A Sandwich By Any Other Name

So, I was reading an article in one of my favorite cooking magazines and I stumbled upon a reader asking for a recipe for something her grandma used to make when she was a kid. "Does anyone have the recipe for Handy Pankys?"

Um, yeah, that got my attention. You want a recipe for what? And what exactly was grandma making? I was a little disturbed for a moment. So I did what I do every time I have a question these days, I turned to my trusty friend Google.

I began researching and found indeed, there are sandwiches with this unique and colorful name. They are actually quite popular and there are a million recipes out there for them. Usually served as an appetizer or party offering, they are commonly made on cocktail bread, and people rave them about!

Well, I took what I liked about many of those recipes, added in a little me, and came up with these delicious open faced sammies, perfect alongside a bowl of soup. The first big change is I made mine on a larger piece of bread since they were making a meal. Plus I added in some seasonings and a secret ingredient that gave them extra flavor.

And of course, the biggest change is the name. I'm sorry, but when your blog has the word "Mom" right in it, I just didn't feel comfortable using the original title. There is nothing wrong with it. It's definitely catchy and cute, I just wanted something a tiny more wholesome for my recipe collection.

If you have enjoyed the originals, I think you'll love my twist on them. But if you haven't, they can be as new to you as they were to me...just a little less awkward to stumble upon! 

Hot Cheesy Beef Sandwiches

10-12 slices French bread (from bakery)

1 lb. ground beef

8 oz. Velveeta, cubed

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. steak seasoning

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

3 tsp. steak sauce

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 c. shredded Colby Jack cheese

Dried Parsley

Preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet brown ground beef and onion until cooked. Drain if necessary. Add garlic powder, steak seasoning, steak sauce, salt and pepper. Stir well. Add Velveeta and stir constantly until cheese melts. Remove from heat and allow to cool 10-15 minutes. Carefully spoon meat mixture onto bread and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with shredded cheese  and parsley. Bake for 15 minutes until brown and bubbly. 

Shared on The Country Cook April 10, 2015

Training Time

By now most of you know we are a Taekwondo family. Both Mr. E and Money train in the martial art and are currently the same rank of 2nd Degree Red Belts. I am the mom behind the scenes. I make sure the dobaks (uniforms) are washed to a bright white, their water bottles are always full and they have meals that will fill them with energy for practice or competition. Oh, and I *might* be the loudest cheerleader too...

We are currently in the middle of our tournament season with some pretty important ones on the horizon. This means mom needs to make sure some of the fat and carbs in their diets are being curbed. You notice I said curbed, not extinct. Ya'll know how I feel about food in moderation, and that continues during these times, just modified a bit. I just try to pay extra attention to how I lay out our meals so the ones that might not be the best are fewer and farther between this time of year.

So when little man requested tacos a few weeks ago, I started thinking how I could lean them up a bit. Answer? Lettuce instead of shells. Simple enough! He loves lettuce wraps, so I knew they would be a big hit and wouldn't even care the taco shell or tortilla was missing.

Your kids will love the "boat" shape of these! I highly suggest using Romaine for this because the shape of the leaves gives you the perfect boat to hold everything. And this way, you have the lettuce you usually put on the top of the taco, just in a different way.

Trying to take some of your kids' favorites and make them just a bit healthier? This is a great way to start! Or maybe you too are a sports family and training hard. Oh, and if you happen to be a TKD competition and hear one mom above the rest...yeah, that's probably me! 

Taco Boats

1 lb. ground beef

1 (15 oz.) can refried beans

2/3 c. salsa verde

1 packet taco seasoning

2 tsp. dried onion

Romaine Lettuce Heart Leaves

Roma tomatoes, chopped

Mexican blend cheese, shredded

Sour Cream

In a large skillet brown beef until no longer pink. Add beans, dried onion, taco seasoning and salsa verde. Stir well to combine. Lower heat to medium-low and continue stirring until everything is incorporated. Line lettuce leaves with cheese. Top with meat mixture. Sprinkle with more cheese and tomatoes. Garnish with sour cream. *NOTE The first layer of cheese acts as a barrier to the hot meat, so it doesn't "melt" the lettuce. Be sure to include that step to avoid a mess! 

Shared on The Country Cook April 10, 2015

Meal Plan April 5- 10

*New Recipes

Links to Recipes on Blog

Sunday

Happy Easter! 

We will be celebrating with family all day!

Monday

Chili Pasta Bake*

Garlic Bread

Tuesday

Campfire Skillet Casserole

Biscuits

Sliced Peaches

Wednesday

Copy Cat Cracker Barrel French Toast

Bacon

Thursday

Grilled Steak
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Creamy Mushrooms

Friday

Tomato Soup

Grilled Cheese

Fruit Cocktail

It's Greek!

Apparently, I have a lemon theme going on this week, without even trying. If you didn't catch my recipe for Creamy Lemon Linguine on Monday, it's a keeper! You can see it here.

So we started the week with a lemon pasta and we are ending it with a lemon soup. It's quite appropriate for this week though, seeing how it's Spring Break! Nothing says spring to your tongue more than the bright, wake up your taste buds flavor of lemon!

This recipe came about because of a lunch I had with my mama and her friend a few weeks back. We were at my favorite diner here in Fort Wayne, and for the first time I decided to have lunch instead of breakfast. No joke. Every time I've been there in the past (And it's been a lot) I've had breakfast. No matter what time of day it was. They make the absolute best omelets in this city, hands down. Plus, since I always think of it as a place for great eggs, pancakes and all things breakfast, I sometimes forget it's actually a Greek restaurant!

