Sandwiches & Burgers: Bacon & Cheese Rollups

If you're looking for an alternative to the traditional sandwich, these rollups might work for these. These ones are made with bacon, but you can use ham, turkey, or chicken. Try going to your local deli and seeing what lunch meats are on sale this week. You can also use a different cheese. Try cheddar or gouda for a different flavor.


If you're using a lunch meat, there's no need to cook it first. Bacon, on the other hand, must be cooked before rolling into the dough.


Ingredients


1 package of bacon
1 recipe for basic biscuits
16 slices of Swiss cheese (or more)
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp mustard
1 tsp dill
4 tbsp mayonnaise


Preparation


Remove 16 pieces of bacon and cook them on a skillet over medium heat. They should be cooked, but not overly crispy yet. They'll crisp up more in the oven later. They need to still be pliable enough to roll, so don't overcook your bacon. Set aside.


Preheat oven to 450°F. Take the biscuit dough and roll it out into a large circle. Go thin, but not so thin that the dough tears. Try to get your dough to be as close to a perfect circle as possible. When you're happy with it, use a pizza cutter and slice the dough into 16 triangles. Cut like you're cutting a pizza.


Mix together honey, mustard, dill, and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Blend well, then spread half of this mayonnaise mixture on the dough triangles. Do this lightly and evenly. Top each triangle with a piece of bacon, then a piece of cheese. You can add more cheese if you like. Then spread the rest of the mayonnaise mixture on the cheese.


Roll up the crescents, starting at the wide end, to enclose the filling. Place these rollups on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until dough is lightly browned. Remove carefully from baking sheet and serve immediately.


These rolls can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to a month. They make great lunches for kids, so try throwing a few into their lunch box.

Sandwiches & Burgers: Easy Chicken Sandwiches

If you want a quick and easy chicken sandwich, but you hate prepackaged lunch meat, never fear. You can use a chicken breast or even a chicken breast burger to make a delicious alternative. Serve this as a burger with ketchup and mustard, or take it for lunch just as it is. Either way, you'll be happy with this tasty guy.


If you are going to substitute a chicken burger for the chicken breasts, make sure they are actually chicken breast burgers. Check the ingredient list. They should be only chicken breast. They'll taste better and cook up better on the grill.


Ingredients


4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 tsp garlic powder
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
4 brioche buns
¼ cup barbeque sauce
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey


Preparation


Preheat your grill. While you're waiting for the grill to heat, combine garlic powder and lemon pepper. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the garlic mixture. Brush the grill with a little oil to prevent sticking. You can also use a nonstick baking spray, if you prefer.


Grill your chicken, turning it frequently to prevent burning. The chicken will take 15 to 20 minutes to cool thoroughly. When cooked through, juices should run clear with you pierce the chicken with a knife. Don't rush the chicken.


While you're waiting for the chicken to cook, combine barbeque sauce, Dijon mustard, and honey in a small bowl. Mix well. Slice the brioche buns and spread a little of the barbeque sauce mixture on the bottom half of each bun. Layer with other toppings, if desired. Try tomatoes, lettuce, Swiss cheese, or anything else you fancy.


When chicken is finished, place on prepared bun. Top with a little more barbeque sauce. Add relish, mustard, or ketchup as desired. Replace top half of the bun and serve immediately. You can also chill the sandwich to serve later.

Sandwiches & Burgers: Arepas

Arepas are a Venezuelan dish that is delicious and very sandwich-like. The arepas themselves are made with corn flour. They're simple with few ingredients, so they're incredibly easy to make. You can use either white corn flour or yellow. Whichever you prefer. But it does need to be corn flour. Corn meal or corn starch won't work.


If you make a lot of bread products, you'll notice the ratio of water to flour seems off. This is because corn flour absorbs liquid differently than wheat flour. You can substitute all purpose flour if you like, but you'll need more of it than indicated in this recipe. The resulting product will also no longer be true arepas, but if you're just serving them to yourself and your family, it doesn't matter. You can also use all purpose flour and corn meal, if that appeals to you. Again, you'll have to adjust your ratios.


You can use anything you like for the filling. I've chosen potatoes, cheese, and turkey because that's what my kids wanted when I was making these. You can do any fillings you like.


