Grilled Omelet/Cheese/Sandwich

Jan here. I hope you all had a wonderful, blessed Easter Sunday!

Ours was pretty quiet, partly because of the virus/pandemic, but mostly because of this:

A weekend storm that started with rain and ended with several inches of snow meant that we went nowhere, pandemic or not!

But no worries. Although I'm getting a little tired of eating out of our pantry (going on six weeks now,) I still have enough supplies to try out some new recipes. Daughter-in-law Katie shared this idea on Facebook last week and I adapted it to the food we have on hand.

This is my kind of comfort food, and perfect for a snowy Saturday evening!

Grilled Omelet/Cheese/Sandwich

I should really call this a grilled ham and cheese omelet sandwich...although I'm not sure it makes much difference.

One note - on Saturday I made this on my electric griddle. Earlier in the week I used a skillet on the stove. The stove worked much better, but you can only make one sandwich at a time.

For each sandwich you will need:

2 eggs

a splash of milk (2 or 3 Tablespoons)

salt & pepper to taste

2 slices of bread

cheese (2 slices of American or just under 1/4 cup shredded cheese)

2 slices ham lunch meat or cooked bacon (optional!)

First, heat your pan to medium heat. Scramble the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper and pour it into the pan (or onto the griddle.) IMMEDIATELY place the bread slices in the egg and flip over once to coat both sides with the egg mixture.

Layer both sides of the sandwich with cheese and ham.

I layered cheese-ham-cheese.

Turn the heat down to medium low and let the sandwich halves cook until the egg is cooked through and the cheese is starting to melt. (This is much easier in a skillet, and it helps speed up the process if you pop a lid on top for a few minutes.)

Once the egg is cooked and the cheese is melty, flip one side of the sandwich onto the other one. If you're able to, fold the excess egg into the center of the sandwich.

By the way, this picture shows how important it is to leave a little space between the two halves of the sandwich. There's nothing like a broken bread fail...although it doesn't change the yummy flavor!

Once both sides of the sandwich are nicely browned and everything is melty and lovely, it's ready to go! I find it best to eat this sandwich with a knife and fork!

These sandwiches were perfect for a light supper, but they'd make a great breakfast, too. :-)

And our storm lasted into the afternoon on Sunday, but the sun did make an appearance on Sunday morning - just in time to celebrate Easter!

How was your Easter celebration?

 

Jan Drexler is an author by day who is addicted to counted cross stitch and sauntering through the Hills with her dear husband and their puppies - goofy corgi Jack and baby border collie Sam. You can find Jan's books and other fun things on her website: www.JanDrexler.com.

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Every year about this time, I hit an eating crisis. I think we all do. We're tired of "special" meals and fancy foods, holiday goodies and leftover ham.

Okay, maybe it isn't a crisis, but it's a signal that it's time for a change. For me, that means scrounging in the bottom of the freezer to see what's hanging around from the old days - i.e. pre-Thanksgiving meals - and I found something great for supper the other night!

Our grocery store still has a meat department where you can special order certain cuts and select a special steak, pork chop, or chicken quarter from the display case. And what happens to the meat in the display that doesn't sell?

It becomes a bargain hunter's dream come true!

This meat isn't dated or in bad shape - it just isn't as fresh as the meat they're filling the displays with the next day. So they package it in large bundles and sell it at a steal of a price. We usually get the bundle that includes thin-cut pork chops and beef round steaks, a few seasoned chicken leg quarters and some chicken breasts.

We bring it home and I freeze it to use later...like the first weekend of January!

On Saturday I sorted through the things at the bottom of the freezer and found two of those packages of pork chops. Perfect for quick BBQ Pork Sandwiches!

These are super easy.

First, I cooked the pork until it was fall-apart tender. Even starting from frozen, this step was a snap in my Instant Pot.

In your crock pot or oven, or on top of the stove, cook it low and slow for several hours. Be sure to keep it moist if you're using the stove or oven!

After the pork was cooked, I diced some onions and threw them in, then added some garlic powder (about a teaspoon) and a generous amount of barbecue sauce (any brand will do - pick your favorite.) And add whatever else sounds good. Worcestershire sauce is always a good choice.

I pressure-cooked everything on high for another ten minutes, then let the pot do a natural pressure release while I got the buns ready.

Another item I stock up on during pre-Christmas sales are these Sister Schubert's rolls. I baked off a few for our sandwiches.

After the pork had been releasing pressure naturally for ten minutes, I did a quick release to bring the pot down to normal so I could open it. I gave it a good stir (to mix in all the ingredients and break up the pork into bitsy pieces) and it was ready to serve.

A great simple meal for the two of us, with leftovers for lunch sometime this week!

And even though it's the first weekend of the year, our weather has been mild. Yesterday afternoon was beautiful, so we drove up to the Mt. Rushmore area and went for a short saunter with Jack.

The view was beautiful no matter which direction we looked.

And Jack had a wonderful time. Do you know how many SMELLS there are in the forest? And he sniffed every single one. :-)

Enjoy your New Year and life getting back to normal!

Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.

You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com

Hawaiian Ham and Cheese Sliders

 Missy Tippens

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! On Christmas Eve we had a dish I bet a good many of you have tried. The recipe comes from King’s Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls. You can find the recipe here.

I bought a big family pack of 24 rolls. I sliced them in half (very carefully!) and ended up having to do it in two sections. Then I carefully lifted the tops off. I spread mayonnaise on the tops. Then I placed the bottoms in a baking dish. A basic rectangular single layer cake pan was the perfect size for 24 rolls (which is actually 2 regular size packs).

I didn’t want to have to slice the sandwiches apart so I cut the ham and cheese into squares that would fit on one roll. I put two squares of ham and one square of cheese on each roll. Then I replaced the tops.

I mixed up the melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, onion powder and poppy seeds well with a whisk and poured it over the top. I covered the rolls and let them sit for about 15 minutes.

Then I baked them, covered, then uncovered, as directed.

I’m sorry I didn’t think to take photos! We were having a late dinner after our candlelight service, and were so hungry we dived in to devour them (and the chili I also made).

I just love these sandwiches! It had been years since I made them, and I’m so glad my son happened to mention them (plus we had them at book club recently). I want to keep them in mind for future potluck dinners and book club.

I hope you all have a great weekend! Oh, and please check out my newly re-designed website!

www.missytippens.com

Chicken Apple Salad Tea Sandwiches

My friend Debbie and are planning to host a tea later this year, so we ordered several sample-size packages of tea from Tea Embassy in Austin, Texas . 

We're looking, in particular, for dessert teas, which is why so many in the picture are fruity.

Of course, one can't simply sip tea after tea without something to eat, so we put together our own little informal tea party.

Tea for two, if you will.

Debbie brought some delicious cream scones.

Trust me, I'll be hounding her for the recipe for these babies.

Since we're thinking fall for our tea, I made some miniature spice cake cupcakes.

With cream cheese frosting, of course.

But we needed a savory. Something, preferably with apples and maybe a hint of spice. So I grabbed an apple, pulled a leftover grilled chicken breast out of the fridge and set to work.

When you're talking miniature food, these big ol slices of chicken just won't do, so I chopped them up fairly fine.

Then I tossed the chicken into a bowl and set to work on the apple, chopping it into tiny pieces, also.

I added the apple to the chicken, along with about a half teaspoon of cinnamon (because cinnamon goes very well with apples), and stirred everything together.

Next, I chopped up some toasted pecans and added those, along with approximately three tablespoons of mayonnaise. You're welcome to add more if you like, I just didn't want the mayo to overpower all of the other flavors.

Now for the sandwiches. But what if there was something we could do in leu of sandwiches. Something small and fun. I had some frozen phyllo cups, so I filled four of those. But since I still had plenty of chicken salad left over, I decided to do a few sandwiches for comparison purposes. One might taste better than the other.

They were both delicious, but Debbie and I agreed that the phyllo cups were just a tad better. Maybe because they were out of the ordinary.

Over the next two hours, Debbie and I ate, sipped tea and talked until our jaws hurt. Some of the teas were hits, others not so much. This is why the small packages are so nice. And we set a date for our tea. The next mission--come up with a menu. You know that'll be fun.

Have you ever hosted a tea? What are some of your favorite bite-sized morsels?

Three time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more a mindyobenhaus.com.

Kentucky Memories and Hot Browns

Jan here, with a bit of horse talk.

The first Saturday in May...what does it mean to you? For many people, it's best known as Derby Day. I grew up watching the Kentucky Derby every year. The afternoon of the first Saturday in May, I'd be in front of the television, watching the best two minutes of the year. I still am. Every May.

I watched Secretariat win the Derby in 1973...and the Preakness...and the Belmont. He was some horse.

I watched Affirmed win, and Seattle Slew. None of them topped Secretariat in my mind, though.

I also enjoy watching horses from the past run the race: War Admiral, Man O War, Sir Barton... YouTube has the videos of all of them.

