Tuna Melts

This is a simple recipe and maybe people don't need a recipe for this, but I did, lol, and I've made these often since coming across the recipe a few months ago. They're quick and easy, and it you want them easier, you can mix up the tuna mixture ahead of time, stick it in the fridge, and then use it when you're ready for it. You do have to toast all the English muffins before baking the sandwiches, and it's nice to have a 4-slice toaster for this. I used 4 English muffins for a total of 8 open-faced sandwhiches. 

Tuna Melts

adapted from Food and Wine

1/2 scant cup mayonnaise (try using 1/3 cup)
2 tablespoons Dijon or honey mustard
1 (12-ounce) can water- or oil-packed tuna, drained (I just use chunk light in water)
2 celery stalks, finely diced
1/4 red, white, or yellow onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon minced parsley or 1 tsp dried

1/2 tsp BOTH dried dill and dried tarragon, optional, but very good
freshly ground black pepper

salt, to taste (I don't add any- these are plenty salty with tuna, mayo & cheese)
4 English muffins, split and toasted ( to make 8 halves total)
1-2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (can use more or less)

1. Whisk together mayonnaise and mustard in a medium bowl. Add tuna, celery, red onion, and parsley and mix with a fork until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat broiler to high. Spoon tuna salad onto English muffin halves and place on a baking sheet. Top tuna with cheese. Broil until cheese is melted, about 4 minutes. (Optional- heat oven to 400 F or 425 F and just bake these until cheese is melted. My broiler is weird and I don't use it.) 

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Burrata and Marinated Cherry Tomato Sandwiches

This is one of my favorite recipes; discovered just a few months ago.  I made it for the first time last fall.  Since then, I've made it with fall and winter tomatoes, and it's just wonderful.  I can't wait to try it with summer tomatoes.  This recipe is easy, too.  You simply marinate the tomatoes for a little while (can be just a few hours or overnight), place on half of a toasted roll, top with burrata cheese, and black pepper.  Here in Italy, I buy "straciatella", which is just the inside of the burrata mozzarella ball; it comes in a tub.  Both ways would be good.  I'm not sure how common burrata is in the US, but I know friends there who do buy it.  

Sorry for the photo overload; these sandwiches are just so beautiful.  

Burrata and Marinated Cherry Tomato Sandwiches

adapted from Saveur

2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

1⁄4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp. capers

10 oil-packed anchovy fillets, finely chopped (2 Tbsp.), optional

Crushed red chile flakes, optional

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

One 8-oz. ball burrata or straciatella cheese

4 small crusty sandwich rolls

1.  To a large bowl, add the tomatoes, oil, vinegar, capers, anchovies, a pinch of chile flakes, and a generous pinch each of salt and black pepper. Stir well to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest on the countertop or in the refrigerator for 8 hours or up to overnight (just an hour or two is also fine).

2.  When ready to serve, let the tomato mixture come to room temperature. Split each sandwich roll (I toast mine- I think these would get too soggy otherwise) and top with some of the tomato mixture (stir briefly before spooning it on). Divide the burrata among the rolls. Season with salt, black pepper, or more chile flakes to taste, and serve.

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Big Sandwich

This is an old recipe from Taste of Home magazine.  My mom made it often in the 90's, when I was in high school.  I loved it then and I love it now.  I made it once or twice when me and my husband were first married, making it half at a time so we could semi-handle it.  Then I forgot about it.  I was going through all my old recipe boxes finding forgotten things to make during this pandemic, and I came across the recipe card for this bad boy!!  I was so excited and got the ingredients to make it the very next time I went to the store.  One of my kids wasn't a fan of this, but he's like that sometimes, and I still made it twice in two weeks.  Lol.  We ate it outside on a lovely spring night and it was just a wonderful experience. 

Use a long, serrated knife to cut the layers.  This is the hardest part, and don't worry if the layers aren't perfect and are really, really uneven- when it all bakes together it's delicious no matter what. 

