour
1/2 c. beer
1/2 c. milk, 1%
8 oz. fresh grated cheddar
2 Tbs. chives, fresh chopped
Pretzel rolls

Melt the butter in a small saucepan on medium high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the beer and milk and continue to cook and whisk until the consistency is smooth and thick (5 minutes). Stir in the chives. Slice the pretzel buns in half and place the shredded chicken on the bottom half. Top with the cheese sauce and top bun. I like to spread a little mustard on mine also!

Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

Tis' the season for sliders topped with coleslaw! This recipe for Dr. Pepper pulled pork has a great tangy and sweet flavor, while the pop helps keep the meat juicy and tender while it cooks in the slow cooker!

Ingredients:

1 pork shoulder roast
1 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. garlic salt
1 onion, diced
1 can Dr. Pepper
1 c. BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)
Rolls and Coleslaw (homemade or store bought)

If you are using a slow cooker liner, place the onions in the bottom of the back inside of the slow cooker. Rub the outside of the pork with the pepper and garlic salt. Place the roast on top of the onion. Pour the Dr. Pepper over the roast and cook on low 7-8 hours (high 4-5). Place the cooked meat on a cutting board and use two forks to shred the meat. Place the pork back into the juices and cook for another 15 minutes. Add more BBQ sauce if you don't think it is sweet enough. Pile the pork inside of a bun and top with juicy coleslaw!

Mini Pull-Apart Cuban Sliders

These tasty little sliders are a great way to use up some leftover buns or to serve as an easy appetizer at your next party!

Ingredients:

9 rolls (I used wheat), still attached and uncut
4 large slices deli ham (perfectly square)
6 slices Swiss cheese
9 pickle slices
9 mild banana pepper slices
1/2 stick margarine, melted
1 Tbs. Dijon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper, spray with non stick spray, and set aside. Meanwhile, cut the rolls in half lengthwise so that the bottom is all still connected. Layer the ham, then Swiss, pickles, and topped with the banana peppers. Cover with the remaining half of roll tops.

In a small bowl, melt the margarine and mustard together, mix, and pour over the top of the sandwiches. Bake for 20 minutes. Cut into 9 sliders.

Blackened Shrimp Sandwich

Make sure you have done your mouth stretches, because this sandwich is so full of awesomeness that you will literally be left with wondering how to take the first bite. The blackened shrimp packs a kick that is cooled down by the homemade tangy sauce!

Ingredients:

2 brioche buns
12 large shrimp, raw, deveined and peeled
1-2 tsp. blackening seasoning
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp. olive oil
Romaine lettuce

Sauce:

2 1/2 Tbs. Miracle Whip, light
1 1/2 Tbs. Ketchup
2 Tbs. Dill pickle, finely chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Season with the salt and pepper, give it a quick taste test, and adjust accordingly.

In a shallow casserole dish or bowl, combine the shrimp with the blackened seasoning, lemon juice and olive oil and set aside. 

Meanwhile, heat a grill pan to medium heat. Place the insides of the bun halves on the hot grill and toast for 2-3 minutes until you have nice grill marks and a golden brown. Remove from the grill and set aside.

To the same pan, add the raw shrimp. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until the insides of the shrimp are no longer translucent and turn white. (Watch carefully, if you cook too long they become rubbery.)

To assemble these, place the toasted bottom bun halves on your serving dishes. Top with 1/4 of the sauce mixture. Add 6 cooked shrimp and place a few pieces of romaine on top. Spread another 1/4 of the sauce on the inside of the top bun, and then place the bun on top of the lettuce.

Chicken Bacon Basil Panini

A simple, few ingredient, flavor packed panini sandwich. There is not a whole lot of effort put into this delicious sandwich, which is why you should make it. If you don't have French bread, use normal sandwich bread, or whatever you have laying around your house. And if you don't want to use bread at all and want to make it into a salad, instead of Miracle Whip, mix the basil with ranch dressing and a small amount of sour cream and drizzle on top!

Ingredients:

3 Tbs. light Miracle Whip
1 1/2 Tbs. fresh chopped basil
1 green onion, chopped
8 slices Oscar Mayer thin sliced Rotisserie Chicken
4 slices thick cut bacon
3 Tbs. reduced fat shredded Mozzarella cheese
Mini French loaf, divided in half width and lengthwise

In a small bowl, combine the Miracle Whip, basil and onion together and set aside. Line a microwavable plate with two sheets of paper towel. Line the four slices of bacon evenly spaced on the paper towel and top with two more sheets. Microwave for 3 minutes, let sit for at least one minute, and then remove the bacon from the paper towel (it stays perfectly straight and is super crispy).

