French Dip Sliders

The Oklahoma Sooners Baseball team had themselves quite a season.  They went on a historic run and won the Men's College World Series.  It's been a little over a month since their memorable win, and Mr. Devilish Dish still cannot get enough.  Almost every night he re-watches the highlights from the games.  So far he has ordered an engraved National Championship wine bottle, a new hoodie, and a flag for tailgate.  Safe to say he's quite the fan.  We entertained on our patio nearly the entire season, and one of the recipes that scored a homerun were these French Dip Sliders.  You can never go wrong with slider sandwiches for a crowd.  They can be assembled ahead and easy to serve and eat.  Perfect for a group of guys glued to the game.  Packed with rich, delicious flavor...these are definitely a crowd pleaser! 

A true crowd please for any occasion.

The Ingredients.

Layer cheese, then roast beef,
then more cheese onto the bottom half
of the Hawaiian rolls.

Add on the roll tops...

Melt the butter and add the seasonings.

Brush this mixture evenly onto the
tops and sides of the rolls.

Bake until golden brown.

Serve with the au jus for dipping.

These are so hearty and delicious. 

FRENCH DIP SLIDERS

1 12-count package Hawaiian dinner rolls
1 pound thinly sliced deli roast beef
12 slices provolone cheese
1 stick unsalted butter
1 packet au jus gravy mix
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.  Carefully slice the entire slab of Hawaiian rolls in half horizontally, keeping the rolls attached together.  Place the bottom half of the rolls into the prepared pan.  Layer 6 slices of cheese over the bottom of the rolls.  Top with roast beef and then top with the 6 remaining slices of cheese.  Place the top slab of the rolls on and set aside.  In a small pan on the stove top, melt the butter.  Add 1 tablespoon of the dry au jus mix, Worcestershire sauce, sesame seeds, garlic powder and onion powder.  Whisk well and brush this mixture evenly over the tops and sides of the rolls.  Bake the sliders approximately 15-20 minutes until the tops of the rolls are golden and the cheese is gooey.  While the sliders are baking, place the remaining au ju mix into a small sauce pan over medium heat and add the amount of cold water indicated on package.  Bring to a boil and simmer until slightly thickened.  Remove and cut sliders into individual sandwiches and serve with au jus for dipping.

Enjoy,

Ham & Swiss Sliders

 A while back we went to visit my Devilish Nephew and family.  We had quite the fun get-together.  There were 8 adults and 4 children present.  We had folks arriving at several times throughout the day.  Errands to run, a doctor's appointment, a big party planned for the next day.  All the men gathered around a giant brisket on the smoker.  I knew lunch would be need to be simple, with everyone in and out of the house all day.  I decided to make a couple of batches of slider sandwiches.  These are easy to eat, delicious hot or cold and made a hearty little lunch served with a couple of store bought chips and dips.  I managed to whip up two kinds of sliders, a batch of my Pumpkin Spice Pretzels, Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats, Apple Cider Donut Muffins, along with a big batch of side dishes for a football watch party.  All this, AND quality time with the Littlest Devils.  That should tell you how quick and easy these are to whip up.  A total crowd pleaser, these would be ideal for a tailgate or sports watch party, OR an easy meal on a busy day during the upcoming holiday season!

The best little hot ham and cheese sandwich.

Cut the rolls in half horizontally.

Place the roll bottoms in to the pan.

Top with ham.

Top with cheese.
I did two layers of each.

Cover with the roll tops.

Pour butter mixture of tops of rolls.

Ready to go into the oven.

Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for an 
additional 10 minutes until browned

Cut into 12 sandwiches and enjoy.

HAM & CHEESE SLIDERS

1 package (12) Hawaiian dinner rolls

1 pound thinly sliced deli ham
1 pound sliced Swiss cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoons dried minced onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and set aside.  Cut the rolls in half horizontally and place the roll bottoms in to the pan.  Top the bottoms with the ham.  Place the cheese slices on top of the ham.  Cover with the roll tops.  Combine the melted butter, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds and dried minced onion.  Pour the mixture over the tops of the rolls.  Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove the foil and return the pan to the oven and bake for 10 minutes uncovered.  Cool slightly, cut in to 12 slider-sized sandwiches and serve.

Barbecue Beef & Cheddar Sliders

We're getting into that hectic time of year.  Holiday cooking, decorating and shopping, football games and tailgates.  The sun sets earlier and makes the day feel shorter, but there's even more to do in what feels like less time.  Totally the time of year for easy meals that feed a crowd without a lot of effort.  This recipe checks all of those boxes!  It's hearty enough for lunch or dinner, and the slider size makes it great for an appetizer party or hearty snack.  Whether you have guests coming to visit for the holidays, or your favorite football team still has a few games left, these Barbecue Beef and Cheddar Sliders will satisfy an entire crowd.  Simply toss deli-sliced roast beef in your favorite barbecue sauce, add some sliced cheddar cheese and bake for a warm and cozy sandwich treat.