Big Sandwich
adapted from Taste of Home

1 unsliced round loaf of bread (8 inches) *I use King's Hawaiian 

2 tablespoons honey mustard
1/4 pound thinly sliced cooked roast beef

2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1/4 pound thinly sliced fully cooked ham or turkey
4 slices Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 small tomato, thinly sliced
6 bacon strips, cooked
4 slices Cheddar or Colby-Jack cheese
1 small onion, very thinly sliced (use a sweet white or red; can omit for kids)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon onion salt

1.  Slice bread horizontally into five equal layers. Spread bottom layer with honey mustard; top with roast beef. Place the next slice bread over beef; spread with mustard and top with ham or turkey and Swiss cheese. Add the next slice of bread; spread with mayonnaise and top with tomato and bacon. Add the next slice of bread; top with Cheddar cheese and onion. Cover with remaining bread. Combine butter, sesame seeds and onion salt; brush over top and sides of loaf. Place on a baking sheet; loosely tent with foil. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. (Check if cheese is melted and deli meat is warmed through).  Carefully slice into 8 wedges.

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Croque Monsieur Sandwiches

I finally made a Croque Monsieur at home!!  So exciting.  The Croque Monsieur is a French sandwich containing ham and cheese, and also a Bechamel (white) sauce.  In the recipe I made, you spread a layer of Bechamel inside the sandwich and also a layer on top.  Then you top that with cheese and bake it in the oven until hot enough.  This recipe is in grams; I used my kitchen scale.  Also, I found I had enough Bechamel to make 3 sandwiches with this recipe. I used both sliced and grated cheese for this recipe- what I had on hand. On the original website there's a video showing you how to make these- I found this helpful before starting. 

Take some rustic bread, add a layer of Bechamel, top with cheese, add ham. Add a second slice of bread, then top that with Bechamel and more cheese.

Croque Monsieur Sandwiches
adapted from Recetas de Sbieta
Makes 2 sandwiches (increase bread, ham and cheese to make 3.  Don't have to increase Bechamel to make 3)

Sliced bread - 4 slices
grated cheese (Gruyere or Swiss) - 100 g
ham- 4 slices
mustard - to taste

BECHAMEL:
white flour - 20 g
butter - 20 g
milk - 250 ml
garlic - 1 clove
bay leaf - 1 leaf
nutmeg - 1 pinch
Dijon mustard - 1 tsp.
salt - to taste

1.  Turn on the oven at 225 ° C. 

2.  Peel 1 clove of garlic.  To make the béchamel put the pan over medium heat. Cut 20 g of butter and place it into a small skillet or saucepan. Once the butter is melted add the flour. Sauté the flour 1 - 2 minutes. Add 1 pinch of salt. While whisking, pour in 250 ml of cold milk. Whisk very well. Add 1 bay leaf and 1 clove of peeled garlic. Add 1 pinch of nutmeg. Add a 1 tsp. mustard. Cook the sauce until it thickens. Remove the bay leaf and garlic.

3.  Grate 100 g of cheese.  Place 4 slices of bread on a baking sheet.  Put it in the oven 2 minutes on each side. It is so that it dries a little on the outside and does not soften when we put the bechamel on top.

4.  Spread one slice of each sandwich with a little mustard, if desired. Spread the same slices with the béchamel. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Put the ham on top. Place a piece of bread on top; forming the sandwich. Top the sandwiches with bechamel and grated cheese.

5.  Place them in the oven. Bake them 10 minutes or until the cheese is a little browned. Serve right away.

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Honey BBQ Pulled Pork

I really loved this pulled pork, and it was easy too.  Just place the pork in the crockpot in the morning; you can even do it before going to work.  Try to make the coleslaw the day before.  If you can't, try to make it at least 2 hours before eating.  That's what I did, and it worked out well.  Take your fave store-bought BBQ sauce and add a few extra ingredients.  (Don't be scared of the amount of Balsamic vinegar; it works out fine.)  Then I served this on Hawaiian rolls.  (The pics are with the small rolls, but when I made this a few days ago we used the Hawaiian sub rolls.)  SO delicious!

For the coleslaw, I just made a half recipe of this Buttermilk Coleslaw, using a pre-packaged mix of sliced white and red cabbage + carrots.  It was very good and easy.  The leftovers turned purple overnight in the fridge. 

