Best Dang Grilled Ham and Cheese EVER

My ultimate comfort food....  Drum roll....  A really good grilled cheese sandwich on big thick bread and perhaps dipped in a wonderful Roasted Red Pepper Soup.  OMG!  My mouth is salivating as I write!  As I was at lunch awhile back with a very dear friend, I stumbled on the BEST grilled ham and cheese sandwich I have EVER had!  And guess what it had in it?!  Pears.  Yep, that's right!  Pears!  So, here is my version of this recipe.  AND, if you have ANY doubts about this recipe, do me favor and make it, then let me know!  ENJOY!

GRILLED HAM AND CHEESE WITH PEARS

8 slices of your favorite bread

Butter for spreading 

16 oz. Gruyere cheese

2 pear, sliced thinly

deli ham, sliced thinly

Layer 8 slices of sandwich bread with 16 ounces Gruyere or other melting cheese, 2 thinly sliced pear, and 8 ounces thinly sliced deli ham; top each with bread.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spread outside of both bread slices with butter. Cook sandwiches in batches, if necessary, until golden and cheese is melted, flipping once, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Cut sandwiches in half and serve hot and dip in soup! 

There's nothing like a good French Dip Sandwich...

After trying several recipes for French Dip sandwiches, I decided to mix a bunch of them and make it my own.  I love these sandwiches, especially during the winter. Enjoy!

 FRENCH DIP SANDWICH

3-4 lb rump roast, trim fat prior to placing in crock pot

1 packet. au jus mix

1 10oz. can of condensed french onion soup

2(10.5 oz) can beef broth (or you can do 1 can of beer and 1 can of beef broth.)

1 1/2 cups water

Hogie buns, we prefer sourdough

Swiss or provolone Cheese

Place roast in crock-pot. Mix the au jus packet, soup, broth and water and pour over meat. Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours. Remove roast. Reserve juice for serving. Slice meat thinly or it may be soft enough to just pull apart. Stack meat on buns and cover with cheese. Wrap in foil. Heat in 350°F oven for 10 minutes. Serve and dip in left over juices from crock pot.

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Sandwiches- SUPER EASY!

3-4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
1/3 cup Italian dressing
12 small French sandwich rolls (3 inches long)
1 small container of basil pesto

sliced cheese such as provolone, swiss or pepper jack
1 jar (7.25 oz) roasted red bell peppers, drained, cut into strips

Place chicken in 3- to 4-quart slow cooker. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 7 to 8 hours.

Remove chicken from cooker; place on cutting board. Discard liquid in cooker. With 2 forks, shred turkey. Return chicken to cooker. Stir in Italian dressing and let chicken warm for 20-30 minutes with dressing on it.

Cut rolls horizontally in half. To serve, spread bottom half of each roll with pesto and cheese; top with 1/3 cup turkey and some of the roasted peppers.

(picture from bettycrocker.com)

Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Chipolte Mayo

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons Old El Paso® taco seasoning mix
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 slices pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese
8 Pillsbury® Oven Baked frozen crusty French dinner rolls
1/4 cup chipotle or regular mayonnaise, if desired
8 leaves leaf lettuce
1/4 cup your favorite salsa

Heat gas or charcoal grill. Mix Parmesan cheese and taco seasoning mix. Coat chicken with cheese mixture.

Carefully oil grill rack. Place chicken on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 10 to 12 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut, turning once or twice. Cut each chicken breast in half crosswise; top each with half slice of cheese to melt. To heat dinner rolls, place 4 rolls each in separate foil packets on grill during last 6 to 7 minutes of cook time until hot.

Spread mayonnaise on bottom halves of rolls. Top each with lettuce leaf, cheese-topped chicken, salsa and top half of roll. (recipe and picture from bettycrocker.com)

Cheese Stuffed Burgers with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

3 pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 ounces blue cheese (or other soft cheese, such as Brie)
8 rolls or buns, split
2 cups packed baby spinach
2 tomatoes, cut into 8 slices
Sauteed mushrooms (optional)

Heat grill to medium-high. In a large bowl, gently fold together beef, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Form into 8 equal-size mounds.
Shape cheese into 8 equal-size disks. Press a small well in the center of each beef mound. Place cheese in well; wrap beef around cheese, pinching to seal.

