Chicken Club Sandwiches with Lemon Dill Mayo

I really love sandwiches!  On busy nights we can be found eating Pesto Club Sandwiches, Hot Ham Hogies, BBQ Chicken sandwiches or these Gooey Ham Sandwiches with some french fries or fresh veggies.  Sandwiches just come together so quickly and the variations are endless, so there's no reason to ever get bored with them.  This version of a chicken club sandwich is simple and delicious.  I came up with this when I had a get together with some friends from college and it was a big hit.  The chicken is so tender and juicy and the Lemon Dill Mayo was perfect.

Just a note about the chicken.  You want it to be really thin.  A thick piece of chicken could spell disaster if it isn't easy to eat.  Cutting it lengthwise into 2 cutlets and then pounding them flat makes it so tender and easy to bite into.  The whole thing just melts in your mouth.  It can also be made earlier in the day to make mealtime completely no fuss!


Chicken Club Sandwiches with Lemon Dill Mayo
Serves 4

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise and pounded thin
1 cup crushed butter flavored crackers (I used Ritz roasted vegetable flavor)
1 Tbs. butter
4-6 slices bacon, cooked
Fresh spinach
Fresh sliced tomatoes
8 sliced whole grain bread

Coat each piece of chicken in cracker crumbs.  Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat.  Cook the chicken until it is golden brown and cooked through.  Lightly toast the bread and spread with Lemon Dill Mayo.  Build the sandwich using the chicken, spinach, tomato, and bacon.

Lemon Dill Mayo

1/4 cup mayonnaise
Lemon zest, to taste
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp. fresh chopped dill

Add all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.  Refrigerate 1 hour to allow flavors to combine.

Source:  A Mommy's Original Recipe

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Gooey Cheesy Ham Sandwiches with Onion Butter



This has become one of my favorite quick meals.  It is so gooey and cheesy and full of flavor.  The onion butter just puts it over the top.  I had to make extra to use on other sandwiches.  I don't know if I'll ever need mayo again.  :) 

I think I'll make these for our next family get together and these will be on the Superbowl menu for sure!  Because they are so easy, I've starting keeping the fixin's in the fridge so I can have them any time the craving strikes!

Gooey Cheesy Ham Sandwiches with Onion Butter

Serves 8

Sandwich:

8 wholeSandwich Rolls (or 16 Dinner Rolls)
1/2 poundsHam, Any (sliced Thin Or Chopped)
1/2 poundsCheese, Any Variety That Melts Well (I used cheddar and Monterrey jack)

Onion Butter:

8 Tablespoons salted butter
1/2 cup finely minced onion
3 Tablespoons prepared mustard (I used Dijon)
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

To make the onion butter, combine ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat gently just until the butter is melted and all the ingredients are well combined. Cool to a spreadable consistency.

To prepare sandwiches, place roll bottoms, cut side up on a sheet pan. Spread some onion butter evenly onto each of the halves (use about half of the onion butter for this step), top with 1/2 the cheese, next add all the ham, now add remaining cheese, and end with the rest of the onion butter. Top with the roll tops, cover pan with foil, and heat in a 300F oven for 10-15 minutes until the sandwiches are heated through and the cheese melts.

Sandwiches can be assembled up to 2 days in advance, but store them in an airtight container to control the smell of raw onions in your fridge.

Source:  Photo and Recipe from Tasty Kitchen

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Mini Biscuit Pizzas

I know these don't look like much, but to a kid its the end all in lunch!  We had such a great time making these little pizzas.  My kiddos had so much fun putting their own toppings on.  I love these personalized meals.  If you don't like something then just leave it off.  Like most kids, mine wanted sauce, cheese and pepperoni.  Another great thing about these is that they freeze well.  Just pop them in the microwave until they're hot and voila, instant lunch!

Mini Biscuit Pizzas
Refrigerated biscuit dough or make your favorite biscuit recipe
Pizza sauce
Your favorite pizza topping

Remove biscuit dough from the container and flatten with your hands or roll out.  Top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake at 425° for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and biscuits are cooked through.  To freeze:  Place on a lightly greased baking pan and freeze thoroughly.  Remove from the pan and store in a zippered freezer bag.  Reheat in the microwave until hot.

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Hot Ham Hoagies

If you need a quick, easy and delicious week night meal, then this is for you!  I had this on the table in 20 minutes flat.  My family loves it because they can customize it however they want.  Don't like onions?  No problem!  Want extra cheese?  Go for it!  There wasn't a complaint to be heard because their mouths were too busy.  Even my little kids loved this.  Add some fresh fruit or a nice green salad and you've got a meal everyone will love.

I always try to plan a couple of this kind of busy day meal into my menu.  It makes getting home late from work or dance or music classes so much less stressful!  When everyone is starving and wants to know when dinner is, you can have it on the table in minutes.

Hot Ham Hoagies
Serves 6

3/4-1 cup BBQ sauce (depending on how saucy you want it)
3/4 tsp. ground mustard
3/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 pound thinly sliced, fully cooked ham
Lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes, sliced onion and cheese
6 hoagie buns, split

In a sauce pan over medium heat, combine the first 5 ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Place lettuce, tomato, onion and cheese on buns; top with ham.

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Meat and Cheese Stromboli

I loved making this delicious Italian sandwich.  It was simple and easy and quick.  Thursday nights are busy at my house.  Three of my girls are on three different soccer teams.  It's a real treat trying to get to all the games.  I have yet to be able to just sit and watch an entire game.  I'm constantly running from game to game.  Such is the life of a "soccer mom" and I wouldn't have it any other way!  So Thursday nights I try to plan something simple for dinner.  Something that is easy to reheat so that everyone can eat at their convenience.  This sandwich was perfect.  It can be served hot, at room temperature or reheated.  I served this with a fresh garden salad and some melon slices.

Start by rolling out your bread dough on a well greased 10 x 15 inch baking sheet.

Layer the meats on half of the dough.  You can use any combination of meats, but make sure one of them is an Italian meat.  Salami is my favorite, but pepperoni would work too!

Sprinkle with the cheeses.  Be generous here!

Top with sauteed onions and peppers, garlic powder Italian seasoning and pepper.

Fold the dough over and pinch the sides to seal everything inside.  Brush with egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Bake until it is a beautiful golden brown and enjoy!

Meat and Cheese Stromboli

1 large onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 medium green pepper, sliced
1 Tbs. butter
2 loaves frozen bread dough, thawed (you could also use homemade bread dough)
1/2 lb. sliced hard salami
1/2 lb. sliced deli ham
1/2 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 lb. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. poppy seed

In a large skillet, saute onion and green pepper in butter until crisp tender; set aside.  On two greased baking sheets, roll each loaf of dough into a 15 x 10 inch rectangle.  Arrange the salami, ham and cheeses lengthwise over half of each rectangle to within 1/2 inch of the edges of the dough..  Top with onion mixture; sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic powder and pepper.  Fold dough over filling; pinch edges to seal.

Brush with egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds.  Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool for 5 minutes before slicing.  Makes 2 loaves (about 8 servings each).

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