Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches for Football Season!

It's football season, and that means a change in the dietary habits of the average American family.

I'm not sure why this is a thing, other than that we are suggestible people and if one town loves chicken wings and beer, ninety-nine need to follow along. I do know via my kids that Sam's Club was out of chicken wings... and had ONE LARGE bag of French Fries left in the store, which came to live at my house.

That's a lot of wingless chickens!!!

"BAWK!!! BAAAAWWWWK!!!!!"

Be that as it may, it would be un-American of me to fly in the face of such fun traditions, so this is a Blodgett family favorite after having two sons attend the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

CHEESESTEAKS.

Notice the caps.

Cheesesteaks deserve caps and I'll tell you why: They're That Good.

If you are not convinced, I'm going to roll my eyes at you, possibly scoff and if that fails, have you unfriend me on facebook (EEEK! NO! NOT THAT!!! DON'T UNFRIEND ME!!!)  Okay, kidding... you can unfriend me if you want, but not over cheesesteaks... our love is worth more than that!!!

Here's the dish:

The roll is just as important as the meat. And the meat is crucial.

I buy boneless sirloin for cheese steaks. I stock up when it's on sale. It's a great lean meat which can be cold-chopped into little pieces, another important thing for great cheese steaks.

Here are the basics:

2 large boneless sirloin steaks, trimmed and chopped into small pieces
(that's the only tough part about this whole thing)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons Cajun pepper
2 teaspoons granulated garlic (or garlic powder)

Mix seasonings with meat. Let stand at least ten minutes....

Get out big griddle and another big griddle.  Heat the steak griddle to about 350° with a thin coating of olive oil... (I love this big, ginormous, huge electric griddle. It is an amazing contraption, and I use these up, wear them out, and otherwise get every penny I can out of them over the years... then I buy a new one.)

Once it's hot, throw a generous handful of meat onto the griddle for each sandwich. (About 1 cup/sandwich)

Stir around with spatula, cooking through. 

When nearly cooked through, "glue" together with cheese. We use a bunch of cheeses and most of the crew like combo cheese sandwiches. And some love Cheez Whiz, the Philly Steak original... but others like hot pepper cheese or swiss or cheddar.... 

Put cheese on top of sandwich meat, cover with pot cover and let cheese melt, then scoop the meat and cheesy topping onto prepared, grilled garlic bun.

THE ROLL:

Take a nice, fresh, chewy roll... Open it. Spread the inner face of each half with butter. Heat second griddle. Once hot (but not too hot!) put roll, face down, on griddle. Cook until golden and sizzling butter smells too good to be believed. Remove from heat, sprinkle generously with garlic and salt...

Add cheesy-meaty goodness.

Enjoy!!!

And here are some farm glimpses....

Lacey, making displays:

One of her displays:

Life is busy here this time of year... and I love it! I've just finished Grace Haven 4 and I'm busily working on final edits for "Peace in the Valley", my third Waterbrook Double S Ranch story, coming out next spring... And I'm going to miss my cowboys! The Stafford family are like my friends... I love 'em!!!

Here's a peek at my newest release:

All men might be created equal... but there's no rule that says they get born that way. And for Cassie Carruthers, inequality and negligence have been a way of life since the beginning... but when Cassie starts school, and the community begins to see the bright, inquisitive mind inside the neglected child, they band together to give her the chances every child deserves... the chance to be everything the good Lord wanted her to be.

Told within the context of her sweet teacher's romance, Cassie's story unfurls like a new spring blossom... Bright, fresh and clean. A beautiful story of sacrificial love, second chances and new beginnings... and how one child's plight can bring a community together.

LINK TO THE FIRST GIFT by Ruth Logan Herne

If time allows, I'm trying a new recipe next week, Gummy's Orange Cookies, tucked onto facebook by my good friend and fellow author Stephanie Pazicni Karfelt... I should make HER come over here and do that, and I just might... because she can tell you about "Gummy" and how life within the circus of dementia isn't all it's cracked up to be....

Until then!

Multi-published, bestselling author Ruth Logan Herne is living her dream of being a published author... and having the best time doing it! A mom and grandma with lots of room for love, Ruthy loves for folks to friend her on facebook.... at Ruth Logan Herne... and to stop by her website Ruth Logan Herne.com where she tries to keep folks updated about all the things she loves... life, faith, hope, God, family, country, fiction, dogs, chocolate and coffee...