Ingredients


For the Arepas
2½ cups warm water
1 tbsp salt
2 cups corn flour
1 tbsp oil


For the Filling
1 large potato
12 slices of cheddar cheese
12 slices of ham, turkey, or chicken


Preparation


Combine all arepas ingredients in a large bowl and mix until you have a soft dough. There's no kneading involved here, so just mix with your hands until you have a dough you can handle. Don't be afraid to add a little more corn flour or water to achieve a dough you're comfortable working with.


Divide the dough into 12 portions. Flatten each portion into a disc that is ¼- to ½-inch thick. They need not be too large or too thick. Remember that they will not rise due to the lack or baking powder or yeast, so the size you make is the size you will get.


Heat oven to 350°F. Take a little excess oil and rub it over both sides of the discs. Heat a skillet over medium heat, then fry the discs for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from heat and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.


Meanwhile, peel the potato and cut into thin rounds. The thinner the better. Fry these in a bit of oil in a skillet (usually the same one you cooked the arepas in) until they are golden brown, turning once. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.


Split the arepas open and remove the tops. Add several slices of potato, a single slice of cheese, and a single slice of turkey (or other protein) onto the bottoms of the arepas. Replace the tops. Return areaps to the oven for 5 minutes to melt the cheese.


Sprinkle with parsley and parmesan cheese, if desired, before serving.

Sandwiches & Burgers: Twice Baked Sandwiches

This is a delicious way to enjoy sandwiches. It takes a little effort, but it's worth it. You can change and adapt this recipe as you see fit. I've used turkey bacon, but you can use pork bacon. Or you can use ham, turkey slices, sausage, or anything else you choose. Just make sure you're using a cooked meat. Raw meats will not cook inside these sandwiches.


You can also use any cheese you like. I used mozzarella because that's what I had already grated, but these are excellent with cheddar, gouda, or any other cheese that melts well.


You don't have to make your own buns for this recipe. You can buy a set of 12 bakery buns and use those instead. I just prefer to bake my own beforehand.


Ingredients


1 recipe for Basic White Bread
12 slices turkey bacon
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
½ cup butter, melted
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp poppy seeds


Preparation


Prepare the white bread dough as directed in the recipe until after the first rise. At this point, you want to grease a 9x13-inch cake pan to prevent sticking. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Shape each portion into a smooth-topped bun and place in cake pan. When all 12 are arranged in the pan, cover and let rise in a warm location until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. As they rise, they will touch each other. This is a good thing.


Heat oven to 350°F. Bake buns for 25 minutes, until golden brown on top. They should sound hollow when tapped. Remove buns from the pan, but try not to separate them as you do so. This recipe works best when the buns are still attached to each other. If they do separate, however, you can still use them. You just might get some cheese melting onto the bottom of the pan.


Allow buns to cool completely. When they are cooled, slice them to remove the tops. Again, try to keep them together, but it's not the end of the world if the buns separate. I often divide them into 2 groups of 6 to allow for easier slicing.


Place the bottom of the buns back into the cake pan. Top with bacon and cheese. Replace tops of buns. Combine all remaining ingredients and pour over the tops of the buns. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.


Allow to cool 5 minutes, then use a spatula to remove sandwiches from pan 1 at a time. These can be eaten immediately or refrigerated until the next day.

Sandwiches & Burgers: Sizzling Fajitas

The best thing about Sizzling Fajitas is you can put anything you like in them. Don't like onion? Leave them out. Want more sour cream? No one's stopping you. They're the ultimate in customizable food. But having somewhere to start, especially when it comes to seasoning your chicken, is helpful.


Ingredients


¾ cup lime juice
½ cup vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp cumin
1½ tsp hot pepper flakes
4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
l large tomato, chopped
¾ cup salsa
Sour cream
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Lettuce, shredded
8 flour tortillas, warmed


Preparation


In a large bowl, combine lime juice, oil, salt, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Whisk together until well combined. This is your marinade. Reserve half of it in a smaller bowl. Place the chicken in the larger bowl with the marinade. Turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. I like to leave it for an hour or two. This lets the chicken really absorb the flavor of the marinade.


Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper to the skillet. Also add half of the reserve marinade from the smaller bowl. Only half. You'll need the other half of the reserve marinade later. Stir-fry the onion and bell pepper until they are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. You don't want them too soft. Just barely tender. Remove from heat.


Take the chicken out of its marinade and grill or broil it for 7 to 10 minutes per side, until cooked throughout. Discard the chicken's marinade (it's had raw chicken in it, after all). Use the other half of the reserve marinade (the one in the smaller bowl) to baste the chicken as it cooks. When chicken is cooked, remove from grill and slice into thin strips. Place the strips in the skillet with the onion and pepper. Toss to coat everything well.


Lay out the flour tortillas and fill with the chicken mixture. Add sour cream, salsa, tomato, lettuce, cheese, or any other toppings you like. Roll up to enclose the filling. Place seam-side down. Top with sour cream and more cheese, if desired. Sprinkle with chives or parsley.


Serve immediately.

Sandwiches & Burgers: Roasted Hot Dogs

I love hot dogs, but I hate boiling them. They get all slimy and icky and are practically inedible. I also hate that even when I roast them, the insides are just...insides. Making the perfect crispy hot dog takes a little more work than boiling it or throwing it in the oven, but it's worth it.


The perfect roasted hot dog has to be sliced, but not all the way through, before it is cooked. You can buy a little plastic device, called a Curl-A-Dog, that will slice your hot dogs before cooking. I have these and they are excellent. If you don't have one, you can achieve the same effect using a skewer and a sharp knife. Details will be included below.


You can use any hot dogs you like. Beef, pork, chicken, or even veggie or soy hot dogs all work well.


Ingredients


1 recipe for Hamburger Buns
12 hot dogs
Various hot dog toppings


Preparation


Make your buns by following the directions in the Hamburger Bun recipe, but shape the buns into hot dog buns instead. You can use a mold, or you can shape them freehand. Either way, they'll have to rise and be baked and cooled before you can proceed. You could, alternatively, use store-bought buns.


Once you have your buns, you can cook your hot dogs. These are roasted, so there won't be any boiling or any other nonsense. But there will be slicing. If you have a Curl-A-Dog, use it to slice your hot dogs. I'm going to assume most people don't have a Curl-A-Dog in a drawer. If you don't, get a metal or wooden skewer. Thread your hot dog onto the skewer end to end (long end). Try to keep the skewer in the middle of the hot dog as you go. If you're going to be cooking the hot dog over an open flame, you can use a roasting stick as your skewer.


Once your hot dog is on the skewer, place the hot dog on a cutting board. Slice into the hot dog with a sharp knife, making deep gashes into the hot dog. You should slice at an angle, all the way down to the skewer. Keep the knife parallel to the cutting board so you don't end up slicing the hot dog to bits. I usually make 8 or 10 slashes in each hot dog.


Turn the hot dog over and repeat. Make sure you have turned the hot dog completely over or you might accidentally slice the hot dog to bits. Make your diagonal slashes, again only to the skewer. Even just shy of the skewer so the hot dog stays intact.


If you're cooking the hot dog on an open flame, you've probably used a roasting stick instead of a skewer. If so, you're ready to roast the hot dog. If you're cooking the hot dog in the oven, you'll want to heat your oven to 400°F and gently remove the hot dog from the skewer. There's no need to cook it on the skewer if you're using the oven. Pull it off, being careful not to tear it, and place it on a baking sheet. Roast or bake your hot dog until it's as done as you like it. I like mine almost black, which takes about 20 minutes in the oven. Most people are happy with a 10 or 15-minute hot dog.


As it cooks, the hot dog will expand and the insides will cook and get crispy. The longer the hot dog cooks, the crispier the sliced edges will become. It's actually quite easy to burn these, so do keep an eye on them.


Once the hot dog is cooked, slice your hot dog buns and place the hot dog inside. Top with mustard, cheese, onions, or anything else you like on your hot dog.


Serve immediately.

Sandwiches & Burgers: Handmade Turkey Burgers

Premade burgers are great, but there's nothing quite like a burger you've made yourself, one you've truly made yourself. A patty that you've created, adding ingredients you love, will almost always taste better than something you bought quickly at the store. This burger takes a little more work than a premade, obviously, but the results are worth it.