In the five years that we lived in Kentucky, I learned a lot about horse racing. I loved to drive on the country roads between our house and Lexington or Frankfort or Louisville, past places with names like Calumet (former home of 1948 Triple Crown Winner Citation,), Jonabell, Three Chimneys, Woodford, Pin Oak, Taylor Made...

I also enjoyed visiting the Kentucky Horse Park, where many retired race horses live. My favorite sites at the park were the Hall of Champions and The Big Barn, the Draft Horses.

Yes, I'm a horse geek.

Saturday's Kentucky Derby was one for the record books. If you watched it, you saw what happened. The lead horse, Maximum Security crossed the finish line first. But after a complaint, the stewards investigated a claim that Maximum Security had interfered with other horses as they were coming down the home stretch. Maximum Security was disqualified, and Country House was declared the winner.

That's something that has never happened before in the history of the Derby. 

Does the disqualification taint the Derby? Maybe. Maybe not. There's something about the allure of watching those horses run...

In honor of Derby Day, I made one of my favorite Kentucky recipes for my supper on Saturday night.

The original recipe I have says "Recipe courtesy of The Brown Hotel, Louisville, Kentucky." With apologies to the Brown Hotel, here's my version of the Kentucky Hot Brown!

Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich

ingredients for one sandwich (multiply the ingredients as needed):

1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon flour
3/4 cups milk
2 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, about 1/8 teaspoon each
1/2 egg, beaten (I gave the remaining 1/2 egg to Thatcher, and it was greatly appreciated!)
1 slice whole wheat bread, toasted
3 slices deli roast turkey
1 slice tomato (optional)
4 strips bacon, cooked

Preheat your oven to 375°. Lightly grease a small casserole dish, at least 6".

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour, whisking it into the butter until smooth. Let the roux cook for about a minute.

Stir in the milk, a little at a time, whisking until smooth between each addition. Add the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Cook until the cheese is melted and incorporated, stirring constantly.

Stir in the beaten egg, and cook for an additional three minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

To assemble the sandwich, place the toast on the bottom of the casserole dish. Top with the slices of turkey, the optional tomato slice (I leave it off) and two strips of bacon. Pour the sauce over the sandwich and top with the remaining strips of bacon.

Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Bake at 375° for 8 minutes, or until the sauce is hot and bubbly.

Sorry, I didn't get a picture after baking - I was too anxious to dig in!

You might wonder why the tomato is optional...well, there are a few things I don't enjoy eating, and a big, juicy slice of tomato on my sandwiches is one of them. If you like tomatoes, all the better. Include a slice on your Hot Brown and enjoy!

Do you enjoy watching the Kentucky Derby? Do you have any traditions for the first Saturday in May?

Jan Drexler spent her childhood dreaming of living in the Wild West and is now thrilled to call the Black Hills of South Dakota her home. When she isn’t writing she spends much of her time satisfying her cross-stitch addiction or hiking and enjoying the Black Hills with her husband of more than thirty-six years. Her writing partner is her corgi, Thatcher, who makes life…interesting.

Potluck Love

I love potlucks. I mean, why limit yourself to just one entrée/side/dessert when you can sample a dozen different ones?

Last weekend we attended two potluck meals. So aside from getting to sample the dishes others brought, it gave me an opportunity to prepare some of my favorite recipes. You know, the ones you don't dare make unless you've got plenty of people to share them with, otherwise you're stuffing your face with those delicious leftovers for the rest of the week. And while that is enjoyable, things come to an abrupt end when you can no longer fasten your pants.

Our first potluck was a dinner. A farewell party for some good friends. And I knew I had to bring a pan of Chocolate Lasagna.

All that chocolatey goodness simply has to be shared.

This easy and oh, so tasty recipe can be found here.

I wanted something savory too take, as well. Something that was more of a party food. So I opted for Hot Hawaiian Beef Sandwiches. I saw the Pioneer Woman make these a long time ago. Now, I always make them for our Christmas lunch when I have lots of growing boys to feed. Don't be put off by the pepper jack cheese and small amount of hot sauce. Between the sweet rolls and cheese, any spice is more about flavor than heat. That recipe is available right here.

For our second potluck, which was after church, I knew I had to bring my favorite broccoli salad. 

This stuff is so addicting. And while it's not unhealthy, it does make a pretty good sized batch. Find out how to make it here.

Of course, no church potluck in Texas is complete without peach cobbler.

It's a quintessential favorite. And this recipe is my personal fave. You can find it here.