Honey BBQ Pulled Pork 
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

3 to 4 pounds boneless pork sirloin roast or pork shoulder
1 teaspoon salt (smoked salt, if possible)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (I use coarsely ground)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

BBQ SAUCE:
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup favorite BBQ sauce
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional (I didn't add)
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Hawaiian rolls or subs, or other rolls, for serving

Coleslaw, for serving, optional

1.  Place the pork in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker and season it evenly with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Pour in the liquid smoke and 2 cups broth. Cook on low for 8-9 hours.

2.  For the BBQ sauce, combine all the ingredients in a medium non-stick saucepan and heat, stirring often, until simmering. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until slightly reduced and thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed. The sauce can be made a week in advance and refrigerated. If refrigerated, heat before tossing with the pork.

3.  Shred the pork (I suggest draining most of the excess cooking liquid) and toss with the BBQ sauce. Serve on buns (coleslaw optional). The pork (once tossed with the sauce) can be kept warm in the slow cooker for several hours before serving. (PS: Keep at least some of the extra cooking liquid in the fridge.  When warming up leftovers, I cooked the meat in a small non-stick saucepan and added some of this cooking liquid, plus a bit of regular BBQ sauce from the fridge.)

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Turkey Cranberry Panini

This grilled sandwich was easy and delicious.  I copied an idea from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, but didn't want to run to the store for missing ingredients, so I subbed or omitted things.  I didn't have Brie, so I used Baby Bell cheese, lol.  I didn't have spinach so I left it off.  I used regular Italian sandwich bread (like American sandwich bread, only much smaller) instead of something hearty or fancy.  And I just now realized I was supposed to add some Dijon.  Lol! You might not have leftovers anymore to make this, but keep this in mind for next year.

Btw, "Panini" just means "sandwiches" in Italian.  The "i" ending makes it plural.  It doesn't mean pressed or grilled sandwiches, but in the US it does mean that, so I'll keep that in the title.  I just used my regular sandwich griller thingy for this; I don't have a real panini press.

Turkey Cranberry Panini
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

For each sandwich:
2 slices favorite sandwich bread
favorite white cheese
leftover cooked turkey, sliced
Dijon mustard, optional
2-3 Tablespoons cranberry sauce, more or less to taste
Butter, for grilling

1.  On one slice of bread spread Dijon according to taste.  Layer on cheese, turkey, cranberry sauce, and another layer of cheese.

2.  Top with the other slice of bread. Butter the outsides of the bread. 

3.  Cook the sandwich in a hot skillet/griddle/panini press, pressing down with a spatula or a heavy saucepan (if you aren’t using an actual panini or sandwich press), flipping halfway through, until the bread is golden on both sides, and the cheese is melted.  Serve immediately.

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Naan Wraps with Cucumber Raita

Ok, so my wraps are in tortillas, not naan.  The first time I made this, I actually made homemade naan, but this is supposed to be a quick and easy meal, and homemade naan made it neither of those things.  I went to make this again, and got an Italian flatbread thing (piadina), but, they were super delicate and flaked apart when I opened the package.  It was so bad I had to toss them.  They were all sticking together and tearing everywhere; it was a mess.  So- if you have access to good, store-bought naan or other flatbread, use that.  If not, your favorite tortillas will be just fine.  To make them tastier, I brushed them with a tiny bit of oil and cooked them a bit on my electric griddle.  I really like them that way. 

For this recipe, you just cook a spiced ground beef mixture, make some homemade Raita (Indian cuke-yogurt sauce) and chop some lettuce and red onions.  If you have cilantro, add that.  These are so flavorful!!  I really loved this recipe. 

**Note: You can make the raita ahead of time.**

Naan Wraps with Cucumber Raita
adapted from The Kitchn

1 tablespoon oil
1 medium red onion, divided use
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin, divided
1 pound ground beef or lamb
4 pieces naan bread or tortillas (we used 6 tortillas)
1/2 cup whole-milk yogurt (feel free to use a little more-I used Greek)
1/2 cup diced, seeded cucumber (about 1/2 cucumber)
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh mint or cilantro leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 medium head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced

1. Get a large griddle of cast-iron skillet ready to heat the tortillas or naan. 

2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Meanwhile, cut the red onion in half and half again.  Keep 3/4 and set aside 1/4 for later.  Chop the remaining (3/4) onion, and add the onion, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1 teaspoon of the cumin to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Add the beef or lamb and season with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Break the meat up into smaller pieces and sauté until cooked through and browned, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the naan and make the raita.

