Italian Beef

This recipe is one that my extended family makes often for birthday parties and large family gatherings, but I'm not sure why I don't think to often include it in our normal rotation. It does make a large crock-pot full of meat, but also reheats easily and is especially convenient during busy weeks. My two little ones are both sick at the moment, so I chose this week to make it as it would make for easy leftovers when my babies could use more of my time. I tend to like my sandwiches a little more on the mild side, so I use the mild pepperocinis in the recipe and give my husband (who prefers the extra spice) a pile of them on the side which he can add to his sandwich. I find this is the easiest way to make sure that everyone is satisfied and can enjoy their meal at their own taste.

Italian Beef

Chuck roast (I use the biggest one I can find at the store-- like I said, it reheats really well!)

1 jar mild pepperocini slices

1 envelope onion soup mix

1 green pepper, sliced

1 large can mushroom pieces

1/2 chopped onion

chopped garlic to taste

Put all ingredients in the crock pot on low. (Do not drain the mushroom pieces or the pepperocinis. You want this liquid to cook the beef in.) After 8 hours, shred the meat with two forks. Continue cooking. Serve in sturdy rolls.

Source: Adele Fine

BLT and Cheese Panini

The BLT is one of my favorite sandwiches, so I couldn't wait to try making one on our new panini maker. Ideally, I would use a good french bread to make this version, but my store-bought bread didn't quite survive the week the way I had hoped it would! In place of it, I used a basic sandwich bread. It was still good, but the french bread would have been better. The only other bit of advice would be to carefully monitor how long the sandwich cooks for. You obviously want the cheese to melt, but do not cook it much past that or your lettuce will get quite soggy.

BLT and Cheese Panini

2 pieces of french bread per sandwich, cut at a diagonal
cooked bacon
sliced tomato
lettuce
mayonnaise
mustard
provolone cheese
olive oil

Mix mayonnaise and mustard to taste and spread on one side of each slice of bread. Drizzle olive oil over the entire back side of each piece. Place oil side down. Assemble sandwich by placing one piece of cheese, bacon, tomato, and lettuce (in that order) on each sandwich half. Carefully place sandwich together and put onto the center of the panini grill. Press down on the top of the grill for about 10-15 seconds, then grill only until cheese is melted. Remove from the grill and cut diagonally.

Stromboli

While pregnant, there was a period of time when I was restricted to bed rest. For a little over a week of this period, I was on strict bed rest and was hospitalized downtown. The hardest thing about the experience (besides the complete boredom!) was being away from my husband and son for a long stretches of time. Knowing how difficult this was, my good friend Christy made plans to send dinner with my husband and son during one of their visits to the hospital. This stromboli sandwich was what she made. One of my new favorite memories is of the three of us camped out on the hospital bed, devouring this sandwich together, while watching one of my son's cartoons that also came along for the visit. My little boy tends to be a picky eater, but this is one dish that he will cooperate with every time! As he gets older, it is probably an easy way to
sneak some extra vegetables into his diet as well. I followed Christy's recipe exactly, with the exception of the poppy seeds on top (only because I didn't have any in the house).

Stromboli

1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 medium green pepper, sliced into rings
1 tablespoon butter
2 loaves (16-ounces each) frozen bread dough, thawed
1/2 pound thinly sliced hard salami
1/2 pound thinly sliced deli ham
1/2 pound sliced mozzarella cheese
1/2 pound sliced mild cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon poppy seeds

In a large skillet, saute onion and green pepper in butter until crisp-tender; set aside.
On two greased baking sheets, roll each loaf of dough into a 15-in. x 12-in. rectangle. Arrange the salami, ham and cheeses lengthwise over half of each rectangle to within 1/2 in. of edges. Top with onion mixture; sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic powder and pepper. Fold dough over filling; pinch edges to seal well.

Brush with the egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool loaves for 5 minutes before slicing.

Source: Christy's Kitchen Creations