Yep, all that good eating made for one really good weekend.

Now it's your turn. What are some of your favorite potluck recipes?

Three-time Carol Award finalist, Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com 

New York Bagels!

Missy Tippens

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that my daughter was studying abroad. On the way back to the U.S., she spent the night with her roommate on Long Island. When she arrived back in Atlanta, she brought us a dozen fresh NY bagels from Manhasset Bagels, compliments of her roomie's mother who'd run to pick them up that morning!

We froze several and have been eating them this past week. Rationing something special to make it last longer! :)

Today, I wanted to share what my daughter made for lunch yesterday. (I'm sorry I only took 2 photos.)

She took an Everything Bagel (topped with onion flakes, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, garlic...yummy stuff!), sliced it in half, then toasted it a bit under the boiler. Then she topped it with the makings of a sandwich.

She layered on slices of turkey then topped with colby-jack cheese, open face style. Then she broiled it again to melt the cheese and warm the turkey.

When she took it out of the oven, she added sliced avocados. Personally, I would love to have added arugula and maybe even tomato slices. You can eat it open faced or put it back together and eat it sandwich style.

Yum!

Here, you can even see how the cheese melted downhill before she put the two pieces back together as a sandwich. :)

www.missytippens.com

Summertime Sandwiches: the BLA

No, that's not a typing error. My favorite summer sandwich is a Bacon, Lettuce and Avocado sandwich. AKA, BLA!

It's what I like to make for a quick lunch, especially if I'm going out of town for a week, and these are in my refrigerator:

I hate it when avocados go bad...they're too delicious to waste that way!

A BLA is super easy to make. In fact, it's a lot like a BLT.

Cook up some bacon, toast your bread, get the Ranch dressing out of the fridge...

Yes, Ranch dressing rather than plain mayo. It adds a bit of yummy deliciousness to the sandwich.

And then start layering - A bit of salad dressing on both pieces of toast, and then a generous helping of lettuce, avocado slices, and top with bacon.

Put the lid on (aka, the other slice of toast) and you're set to go.

Warning: this is a very messy sandwich. Don't try to eat it on the run!

Another delicious lunch I've just heard about is avocado toast. From the number of recipes available on the internet, it seems like I'm the only one who has never run across this before!

Easy peasy lemon squeezy! A slice of toast, mashed avocado, and a topping. My favorite is crumbled bacon.

Do you sense a theme here? Avocado and bacon are delicious together!

I've been doing quick lunches for the past week or so because I'm getting ready to take off to Nashville tomorrow for the First Annual Christian Fiction Readers Retreat  and the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Conference.

If you haven't heard about the Readers Retreat, go here to get the scoop!  You'll notice that some of your favorite writers are involved, and it's a day centered around our favorite people: Readers!

And then the ACFW Conference starts on Thursday.

Just imagine, an entire week (at least, Wednesday through Saturday) filled with readers, writers, and other people who love books. Doesn't that sound like a dream come true?

Since we just got done with the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally (ten days of not leaving home to head up into the Hills) and I'm getting ready to leave for the rest of the week, my husband and I HAD to make a trip up to some of our favorite places on Saturday.

I ignored my new office and the paint-less walls, the vacuuming and weeding and laundry that needed to be done, and we went to the center of the Hills, up to the Needles Highway.

This is what we wanted to do:

Our intention was to hike the Cathedral Spires trail, but there was a problem. We couldn't find anyplace to park near the trail head. Or near our alternative hiking choice in that area, the Little Devils Tower trail. So we drove and dodged other cars.

I'm not complaining, though! It's a beautiful drive....

Do you see why it's called the Needles Highway? Those granite spires....

There are narrow tunnels along the way, and the one at the top is breathtaking. Here's the approach...

Suck in your tummy when you meet those trucks!

Looks good so far, but remember - it's a one-lane tunnel.

Oops, traffic jam. Everybody wait your turn...

And if you aren't driving, be sure to look up as you go through!

The other side of the tunnel was packed with cars, trucks, pedestrians...and I forgot to take more pictures!

But here's a great video someone took during last year's Rally. They have people directing traffic during that week!

Do you see why I hate leaving home, even for the ACFW Conference? I'll still have plenty of fun, though. My roommate for conference is the best, isn't she, Ruthy?

Have a great week, everyone!

Jan Drexler loves her family, her home, cooking and just about anything made by hand. But she loves her Lord most of all.

Stop by Jan's website to learn more about her books: www.JanDrexler.com