Artichoke Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

I'm usually pretty content with a regular old grilled cheese sandwich--cheddar and sourdough being my staple. Because of this I generally don't look outside my little grilled cheese box all that often. I mean, what more can you ask for than warm cheese and good bread with toasty butter on the outsides?

Well, it's not that you can exactly that you can ask for more because, well, bread, melty cheese, butter. But sometimes you want to have a meal that feels like real dinner instead of lazy summer lunch. Don't get me wrong, I'm never opposed to a nice lazy summer lunch, and I'm definitely not opposed to sliding some of those meals into the dinner slot occasionally.

But sometimes, I mean, sometimes, it seems like you should actually eat some vegetables with your lazy summer lunch turned dinner. So last night when I was crunched for time right before dinner, grilled cheese with a little sophistication hit our plates.

And let me be honest, I wasn't sure that this was going to work. The filling I put inside looked weird--not cheesy enough to be cheesy, not gooey enough to be a dip. Also, the primary cheese was Swiss and I was worried that it would just taste too Swiss-cheesy. But once that heat was added, the texture was fantastic and the artichoke and Swiss balanced each other out, so nobody got to screaming at you too much. I wanted to eat fifteen.

You can eat these alone or add a salad, fruit, or even fries to make it more dinner-like. As for us, we stuck with apple slices as a side dish, because apparently, I'm still a little stuck in lazy summer lunch zone. But don't let my 12-year-old-ness fool you. This is a grilled cheese sandwich for any grown-up to be proud of.

Artichoke Grilled Cheese Sandwich
adapted from Hun, What's for Dinner
Makes 8 small sandwiches
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook time: 5-10 minutes
Cost: $4.00 (that's about $1/serving)
bread: 1.00, artichoke hearts: 1.75, Parm cheese: .25, Swiss cheese: .90, other stuff: .10

1 loaf French bread, sliced
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 oz Parmesan cheese, shredded (NOT the powdery kind)
4 oz Swiss cheese, shredded

Note: Pre-shredded bagged cheese may not work as well because they coat it with something. That said, I bet you could use it and this would still be fine.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Plop an ice cream scoop(ish) sized portion onto your bread.

Butter the outer sides of your bread and warm on a skillet until cheese is melty and outsides are butter-crisped and perfect.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Spinach Avocado Grilled Cheese

This is not your mother's grilled cheese sandwich. And it's certainly not your son's.

In the summer, we tend to do summery meals--more salads, sandwiches, more quick things and cold things and simple things. Which can get boring if you're not careful.

So I made this. It wasn't boring. And it's awesome. And definitely filling enough to be a meal. And kind of green. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the avocados. I don't generally like mine hot; once I tried them as a pizza topping and HATED it. But in this they just get mildly warm and add a nice creaminess to the sandwich.

Spinach Avocado Grilled Cheese
adapted from Taste Spotting
Makes 1
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5-10 minutes
Cost: $1.20
bread: .20, avocado: .20, spinach: .05, pesto: .20, mozzarella: .15, goat cheese: .40)

2 slices bread (any type will work, so go as wholesome as you wish)
6-8 leaves of baby spinach
1/4 avocado (use the rest in a smoothie if you wish)
2 Tbsp pesto (or even mayo if you don't have pesto, though mayo won't have as much punch)
2 large slices mozzarella or cheddar
2 Tbsp crumbled goat cheese (optional, but good)

Spread the pesto on your slices of bread. Add sliced cheese to one slice. Add spinach leaves (layer them only in a single layer; otherwise, they feel crunchy and don't feel right with your warm sandwich). Add avocado slices. Add goat cheese. Top with other slice of bread.

Butter each side and put in a frying pan on medium low heat. You'll need the heat low-ish so the cheese melts. Once one side of the bread is lightly browned, flip and do the other side.

Note: If you're having trouble getting your cheese to melt, take the pan off the burner and put a lid over the sandwich. This will hold the heat in and melt your cheese without burning your bread.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Classic Egg Salad (Only Better)

(Yeah, you can see a little of that blue/green dye leaked on to the eggs. Don't you just love Easter traditions?)

