Monte Cristo Sandwich

I love me a good sandwich and that's what I usually get when I go to a restaurant. When I had the Monte Cristo at Bennigan's I was in love. With all of it's deep fried glory it's became one of my top favorite sandwiches. My preference since alot of the Monte Cristo's are served with powdered sugar and jam, I'm not too keen on. I just prefer mine unsweetened if you would say. I will though eat mine with ranch ;). I usually have ranch as a staple condiment in my house, I will eat it with anything. It's so cliche, everyone loves ranch but not like me. It's my secret obsession.

Ingredients:

Sandwich:
3 slices bread, your choice on flavor
1 slice swiss cheese
3 oz. (a few slices) turkey, deli style
1 slice american cheese
3 oz. ham, deli style

Batter:
2 egg yolks
1 c. ice water
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda

Pre-heat your deep fryer. Make sandwich by layering slice of swiss cheese on bread then turkey on top of that. Place another piece of bread, then ham, american cheese and last piece of bread. Press down to flatten sandwich a bit. Start making your batter by beating the egg yolks. Stir in the ice water. Sift your flour and baking soda together into the ice and egg yolks. Stir together a bit, not too much you want it to be a little lumpy. Slice your sandwich in half diagonally (corner to corner). Dip one half of the sandwich into batter until fully coated. Let excess batter drip off. Drop into hot oil, you can put both in at the same time if your deep fryer is big enough. Fry for 6-8 mins, turning sandwich over in-between so each side is golden. Place on paper towels to drain. Serve topped with powdered sugar if desired.

BBQ'd Pulled Pork/Turkey Mac n' Cheese

OMG...this recipe is so delicious I had to post this. A month or so back I was doing a little goggling and wanted to find something to use up my turkeyloin and was thinking to do a pulled turkey sandwich. After I got to thinking I was honestly a little sick of sandwiches. Behold the birth of this succulent dish.

I had finaly decided that pasta was up my alley. I wasn't able to find a complete recipe for the pulled meat mac and cheese (I was a little lazy that day and didn't want to come up with my own.) Unfortunately the only recipe I found used way too expensive cheese than this frugal spender. So I just went another easy way and just spiced up my baked mac and cheese recipe! If love could come in a pan, this is it.

Ingredients:
24-48 oz. turkeyloin (defrosted)
16 oz. pasta (penne or spiral or raditore works best since it holds sauce well)
4 tbs. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. heavy cream
8 oz. cheddar cheese
1-2 c. BBQ sauce
Panko bread crumbs

Cook turkeyloin in roaster pan at 350 for about an hour. I usually do this early in the day. After turkey/pork (whatever your flavor) has cooled, shred with fork and hands and set aside.

Cook pasta according to pkg directions. Drain and put in baking dish. In a medium sized saucepan melt butter on med. heat. When butter is melted whisk in flour, keep whisking flour for a few minutes (continuing to cook for this long cooks out the flour taste.) Add your heavy whipping cream, let thicken. Slowly add your cheese so each portion will melt evenly and it won’t get clumpy. Whisk until all melted, pour on top of pasta and stir until coated.

In small sauce pan put about 3/4 of the turkey/pork or all if you want a meatier dish. Pour BBQ sauce over top and heat on med-high until all coated and glazed. Add to pasta and stir in. I added a little milk over the top to make it easier to stir. Press down evenly and top with panko. Bake for about 30 mins. I hit the broiler the last few mins of cooking to give the panko a nice crisp. Serve and enjoy!

Juicy Lucy Burgers & Mozzarella Sticks

So being from Minnesota we love our fried and greasy food. It’s just a comfort thing, so tonight lather yourself in comfort.

Juicy Lucy Burgers are a well know Minnesota Favorite, and I love my burgers stuffed with anything. So I hope you enjoy my comfort foods from home.

Hamburgers:

1 lb. ground beef
1/4-1/2 c. bread crumbs
1 tbs. Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
2 slices American cheese (or whatever your favorite is)

Mix beef, breadcrumbs, italian seasoning and salt and pepper together in mixing bowl. Separate mix in 1/4 lb. portions, flatten into patty shapes. Fold the cheese in half then in half again. Place in center of 1 patty. Place another patty in top and shape around cheese. Make sure you seal this real well or cheese will seep out. Heat skillet on medium heat, fry patties. Flip when it starts to get brown. Poke a toothpick through top to let steam escape. Cook until internal temperature is 160 degrees. Top with favorite condiments and enjoys.

Now to give you a nice side dish to enjoy with this delectable burger. Home made Mozzarella Stick. So simple yet soooooo tasty.

Mozzarella Sticks:

8 pieces of string cheese
1/2 c. flour
1-2 tbs. milk
1-2 eggs
1 c. Italian flavored panko bread crumbs Oil for frying

Cut each piece of string cheese in half leaving you with 16. In 3 separate dishes place flour in one, mix together milk and egg in another and lastly panko. Start by dipping the cheese in flour then eggs then panko. Place on plate and put in freezer for about a half hour to let panko set. Remove and fry in oil for a few minutes until panko crisps and browns, making sure not to cook cheese out. Drain on paper towels. Serve with marinara sauce or my fave ranch!