Lulu's Recipe Box

Ham and Cheese Sliders

With the Super Bowl coming up next weekend, I know many of you are looking for tasty foods to serve your family and friends. I have a wonderful and what I'm sure will be a popular slider for everyone! This is not your regular boring ham and swiss sandwich. These ham and swiss sliders are taken up a few notches with delicious, sweet Hawaiian rolls (found at my local Target store) and a buttery, mustard, poppy seed sauce which is drizzled on top. They are so simple to assemble and will be the perfect addition to your next party or cut the recipe in half for a quick weeknight meal!

Ingredients:

For the sandwiches:
24 Hawaiian Rolls (or other slider rolls)
24 slices honey ham
24 small slices Swiss cheese
Mayonnaise

For the sauce:
1½ tbsp. yellow mustard
8 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tbsp. finely minced onion (or 2 tsp. dried minced onion)
½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Poppy seeds, for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Split the rolls and spread the insides lightly with mayonnaise.  Fold a slice of ham to fit on each slider bun, and top with a slice of Swiss cheese.  Replace the top bun to assemble the sandwiches.  Place the sandwiches fairly close together on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil (if you want less of a mess).

To make the sauce, combine all ingredients except the poppy seeds in a small bowl and whisk to combine.  Drizzle the sauce over the tops of the rolls.  Sprinkle the tops with poppy seeds.  Cover loosely with foil and bake 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.  Remove the foil and bake 2 minutes longer. Serve warm.

***Recipe from Annie's Eats

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

TC is going to a school get together tomorrow and he needed a main dish to share with everyone. He asked me if we could make pulled pork and I said yes, as long as I could use this new recipe! I was able to taste test one sandwich today and it was delicious and so simple to make. It tasted pretty darn close to my favorite pulled pork sandwich at Flying Mango in Des Moines, IA. Since I only make it home to Iowa a few times a year, this recipe will definitely curb my cravings for Flying Mango.  I didn't make the coleslaw, but I definitely will next time. It would be so yummy on top of the pulled pork or on the side. Here's hoping TC brings home some leftovers tomorrow night. I want another sandwich! 

 

Serves 10

Ingredients for the Pulled Pork:

1/2 cup ketchup

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

6 ounces tomato paste

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

2 T. yellow mustard

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. onion powder

3 pounds boneless pork sirloin roast, cut into 3 pieces

sandwich roll/hamburger buns

Ingredients For the Cole Slaw:

1 bag (14 oz) cole slaw mix

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 T. canola oil

1/4 cup sugar

1 T. Cider vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. celery seed

1 tsp. onion powder

Directions:

Mix together the ketchup, cider vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, salt, and onion powder in a crock pot. Add pork and turn pieces to coat with sauce. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the pork is tender (it should be easy to shred). Once done, shred pork and return to the crock pot. Stir the pork into the sauce.

For the cole slaw, mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and let chill for 1-2 hours.

Put some pork on a bun and and top with cole slaw if you prefer.

*** Recipe from member mrswilliams on Tasty Kitchen

Thai Chicken Peanut Wraps

This recipe takes me back to my senior year at Luther College. My girlfriends and I were finally out of the dorms and into Baker Village, small townhomes on campus that had kitchens! We loved cooking and baking together, and these wraps were one of our favorite meals for dinner. For graduation, my friend Joanie put together a recipe binder for all of us girls so that we could continue making our favorite recipes post-college.

I still make these wraps and many other recipes to this day. These wraps are one of my favorites though because they are healthy and simple to put together. Also, the peanut sauce is to die for. You can't eat these wraps without the peanut sauce! You can certainly omit anything that doesn't sound good to you though. The black beans were not in the original recipe, but one of my girlfriends thought they were a great addition. A few of the girls that were vegetarians would fill their wraps with tofu instead of chicken which was also a great idea! Whatever you fancy, these wraps can be very versatile.  Just don't forget the amazing peanut sauce!

 

Makes 6 wraps

Ingredients:

6, 8-10 inch wheat tortillas

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces or thin strips)

1 T. cooking oil

4 cups packaged shredded broccoli (broccoli slaw mix)

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1 cup black beans (drained)

For the Peanut Sauce:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

3 T. soy sauce

3 T. water

2 T. cooking oil

1 tsp. minced garlic

Directions:

1. Wrap tortillas in paper towels. Microwave on high power for 30 seconds to soften. (Or, wrap tortillas in foil. Heat in a 350 degree F. oven for 10 minutes.)

2. In a small bowl combine garlic salt and pepper. Add chicken; toss to coat evenly. In a large skillet cook and stir seasoned chicken in 1 T. hot oil over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from skillet; keep warm. Add broccoli and ginger to skillet. Cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add the black beans and cook until they are heated through. (I add these last so that they don't get too mushy)

3. To assemble, spread each tortilla with about 1-2 tablespoons Peanut Sauce. Top with chicken and vegetable mixture. Roll up each tortilla. Serve immediately with remaining sauce.

