#334_Left-over Holiday Foods

Wondering what to do with your leftover ham and turkey from the Holiday dinners?
Here's a couple of ideas that I did with our left-over meat
a few days after the Thanksgiving dinner.

Turkey and Ham Sandwich with Provolone Cheese

For Thanksgiving I like to buy the biggest turkey I can find in the store so that we will have left over roast turkey to make sandwiches.

This year one store had a very good deal on the turkey, (I thought). I got the 22-lbs. tom turkey which I only paid 8 dollars for it. To get that deal I had to purchase $35.00 worth of groceries (excluding the 8 dollars for the turkey) and four 12-packs of coca-cola products for $10.00. The only downside was that I had to buy some stuffs I didn't really need for the dinner. So when you think about it, it's not that a good deal after all. Oh, well it's holidays....

Sorry I got side tracked....Okay, here's what you can do with the left-over turkey meat:

1) Slice or shred the meat. It doesn't really matter how you slice the turkey. When you pick the meat you'll end up with shredded meat anyway.
2) In a pan melt some butter and toss in meat. Sprinkle some spices: i.e. salt, Mrs. Dash or garlic powder or celery salt or Season-All or whatever spice you're in the mood in; cook until the meat is heated through.
3) For the bread, use sliced sandwich bread or French bread rolls. I love the French bread kind because they are crusty on the outside. Butter the sides and grill them whether in toaster oven or pan grill.
4) Spread some mayonnaise on one side of bread
5) Now it's time to pile up those meats....if you want to put a piece of lettuce leaf...go ahead. If you want to put a slice or two of ham, go ahead....then pile them turkey meat.
6) Put at least 2 slices of Provolone cheese or Havarti cheese.
7) This is optional....at this point I like to put this sandwich under the broiler and grill until the cheese is melted.
8) Now you can top the sandwich with the other half of bread and enjoy!
Simple, but soooo yummy!!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Ham and Cheese Omelet

In this omelet, I used 2 eggs and grated Havarti cheese.
You can also add some sliced green peppers, sliced chives and whatever you like in it.
Check out how Emeril Laggasse makes his omelet, click here.

Most Americans will pair this omelet with hash brown potatoes, but for Pinoys, me in particular, I eat this with garlic fried rice.....Mmmmm, Yum-O!!

You can also make a sandwich out of this omelet........

Enjoy!!

#333_Italian Meatballs Sandwich

As you already know, we always associate tomato sauce with Italian cuisine.
It is therefore appropriate that I use the word "Italian" to describe this sandwich
because its filling is made with meatballs simmered in tomato sauce.

I will skip the making of meatballs part as I already have a post on
"How to Make Meatballs" (click here).
What I will share with you here is how to make the
Tomato Sauce with Meatballs and how to assemble the sandwich.

Meatballs in Tomato Sauce recipe:

3 Tbsp. olive oil or canola oil
1 small onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
4-cans (14-1/2 oz. each) whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup water or broth fresh basil, crushed
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
Cooked meatballs (click here).

Cooking Directions:

In a large sauce pot over medium heat, heat oil then saute garlic until fragrant. Stir in onions; saute until translucent then add the tomatoes including its juice. Add salt, liquid, and basil, brown sugar and the meatballs. Put lid on and lower heat to low, then...let this sauce simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring once in a while. (Or you can use a crock pot and cook it all day). That's the secret of a good tomato sauce, for use in either pasta or for meatballs, it's the slow and long cooking time.

Before assembling the sandwich....
Slice some vegetables such as red and greed peppers and onion and saute in butter. And one important part of making this sandwich is to use a good crusty bread such as French bread. I also love to use Pan de Sal rolls to make bite-size sandwiches and they are absolutely the best.

To assemble the sandwich....

1) Pre-heat broiler.
2) Slice bread in half and spread some butter or better yet, Garlic Butter, then put them under the broiler, about 1-2 minutes.
3) Place sliced Provolone or mozzarella cheese on the one half of bread

4) Spoon some Meatballs with tomato sauce on the cheese, then top with the sauteed veggies.

Optional:

This is what I do with mine....put the sandwich back under the broiler and grill just until the cheese is melted.

Update: 11-29-11

Here's my Pan de Sal with Meatballs

Ohhh, Yum-O!!

Notes from MaMely:
How to make Garlic Butter: here's the link, click here.
For Pan de Sal recipe, click here.

#255_Gourmet TunaFish Sandwich

Turn a canned tuna fish into a
Gourmet Tuna Fish Sandwich

Here's how to make this sandwich:

Sandwich Filling:
1/2 cup chopped Italian marinated vegetables
1 can (7oz) tuna in water, drained
4 Tbs mayonnaise
2 Tbs. mustard
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl

To assemble the sandwiches you need:
2 submarine rolls
lettuce leaves
1 tomato, sliced
6 pieces Pimiento Stuffed Olives, sliced into rings
1/4 cup Deli-Sliced Pepper Rings
4 slices Havarti cheese

1) Split the bread in half lengthwise
2) Place some lettuce leaves on each bottom half of bread
3) Spread tuna mixture on top of lettuce leaves.
4) Spread the Stuffed Olives on top of the tuna mixture
5) Arrange Deli-Sliced Pepper Rings on top of the Stuffed Olives
6) Arrange sliced tomatoes on top of the Deli-Sliced Pepper Rings
7) Top each sandwich with 2 slices of Havarti cheese
8) Place the top half of bread on top of each sandwich.

LET'S EAT!!

BON APPETIT--BOUN APPELITO--VELBEKOMME

For grilled tuna sandwich, click here.

#202_Turkey Sandwich

Super Simple Turkey Sandwich

I always enjoy left over turkeys more than I do the roast turkey on Thanksgiving Day. Aside from making arroz caldo (rice soup), I love making this turkey sandwich. I got the idea from a sandwich that I tried at a restaurant in Camp John Hay, a USAF Base in Bagiuo City many years ago.

Here's how to make this sandwich:

In a heavy skillet, melt a small amount of butter

Toss some shredded turkey (dark meat is best) into the pan with the butter until the meat is just heated through, adding salt and pepper while tossing the meat. Set the hot turkey aside.

Split up a french bread, then butter each side,

grill the buttered sides of bread in a hot pan
(I use cast iron skillet. A toaster oven which i don't own, might work good as well)

spread some mayonnaise on a grilled side (or both sides) of bread

Pile those turkey up as high or as low as you want
on one side of bread, top with cheese slices and cooked bacon (if desired)
then replace the other side of bread on top.

Really good!!
Nothing is better than simple things!

Notes from MaMely:
1) You can use tortillas instead of bread then make Turkey Roll Ups.
2) If you have leftover ham, you might as well throw them in to the pan with the turkey meat.
3) If using bacon and ham, you don't need to use a lot of salt on the turkey meat as the cheese, ham and bacon are loaded with salt already.
4) If using bacon, use the same pan with grease from frying bacon to saute the turkey in....ahh you'll have a flavorful sandwich!!

#180_Savory Chicken Salad Submarine Sandwich

Are you hungry?
Hungry or not, this sandwich sure will tempt any appetite.

My husband who has been a Subway fan said that
this is far better than Subway sandwich.
Coming from a persnickety eater, that is a very nice compliment.
I believe him because he requested one every day for 4 days in a row
when I first created this sandwich and he hasn't got tired of it yet. (knock on wood!)
This has become his new favorite sandwich.


You need bread with a nice crust like ciabatta bread,
French bread or any kind of bread that is hefty enough
to hold up layers upon layers of good stuff...7 layers in all!
I used submarine roll for this sandwich which I enjoy...
and that's coming from a not-a-big-fan-of-sandwich girl.

For the chicken salad, I used my Chicken Salad recipe, post #145
click here, but made some modifications.
Here's some of the changes:
I used honey dijon mustard instead
of regular yellow mustard for the dressing, then
I combined some sliced marinated olives
and some marinated veggies
in the chicken salad which make the sandwich
so savory and bursting with flavors.
I left out the fresh celery, and green onions.

Savory Chicken Salad Recipe:

2 chicken breast, rotisserie chicken preferred
1/3 cup mayo
1/4 cup honey dijon mustard
1 cup marinated veggies, drained and chopped
10 pieces pemiento or garlic-stuffed olives, drained and sliced
1 cup Pecans or Walnuts, roasted and chopped
salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Procedure:

Cut chicken breast into small chunks.
In a bowl, mix the mayo and mustard and add the chicken
then toss in the rest of the ingredients.
Cover with plastic wrap and
put it in the fridge to chill for a few hours (or up to 2 days).
Good for 8-10 submarine sandwiches.

To assemble the sandwich:
Split a roll and layer the bottom of the roll with the following:
first layer: lettuce leaves,
second layer: chicken salad,
third layer: sliced tomatoes,
fourth layer: pepperoncini,
fifth layer: havarti cheese,
sixth layer: slices of cooked bacon and
seventh layer: slices of shaved smoked honey ham.
Replace the top slice of roll.
Secure sandwich with toothpick, if desired.

Once you tasted this sandwich,
you'll never go to Subway ever again!

Grazie!