When I was growing up, we took our extra eggs and rolled them down a hill to see whose shell would come off first. I recall it being a race of some sort, although I don't remember if the winner was the first egg down the hill or the first egg to lose its shell or the last egg to lose its shell. At any rate, it was loads of fun. In fact, cheapskate or not, I count it as a great way to use up those Easter eggs because it was such a squeal-with-delight Easter activity.

However, I recognize that there are those among you who would rather not roll their eggs down the hill or perhaps have so very many eggs that you can roll your egg and eat it too. In this case, let me recommend these egg salad sandwiches.

Which isn't a recommendation I give lightly. You see, I don't really care for egg salad sandwiches. Every year on Easter or the day after we whip up a batch. Every year they look pretty good. And every year I take a bite or two and call it good.

This year, I decided to do something radical. I decided to consult a cookbook. And sure enough, there on page 122 of my Best Recipes (Cook's Illustrated) Cookbook was a recipe for egg salad. It didn't look too earth shattering, but then I had nothing to lose so I made it.

They recommended cutting (as opposed to mashing with a fork) the eggs. I actually didn't think I'd like it since I'm a greater lover of mayonnaise than of hard boiled eggs, but I decided to exercise a bit of faith. It called for mayo, onion, a little bit of lemon juice, celery and parsley. I subbed onion powder for the onion and left out the celery, knowing that those ingredients would deter the only reliable egg salad eater in the family.

And when it was done? Oh me, oh my. It was GREAT. I still don't know quite why it was so great. I think I have the larger bits of egg to thank (apparently, egg paste and I just aren't on good terms; who knew) and the lemon, which adds a something something I never would have thought to add on my own (even though recently I read that egg and lemon were really good bedfellows; I wasn't quite a believer, but now...).

So even if you aren't an egg salad aficionado, you might want to give this just one more try. If you're not planning to hurtle some defenseless eggs down a hill, you've got nothing left to lose.

Classic Egg Salad
adapted from The Best Recipe Cookbook
Prep time: 5 minutes if eggs already cooked
Cost: $.90
eggs: .60 (more like .30 around here lately), mayo: .20, other stuff: .10

6 hard-boiled eggs
1/4 C mayonnaise
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard (regular will do too)
small dash onion powder (probably 1/8 tsp)
1/4 tsp salt
pepper
1-2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped small
1 Tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped small

Hard boil eggs if you haven't. (Bring to hard boil, cover, turn off heat, and let sit for 10 minutes.)

Remove shell from eggs. I recommend giving the top and bottom a good bonk on the counter and then rolling the middles back and forth. Then peel starting at the end with the air pocket. This usually makes it easier for me to get those eggs out.

Dice eggs into 1/2-inch bits. Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Ranch Chicken Sandwiches

Way back when I started this blog over a year ago, one of the first things I planned to post were these sandwiches. Because they're awesome. And then I didn't and then the Cheap Eat Challenge came and we couldn't afford to make them and then I kind of forgot about them. Until a week ago when I threw some Ranch dressing on some chicken in a skillet. Suddenly I remembered them. Suddenly I wanted them. Desperately.

Now you can desperately want them too. You're welcome.

P.S. Don't let the chicken breasts and spinach deceive you. This isn't low-fat.

Ranch Chicken Sandwiches
Makes 4 sandwiches
Prep and cook time: 20-30 minutes
Cost: $4.70 plus what you pay for buns--$5.50
(chicken: 3.00, bacon: .50, ranch: .70, spinach: .50)

Note: One of the great things about this recipe is that you can use leftover chicken in it if you've got it--it'll still suck up the flavors of the sauce. If you don't have it, don't despair, because this is still uber fast to make.

Note on Ranch dressing: You can probably use any kind of Ranch dressing to good effect. However, we generally use "homemade" Ranch dressing, which means we use the powdered stuff mixed in with mayo and milk per the instructions on the package. However, if you want to have the very very best Ranch mixture, this is what you should do. Mix one package Ranch Dip (not dressing) with 1 C milk and 1 C mayo. It'll be a runny sort of "dressing." We discovered this by accident when I bought dip once instead of dressing, and it is the best. I don't know why it's better than regular Ranch, but it is.

