Four-Meat Layer Italian Bake

To me, Italian food is almost as good as Mexican food, especially Italian sandwiches!  I tend to lean towards ordering them whenever I go places like Subway, Firehouse subs, Quiznos, etc.  My all time favorite Italian sandwich though, would have to be the 'Italino' from TGIFriday's.  Sadly though, it was removed from the menu when the restaurant was remodeled, which was years ago.  Thinking about it now, I really haven't been back to a TGIFriday's since.

With how much I enjoy Italian sandwiches, I find it difficult to believe that the thought of making my own sandwich, at home, never really occurred to me, until yesterday.  It all happened because I was playing around online (which I do a lot in the summer) and stumbled across a recipe for an Italian layer bake.  My initial thought was, "Boy! That sure looks delicious!", however, after clicking on the link, and reviewing the recipe, I couldn't help but feel that it was missing some key ingredients.  I immediately came up with an idea, and here's the result......

(If I were making this dish just for me, I probably would have spread a little bit of Italian dressing over the crescent rolls, but Jeff does not like dressing.  Either way, I am making this again!)

Four-Meat Italian Layer Bake
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Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) tube Pillsbury crescent rolls (I use the low fat)
22 slices Oscar Meyer Honey Ham deli slices
16 slices Oscar Meyer Oven Roasted Turkey deli slices
16 slices deli hard salami
16 slices pepperoni
½ cup Swiss cheese, shredded
1 cup
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
4 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. parsley flakes
2 tsp. basil
Dash of crushed red pepper flakes
4 eggs, beaten

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with a nonstick cooking spray.  Now, unroll the crescent roll dough without separating the triangles.  Divide the dough into two squares, tearing apart on the precut center line and then press one of the squares onto the bottom of the baking dish, making sure to use your fingers to evenly spread it out. 

 

 

Layer on top of the roll half of the ham, turkey, salami, and pepperoni. 

Top the meat layer with half of each of the cheeses listed, followed by half of the seasonings. 

Pour on half the egg mixture and then repeat the ingredient layers.  Take the final crescent roll square and lay it on top of the second layer of meats and cheeses.  Once again, use your hands to help you spread the roll over the top.  Pour over the remainder of the egg mixture and garnish with some more cheese and seasoning.  (It’s up to you how much and which ones)

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 22-25 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and the crescent rolls start to turn a nice golden color.  Once ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.  Cut, serve, and enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Key Ingredient

30 Day Paleo Challenge: Day 23 (Bavarian Meatball Sub in the Slow Cooker)

23

First off, being a runner myself, let me start today's post by expressing my sympathy for the runners' and the city of Boston.  They are definitely in my, and pretty much all of our thoughts and prayers.

So today offically marks day 23, which means there are only 7 days left!  I honestly can't believe how fast the time is going.  Unfortunately I don't have a lot of time to type up a lengthy post though, mostly because I have a lot of things I need to get done tonight.  I do however, really want to take just a minute to share a fantastic and super easy, meatball sub recipe.  I'm one who's always on the look out for a great tasting slow cooker recipe, and this is definitely one of them.....or so I was told. I'm also one who always trusts my taste tester because as far as I know, he hasn't lied to me yet!

Bavarian Meatball Sub in the Slow Cooker
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Ingredients:

2 packages Italian meatballs
½ a small onion, chopped
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 package dry onion soup mix
12 oz. Coca-Cola zero
Hoagie Rolls, split in half
1 package, shredded Swiss cheese

Directions:
In a slow cooker, coated with cooking spray, place the meatballs, onion, brown sugar, soup mix, and coke zero.  Turn the cooker on low and set for 3.5 – 4 hours, or until the meatballs are heated through.

Once they are finished, place the hoagie rolls onto a baking sheet, add a few of the prepared meatballs, and top with the desired amount of Swiss cheese.  Place the pan into the oven, on broil, for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the rolls have turned a nice golden brown color around the edges.

Enjoy!

Slightly adapted from Six Sisters

Roasted Jalapeno, Bacon, and Cheddar Grilled Cheese

Let me preface this post by informing everyone that I'm always on the lookout for new and intriguing foods to include when I make a grilled cheese sandwich.  Ever since I was a little girl, I've been a huge fan of the original.  Mostly due to the fact that it was easy, made a quick meal, contained cheese (I can't live without that!), and we always seemed have the ingredients on hand.  Nowadays though, I find that I feel a bit more creative when it comes to making a grilled cheese sandwich.