The family who owns it is Greek and they feature traditional Greek dishes on their menu. But when I tasted this soup for the first time, I wasn't even thinking about that. All I knew was it was delicious, with a capital D, and I needed to recreate its lemony goodness at home.

Well, after I researched it a bit, I quickly discovered, it is indeed a Greek specialty that most traditional Greek restaurants serve their version of. (Okay, I have to be honest here. In my head I was saying "It's Greek!!" like the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, who is convinced everything either comes from Greece, or was derived from something that came from Greece.)

If you have a springtime cold, or allergies that are in over drive, this will heal what ails you! In fact, the night I made it Monkey was down with strep throat and tonsillitis and it was the only thing all day he said tasted good and sucked down two bowls! 

It's bursting with verdant lemon flavor, but has a silky texture from the egg. Plus, between the egg and the rice, it's thick and hearty without being heavy.

If you have a great Greek restaurant in your hometown, I bet you they serve a version of this. If  you have ever had it and didn't know how to recreate it at home, now you do! Either way, it's a delicious soup, perfect for spring time! 

Greek Lemon and Rice Soup

7 c. chicken broth

3/4 c. long grain rice

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 c. fresh lemon juice

2 eggs

1 TBS dried parsley

Salt to taste

In a large stock pot, bring broth to a boil. Add rice and garlic. Bring back up to temp. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 20 minutes until rice is tender. While cooking, in a medium bowl whisk together lemon juice and eggs until frothy. When rice is cooked, ladle out some hot broth into egg mixture and mix well. Slowly pour back into soup, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in parsley and salt to taste. *NOTE* Be sure to add enough hot liquid to egg mixture to temper- this will prevent the eggs from scrambling when you add it back in. 

$50 Dollar Challenge Month #1 {Indiana Family of Farmers}

I am super excited to bring you this new series from my great friends over at Indiana Family of Farmers. Each month, for the next 4, we are going to explore exactly how many meals we can make for $50. I will share my meal plan, the inspiration behind each one, and a new recipe too! Plus, I want to hear from you and what you can do in the kitchen with $50. Here are the rules (don't worry, there are only 2!) 

1. The meals can be breakfast, lunch, dinner or a combo of all three.

2. Each one must include one meat protein. 

That's it! Easy, right? Well, maybe not so much for some of you, but that's why we are doing this. To learn, to share and to make our hard earned dollars stretch farther. So, without further adieu, let's get to it.

For April, my meal plan is based on one thing. Leftovers. More specifically, Easter Leftovers. See, this is how my brain works. Whenever I know there is a big holiday coming, I buy too much, I make too much, but in the back of my mind, I don't worry about it because I know one way or the other it will all get used. Rather I simply serve the same dishes later in the week, transform them into something new, or use extra ingredients I bought to make new things, in the end it all works out. Plus, I can make my weekly grocery budget stretch if I'm combining the holiday meal with my weekly menu. 

Here is my menu, and my thought process behind each meal.

Meal #1

Baked Ham Sandwiches

Double Cheese Mac n Cheese

Fresh Pineapple

** Even though I normally make the sandwiches with deli ham, there is no doubt they would taste even better with some leftover Easter ham! Oh, and the pineapple? It always goes on sale around this time because so many use it with their ham, so it's a great time to use it as a fresh side too! 

Meal #2

Butter Bean Soup

Dinner Rolls

**This soup is a great way to use up extra produce you have laying in the crisper drawer. Let's face it, what holiday is complete without a veggie tray? And the extras can easily be turned into a soup the next day. And even though the original recipe doesn't call for meat, you could easily add leftover ham for a delicious new flavor! Dinner rolls are always something we have leftover after a holiday too! 

Meal #3

Copy Cat Cracker Barrel French Toast

Bacon

** Can't figure out where the leftovers come into play here? EGGS! I always buy extra for dying and then making deviled eggs too. So when I have an extra dozen...or two...laying around, breakfast for supper is always on the menu! 

Meal #4

Hamburgers

Egg and Olive potato salad*

Baked Beans

** This a great time to explain one big way I keep my grocery bill down. We have freezer beef on hands at all times. Sure, the initial cost is a little pricey, but then it saves us $$$ every single week. The potato salad is actually a new recipe (see below) and just like the soup, it's based on those extra veggies I'm going to have laying around. Not to mention the extra potatoes too! Oh, and baked beans? Those will simply be a reheated leftover from the holiday! 

So there you have it. My first $50 challenge! I get such a thrill when I'm able to save money; and when I can feed my family at the same time, well that's just icing on the cake!

Don't forget to comment with how YOU would feed your family for $50. How many meals can you make? Have any great tips? Share them, please!!!

Egg and Olive Potato Salad

4 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 large rib celery, finely chopped

1 (5.75 oz.) jar green olives, chopped

1 1/4 c. mayo

1 TBS white vinegar

1 heaping TBS yellow mustard

1/2 tsp. onion powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Paprika for garnish

Place potatoes in large pot and cover with cold water. Add some salt. Bring to a boil and cook until just fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Allow to cool. In a large bowl combine potatoes, olives, and celery. Toss to combine. In a medium bowl combine mayo, mustard, vinegar, onion powder, salt and pepper. Mix well. Pour over potato mixture. Stir to combine. Chill until serving. Sprinkle with paprika.