Steak and Brie Sandwich

1 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. white vinegar (balsamic will do, so will apple cider)
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 tbsp. fresh thyme, minced
Kosher Salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 - 1 1/2 lbs. lean steak (top sirloin or tenderloin)
1 1/2 tbsps. butter
Red or yellow onions slices (you can use them raw or saute them in the pan juices)
3-4 sandwich rolls

4 oz. brie cheese, cut into slices
3-4 crisp leafy green lettuce leaves
Tomato slices

In a small bowl, combine the first four ingredients - I forgot to put my lemon in with these cast of characters, so I went ahead and drew one in there, howdya like it?? ;)

 Stir well and set aside

Heat the butter in a large pan, add the steak meat, salt and pepper, cook until desired doneness is reached.  Remove from pan and cover.  This is where you add the onions slices if you want them cooked.
Add 1 tbsp. of olive or canola oil to the steak juices, under medium heat add the onions, stirs occasionally until they're tender, translucent and carmelized.

Turn the broiler onto high heat.  Slice the sandwich rolls in half (if they aren't already) and spread the bottom half of each roll with the mayonnaise spread.  Take two or three slices of the Brie cheese and place on the top half of each roll.

Place the sandwiches open-faced onto a pan and place the pan under the broiler for 3-5 minutes (don't step away too far - I use a timer to keep me close by).  If the bread is toasted to your liking before time is up, by all means, please take it out.  Gently spread the Brie cheese with a butter knife.

Top each bottom half with the onions, meat, tomatoes and lettuce.  Place the roll tops on each sandwich.  Serve immediately.

Ever in the mood for a juicy steak sandwich?  I searched the internet high and low and came up with this sandwich which ended up being a culmination of several recipes.   I used the same spread from my Monster Clubs (the best spread ever - tangy and creamy).  The toasted rolls make such a big difference in taste.  Very savory and tasty and it definitely hit the spot.  Wasn't hard to make and it probably took me less than 45 minutes to make.  Hubby devoured them and I have to admit, so did I :)  Yay for a good, juicy steak sandwich!

Have a blessed week and remember to savor every moment!

Soup and Sandwich

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwich

SOUP DIRECTIONS

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice

1 cup finely diced celery

1 cup finely diced carrots

1 cup finely diced onions

1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano

1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil

4 cups chicken broth

½ bay leaf

½ cup flour

1 cup Parmesan cheese

½ cup butter

2 cups half and half, warmed

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1.  Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.

2.  Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

3.  About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper.  Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don't be afraid to always season to taste at the end).

4.  Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH DIRECTIONS

4 slices of cheddar cheese

8 slices of bread

1 stick butter, melted

Hot griddle

Start these in the last 30 minutes of the soup.  With a pastry brush, brush melted butter on one side of all the bread slices.  Place a slice of cheese between two slices of bread, butter side out.  Place as many sandwiches on the hot griddle that can fit.  Brown on both sides.  Slice in half before serving.

The richest, creamiest tomato soup ever.  So savory and delicious.  Our daughter Elise had been craving tomato soup so she looked this recipe up, bought all the ingredients and this is what I came home to on Friday evening after work. She started it and put it in the crockpot to cook all day.  I only had to do the last few steps plus make the sandwiches which overall wasn't much.  I've been under the weather with a bad cold and this hit the spot.  My only gripe is that it had carrots, I don't like cooked carrots, but they were big enough to take out so that wasn't too bad.  I love having a sandwich accompany my soup too, I know my meat and potatoes hubby liked it too.  Everyone gave it a thumbs up. I love soup.  I could live on soup.  How about you?

Monster Club

by Paula Deen

(printable recipe)

3 boneless chicken breasts

1 8oz. bottle Italian dressing

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp. white vinegar

1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

1 tsp. lemon zest

16 slices white bread

12 slices bacon

8 slices tomato

1 pkg. deli ham

6 slices muenster cheese

6 sheets of foil (enough for each sandwich)

First pound the chicken breast to make it evenly flat and then cut each chicken breast into equal serving portions.

In a large re-sealable plastic bag, combine the chicken, salad dressing,

and rosemary sprigs.  Seal the bag and marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.  Spray a grill rack with nonstick, nonflammable cooking spray.  Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.

In a medium size bowl, combine mayonnaise, white vinegar, thyme and lemon zest;

Mix well, cover and refrigerate.

Drain the chicken, discarding marinade.  Grill the chicken for 5 minutes per side, or until done.

Evenly spread the mayonnaise mixture on 1 side of all the bread slices.

Lay each sandwich on a foil sheet as you start to put the sandwich together.  Top 6 bread slices with 2 slices tomato.  1 grilled chicken breast piece.  2 slices back and another bread slice.  2 slices ham.  and 2 cheese slice.  Top the sandwiches with the remaining bread slices, mayonnaise mixture side down.  This picture here is the Monster Club, it has the added slice in the middle, it the sandwich for the men in the family, including our son.

This one is a bit smaller (for us ladies) because it doesn't have the middle slice of bread.  So, I'll name it, the Mini-Monster Club  :)

Wrap each sandwich in the foil sheet sprayed with nonstick, (ooopsey, totally forgot this step) nonflammable cooking spray.  Place the sandwich on the grill rack.  Top each sandwich with a brick (or a heavy iron skillet like I did), and grill for 6 minutes per side or until toasted.

Unwrap sandwiches and serve immediately.

Oh mercy!  This was the most delicious, warm sandwich I've had in a long, long time.  I was very leary of the mayonnaise because I'm not a mayo person, I rarely, ever eat it.  I didn't even test taste it as I made it, I just never liked the taste of it.  Well.......I've been converted!!!....... but only with this recipe.  I guess it was all the flavors joined together that gave it a wonderful, delicious, savory flavor.  It wasn't overwhelming but just the perfect compliment for this club sandwich.  Please note, the only thyme I had was Lemon Thyme, so I'm sure that helped the taste along with the lemon zest, white vinegar and the mayo.  I'm certain this mayo spread will taste good on any other kind of sandwich, so it will definitely be a keeper in my books.  As you can see, I made a Monster Club for the men in the family and a Mini- Monster Club for us ladies.  This sandwich definitely lives up to it's name.  I was kinda shocked that my mother-in-law finished hers along with some other side food items.  I was plenty satisfied with mine too and hubby loved his very much, same with my son.  The only complaint hubby and I had was that the bread could have been toasted some more, possibly a little thicker.  The bread slices were kinda thin from the start but that's the way it was bought.  My suggestion would be to cut the slices at least 3/4 - 1 inch thick.  Hubby also suggested that the bread be toasted in the toaster first and I really wished I had thought of that ahead of time.  All in all, this is a very, very good sandwich, very satisfying and will be a hit with the men in the family.  I also have leftovers so I don't need to cook dinner tonight, yea, my kind of recipe!

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