2 chicken breasts, cut into bit sized-cubes
4 strips bacon
Ranch dressing (see note above), about 1/2-1 C, though I never measure
4 C spinach, chopped or shredded by hand
4 rolls, bagels, or hamburger buns
mayo, pesto, and/or cheddar (optional)

In a skillet, cook bacon until fairly crisp. Remove bacon from pan, but leave those lovely drippings.

Cook cubed chicken in the bacon drippings for a couple of minutes. Add Ranch dressing to the chicken and stir it around to coat the chicken. Stir this every minute or so until the chicken is entirely cooked (the dressing will get a little brown as it cooks with the chicken and some of the oils may separate out of the dressing, so don't freak out if that happens. You want your chicken to be brown at the end, not to have a coating of white Ranch dressing on it).

Throw spinach in the skillet and cook a minute or two more until it is wilted. Crumble bacon and add it back to the pan.

Scoop out the chicken mixture and put it on your sandwich bun of choice (we used a whole wheat version of these rolls, which were awesome. We also like bagels or sandwich buns or even hamburger buns). You can toast your roll first or not; both are good.

If you aren't completely freaked out by the amount of fat you've already witnessed in your pan (embrace it my friends; and serve the sandwiches with a big salad--that should make you feel better), you can put mayonnaise on your bun with a little cheddar, which is delicious. The other thing I really love with these sandwiches is a bit of pesto spread on the bun. Alternately, if you don't have pesto, you could throw a handful of well-chopped basil leaves and a chopped clove of garlic into the skillet when you add the spinach. If you like basil, this is very very butt-kickingly delicious, so do it, okay. Even if you hate basil, you might like this because it's subdued, but still delicious.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Tomato Sandwiches

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family of 6 eats on $10/day or less.

Today's post is more of a memory than a recipe.

I grew up watching my mother eat tomato sandwiches in the summer. Mom doesn't love gardening, but she does love fresh tomatoes. Growing up we would often have garden tomatoes.

Tomato sandwiches are one of those foods that seem gross to a kid at first. But when your parent enjoys them as much as my mom did, well, eventually you come around. And you're so glad you did. Because tomato sandwiches with garden tomatoes--they're something special. Don't ask me why they're not gross. Any other time of the year, a tomato sandwich just seems like a sandwich that forgot the rest of its toppings, but in the summer, those tomatoes are singing their own song. And they don't need anybody else to sing it with them. I actually like tomato sandwiches best with tomatoes just picked so that they're still a little warm. The mayo and salt get kind of warm and melty and it's like eating summer itself. Of course you can get this effect by toasting the bread as well. And of course, a sun-warmed tomato is not a necessity for a good summer sandwich. All you need is a good fresh tomato, some bread, some salt, and a bit (a generous bit if you're me) of mayonnaise. Don't try to duplicate them in the winter. You'll just grode yourself out.

Everyone should have a good virgin tomato sandwich for starters, but if you're in the mood to dress the sandwich up a bit, it dresses up well. I like it with a good sharp cheddar. Fresh basil with or without a bit of olive oil goes nicely too. And I'm betting a slab of mozzarella wouldn't do you wrong (I haven't tried it yet, but I've got my slab of mozzarella waiting for me in the refrigerator). And do I even need to say how blessed a BLT is with summer tomatoes.

Let me know how you like your tomato sandwiches. The raccoons may have consumed all of my beautiful corn, my squash may be refusing to produce, but I've got tomatoes coming out my ears.

Tomato Sandwich
serves 1
Prep time: 2 minutes
Cost: a few cents for bread and mayo

2 slices bread
several fat slices of tomato (I like thickish slices in one layer on my bread)
mayo for generous spreading on both sides of your bread
salt and pepper--don't skimp

Toast your bread if you wish and make a sandwich. Eat it nice and slow. The juice and mayo will drip onto your fingers. Embrace this fact and lick it off. Remember: tomato sandwiches are fleeting. Enjoy them when they come.