Lightly oil grates. Place burgers on grill; cover. Cook until grill marks are visible on first side, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn burgers with a spatula; cook until grill marks are visible on other side and meat is just slightly pink in the middle, 4 to 6 minutes more for medium-rare.

To serve, layer bottom roll halves with spinach, burgers, tomato, and mushrooms, if using, dividing evenly. Spread top roll half with roasted red-pepper sauce, as desired.

ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE

1 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup drained (jarred) roasted red peppers
1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

In a food processor, combine all ingredients and puree until evenly colored and almost smooth. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.(Recipe and picture from Marthastewart.com)

Slow Cooker Reuben Sandwiches! PERFECT FOR DAD

1 package (2 pounds) refrigerated sauerkraut
2 to 3 pounds corned beef brisket
1 cup Thousand Island dressing
16 slices pumpernickel rye bread, toasted
8 slices (1 ounce each) Swiss cheese

Place sauerkraut in 3- to 4-quart slow cooker. Place beef brisket on sauerkraut. (If brisket includes packet of spices, sprinkle spices over brisket.) Cover and cook on Low heat setting 9 to 11 hours.

Remove beef from cooker; place on cutting board. Cut beef into slices. To serve, spread 1 tablespoon dressing on each toast slice. Using slotted spoon to remove sauerkraut from cooker, top 8 slices toast with 1/2 cup sauerkraut each. Top sauerkraut with beef slices and cheese slice. Top with remaining toast. Note: This recipe was tested in slow cookers with heating elements in the side and bottom of the cooker, not in cookers that stand only on a heated base. For slow cookers with just a heated base, follow the manufacturer’s directions for layering ingredients and choosing a temperature. (Recipe and picture found at bettycrocker.com)

French Dip Sandwiches!

1 (4 pound) boneless beef roast
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 beef bouillon cube
1 bay leaf
3 whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
20 slices French bread

Remove and discard all visible fat from the roast. Place trimmed roast in a slow cooker.
In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, bouillon, bay leaf, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, and garlic powder. Pour mixture over roast, and add enough water (you can use beef broth as well to make it that much better) to almost cover roast. Cover, and cook on Low heat for 10 to 12 hours, or until meat is very tender.
Remove meat from broth, reserving broth. Shred meat with a fork, and distribute on bread for sandwiches. Used reserved broth for dipping.

Chicken Cheesesteaks

1 pound chicken strips
2 TBS. vegetable oil, such as safflower
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 mixed bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced

2 tsp. minced garlic
6 ounces sliced provolone cheese
4 soft hoagie rolls, split lengthwise
1/4 cup light olive oil mayonnaise

Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. On a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, toss chicken with 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Broil, without turning, until chicken is opaque throughout, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board (reserve baking sheet); let cool, and thinly slice. Set chicken aside.

On baking sheet, toss together peppers, minced garlic and remaining tablespoon oil. Broil, tossing occasionally, until crisp-tender and slightly charred, 8 to 10 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add chicken to broiled vegetables; toss, and spread in a single layer.

Top chicken and vegetables with cheese; broil until cheese is bubbling, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scoop out most of the doughy center from both halves of rolls; discard. Spread rolls with mayonnaise; fill with chicken and vegetables. Serve immediately.

(Recipe and picture from marthastewart.com/everyday)

Good Ol' Sloppy Joes

1 lb. ground hamburger or ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
2 TBS. brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp. mustard
dash of salt
dash of pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. chili powder
dash of Worcestershire sauce
Hamburger buns

Brown meat with onions and green peppers. Add the remaining ingredients and let simmer together for a bit. Serveon buns with cheese if desired.

Chicken Pesto Melts

1 loaf french bread
2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 cup basil pesto spread
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 roma tomatoes, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, basil pesto, mozzarella. Mix throughly.
Spread the mixture on loaf of french bread and sprinkle with additional cheese if desired.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 10- 12 minutes. Slice into sections and enjoy warm!