Lay the slices of bread out and divide the dressing mix evenly on each slice. Top the bottom halves with four slices of deli chicken. Top with two slices of bacon on each, and follow by 1 1/2 Tbs. Mozzarella. Place the remaining bread on top. Heat a grill pan to medium heat. Place the sandwiches side by side on the grill pan and add a weight on top to press the sandwiches down. Cook on this side for three minutes, flip, and cook for another 2 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is fully melted. Let cool slightly before cutting in half and serving.

Egg White, Avocado and Spinach Sandwich (Panara Bread inspired)

Warning, this breakfast sandwich is CRAZY messy with the mashed avocado, but it is a very delicious mess! This recipe makes two sandwiches.

Ingredients:

2 bagel thins (Shown in the picture are Thomas' everything bagel thins)
1/2 c. 100% liquid egg whites
2 slices of tomato
Spinach leaves, small handfull
1/2 avocado, mashed
2 slices reduced fat Swiss cheese
Yellow Mustard
Butter spray

Heat a small saucepan to medium heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the egg whites in and let cook for about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes (without touching! These are not scrambled!). Flip the egg whites over to cook the other side for less than a minute. Remove from the heat, set aside and cut into 4 equal pieces. Meanwhile, spray the bottom slices of the bagel thins with the butter spray. On top of the butter, add around 8 spinach leaves to both. Top the spinach with 1 slice of the Swiss, two "slices" of the egg whites, and 1 slice of tomato. Drizzle the tomato with the mustard. Finish with spreading half of the avocado mash on the inside of both top bagel thin slices and place on top. Heat a grill pan to medium heat. Place both sandwiches on the grill pan and add a weight on top to press them down. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then flip the sandwiches over. Let cook for another 2 minutes or so and remove from the heat. Let them cool slightly before serving.

 (Each sandwich is 7 Weight Watchers Smart Points.)

Buffalo Chicken Panini

We have now used this chicken taco meat for I believe 5 or 6 different recipes. It can be used in so many things and is the key ingredient in this panini that is to die for!

1 1/2 c. Shredded Chicken Taco Meat
3 Tbs. Kraft Mayonnaise, Light
2 Tbs. Frank's Red Hot Sauce
2 Tbs. green onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 c. shredded aged white cheddar cheese
1/2 Loaf Ciabatta, Sliced in half width wise (about a 6 inch sub size)

Heat a grill pan to medium heat. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and hot sauce together. Open the ciabatta bread and spread half of the hot sauce mixture on the top of each slice. Top the bottom slice with the shredded cheese, spreading out evenly. Top the cheese with the shredded chicken, and sprinkle with the sliced green onion. Place the other slice of bread on top and move the sandwich to the grill pan. Use a weight or heavy pans stacked on top of each other to press the sandwich down while cooking. In about 2 minutes, flip the sandwich over to get toasted on the other side. Continue to cook for about 2-3 more minutes. Let the sandwich cool slightly and then cut into two equal parts. This small buffalo chicken panini goes great as a side sandwich with soup, or a small lunch! (Just prepare not to share it with anyone else if you take a bite first!)

Cran-apple Turkey Grilled Cheese

There is only one photo for this recipe. I thought the photo pretty much spoke for itself. This is a great way to use up leftover cranberry sauce (homemade or from a can, it doesn't matter). And of course it also includes my life motto, "everything is better with an egg on top!" Only, technically, it isn't on top and is instead nestled into this delicious grilled cheese.

Ingredients:

1 small apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
10 slices deli turkey
2 eggs, cooked over-medium
4 Tbs. cranberry sauce
2 Tbs. Miracle Whip, light
2 tsp. yellow mustard
2 sandwich style slices of Muenster cheese
4 slices Potato bread (or any other style bread)
Spray butter (Parkay)

Heat a large skillet to medium low heat. Lay out the bread and spray one side of each slice with the butter spray. Place two slices of the bread butter side down on the skillet. In a small bowl, mix the mustard and Miracle whip together, divide in half and spread on top of the bread. Place the Muenster cheese slice on top. Lay out half of the apple on once slice, and the other half of the apple slices on the other piece of bread. Top with five slices of deli turkey on each. Add the eggs. Spread the cranberry sauce on the top slices of bread and place cranberry side down (obviously). Using a spatula, flip the sandwiches over to get golden brown on the other side. If the cheese is having a hard time melting, Place a pot lid on top so that it makes the head hover over the sandwiches. Once the other side is a golden brown, remove from the head and let cool slightly before cutting in half.

Frankenstein Sammies

I usually make my family-famous baby pasty recipe and just die the dough orange to resemble a pumpkin. This year I decided to replace them and try out a mini ham and cheese sandwich recipe instead. The Frankenstein's turned out really cute! And they would be great snacks at a kid Halloween party or Frankenstein themed party!