When shaping your burgers, you might want to make some smaller sliders. They're great for kids and make a wonderful appetizer for a larger gathering. You can use toothpicks to hold them together if you're serving them as appetizers.


A note on the protein: You can, if you like, use something other than turkey. Try using ground chicken, beef, or even pork. They'll all be delicious. This recipe makes about 6 burgers.


Ingredients


1 pound (approximately) ground turkey
¼ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 green onion, finely chopped (or 1 tsp onion powder, if desired)
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
¼ anise seed
2 tbsp milk
1 egg
Vegetable oil
Barbeque sauce, if desired
6 Hamburger Buns
Burger toppings of your choice

Preparation


These burgers are not really as hard to make as you might think. Place turkey, bread crumbs, cheese, onion, garlic powder, oregano, anise seed, milk, and egg in a large bowl. Mix well, typically with your hands, until everything is well combined and uniform. If you don't want to get raw turkey on your hands, consider using Ziploc bags to protect your hands as you work. It will keep your hands much cleaner and they can just be thrown out when you're finished.


Divide the turkey mixture into 6 equal portions. Shape each portion into a single patty. Turkey won't shrink too much, but some meats will, so keep this in mind when deciding on how large they should be. If you're going to make sliders, you'll be making much smaller patties, so you'll have many more of them. Remember if you're making sliders, you'll want to make sure you've made slider-sized buns.


Once you've shaped your burgers, heat a little vegetable oil in a large skilled over medium heat. How long you cook your burgers will depend on how large they are. Very thick burgers may need as much as 20 minutes. A slider will only need about 10 minutes. Cook burgers for 5 minutes on the first side, flip and cook for a further 5 minutes. After this, check for doneness. If they're not cooked, flip and cook for another 5 minutes. You do not want an undercooked burger, so a little more is always better than a little less.


If you want a barbequed burger, coat the burgers with barbeque sauce 2 minutes before you remove them from the skillet. Let the barbeque sauce caramelize a little to add flavor.


When the burgers are fully cooked, remove from heat and place on buns. Top with mustard, pickles, tomatoes, or any other toppings you like. Enjoy warm.

Sandwiches & Burgers: Grilled Chicken Burgers

Chicken burgers are incredibly popular with many, many people, but they're also a little boring. Sure, you can grab a chicken burger, throw it on the grill, and call it a burger, but why not spend a few minutes earlier in the day to make it truly something delicious?


This recipe can use full chicken breasts or you can purchase premade chicken breast patties. Either will work well enough. Just don't try to use breaded patties. They don't take the marinade well and will crumble well before grilling.


Ingredients


2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts or 4 chicken breast patties
⅓ cup honey
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tsp garlic powder
4 tbsp honey
4 tbsp Dijon mustard
4 tbsp mayonnaise
4 Hamburger Buns
topping of your choice


Preparation


If using chicken breasts, split each in half, making 4 portions. Pound gently until you have a uniform thickness, about ¼-inch. too thick and they won't cook. If you are using patties, you can obviously skip this step. Mix the ⅓ cup of honey, lemon juice, and garlic powder in a shallow dish that will hold all four burgers comfortably. Remove about ⅓ of the marinade and place it in a small bowl or cup. Set aside.


Add the chicken to the baking dish. Turn it several times to coat, then place in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours, turning every hour or so. When you're ready to make the burgers, preheat the grill. Remove the chicken from the fridge and discard the marinade in the dish. Place chicken on the hot grill and cook, basting with the marinade a few times, for about 5 minutes on each side. You may need to cook them a little longer depending on the heat of your grill. Make sure they are thoroughly cooked.


While you're grilling the burgers, combine the 4 tbsp of honey with the Dijon mustard and the mayonnaise. Mix well in a small bowl. This is the honey sauce for your completed burgers. Also take a moment to split the buns if you haven't already done so. You may toast the buns, if desired.


Remove the chicken from the grill and place on the buns. Drizzle the honey sauce on top of the chicken. Add any toppings you like. Try lettuce or tomato, even pickles are delicious on this burger.


Serve immediately. This recipe makes 4 burgers.