4. Brush each tortilla with a tiny bit of oil and cook briefly on the griddle or cast-iron skillet.  Set aside on a plate.  Slice remaining 1/4 red onion thinly to use as a topping.

5. Place the yogurt, cucumber, mint or cilantro, coriander, lemon juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl and stir to combine; set aside. ** Can make ahead to save time later**

6.  When the meat is ready, remove from the heat. Place the warmed naan or tortillas in a single layer on a plate. Place a handful of iceberg lettuce on the center of each naan. Divide the meat over the lettuce, top each with a couple tablespoons of raita, and divide the sliced red onion over the raita. (I just put everything on the table and let everyone make their own.) Serve warm.

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Bacon Ranch Chicken Sliders

I made these a few times when we needed a quick dinner.  They're so easy and tasty.  For the dry ranch mix, I use Penzey's buttermilk ranch dry mix.  It's just herbs and spices and contains no MSG.  I love it.  Instead of all mayo, I use half mayo and half Greek yogurt.  I use rotisserie chicken for this recipe, making it super easy.  You won't need the whole chicken, so I save the rest of the meat for other recipes.

Bacon Ranch Chicken Sliders
adapted from Our Best Bites

1 package (12 rolls) Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 Greek yogurt or light sour cream
1 teaspoon dry Ranch mix (I used Penzey's)
1 cup shredded cheese
3/4 cup cooked, diced or shredded chicken
6-8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.

2.  Without separating rolls, cut entire "loaf" in half like giant sandwich and open-side up on baking sheet.

3.  In a small bowl, combine mayo, yogurt and ranch mix. Spread mixture on both sides of rolls. Sprinkle half the cheese on the bottom half of the rolls, top with chicken, and then bacon, and then remaining cheese. Place top half of rolls on, sandwiching them together. Cover rolls with foil and place in oven for 20-30 minutes, until cheese is melted throughout.

4.  Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a cutting board and slicing individual rolls. 

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Cuban Medianoche Sandwiches

This sandwich is almost the same as the famous Cuban Sandwich; the only difference is the bread. It uses a sweet bread or roll instead of a crusty loaf.  In Spain, they sell rolls called "Medianoche", which would be perfect for this.  You might be able to buy the Cuban version Stateside, but I've never lived in a place where I've seen them.  Here, I used Italian sweet "milk rolls", which were perfect.  I bet Hawaiian rolls would be wonderful (the sub-sized ones).

Most of the fam loved these.  For the pork, I bought Italian "porchetta" from the deli- it's seasoned roast pork that one can buy anywhere here.  I loved the ease of using this- I didn't have to roast my own pork.  In the States, maybe you can buy plain roast pork from the deli in slices (but I have no idea).

I used a large cast-iron skillet to cook these in.  Since they're pressed sandwiches, I topped the sandwiches with a smaller skillet, and then placed a brick in the smaller skillet to weigh it down and press on the sandwiches.  (We have bricks in our kitchen fireplace.  You could also place a heavy can of food in the second skillet).

Cuban Medianoche Sandwiches
adapted from the Kitchn

6 medianoche, brioche, milk rolls, or soft sandwich rolls (Hawaiin sub rolls would work)
2 tablespoons yellow or Dijon mustard
8 ounces thinly sliced Swiss cheese
9 ounces sliced dill pickles

6 thick slices cooked pork (porchetta or deli sliced pork)
12 ounces thinly sliced deli ham
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1.  Heat a panini press or a large cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Meanwhile, assemble the sandwiches.

2.  Split the buns in half, making sure to not cut the whole way through. Spread the mustard on the cut side of the top halves of the buns. Top the mustard with the Swiss cheese, pickles, and ham. Divide the pork among the bottom buns. Close the buns and spread the butter on the outsides of the buns, spreading on both top and bottom.

3.  For a panini press: Place the sandwiches in the heated panini press, working in batches if needed, and close. Press until golden-brown on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes.