Basil Meatball Sandwiches with Crunchy Veggie Slaw

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family of 6 eats well on $10/day.

I realize I'm a day late and a dollar short posting this the day after Independence Day and all. But it's still grilling season. Heck, you don't even need to grill these; if it's a rainy day, just bust out a skillet and pretend you did.

These tasty meatballs were meant to be served with the slaw inside the bun. In some families the belief exists (especially among those of a certain gender which shall not here be named, but which slant rhymes with 'bland') that the only vegetable included in a sandwich should be a red one served in the form of a sauce that rhymes with 'getchup'. If this is the case in your family, don't worry, you can man this sandwich up just fine, as Kip has so generously demonstrated in this picture:

(Oh, wait, I see another vegetable in that sandwich as well--one that rhymes with smickle. Perfect.)

One more note on this sandwich (the female version that is). The recipe originally called for carrots with daikon radish, which is a spicy white Asian radish. I had none on hand, but it is one of those weird vegetables that occasionally shows up in CSA baskets and farmer's markets and you (I) wonder what to do with it. So, although you don't need it for this sandwich so desperately that you should hunt it down if you don't have it, this is definitely a great way to use one if you've got one. 

Basil Meatball Sandwiches with Crunchy Veggie Slaw

adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine (I think)

Serves 4 (large sandwiches)

Prep and cook time: 15-20 minutes for meat; 10 minutes for slaw, but it should rest an hour

Cost: $3.80 (not including buns here)

(hamburger: 3.00, carrots: .40, celery: .30, other stuff: .10)

1 lb hamburger or ground pork

1/4 C fresh basil, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp hot chili sauce

1 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp chunky salt (or 1/2 tsp table salt)

Slaw:

2 C carrots, grated

1-2 C celery, finely chopped (or grated daikon radish or cabbage or probably any other crunchy vegetable)

1/4 C rice vinegar (didn't have so used white wine vinegar)

1/4 C sugar

1 tsp chunky salt (or 1/2 tsp table salt)

1 Tbsp Asian sesame oil

16 large cilantro sprigs (didn't have, so didn't use, but think it would have been so awesome)

Note: If you've got pesto, that can be substituted for the basil and garlic--use about 1/4 C pesto)

To make slaw:

Grate carrots and chop celery.

Mix together with vinegar, sugar, salt, and sesame oil. Let sit for 1 hour (I let mine sit covered at room temperature). You might be tempted to skip this resting period, but I have to say that I tasted mine right after I made it and it was so so much better an hour later. 

To make meatballs:

Combine hamburger with everything else. Mash it together and roll it into meatballs that are 1-2 inches across (remember they'll shrink). Cook in skillet until no longer pink in center. 

Serve on buns of some sort with the slaw or whatever other toppings make you and yourn happiest. 

A Word on Waste: 

If you end up with leftover slaw, don't throw it out. Save it and the next day add some granny smith apples (or another crisp apple) and/or raisins to make a salad out of it. 

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Pepperoni Rolls

Cheap Eat Challenge: Watch as our family of 6 eats, or tries to, on $6/day.

If you don't know what a pepperoni roll is, you probably didn't grow up in the Mountain State, or 10 minutes from its border, as I did. (If you are from West Virginia, you're probably thinking that these look a little lame on the pepperoni --sorry, did you read the bit about the cheap eat challenge above.)

I actually never realized what an interesting regional food these were until I left Appalachia and noticed nobody else made pepperoni rolls while my sister and all her friends in West Virginia made them all the time. Pepperoni rolls were developed in West Virginia as an easy lunch for coal miners. Traditionally the roll consists of pepperoni sticks (not the round slices you see above) in a white flour roll. It's a genius little idea that'd work for anyone in need of a quick, cheap, very tasty lunch. And one of the nice things about rolls and summer is that they rise up nice and quick and only take about 15 minutes in the oven (as opposed to loaves of bread which will cost you 45 minutes of heated kitchen). They're perfect for picnics or days at the pool or easy dinners with a big salad on the side.