Peanut Sauce
In a small saucepan combine all of the peanut sauce ingredients. On low-medium heat, bring the sauce to a boil, constantly stirring until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat. Makes about 2/3 cup.

***Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Sloppy Joes

The hubby and I are gearing up for the Packers playoff game tonight with some sloppy joes. I originally put them on the menu for Sunday night, but we pushed dinner out with friends to Friday night, and sloppy joes sounded really good for this cold night while we watch football. This yummy recipe comes from my mother. Can you tell that she is a good cook from all of the recipes I post from her?! I was a lucky girl growing up with a mother that cooked amazing meals every night. Sloppy joes are a delicious sandwich to warm you up on a cold winter night. It's a great meal to make for a crowd too (maybe an idea for the upcoming Superbowl parties). It freezes really well which is what I'll be doing with our leftovers. I feel like sloppy joes are sort of a Midwestern thing. People on the East and West coasts, did you grow up eating sloppy joes? Maybe you call them something different? I'm just curious. Have a wonderful Saturday night everyone! GO Packers!

P.S. Lulu's Recipe Box is now on Twitter! Follow me @lulusrecipebox

 

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground chuck or ground beef (90% lean)

1/2 cup chopped onion

7 oz. ketchup

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cider vinegar

2 T. lemon juice

1 T. brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp. dry mustard spice

Cheddar cheese (optional)

Hamburger buns

Directions:

Brown onion and beef in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Drain off fat.  Add remaining ingredients.  Heat to boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer for 30 minutes. Put a generous amount on a hamburger bun and top with cheese if you prefer. Freeze extra.

 

Slow Cooker French Dip

This slow cooker French dip is the perfect meal for our busy lifestyle right now. TC put everything in the crock pot in the morning and it was perfect when I got home! Can't get much easier than that. French dips were also one of my favorites growing up. The au jus was very tasty but had a little too much salt for my taste. I would add less of the onion soup mix if you are trying to cut back on salt. Make sure you dip the sandwich in the au jus. That definitely makes the sandwich! 

 

 

 
 Ingredients:

3 1/2 lbs. Beef Chuck Roast

10 1/2 ounces, Campbell's Beef Consomme or Broth

12 ounces, beer (1 bottle)

2 cubes Beef Bouillon

1 1/4 ounce package of Onion Soup Mix

Directions:

Season the chuck roast with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Place the chuck roast in a crock pot. 

Mix onion soup mix in the beef consomme/broth and pour over the chuck roast. Pour a bottle of beer over the meat. The darker the beer, the better the au jus! 

Place the bouillon cubes on opposite sides of the meat.

Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Take out the meat, slice or shred (it will be falling apart) and place back into the juice until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, toast French bread or po-boy loaves under the broiler. Then add provolone/swiss cheese to the bread and toast under the broiler again to melt the cheese. Watch closely because the broiler works quickly! Put hot meat onto the bread and serve with the au jus. Be sure to dip the sandwich in the au jus!

***Recipe from Megan on Tasty Kitchen

Apple Orchard Sandwich

When I lived in Des Moines, Iowa, one of my favorite delis to have lunch at was Palmer's Deli. They have this sandwich called the Apple Orchard, which is roast turkey, provolone, green apples, and apple butter all on a ciabatta roll/hoagie. I decided to recreate this sandwich in my kitchen since I can't run over to Palmer's to grab one. I used honeycrisp apples instead of green apples because it's what I had in the refrigerator. It is the perfect sandwich to eat on a autumn day, especially with a name like Apple Orchard. I love the sweetness of the apple butter and the crunch and tartness of the apples. It just makes me happy eating it! Make your lunch a little more exciting this weekend with this delicious sandwich! 

 

Grilled tuna and Swiss sandwiches

This is one of my favorite grilled sandwiches and has become a favorite of TC's too! My mom has made this sandwich for me ever since I was little. I'm not a fan of cold, plain tuna, but I love it warm in this grilled version which includes Swiss cheese, apple and celery.

6 1/2 oz. can white tuna, drained
4 oz. (1 cup) shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. finely chopped unpeeled red apple
1/4 c. light mayonnaise
1/4 c. plain yogurt ( I use non-fat)
1 T. finely chopped parsley ( I usually omit this and just use a little dry parsley)

10 slices bread- I use Italian bread. You could also use a country white bread.

In medium bowl, combine all ingredients except bread. Mix well. Butter one side of each bread slice. Spread 1/2 c. filling on slice of bread. Grill sandwiches in skillet until bread is light brown and sandwich hot. Makes about 5 sandwiches.