The best little sandwiches for tailgate, tv watching
or the upcoming busy season!

Cut your rolls into half horizontally.

Place the bottoms of the rolls into a 
baking pan.

Combine the roast beef with your 
favorite barbecue sauce.

Place the roast beef mixture on top of 
the roll bottoms.  Top the roast beef with
slices of cheddar cheese and place the tops
of the rolls on top of the cheese.

Combine the melted butter with the
brown sugar, Dijon mustard, 
Worcestershire sauce and poppy seeds.

Pour this mixture over the
tops of the sandwiches.

I made this away from home with the wrong-sized
pan.  It's okay, it still turned out great.

Ready to bake!

Cover with foil and bake 20-25 minutes.
Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes
until the top browns and starts to crisp.

Cool slightly and cut into
12 slider style sandwiches.

Enjoy!

BARBECUE BEEF & CHEDDAR SLIDERS

1 package (12) Hawaiian dinner rolls
1 pound thinly sliced deli roast beef
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
8 sliced cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl, toss together the roast beef and barbecue sauce.
Cut the dinner rolls in half horizontally, and place the bottoms of the rolls into a lightly greased 9x13-inch pan.  Top the bottoms of the rolls with the roast beef/barbecue sauce mixture.  Place the sliced cheese on top of the roast beef.  Place the roll tops on on top of the cheese.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter and stir in brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and poppy seeds, and then pour over the tops of the sandwiches.  Cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes until the tops of the sandwiches begin to get brown and crispy.  Cool slightly and then cut into 12 slider-sized sandwiches.

Slow Cooker Mississippi Meatball Subs

 Twelve weeks of recovery from major hand surgery is extremely boring.  And I'm not one to ask for help.  Thank goodness I've spent over 31 years with Mr. Devilish Dish.  You don't want just any old stranger to help you fasten your bra every morning.  Other than extreme pain, not being independent was one of my biggest frustrations.  Hubs did all of the cooking.  He did almost everything all by himself for three months.  When I got a little bit more healed, I was really anxious to get back in the kitchen.  There weren't many things I could do, and to this day almost 5 months later I'm still stymied by lids and zip-style packaging.  But I was determined to make a meal for him, just to give him one night off from being my full-time nurse, bartender, bra fastener and more.  I've made Mississippi Roast in the slow cooker before.  It's delicious as a sandwich, and even better on mashed potatoes.  I knew we liked the flavor combination, and with a handful of ingredients dumped into the slow cooker this was my first foray back into the kitchen. It was warm and hearty and best of all, easily prepared with one hand.  

These turned out pretty darned good.
You could serve the meatballs as an appetizer
or on mashed potatoes or noodles, but we 
enjoyed them on a toasty roll as a sandwich.

Simply combine the short list of ingredients
in your slow cooker and cook.

The meatballs get piping hot and the other
ingredients combine to make a great
au ju-style sauce for dipping, or great
over mashed potatoes.

Delicious, and so simple you can almost 
make it with one hand like I did!

Slow Cooker Mississippi Meatball Subs


(1) 32-ounce bag frozen meatballs
2 cups beef broth
(1) packet Ranch seasoning
(2) packets brown gravy or au jus mix
(1) jar pepperoncini peppers (whole or sliced)

(1) stick unsalted butter

In your slow cooker, add your meatballs.  In a separate bowl combine beef broth, ranch seasoning, gravy mix, and pepperoncini liquid from the jar.  Mix well and pour over meatballs.  Add in peppers and top with the stick of butter.  Cook on low 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally until meatballs are piping hot and sauce has thickened a little bit.  Serve on toasted rolls with sauce for dipping.

Prep Time: Approximately 10 minutes Cook Time: Approximately 4 hours

Monte Cristo Bread Pudding #LeftoversChallenge

We're big fans of Binging With Babish here at The Devilish Dish.  His videos are informative and entertaining and hilarious at the same time.  He's also a big supporter of the restaurant industry and so are we!  My brother-in-law just took a chef gig at a restaurant in New Orleans.  But of course sadly, he along with so many others in the industry aren't working right now.   In his latest Binging with Babish video, Andrew Rea (aka Oliver Babish) along with other chefs, encourages viewers to support their local restaurants by ordering take out and to show support:  create a recipe using the hashtag #LeftoversChallenge.  We had just enjoyed an Easter Feast from our favorite local Italian restaurant, Benvenuti's.  We had ham, scalloped potatoes, carrots, snap peas, salad, Italian mac and cheese, carrot cake and lots of homemade rolls with butter.  By the time the family feasted for a couple of days all we really had leftover was ham and rolls and after watching the #LeftoversChallenge Episode, my quarantine creative wheels started turning.  Leftover ham and rolls have lots of potential.  Ham sandwiches, Ham Salad sandwiches, Ham and cheese sandwiches.  Never one to go with the obvious I thought about a variation on Eggs Benedict.  Which got me thinking about my Benedict Strata breakfast casserole.  Which then got me thinking about Monte Cristo Sandwiches,  and I decided I would blend the two ideas and Monte Cristo Bread Pudding was born.  We had everything on hand for a traditional Monte Cristo Sandwich (which consists of ham, turkey, Swiss cheese and Dijon mustard, on bread, then dipped and griddled in a slightly sweet French Toast-like batter and served with powdered sugar and jam for dipping.) We were lacking the turkey and Swiss cheese so I improvised with A LOT of ham, and a combination of grated Cheddar, Mozzarella and a little Gruyere.  Hey it's quarantine, get creative with what you have!  I also tried to be fancy ala Babish and make mine in large souffle-style dishes. In hindsight I should have baked it in a shallow baking dish or smaller ramekins to allow the bread cubes to get extra toasty, but I was going for a fancy presentation.  It actually turned out quite lovely, and we had a brand new jar of raspberry jam in our pantry that we warmed up to pour on top.  A terrific brunch treat.  I encourage you to support your local restaurants during this time.  Grab some carry out and cocktails and if you happen to have leftovers, get creative and share your ideas in the comments! #LeftoversChallenge.