4.  For the stovetop method: Place the sandwiches in the heated cast iron skillet, working in batches if needed. Weigh down the sandwiches with an aluminum foil-wrapped brick, or top with another cast iron skillet weighed down with a heavy can (or place the brick on top of the pan for more pressure). Cook undisturbed until golden-brown on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip the sandwiches and cook until the second side is browned, 3 to 5 minutes more.

5.  Cut the sandwiches on the diagonal and serve.

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Vietnamese Meatball Banh Mi Sandwiches

My husband and I LOVED these sandwiches.  They were so, so good!!  All of the flavors together- creamy, spicy mayo, crunchy, sweet/salty picked veggies, the rich meatballs, the cilantro- oh my gosh- SO good!!!  I really need to make these again ASAP.  I used a bake-at-home baguette for the bread, and it was perfect.

This is only my second Vietnamese recipe on here.  I need to try more! I love the flavors. So fresh and flavorful.  Next time I'd throw some fresh mint leaves on with the cilantro.

Vietnamese Meatball Banh Mi Sandwiches
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

SPICY DRESSING:
2/3 cup mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt (I used a mix)
1 tablespoon hot sauce (like sriracha) or sweet Thai chili sauce
1 green onion, white and green parts finely chopped

RELISH:
2 large carrots, coarsely grated or cut into thin matchsticks
1 English cucumber, coarsely grated or cut into thin matchsticks
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil

MEATBALLS:
2 pounds ground pork, ground turkey or beef, or a combination
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon hot chili sauce or sweet Thai chili sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoons sesame or vegetable or coconut oil, for browning

SANDWICHES:
4 to 6 (6-inch) baguettes, or cut a long one into pieces
Bunch of fresh cilantro

Fresh mint leaves, optional

1.  In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing. Cover and refrigerate. This can be made several days in advance.

2.  For the relish, toss together the carrots and cucumber. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, vinegar, salt and sesame oil. Pour over the vegetables. Cover and refrigerate. The relish can be made a day or so in advance.

3.  For the meatballs, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the ground pork (or turkey), basil, garlic, green onions, fish sauce, hot sauce, sugar, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Scoop the mixture into 1- to 2-inch meatballs. Heat the oil in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot and rippling. Add the meatballs in a single layer and brown on all sides.

4.  Transfer the browned meatballs to a foil-lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining meatballs (adding additional oil if necessary). Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes. (Some greasy red-tinted juices might be on baking sheet- it's from the Sriracha).  Remove from the oven (I like to place the cooked meatballs one by one on a layer of paper towels to absorb any excess grease). 

5.  To assemble the sandwiches, slice the buns or baguettes in half. Spread the dressing on the top half of the bread. Layer cilantro to taste on the bottom half. Place 3 or so meatballs (will depend on how big you made them) on top of the cilantro. Drain the relish and place a heaping spoonful on top of the meatballs. Press on the sandwich top and devour.

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Roast Beef Sliders

I made these a while ago.  I love easy sandwich recipes like this that I can make for dinner and eat with some fruit (or soup, if you're feeling fancy).  These beef sliders and kind of a twist on the classic ham and cheese version.  I left the banana peppers out of the kids' sliders; the kids think they are "spicy".  Lol.  When I made these, I let them get a little too brown on top; watch them more carefully than I did.

Roast Beef Sliders
adapted from Valerie's Kitchen

1/4 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 (12 count) package Hawaiian sweet rolls
4 ounces (6 slices) packaged sliced Provolone cheese
1/2 pound thinly sliced deli roast beef
1/2 cup diced jarred pepperoncini or banana peppers
1 teaspoon poppy seeds, or as needed

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a rectangular baking dish large enough to hold your slider rolls with non-stick cooking spray.

2.  Whisk together the melted butter, Worcestershire, Dijon, Italian seasoning, granulated garlic or garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl and set aside.

3.  Without separating into individual rolls, slice the top half of the bread off the bottom and place the bottom portion of the rolls in the prepared baking dish. Layer the bread with the sliced Provolone, roast beef, and diced pepperoncini and then top with the other half of the rolls. Liberally brush the melted butter mixture over the tops of the rolls and sprinkle evenly with poppy seeds.

4.  Bake, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the tops of the rolls are lightly toasted. Use a knife to slice the sliders and serve.

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