Ingredients:

1 box (15 oz.) refrigerated pie crusts
8 oz. thin deli ham, chopped (may use less depending on how much you try and cram into the sandwich)
4 oz. Monterrey Jack shredded cheese
1 egg
Green food coloring (liquid or paste)
Edible Cookie Marker

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Meanwhile, unroll one of the pie crusts and place on a flat work surface. Using a small Frankenstein cookie cutter (about 2 1/2 inches by 1 1/2 inches), cut out the pie dough. Save the scraps and set aside. Repeat for the second pie dough. With the remaining scraps, combine the dough together in your hands and then roll out the dough and continue to make the Frankenstein's until the dough is mostly gone or too tough to roll out anymore. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, about 1 Tbs. of water, and a small amount of green food coloring until the egg is mixed in and you have reached the color green you are looking for.

Place about 6 Frankenstein heads on your work surface. Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of the heads with the egg wash. Place a small amount of chopped ham, and then shredded cheese on top, in the center of the head. Using your rolling pin again, just gently roll 6 Frankenstein heads so that they are slightly wider than the original size. Place on top of the ham and cheese topped head, and press the sides down slightly so that the egg wash holds everything together. Repeat until all of them are filled. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, and brush the tops with the remaining green egg wash. Bake for 11-13 minutes until the edges become slightly golden brown. Let cool fully before drawing on a face and serving!

Ham and Swiss with a Twist

I like to call this a gourmet twisted version of a ham and cheese. Crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside, and a hint of apples and jam? Sounds weird I know....but you HAVE to try this!

Ingredients:

4 slices of bread (I used Country Potato Bread)
4 tsp. light margarine spread (I can't believe it's not butter!)
2 Tbs. light Jam (I used blueberry)
4 slices Swiss cheese
10 slices of deli Ham
1 large apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (you only use about half)

Heat a flat skillet to medium heat. Butter two slices of bread on one side, and place butter side down in the skillet. Add a slice of Swiss to each, and then top with a layer of thin sliced apple. Lay the 5 slices of deli ham on top of the apple slices. Butter one side of each of the remaining two slices of bread. Hold gently in your hand, butter side towards your hand, and spread 1 Tbs. of jam on the inside in an even layer. Place a slice of Swiss on top of the ham, and place the bread jam side down on top. By now it is probably time to flip the sandwiches, so check to make sure the bottom is golden brown, and flip them. Cook for another minute and a half to two minutes until the opposite side is a nice golden brown. Let cool slightly before slicing so that the cheese doesn't slide out of the sandwich.

BLT Skewers

Just trying to find more reasons to eat bacon...... As you can see I've been on sort of a BLT kick lately. This appetizer recipe uses all of the classic ingredients, but with a slight twist, and in miniature form! 

Ingredients:

1/3 pack Rubschlager Cocktail Rye, cut into quarters
Microwavable bacon, 10 slices, cut in half
Cherry tomatoes (about 10) cut in half lengthwise
Romaine lettuce, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 c. Miracle Whip, light
1 Tbs. Horseradish, creamy

Microwave the bacon inbetween two sheets of paper towel on a microwavable plate for 45-50 seconds. Let cool slightly. In a small bowl, mix the Miracle Whip and horseradish together. Lay out the pieces of cut rye bread, and spread a thin layer of the Miracle Whip on top. Assemble each skewer as follows:

Rye, Miracle whip up

1/2 piece bacon folded in half

Lettuce

Rye, Miracle whip up

Lettuce

Tomato Half

Rye, Miracle whip down

After assembling each skewer, place on a serving tray. If you are in a group of people who are crazy for the flavor or Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip, you could serve a squeeze bottle on the side so they can add more as they see fit.

Ham and Swiss Cocktail Sandwiches

If you need a recipe that feeds multiple people that doesn't take forever to get ready and make, I suggest you test out this recipe. There is a very heavy, very dense version of this that is out on the internet everywhere that uses mayonnaise and melted butter. I wanted to make a light version that still has some of the same great flavors, and still uses the dense Hawaiian rolls that everyone loves, but is much better for you.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pkg. (20) King's Hawaiian Rolls, original
Stone ground mustard
1 pkg. deli style shaved honey ham (Oscar Mayer or Hillshire)
1 pkg. thin sliced Swiss cheese (Sargento)
Spray butter (Parkay)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel the rolls apart from each other, and slice in half with a bread knife. Lay 20 bottom halves of the buns in an ungreased, nonstick 13x9 baking dish. "Squirt" and spread about 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of mustard on top of the buns. Top each bun with 1 slice of deli shaved ham, folded to fit on top of the buns. Break or cut the sliced Swiss cheese into quarters, and place 1 piece of Swiss on top of each piece of ham. Spray the inside of the top of the buns with butter spray, and place on top of the cheese. Bake for 7-9 minutes until the cheese is melted on the inside and the top of the buns are toasty and slightly browned.