Grilled Sour Dough Pastrami and Cheese Sandwich

This sandwich is good hot or cold, but I prefer the crunch of the bread when grilled. I also like the pickles on the side. This is also good with coleslaw and Mozzarella, or any kind of cheese you prefer.

• 2 slices sourdough bread
• Few slices of your fav deli pastrami
• onion
• swiss cheese
• pickle (stacker)
• spicy brown mustard
• Mayo
• butter or margarine

How to make it

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• Dice up onion and grill in pan with butter or margarine over medium heat until golden brown.
• Add pastrami slices to pan and brown until desired.
• Spread mustard and mayo on bread slices.
• Stack pastrami on bread.
• Put cheese on top of pastrami.
• Put grilled onions on top of cheese.
• Add pickle on top of onions.
• Add remaining bread slice.
• Put assembled sandwich in pan or you can use a press or grill and warm/lightly toast on both sides.
• Eat and enjoy!!! :)

                                                      Mexican Jumbo Stuffed Shells

These shells are great when your craving pasta and mexican and can't decide which you want. Why not have both!!

 Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 package low-sodium taco seasoning (or better yet use this Taco Seasoning!)

4 oz. cream cheese
14-16 jumbo pasta shells
1.5 cup salsa1 cup taco sauce
1 cup cheddar cheese1 cup Monterrey jack cheese
3 green onions

Sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°.

Directions:

In a frying pan cook ground beef; add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions.  Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and cool completely.  While ground beef is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to directions; drain. Set shells out individually on cutting board/baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.

Pour salsa on bottom of 9×13 baking dish.  Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place shells in 9×13 pan open side up. Cover shells with taco sauce.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes, with the foil removed.  Top with any condiments you’d like (green onions, black olives, etc.) Serve with sour cream and/or more salsa.

Carnival Fair Style Corn Dogs

                                       Super easy and crunchy like the ones you love at the fair!!

oil, for deep frying
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
10 beef hot dogs
10 heavy kabob skewers
Directions:

1
Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375-400 degrees.
2
combine dry ingredients.
3
combine milk and eggs-mix well.
4
add dry ingredients-mix well.
5
place frankfurters on skewers,dip in batter mixture,allow excess to drip off.
6
fry in hot oil for 3 minutes, until browned.
7
drain on paper towels.
8
keep warm in low oven.

                                                                      Funnel Cake

              These are always a hit at the fair taste, but just as good home made! Also a lot cheaper.


5 eggs
3 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour (heaping)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
10 teaspoons sugar
Directions:

1
Fill a 8 to 10 inch fry pan with oil (about 1/3 to 1/2 of the pan full of oil) and heat to frying temperature.
2
Combine the ingredients in order given.
3
Get a regular cooking funnel. Put your finger over the funnel spout; fill the funnel with the batter.
4
Start letting the batter funnel out in a criss-cross until all batter in funnel is gone. Batter will come together and cook until golden brown in about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. remove and top with what you want (when cooking make sure you make the batter cover the whole bottom of the pan--just keep criss-crossing until all holes are filled in).
5
Repeat with remaining batter. Makes 8 to 10 large cakes.
6
Toppers for the cakes after cooking: Dust with powdered sugar or powdered sugar mixed with cinnamon. The carnival also uses canned pie filling such as apple or any flavor you want.

                                  Strawberry and Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

This is a very rich and filling breakfast. Great for a brunch or Sunday morning breakfast. I have also used blueberries in this instead of strawberries, they are both fantastic. May serve with syrup or just eat plain. Yummy!!


Here’s a list of everything you need: a loaf of French or Italian bread, eggs, milk, butter, cream cheese, cinnamon, and jam or fresh fruit (if you’re like me, you’ll use both). I also added slivered almonds just for the fun of it, but you don’t have to … unless you want to.

Slice a loaf of bread in 2-inch pieces. You should get about six pieces all together, not including the end pieces. Using a paring knife, cut a deep slit across the top in the middle of each slice, approximately 4 inches long (as pictured above). This will form your “pocket.” Once you’re done, set the bread aside.

Next, macerate the strawberries, which is fancy way of saying add a little sugar and mix it in. Set them aside and allow the sugar to release its magic.

Next, add jam to the cream cheese and mix both of them until well combined.

Grab a slice of bread and add about a tablespoon (or as much as you like) of cream cheese filling. Personally, I like about 2 tablespoons per slice. Do the same thing with the fresh fruit. Make sure to close the opening by gently pressing the bread together. This will make frying them easier and less messy. Set the filled slices aside.

Now it’s time to make the egg bath. Mix eggs, milk, and cinnamon together until well mixed. Turn the stove top on to medium-high to preheat the skillet. While your skillet is heating up, dip sliced bread in the egg wash for about 20 seconds on both sides. Only dip as many slices as you plan on frying. In other words, if your pan can only fry two pieces at a time, be sure to only coat two pieces of bread a time.

Melt butter in skillet. Only put as much in pan to allow room for frying. You do not want to over crowd. I can usually fit 2 in a pan at once.

Fry each slice for about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove from heat and serve.   

Sprinkle with powdered sugar if you like.

Blueberry Pancakes 

These are my favorite! Hot, fluffy and served with butter and maple syrup! What a way to start your day!!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk + more to thin out the batter, as needed
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Whisk together first 4 ingredients; make a well in center of mixture.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg,  vanilla and oil; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Gently fold in blueberries.

3. Pour about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto a hot, lightly greased griddle. Cook pancakes until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked; turn and cook other side. Serve with maple syrup.

                             Buffalo Chicken Sandwich with Creamy Blue Cheese Coleslaw

This is a great sandwich for lunch or dinner. Serve the slaw as a side dish or top sandwich with it. It is wonderful both ways!!

• 1/4 to 1/3 cup hot pepper sauce
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
• 1 0.6-ounce envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix
• 4 kaiser rolls, halved
• 4 lettuce leaves

• 4 boneless chicken breast halves with skin
• All purpose flour
• Additional vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• Purchased blue cheese dressing

Stir 1/4 cup hot pepper sauce, butter and dressing mix in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sauce is smooth; add more hot sauce, if desired. Arrange roll bottoms on plates. Top each with lettuce leaf and 2 tablespoons sauce.

Sprinkle chicken with salt; dust lightly with flour, then brush generously with remaining sauce. Dust lightly with flour again. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; sauté until brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.

Complete sandwiches with chicken, blue cheese dressing and roll tops.

I like making blue cheese coleslaw and topping the sandwiches with it. It is sooooo goood. I will add recipe for that below.

Blue Cheese Slaw:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 lemon, juiced
1 (10-ounce) package cole slaw mix
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper