Grilled Cheese Bacon and Avocado Sandwiches

There's probably nothing as homey as a grilled cheese sandwich, right? I've been eating them since I was a kid and I bet you have too. But who says a grilled cheese sandwich has to be only cheese? Let's throw some stuff inside that will get your taste buds rockin' and rollin'. Since we are a bacon lovin' family and also a family that can't get enough avocado (we ARE from California, after all!)...I decided to throw those bits of deliciousness in there to see what would happen. Want to know what happened? Well...I'll tell you...a bunch of crazy yumminess happened, that's what! You guys have got to try these! So good! Would I steer your taste buds wrong? 

Grilled Cheese Bacon 
and Avocado Sandwiches



1 loaf good crusty bread (sourdough, Italian, etc)
Sliced cheese of your choice (I used sharp cheddar)
2 - 3 ripe avocados ~ cut in half then sliced
1 pound bacon ~ cooked to your liking
Lawry's Seasoning Salt
Olive oil

Heat a grill pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. 

Decide how many sandwiches you're going to make.

Brush one side of each piece of bread with olive oil.

Lay one piece of bread in the pan then layer the other ingredients, starting with the cheese.

I put down two cheese slices, side by side because my bread was large. Then I put down the avocado. Next comes a very important part. Sprinkle the avocado with Lawry's Seaoning Salt. You won't be sorry. Next comes the bacon then two more slices of cheese. The cheese should be next to the bread so it melts and also to act as "the glue" to hold everything together.

Grill until cheese has melted and sandwich is golden brown on both sides.

Slice and serve! 


 

Here's what you'll need!

 

Brush olive oil on one side 

of each piece of bread.

 

Plop it in a hot pan then start layering 

your cheese, avocado, bacon then more cheese.

 

Top with another piece of bread then grill!

 

Delicious!

Steak Sandwiches

There's almost nothing IT Guy likes better than steak. He'll take it in any form. So when I made these sandwiches, I knew we'd have a winner. You can use leftover steak for these or buy fresh, like I did. Make as much or as little as you like...that's one of the best things about this recipe. You can tailor it to fit as many as you need. This is a great recipe to use with the warmer months upon us because you can use your outdoor grill to cook the meat and keep the heat out of the kitchen!

Steak Sandwiches



1 - 2 steaks (I used some flat iron steaks I had on hand. I just grilled them in my grill pan.)
Steak seasoning of your choice or salt and pepper
1 large onion ~ sliced 
Cheddar cheese slices
1/2 cup to 1 cup bbq sauce
Butter
Sandwich or sub rolls

In a large skillet, caramelize the onion with a little olive oil. Remove from the pan to a plate. 

Season the steaks.

Drizzle a little more olive oil in the same pan and grill the steaks to desired doneness. I grilled mine about 4 minutes on each side. Allow steaks to stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Thinly slice the cooked steak. Add back into the warm skillet and add the bbq sauce. Stir to combine and warm through.

Slice open the rolls and butter each side lightly.

Start layering the ingredients on the bread.....onions, meat, cheese, etc.

Turn oven to broil.

Place sandwiches open-faced on a baking sheet and place under the broiler for a few minutes until cheese starts to melt. Watch so they don't burn. 

Place empty bun on top of filled bun...slice and enjoy!

 
The line up!

 
Caramelize the onions then remove from the pan.

 
Then season and cook the steaks.

 
Allow the steak to stand for a 
few minutes before slicing then 
return to the pan with the bbq sauce. 
Stir to combine and warm through.

 
Then build your sandwiches 
and broil a minute or so to melt 
the cheese and toast the bread.

 
Yum!

Chicken Parmesan Sub Sandwiches

These sandwiches made for a fun and easy weeknight dinner for us. I love making sandwiches for dinner. My mom never did that and I'm not sure why. When I was a kid, our dinners were casseroles or Mexican food or sometimes my dad would grill steaks or burgers. I think food has really evolved over the years and I'm a firm believer in having fun with your food and switching things up from the same old standards. So here's a fun twist on Chicken Parmesan.....you should try it!

