Italian Beef Sandwiches

I may be little but boy do I love food! I especially love meat...there is absolutely NO WAY that I could ever become vegetarian. I have nothing against it; it's just not possible for me, especially given the fact that the cheeseburger is my all-time favorite thing to eat. Ever.

One of my other favorite things....Italian Beef. I drool just thinking about it! I'm a sucker for a good sandwich covered with beef, cheese and peppers....what's not to love?! One of my favorite places to get a good Italian Beef Sandwich is in Chicago: Portillo's. It's nothin' fancy and it's more like a fast-food type of service (I think they even have a drive-through), but I always sit down, inside, to enjoy my wonderful Italian treat! Seriously. It's not fancy, but it's oh, so good! If you're ever in the neighborhood, you have to go there and order the Italian Beef Sandwich with sweet peppers and cheese. You can also get it dipped, which is even better, but much more messy than the original version! For me, it's a must to go there when I head to Chi-town to visit my best friend, Sonya!

While I could probably never come close to re-creating Portillo's delightful sandwich, I can at least dream! And dream I did while stuffing my face with this scrumptious recipe I found from, Ree, The Pioneer Woman! I enjoy reading her recipes and drooling over the pictures on my computer. Some people I know can take her or leave her (like Rachael Ray) and some will tell you that there is more to be desired with her recipes, but I, on the other hand, can tell you that I have never been disappointed with her food. Normally, I like to adapt a recipe to suit my taste but this one...this one I didn't touch one bit and I'll tell you why. Because it was heaven! That's why!

The beef was cooked slowly all day long and it was tender and juicy and succulent. The juice from the peppers gave it a little tang and the melted cheese laid over the beef like a cozy blanket, keeping everything underneath warm and tasty! The Au Jus formed at the bottom of the dish was the perfect little accessory for this pretty little sandwich to be dipped in. It was glorious and I have a feeling it's going to be making appearances in our household on a regular (probably monthly) basis.

Italian Beef Sandwiches

Ingredients
1 Beef Chuck Roast, 2.5-4 lbs.
1 can Beef Consomme
3 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
1/4 cup Water
1 - 12oz. jar Pepperoncini Peppers
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Lg. Onion, sliced (optional)
Kaiser Rolls
Butter
Mozzarella Cheese, deli-sliced

Directions
In a large crock pot, place the whole chuck roast in and cover with beef consomme, Italian seasoning, water, peppers (including the juice), salt and onion.

Turn on Low and let cook for 5-6 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the rolls in half and spread out on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Place a little butter in a microwave-safe dish and heat on high until melted (how much butter you will need is dependent on how many rolls you use). Using a pastry brush, brush the butter on each roll and bake for 10 minutes or until slightly crisp. Remove when done and turn the broiler on.

Meanwhile, using 2 forks, begin shredding the beef in the crock pot until no large chunks are left. Using tongs, place a large amount of beef on the bottom portion of rolls and cover with a slice of cheese. Place under broiler to melt the cheese slightly (about 2 minutes). Serve immediately with juice from the crock pot as Au Jus to dip sandwich in. - Note: Any type of cheese would work such as Provolone, Gouda, Havarti, Swiss, Muenster, etc. Be careful and watch the sandwich under the broiler as they tend to cook up quickly!  You can also cook this in the oven, instead, at 275 degrees for 5-6 hours.

Yield: 10 Servings
Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

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Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Caramelized Onions & Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Sometimes the best dishes are the most simple.  This sandwich is simple.  I mean, really simple.  It doesn't get much easier than a grilled chicken breast seasoned with a little olive oil, salt and pepper on top of a grilled kaiser roll! 

No need for mustard, mayonnaise, hot sauce, additional cheese or any dressings of any sort for this sandwich!  So please do us all a favor and put away those condiments!  All you need is a little bit of caramelized onions drenched in a Gorgonzola cream sauce...mmmm.  Pure heaven.

Actually, there really is nothing fancy about this dish other than the name and really, that's not fancy!  The words "caramelized onions" and "Gorgonzola cream sauce" may initially scare you away, but don't run too far!  I'm serious when I say that it's simple.  What's more difficult than throwing some onions in a pan with butter and letting them go until they get soft and tender and sweet.  And the cream sauce?  Piece of cake!  Pour in a little heavy cream in the pan of onions, let it thicken and add in your cheese.  Didn't I say it was simple?!

But the flavor...ooh, now let me tell you about the flavor.  There is nothing simple about that!  In fact, the depth of flavor coming from this sandwich is unbelievable.  It is so tender and sweet and creamy and really, it just melts in your mouth.  All I needed was this sandwich and nothing else.  I was speechless and when you take your first bite, you'll be left speechless as well!

Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Caramelized Onions & Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Ingredients

4 Lg. Chicken breasts

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

1 Lg. Yellow Onion, sliced

4 Tbsp. Butter

1 cup Heavy Cream

1/2 cup Gorgonzola Cheese

4 Kaiser Rolls

Directions

Preheat grill to med-high heat.  Season chicken with a little olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Place on grill and cook for 7-8 minutes per side or until juices run clear.  Transfer to a plate and let rest.