I added a bit of mozzarella to mine and used whole wheat flour for half of the flour. My sister (who, as I stated above, lives in the actual state of West Virginia and who is married to a real bonafide West Virginian) makes them sometimes with pepper jack cheese, which adds a nice kick. Hers always look a little more authentic and less goofy than mine as well.

Pepperoni Rolls
makes 24
Prep time: 20 minutes plus 1 1/2 hour to rise.
Cook time: 15 minutes
Cost: $3.55
(rolls: $1.65, pepperoni: 1.50 for 1/2 package; I used less; cheese: .40)

1 recipe Katie's rolls (posted below)--use half whole wheat flour and half white if you want to nutrify it a bit
1/2-1 pkg pepperoni slices or 12 pepperoni sticks
2-4 oz. mozzarella or pepper jack cheese (optional)

Prepare rolls as described below until you finish the first rise.

After the first rise, punch down the dough and separate it into golf ball-ish sized hunks and flatten the hunks into little rounds.

They'll be 3-4 inches across.

Sprinkle on some cheese. Or give it a nice slice if you've got sliceable mozzarella (yum).

Add a few pieces of pepperoni (I'd recommend 4-6, though I used only 2). Or cut some pepperoni sticks into roll sized logs and put them in.

Fold them up.

Put them on a baking sheet, seam-side down. Let rise again for about 20 minutes or until they're getting cozy with each other.

Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.

Take them wherever you need to go. They're delicious, cheap, transportable food.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Katie's Rolls
Makes 16-24
(Cost: $1.65-ish)
1 C warm water
1 C milk, warmed (not hot)
2 Tbsp yeast
1/4 C butter
2 tsp salt
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
7-8 C flour

Add yeast to water and milk. Let it sit there if you've got five minutes. If you'll get distracted by leaving a thing for five minutes, then just throw the butter, salt, sugar, and eggs in before you forget what on earth you were doing in the first place. Mix it all together. Mix in 4 C flour. Add 2 more cups. Begin kneading with hands when it gets too tough to stir. Of course, if you're a member of the 21st century and have a Kitchenaid, you can use that too with the dough hook. I myself haven't quite made it to the 21st century and that's okay with me because (weird mental disorder alert) I kind of like kneading. It relaxes me. I like how the dough smells. I like how it feels. 

So if you, like me, will be doing things manually, here is #1 best tip for rolls. The dough should be pillowy--like a mother's bosom. We don't want any tight teenage breasts, nor do we want a stretched and sagging grandma shelf. If a three-year-old would just love to lay her head on your dough, it's perfect. (Warning: If you have a real life 3-year-old available, do not invite her to lay her head upon your dough to test it out. You'll get hair in your dough. And possibly boogers. Which is what mother's bosoms also get covered in when they have three-year-olds. Not that we mind because three-year-olds are cute.) I've digressed, haven't I? Anyway, so keep adding flour in 1/4 C increments or so and knead it for about 8 minutes until it is nice and pillowy and perhaps the teeniest little bit tacky, but not sticky. Then put it in a bowl and cover it and keep it in a warm place. (Everyone always says put it in an oiled bowl. I have never, not even once in my life done this. I always just throw it back in the bowl I mixed it in. It is always always fine. Who are these people with their oiled bowls and what is the purpose of oiling the bowl?) 


[At this point, go up to the instructions above for pepperoni rolls.]

Carrot Cauliflower Sandwiches

Cheap Eat Challenge: Watch as our family of 6 tries really hard to eat on $6/day.

What? You don't see your children galloping to the table when you call, "The carrot cauliflower sandwiches are ready, dears." (Because I totally know you call your babies 'dears' on a regular basis, don't you?)

As for galloping, I've got to tell you, they probably won't. They'll most likely compare the scent of the cooked cauliflower to poop; even your husband will chime in on that one (and let's face it, it does have a slightly shall we say gassy smell when cooked). They'll probably make gagging noises and maybe even make a show of going into the bathroom to "barf." I assure you that this is because they hold your skill as a homemaker in the utmost regard. Okay, well, I don't assure you of that. But I will assure you of this: You should make this anyway because it's very very good and pretty darn nutritious, and even if you end up eating it all by your lonely for lunch one day (or over the course of a couple days), you won't really mind because that means more for you. Amen and amen.

I first discovered this sandwich when writing an article on child care while in graduate school. I went to a woman's house to observe her child care and guess what was on the menu for lunch (and yes, her little dears ate it). She made hers like grilled cheese--she used two pieces of buttered bread, which she toasted (with the filling between) on a skillet. It's crazy wicked good this way, but sometimes I'm not hungry enough for that much at lunch. I usually have mine open faced on one piece of toast, and I find this sandwich SPECTACULAR with a slice of sharp cheddar underneath the veggie filling. I've made this sandwich for several (adult) loved ones. Everyone's a bit skeptical at first (it's like sort of like telling your mother your fiance is named Bertha--sure, she might be sweet and petite and skinny as a nail, but until you get to know her, that name will just trip you up). But everyone who has eaten it has enjoyed it.

Carrot Cauliflower Sandwiches
Serves 6-8
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Cost: $1.45
(cauliflower: 1.50, carrots: 35, mayo: .05, bread: .05)

1 small head cauliflower
6 medium carrots (I'm thinking about 1/2 pound)
2/3 C mayo
salt and pepper to taste
toast to eat it on (I like it best with sourdough)
slices cheddar cheese (option)

Steam or boil the cauliflower and carrots. Steaming takes a bit longer, but is the healthiest. If you boil them, just use about 1 inch of water, cover the pot, and keep an eye on it just in case the water gets low. I usually cut the stalk off the cauliflower, but otherwise leave it as a head and then dice the carrots.

Steam or boil them until they are tender enough to be mashed with a fork, but not so tender that they will turn into paste when you mash them. (You should be able to cut right into the head of cauliflower with a fork and have it break apart, but it shouldn't feel like cutting soft butter.) For perfectly perfect results, you can cook the cauliflower and carrots in different pans, but that's too much hassle for me, so I just check to make sure one or the other isn't getting too soft. If it is, I take that one out and leave the other to cook longer.

Drain off liquid and mash the carrots and cauliflower with a fork.

(You'll note I cut up my cauliflower here. It cooked a little too fast and came out a little too mushy. The world didn't end, but I wish I'd left it as a head or as bigger chunks.)

Add mayonnaise, beginning with just 1/3 C. If you want more, keep adding it until it's a consistency you like.

Add salt and pepper. Don't skip this step. This needs some salt to make it work. Give it a couple shakes until it's singing your song.

Eat on toast with cheese. Or put between two pieces of bread. Butter the bread and heat on a skillet as you would grilled cheese. (That'll sing your song.) It's also great on Wheat Thins. It'll keep in the fridge for a good week, although I always love it the most right out of the pan.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

BLT on Sourdough with Avocado Mayonnaise

Cheap Eat Challenge: Watch or join us as our family of 6 learns to eat on $6/day.

I am a firm believer that BLT's are usually best in the summer when the lettuce and tomatoes are fresh and abundant. However. On Monday Kip and I went out to lunch at a sandwich shop where the first thing listed was a BLT on sourdough with avocado mayonnaise. It sounded awesome, but I didn't order it. I got another sandwich that also sounded amazing, but just wasn't. And so, ever since then I've been unable to shake the urge for that BLT. And then avocados were on sale for $.78. What can I say? I know when a thing is simply meant to be.

I had fresh lettuce, but could not bring myself to pay $2.48/lb for the mostly green tomatoes at Walmart. I figured I would improvise something and I did. I had some home-canned tomatoes (I know some of you just checked out; stay with me), but I knew just flopping them on the sandwich wouldn't do it any kind of justice. So after the bacon had cooked I tossed the tomatoes into the bacon grease and let them warm up and some of the juices evaporate off. It worked. It's not fresh summer tomatoes, but it was still very very good. A winter BLT. Come and dine with me.

