Something Simple, Like a Sandwich......

Thanks to my friend Karrie for the suggestion of this week's blog topic! What am I gonna do for dinner? Well, how about something simple, like a sandwich. We all have those nights where the thought of making a big dinner is overwhelming, so keep it simple. Here are a few simple sandwiches to get you through those kind of nights.

1. BBQ Chicken sandwiches - plan a night of bbq boneless chicken breasts or thighs, watch the grocery ads for sales or get them at Costco in the frozen section. Cook more than you will need for one dinner and freeze the rest. When you need a quick dinner, unthaw them and shred the meat, add more bbq sauce and heat. Slap it on a roll and call it dinner! If you want to be fancy, saute some onions and  bell peppers to put on top and/or butter your sandwich roll and broil it for a couple of minutes in the oven.

2. Classic BLT. Make extra bacon the next time you are cooking it and make BLT's one night that week for dinner! You can get fancy here too by adding avocado and/or onion!

3. Tuna with a special kick. I make bread and butter pickles every summer and my favorite thing to make with them is tuna salad. I put lots of onions in the pickle jars, so when I make my tuna I add the diced pickles and onions as well as some diced celery and/or cucumber. Add some mayo and put it on your favorite bread. Another version of this is a tuna melt. Put the tuna on a toasted english muffin, cover with a slice of cheese and bake for a few minutes. I like to put a slice of tomato on mine too after baking.

4. Pesto Chicken Sandwich - I posted this earlier, but my family loved it! Slice a baguette in half long ways and spread pesto over it. Top with cooked chicken breast pieces (Costco has a great deal on these) and mozarella cheese. Bake in the oven for a few minutes. Tomato is good on top of these too!

5.  Tri Tip Sandwiches - next time you bbq tri tip, make an extra one. A couple of days later, slice it thin and put it on a sandwich roll. I like it with sauted oniolns and bell pepper and I also make au jus to dip the sandwich in. The butter on the roll trick is good here too. I noticed that many restaurants do this for french dip sandwiches.


So what do you serve with these yummy sandwiches? French fries are always good, here is a fun way to do them homemade. I cut up yukon gold or red potatoes into wedges and put them in a large ziplock bag. I pour some olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in also seal the bag and shake it up. The oil and seasonings coat the potatoes nicely. Put the on a cookie sheet and bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes. You can get them crispy or not, whatever you like. I usually turn the potates once or twice during the 30 minutes - if I remember!

Hope you enjoy these ideas!