Chicken Parmesan Sub Sandwiches



2 cups pasta sauce
2 large chicken breasts ~ split
1 small onion ~ sliced
2 cloves garlic ~ minced
Salt & pepper to taste
1 - 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
4 hoagie rolls or good bread
4 tablespoons butter ~ softened

In a large skillet, saute the onion and garlic in a little olive oil for 5 minutes.

Season the chicken and add it to the pan. Cook until done. 

Turn the oven to broil.

Slice open the rolls and butter. Place rolls on a baking sheet and toast.'

Remove the pan from the oven and spread some pasta sauce over both sides on each roll.

Place a piece of chicken along with some onion on each rolls then top with some cheese. Sprinkle a little Italian seasoning on the cheese.  

Place pan back in the oven under the broiler until cheese is bubbly and sandwich is hot.

Let's build some sandwiches! Oops! Forgot the parm!

Caramelize the onions the remove them from the pan.

Split the chicken. Season.

Cook the chicken until done.

Butter and toast the bread.

 
Build sandwiches then broil for a little bit. 
Watch then so they don't burn!

Chow down!

Slow Cooker Spicy Shredded Chicken Sandwiches

Holy cow but these are good! And easy? Everything goes in the slow cooker for a few hours then onto some yummy bread for sandwiches. Of course the chicken would be great rolled into some flour tortillas, too. Add some cheese...and little more salsa if you want...hey, throw on some sour cream if you want for a tasty burrito. Super-duper good and so simple it'll make you wanna cry.

Slow Cooker Spicy 
Shredded Chicken Sandwiches 



4 chicken breasts (I put mine in frozen and they turned out perfect)
1 cup red salsa
1 cup green salsa (I used Herdez brand)
1 small onion ~ sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Kings Hawaiian Rolls

Spray your crock pot with cooking spray.

Place sliced onions in the bottom of the crock pot.

Then add the chicken.

Pour the salsas on top of the chicken.

Add salt, pepper and cumin.

Allow to cook 5 - 6 hours.

Shred chicken with 2 forks and stir well. 

Place some of the chicken mixture on each roll. Add some shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.

 

Okay...here's ALL you need.

 

Slice the onion and throw it in the 

slow cooker. Then add the chicken, 

salsas and the seasonings. Let 'er 

rip for a few hours.

 

Shred, stir and they're done!

 

Seriously....so easy and SO good!

Polish Sausage Sandwiches

When IT Guy and I were young and could eat anything we wanted, one of our favorite places to go was Weinerschnitzle. Although I think back in the day (and by "day", I mean 1975) it was called Der Weinerschnitzle. Regardless, we'd go and enjoy their Polish Sausage sandwiches. There was one very near the little trailer we lived in that was very near my high school that was very near the miniature golf course where we had one of our first dates that was very near my old house in Tucson. We'd always eat outside, because back in the day there was no indoor seating, so we'd sit in the blistering heat of an Arizona afternoon and chow down on these bad boys. I haven't seen a Weinerschnitzle restaurant in years but I've always remembered these yummy sandwiches, so for me, the next best thing was to make them at home. These are good...really good...but I have to say that there's something about the ones from my newlywed years that will always be the best! 

Polish Sausage Sandwiches



1 pound package Polish Sausage
Rye bread ~ 8 slices
Swiss cheese ~ 4 slices (or 8 slices if you want cheese on the top and the bottom)
Mustard
4 Kosher Dill pickle spears

Cut sausages into 4 equal pieces. Then slice each piece lengthwise.

In a large skillet, lightly brown the sausage on each side. 

Apply mustard to each slice of bread.

Place a piece of cheese on 4 slices of bread. (Or all pieces if using 8 slices)

Then place 2 slices of the sausage halves on top.

Add a pickle slice between the kielbasa pieces and top with another piece of bread. 

Grill or wrap each sandwich in a piece of foil and heat in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes to warm through and melt the cheese. Or pop in the microwave for a few seconds. 

Makes enough for 4 sandwiches.

Here's the stuff to get you going.

Cut the sausage in 1/4's then slice 

each piece in half lengthwise. Then grill 'em up.

Mustard up the bread.

Then place the cheese, then the meat 

then a pickle on 4 slices of bread.

Top with another piece of cheese, 

if desired. At this point, you can grill 

them to melt the cheese or place in

 the oven or microwave to heat through.

I wrapped mine in foil and threw 

them in the oven for about 10 minutes or so.

Enjoy!!!

Chicken Caesar Salad Sliders

I love Caesar salad. I love chicken, too. These little sandwiches turned out to be so fun and easy! OH! I love easy, too!!! If you're running short on time, you could use the good old rotisserie chicken from the grocery store but cooking your own tastes SO good! Try these for lunch or dinner...or at a party as an appetizer! Just a fun little sammie all around!

Chicken Caesar Salad Sliders



3 - 4 chicken breasts ~ cooked and shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 - 1 cup Caesar salad dressing
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Romaine lettuce leaves
Slider buns

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season chicken breasts on both sides and place on rimmed cookie sheet.

Bake chicken for 45 minutes or until done. Allow to cool then shred.

In a medium saucepan, warm salad dressing. Add chicken and stir to combine and allow to heat through.

Assemble sandwiches with chicken mixture, lettuce, grated Parmesan on slider buns.

Serve warm. 

Let's go!

Season the chicken.

Bake until done.

Heat up the dressing.

Shred the chicken then mix with the heated dressing.

Assemble the sandwiches!

The Best EVER BLT & A Sandwich

I think there's nothing that hits the spot better than this sandwich. My whole family loves it....plus I've made believers out of a bunch of my friends. My tomatoes are not ripe yet, so I had to settle for store bought, but I can't WAIT to use a fresh off the vine tomato next time! Have you tried the bacon weaving method? It's perfect for a sandwich like this. If you want a killer sandwich, please make this. I can guarantee you will be pleased as punch! And make sure you use my secret ingredient. It's not the same without it.

The Best EVER BLT & A Sandwich



This recipe makes 2 sandwiches.

4 slices bread
Mayo
2 lettuce leaves
1 ripe tomato ~ sliced
1 ripe avocado ~ sliced
6 slices bacon ~ woven and baked (or cooked the old fashioned way)
Secret ingredient: Lawry's Seasoning Salt ~ this is a MUST!!!!

Cut bacon in half. Weave 6 halves together and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until bacon reaches desired crispness.

Toast bread and spread with mayo.

Layer lettuce, bacon, tomato and avocado on one piece of bread.

Sprinkle with Lawry's Salt and top with the other piece of bread. Cut in half and enjoy!!

Here's what you need.

Toast your bread...

..add the mayo.

Then add the lettuce, bacon,

and tomato.

Add the avocado last. Wanna know why? 

Because it needs the seasoning salt the 

most and the seasoning salt sticks to the avocado the best.

You will not believe how yummy this sandwich is!!!

Cuban Sandwiches

I saw someone on TV make Cuban sandwiches a while back and I've been craving them ever since. I've never made one, or eaten one so this was a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kinda deal. I knew what the sandwiches had in them so I figured they couldn't be hard to throw together. A little planning is all it takes. You need to plan time to cook the pork but it's SOOOOO worth it! These are yummy!

Cuban Sandwiches



2 - 3 pound pork shoulder roast (bone-in)
Sliced ham
Swiss cheese
Mustard and mayo
Dill Pickles
Buns
Spicy Rub (recipe follows)

For the Spicy Rub:

3 - 4 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons oregano
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons pepper
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoon lime juice

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients except the oil and lime juice.

Once everything has come together and with the food processor running, drizzle in the oil and lime juice until you have a thick paste.

Rub the mixture all over your pork roast making sure to cover both sides and underneath any folds and in all the crevices.

Place meat on a rack in a pan and allow to set at room temp for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Add 1 cup of water to the pan and allow meat to cook for about 3 hours until tender, turning every 30 minutes or so.

Let meat stand for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Assemble sandwiches using pork roast, ham, cheese and condiments. 

Heat a panini press or grill pan to medium heat.

Spread butter on the outsides of the bread and place on heated pan. Grill in a panini press or place another heavy pan on top of sandwiches to press down. Flip sandwiches over to grill the other side. 

Here's the sammie stuff.

Blend the onion, garlic and 

seasonings in a food processor.

Add the oil....

...and the lime juice.

Rub the mixture all over the pork roast.

Cook for about 3 hours, 

turning every 30 minutes or so.

Build your sammies!

Buttah....buttah the bread.

Then grill!! So delicious!!