We took the Binging with Babish #LeftoversChallenge!
Monte Cristo Bread Pudding 

Everything you need for a Monte Cristo
(with a little quarantine creativity)
Ham and Rolls from Benvenuti's. 

We didn't have turkey or the traditional Swiss cheese
on hand so we used our quarantine creativity.
Cheddar, mozzarella and a little Gruyere.

It's not a Monte Cristo without
Dijon mustard, and a little sweetness from
vanilla and raspberry jam.

Combine the custard mixture, cubed leftover rolls,
chopped leftover ham and cheeses.  Allow to rest
on the counter for 15-20 minutes before baking.

Garnish with powdered sugar and serve with
warmed raspberry jam.
Just like a traditional Monte Cristo Sandwich.

Bake until the mixture is puffed,
the custard has set and you have a lovely
golden brown top.

Monte Cristo Bread Pudding
Quarantine Creativity
#LeftoversChallenge

Serve with warmed raspberry jam.
Support your local restaurants!
(Tip Generously)

Christmas Charcuterie Board

As you may know, my other hobby besides cooking is sewing.  I make scarves from repurposed threads.  A lot of team shirts, but if I can put a needle through it I'll try to make just about anything.   As I've probably told you before Mr. Devilish Dish is quite the cook and he has even taught cooking classes at the international pantry many times.  I've even roped him into helping me with some pop-ups and demonstrations when I've held craft shows there.  He always features some kind of delicious food item or kitchen tool available at the international pantry.  This year we decided to do something different.  As our gift to our loyal shoppers who come to our holiday show every year, we decided to have him teach a little workshop and our theme was Charcuterie Boards & Cold Brew Coffee.  The cold brew coffee was amazing and I will feature it soon in another blog post, but I wanted to share the charcuterie boards just in time for Christmas.

Charcuterie is the craft of preparing smoked and cured meats for preservation and flavor. Typical charcuterie meats are salami, ham, bacon, sausages, and pates. A selection of meats and cheeses are often accompanied by other yummy bites such as crackers, olives, pickles, jams, spreads, fruits and vegetables.  Think of it as the modern relish tray!

Spicy Southwest Egg Salad

We took a little trip to Santa Fe a while back.  Like Oklahoma Football, I'm sure you've heard me mention just how much I love Santa Fe.  I send Mr. Devilish Dish homes for sale from Santa Fe Realtor websites on a daily basis.  I don't talk about "if" we move there, I speak in terms of "when."  It's free to dream right?  Leading up to our trip I think everything I made for dinner had a Southwest flair.  Just to get everyone in the mood.  We love egg salad sandwiches around here.  They are simple, tasty and I always have eggs in the fridge.  This is an updated version of egg salad.  Heartier, tastier and full of Southwest flavor.  With a kick!  It was great on toasted bread as a sandwich, but would be lovely on a bed of lettuce leaves as well.  If your spouse won't let you move to your favorite place this week, then bring the flavors of your favorite place to your kitchen...

A hearty sandwich filling
with the flavors of the Southwest...

Serve this colorful egg salad
on toasted bread or lettuce leaves.

Creamy, crisp and colorful!

SPICY SOUTHWEST EGG SALAD

12 hard boiled eggs, cooled and chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
5 green onions, sliced
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, celery, green onions, jalapeno, red bell pepper, garlic and cheese.  In a small bowl whisk together mayo, lime juice, cumin and chili powder.  Gently fold the mayonnaise mixture into the egg mixture.  Add a little at a time, you may not use all of the mayo.  You just want the egg salad to come together.  Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.  Transfer to a serving bowl and chill.  Use as a sandwich filling on toasted bread, or serve on lettuce leaves as a hearty salad.

Prep Time:  Approximately 30 minutes   Cook Time: 0 needs to chill

NOTE: This makes a large batch.  It can be easily halved if desired.