BLT on Sourdough with Avocado Mayonnaise
Serves 4
Prep time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Cost: $2.43
(avocado: .78, mayo: .10, lettuce: .10, tomatoes: .10, bacon: .1.25, bread: .10)

10-12 strips bacon
4 large lettuce leaves
1 large fresh tomato or about 1/2 C quality canned tomatoes
1 avocado
1/4 C mayonnaise
8 slices sour dough bread, toasted (French or white or whatever firm and yummy kind of bread will also work)

Cook bacon.

While it cooks, prepare avocado mayonnaise by mashing the avocado with a fork, then combining well with mayonnaise. Tough, I know, I'm just a regular old gourmet.

Toast bread.

When bacon is done, toss tomatoes into grease if using canned tomatoes. Give them a minute and let them sizzle and some of the juices evaporate off, but don't burn them. I took the pan off the heat because it was so hot. Turn them over to warm the rest and remove from heat.

Assemble sandwich: Avocado mayo, bacon, tomatoes, lettuce.

Eat, my friends, eat.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Hot Reuben Dip

Cheap Eat Challenge: Watch, or join us as our family of 6 eats, or tries to on $6/day.

So I'm a little late to the Superbowl. It and I never quite make each other's radar.

Fortunately, this dip/sandwich spread would be good for any old sporting event party you'd like to have. Or any other kind of party. Or any old evening when you're pressed for something quick, hot, and so delicious.

We use it as a sandwich spread and like it best served on slices of sourdough bread. But it's great as a dip served with crackers or cut veggies. Last night we ate it with some homemade white bread, and green drinks on the side.

Hot Reuben Dip
Adapted from Betty Crocker's Quick and Easy Cookbook
Serves 4-8
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Cost: $3.72
(cream cheese: $1, corned beef: .58, Thousand Island: .50, sauerkraut: .15, Swiss cheese: 1.50)

Note on substitutions: Don't like sauerkraut, just leave it off (you'll notice in the picture below that half of ours has it and half of it doesn't. I'm sure that doesn't surprise you). And if you hate Swiss cheese, you can use mozarrella or a mild cheddar. But the Swiss is delicious. And of course, it and the sauerkraut make a reuben a reuben.

1 package cream cheese (8 oz), softened
1/2 C Thousand Island dressing
1 1/2 C shredded Swiss cheese (6 oz.)
1 oz deli sliced corned beef (I just used the cheap Budding package), chopped into 1/2 inch (or smaller) bits
1/2 C drained sauerkraut

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine cream cheese and Thousand Island. Add 1 C of Swiss cheese and corned beef. Mix well. Spread onto bottom of 9 inch pie plate.

Top with sauerkraut and remaining 1/2 C Swiss cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes or until edges are brown and bubbly.

Serve warm with crusty bread, cut vegetables, crackers, or pretzels.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Tarragon Turkey Salad

Cheap Eat Challenge Count Down: 32 days

Success!!! Still got turkey? Is it ready for a last hurrah? What's that you say, you can't bear another turkey sandwich. Well, I won't force you, but the flavors in this turkey salad are different enough that I didn't feel like I was eating Thanksgiving dinner yet again. In fact, when I was done with my sandwich I had to stop myself from going at the bowl of remaining turkey salad with my spoon and finishing it off. 

Tarragon Turkey Salad

Serves 2

1 C cubed turkey (or chicken), cooked

1/4 C chopped broccoli (I chop mine super fine, so they are crumb-like)

1 stalk celery (chopped small)

1/4 C mayonnaise

1 tsp vinegar

2 tsp mustard

1 1/2 tsp dried tarragon (or 1 Tbsp fresh)

1-2 Tbsp walnuts (optional)

2 Tbspn dried cranberries (optional)

Combine turkey, broccoli, and celery in a bowl. Add walnuts and cranberries if using. Toss.

To make dressing, combine mayo, vinegar, mustard, and tarragon. Mix. Then mix into turkey/vegetable mixture. Chill if you've got the time. (By the way, don't feel like you have to add all the dressing if you have too much. I came up with a bit extra, which I plan to use on a regular salad some time this week.)

Serve with any bread you think is tasty. I didn't have dried cranberries, but ended up eating mine with a bit of leftover cranberry sauce over the top. That was really good too.

PRINTABLE RECIPE