#169_BLT Sandwich Minus B & L

Fresh Tomato Open-Face Sandwich

I learned to make this sandwich from my g'son Spencer,
when he was helping me picked tomatoes
in the yard many years ago.
He said to me "gramma let's make some tomato sammich".
I said yes but, we don't have bacon.
He said we don't need bacon; then he showed me how.
Now I'm hooked but,
I only make this with freshly-picked tomatoes.
This is one reason why I plant tomatoes every year.

You need a good toasting bread like French bread, bagel, baguette, etc.

Toast slices of bread then slather them with mayo,
then top with slices of fresh tomatoes.

Sprinkle with salt. That's it!!
Really yummy!!

***************************************

#151_Chicken Salad in Bread Cones

Bread Cones

or
Bread Cornucopia

This is a copycat idea from a site,
the Knead for Bread, click here ,
that I stumbled upon the other day

where the author used store-bought molds to shape the bread.
I was so impressed at how elegant his bread cones were,
and before I wondered where I can order those cone molds from,
he mentioned a link to a site where another blogger made hers out of paper.

Paper??!! yes, cardstock papers from flyers. She is a genious!
I'll just give you their links instead of repeating
the instructions in this post.
Click here.

Using paper to make the molds for the cones is so intriguing
and at the same time impressive to me that
I didn't waste any time trying to make the bread cones
following her instructions.
Please go to her site, click here.

I was kind of nervous that I might start a fire,
so I kept a good eye on the oven
the whole time the bread cones were baking.
Very amazing!! and very clever!!

My cones didn't turn out as good-looking

as theirs because I didn't brush them with egg wash,
nevertheless, they definitely taste awesome!

For the dough, I used my Pan de Sal recipe #20, click here
because it has already been tested by me
and I already know the measurements by heart.

For the filling , I used some left over chicken salad, recipe here,
but chopped the bacon and diced the tomatoes
and mixed them all up.

Very presentable!
I give this a two-thumbs up!!

The next item I'd like to try is their Asian Doughnuts.
Looks like Pinoy pilipit.

#145_Chicken Salad Sandwich

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

This is an easy and simple to make sandwiches
as you can make the fillings ahead of time.
Specially if you're having a big party,
the chicken part of the salad can be made a day before
and then an hour or so before serving it
you can mix in the other ingredients.
It is truly a time saver.

And if there's any leftovers,
they will keep in the fridge for as long as 3 days.

Ingredients for the chicken salad:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
(I use rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup mayo,
1 tbsp mustard,
salt and pepper
1-tbsp white sugar
2-3 stalks celery, sliced
few sprigs green onions (sliced)
1 cup grapes, either green or red, halved
1/2 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

Procedure:
Slice chicken breast into cubes or just shred them
Combine mayo, sugar,mustard, salt and pepper
Toss chicken in with this mixture to coat well
Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least for 5 hours.

Serve as a salad
At this point this can be served as a salad, but before serving,
combine pecans, green onions, celery and grapes
with the chicken mixture.
Place on a platter lined with lettuce leaves
or serve as a side dish.

To make the sandwiches:

Cook the bacon until nicely browned and crispy
either in the oven or in a fry pan.
Drain them on paper towels.

Croissant Rolls
from a bakery

You can use any of your favorite rolls
or bread for the sandwiches.
For big group, I like to buy the croissants
at the bakery or if time permits,
I make the Potato Dinner Rolls, click here for the recipe, or
I use any of the recipes for the following bread to make rolls:
Pan de Sal recipe, click here,
Basic Sweet Dough recipe, click here.
These dough recipes make good rolls for the sandwiches.

Or:
Using this sandwich fillings, you can make open-face sandwiches
using Ritz Crackers for Horderves,
click here for the post.

Split the buns and fill bottom half with
the chicken salad mixture.

Place some cooked bacon pieces on top of the
chicken salad

Top it with sliced tomatoes.
Put the other half of rolls on top of tomatoes
and secure them with toothpicks if desired.

ENJOY!!


Update: 6-11-11

The picture below is Chicken Salad in Bread Cone Sandwich which I recently served at a party. Instead of using regular rolls or bread to make sandwiches, try making it with bread cones for a more elegant-looking sandwiches. Here's the link on how to make the cone bread or Cornucopia Bread>>>>http://pinoyamericanrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/06/150chicken-salad-in.html

If you want a Chicken Sandwich with a touch of Pinoy, here's the link:

http://pinoyamericanrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/02/218pinoy-style-chicken-sandwich.html

Notes from MaMely:
1) To toast the pecans, place them on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake in a 350 degrees oven for 5-8 minutes.
2) To cook bacon in the oven, line a baking sheet with aluminum paper, then arrange the bacon on single layer. Pop it in the 350 degrees pre-heated oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes, or til bacon are nicely browned and crispy.
2) It is best to use celery, grapes and green onions that have been chilled in the food chiller.
3) Can use walnuts or cashews in place of pecans.