Let that be your warning then.....This recipe is not for your typical grilled cheese sandwich.  In fact, it takes the idea of the original to an entirely new, exciting, and spicy level! 

"How?" you might ask. 

Well, first you use 2 thick slices of sourdough bread, then you add on a layer of the cream cheese mixture, followed by some roasted jalapeno peppers, bacon crumbles, and finally you top it off with a slice of cheddar cheese.  Absolute perfection on toasted bread!  What could be better?

Roasted Jalapeno, Bacon, and Cheddar Grilled Cheese
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Makes 1 sandwich, but feel free to double ingredients for more

Ingredients:
2 slices sourdough bread (or any bread)
2 oz. cream cheese, softened (I use 1/3 less fat)
1/8 tsp. chili powder
2-3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
Butter

Directions:

To Roast the Peppers –
Set the oven to broil and then place the jalapeno slices onto a baking sheet.  Place in the oven and bake until the skins start to blacken.  Keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn.  Once ready, remove the jalapenos from the oven and immediately place into a zip lock bag allowing them to steam until cool to the touch.

To Make the Cream Cheese Mixture –

Place the cream cheese into a small bowl and add in the chili powder.  Using a hand mixer beat the mixture until smooth.

To Make the Grilled Cheese –

First, you will need to take one of the two slices of sourdough bread and spread the cream cheese mixture evenly onto a side.  Next, on top of the cream cheese spread, you will need to place a layer of bacon, followed by some jalapeno peppers, and finally a slice of cheddar cheese.  Now, just spread some more of the cream cheese mixture onto one side of the other slice of bread and place it on the sandwich, cream cheese side down.  Once the sandwich has been put together, gently butter each side of the bread. Lastly, place the sandwich into a skillet, set over medium heat, and allow to toast until the bread turns that nice golden brown you long for. This should take about 2-4 minutes per side.

Source: Adapted from Basil

Un-traditional Cuban Sliders

One of my favorite sandwiches of all time is the Cuban.  I just love the blend of flavors, in addition to the fact that it comes with a pickle slice.  Score!  So it was only natural that this sandwich came to mind as I was sitting there, on my couch, trying to think of things that I could serve for my birthday celebration.  The only problem that I could foresee at the time was the fact that this sandwich could be quite large and I wanted something small.  This way it would be able to fit on people’s plates along with other things.  That’s when I had an idea….sliders, the perfect party food!

The reason that I am calling this recipe the “Un-traditional” Cuban Slider is because a traditional Cuban sandwich is made with roasted pork, but unfortunately I could not find precooked pork anywhere.  I know that I always could have roasted my own, but with everything else that I had to make for the party I knew that I would not have time.  That’s why you will notice that I opted to substitute Genoa salami.  I know that this doesn’t sound like the best choice to replace pork (2 very different types of meat), but it’s what I read that people add to their Cuban sandwiches sometimes, so I just went with it.  I am glad I did too, because I thought the sliders turned out great!  These will definitely be made again.

Un-traditional Cuban Sliders

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Ingredients:

24 slider buns

18 oz. black forest ham

24 slices Genoa salami cut in ¼ sections

24 slices Swiss cheese cut in ¼ sections

Dill pickle chips

1 cup mayonnaise

3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

5 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper

Directions:

For Dijon-Mayonnaise- In a small bowl beat together the mayonnaise, mustard, and garlic.  Season with a dash of salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so that the flavors have a chance to blend.

To assemble the sliders:  First, open a slider roll.  Place two squares of Swiss cheese on the bottom.  Top the cheese with two slices of black forest ham.  Next, add 4 small pieces of salami (equals 1 piece).  Top the salami with 2 more pieces of Swiss cheese, add a pickle chip, and spread on a thin layer of the Dijon-Mayonnaise sauce.  Repeat the process with the remaining slider buns.

Preheat a griddler or panini press.  Once ready, place a few of the Cuban sliders onto the press and cook until the device beeps, or until the cheese is melted and the tops of the sliders are a little crispy.  If you don’t have a griddler, that is ok, you can always cook the sliders in a large skillet over medium-high heat, flipping once so that each side turns a little brown and becomes crispy.