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat.  Throw in onions and saute for about 8 minutes or until browned and tender.  Reduce heat to simmer and add in cream, stirring frequently.  Let reduce by half and thicken up, about 5 minutes.  Stir in cheese until well-combined and melted in.

Place chicken on a roll and top with onion cheese sauce.  Serve immediately.

Optional: Lightly butter the rolls and place on grill (buttered side down) for 1-2 minutes or until they become lightly crisped and warm.

Yield: 4 Servings

Source: With a Cherry on Top

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Italian Pizza Wrap

I'm always looking for quick, healthy and tasty recipes for lunch.  I tend to get into these habits where I'll find a dish that I love to make for lunch and then after a week or two, I become bored with it.  I find that I need to switch it up often, to make things interesting and keep me excited! 

I love lunches that involve Paninis, quesadillas and wraps.  I like to be creative and come up with different and flavorful ingredients to add to these basic and easy carbohydrate bases!  I recently came across a post by another food blogger, Good Things Catered, on my Google Reader.  It was a picture of what looked to be lavash bread or possibly homemade pita with marinara sauce, cheese and a healthy looking salad on top.  It piqued my interest and immediately came to mind as a yummy lunch entree.  I quickly clicked over to her blog to desperately find this recipe to no avail.

So, when desperation mode kicks in, so does my creativity!  I figured, hey, it can't be that hard to make something similar so I searched my brain for a few ideas and with inspiration from Good Things Catered, I came up with my own version: Italian Pizza Wrap.

YUM.  Yep, that's all I can say and I have been addicted ever since!

Italian Pizza Wrap

Ingredients - Pizza Wrap
1 Lg. Flour Tortilla
2 Tbsp. Marinara or Pizza Sauce
1 cup Mixed Greens
1 handful Grape Tomatoes, sliced in half
1 Tbsp. Red Onion, diced
1 Tbsp. Creamy Italian Dressing
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, crumbled

Creamy Italian Dressing
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/3 cup White Vinegar
2 Tbsp. Corn Syrup
1 Tsp. Vegetable Oil
4 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/2 Tsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 Tsp. Parsley
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

Directions
To make dressing, combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk together until a smooth, creamy dressing is formed.  Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

To make wrap, heat the tortilla in the microwave on high for 20 seconds.  Spoon the marinara on the center of the tortilla and spread it out evenly, making sure to leave 1/2" uncovered around the edge.  In a small bowl, combine the mixed greens, tomatoes and onion.  Add the dressing and toss to coat.  Spoon the mixture on top of the marinara and add the cheese.  Carefully fold one end of the tortilla in towards the center and then fold the right side of the tortilla in, pulling all of the ingredients towards you to make the wrap tight and keep the ingredients in tact.  Gently roll the tortilla to make a wrap and serve immediately.

Source: Inspired by Good Things Catered

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Turkey & Cranberry Panini

What to do with those Thanksgiving leftovers?! Even though we had Thanksgiving dinner at our house for just the two of us, we still ended up with quite a bit of food to finish up throughout the week. There are only so many times you can re-heat Thanksgiving dinner before wanting to run the other way! While we don't have much left, we have refused to go grocery shopping until we clean out our fridge and are rid of it altogether! Since the dinner as a whole has become tiresome, I have had to find new ways to be creative to use up those leftover trimmings.

One of my favorite things to eat are Paninis! They're great at any time of the year and pair well with soup, salads, crackers, fruit...you name it! You can make them as healthy as you want or as fattening as you want and either way you have them, they're delish! One thing we ended up having a lot left over from dinner was Cranberry Sauce. As I found out the day of, Chris is not a big fan of it so it was up to me to polish them off! It's obvious that cranberries and turkey make a great combination, so wanting to use up what we have, I decided to make a Turkey & Cranberry Panini! Since our vow to not go grocery shopping this week stands firm, I had to make use of what was in the fridge. In all reality, you can make this either way you want; however I found some Muenster cheese in the crisper and thought that it would be a creamy and flavorful topping among the cranberries and turkey. Topped with a mixture of Dijon mustard and a little bit of mayo, this sandwich was delightful!

Turkey & Cranberry Panini
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 slices Whole Wheat Bread
6 slices Smoked Turkey Breast
1 slice Muenster Cheese
1 Tbsp. Cranberry Sauce
1/2 Tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/2 Tsp. Mayonnaise

Directions
Preheat Panini press (if you don't have a press, you may also use a Panini pan, a grill pan or even a George Foreman Grill). Spread cranberry sauce on 1 slice of bread and place on grill (plain side down). Place turkey on top of cranberry sauce and top with cheese. In a small bowl, mix together the Dijon mustard and mayonnaise and spread mixture on other slice of bread; set on top of cheese (plain side up) and close the press to heat the sandwich (about 3 minutes).

Source: With a Cherry on Top

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