Monte Cristo Sandwich

I first had this sandwich about 20 years ago while I was a manager for Bennigan's, a restaurant in Austin, TX.  I thought I would never eat anything else again.  I love every bit of this sandwich.  The ham, turkey, and cheese.  The powdered sugar and jam.  WOW...then deep fry the sandwich!  I know, it's deep-fried.  I have tried all types of Monte Cristo's through the years and I can tell you that the baked sandwiches don't taste like the deep-fried.

The last time I had this sandwich before I made them last week, was probably 5 years ago.  Obviously not being able to eat bread is a huge issue with this sandwich..it takes 3 pieces.  I have to say that I wanted this sandwich and was willing to experiment with my GF bread.  It worked!  I made my family sandwiches using traditional wheat loaf bread and mine with my flatbread.  There were happy faces all around.

The success of making this sandwich is to get it done early.  I try to make my sandwiches the night before or first thing in the morning.  You have to create a seal between the bread, meat, and cheese.  You will see in the pictures below what I mean.

I served it with Blackberry Jam for 2 reasons.  One, that is what I had (you know me, use what I have) and second, my kids do not like the seeds in raspberry jam.  I have to say it tasted just as good.  ENJOY!

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

For each sandwich you will need:

3 pieces of bread
3 slices of ham
3 slices of turkey
1 or 2 slices of Cheddar cheese
1 or 2 slices of Swiss cheese
Saran Wrap

A dusting of Powdered Sugar
Raspberry or Blackberry Jam

To Deep Fry:

Pancake mix ( I used a GF version)
about 2 inches of oil in the bottom of a large pot


When I make this sandwich, I decide how many I need and make them all together.  I lay my bread out, layer the cheese and meat and then stack.  Your layers will be: bread, swiss, turkey, swiss, bread, cheddar, ham, cheddar, bread...with me so far?  See pictures, it helps.

Before and after

Take a piece of Saran Wrap and place a sandwich in the middle.  You want to squish the sandwich and then wrap it tight.  The sandwich should be half of what you started with.




Place sealed and wrapped sandwiches in the fridge until you are ready to fry them up.

Make Pancake batter according to the box.  It should be thinner than the cake mix batter.  Add some milk/water to make it thinner. The mixes are all different.  Thick will work, but it adds a lot of bread to the sandwich.

Heat oil in pot.

Remove sandwiches from the refrigerator and unwrap.  Cut them in half, from corner to corner.  You should have a triangle.

Dip each triangle into the batter and VERY CAREFULLY add the triangle to the hot oil.  It will bubble up over the sandwich.  Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.  They should be golden brown.

With long tongs, remove sandwiches and set on bakers rack to cool.  Sprinkle each sandwich with powdered sugar and serve with jam.  If the cheese did not melt in the middle of the sandwich you can microwave for 30 seconds.

Most adults can eat a whole sandwich, but if served with something else you can plan on 1/2 per adult.  They are filling

Written by Sherron Watson

Cheddar Cheese Fondue

I have a few recipes that my kids ask for over and over, this is one of them!  We love cheese fondue.  Not just any fondue, this fondue.  It's made with cheddar and kids like this flavor much better than the traditional swiss.  I serve both when I host parties and oft times the adults like this one better as well.  I think the mild flavor served with fresh bread is always a hit with any age group.

I thought that this would be something that I would not be able to enjoy once I went on a gluten-free diet.  Thankfully it works great with a GF flour blend and I make my flatbread.  All of my guests love the bread and can't believe it is gluten-free.

Cheddar Cheese Fondue

2 C. milk...I use whole milk.

1 T. Worcestershire Sauce

2 tsp.  dry mustard

1 clove of minced garlic

3 T. flour (I use GF flour)

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 T. water

6 Cups shredded cheddar cheese

**I use 3 cups of medium cheddar and 3 cups of sharp cheddar.  I have also substituted some of the cheddar for Swiss cheese.  Taste the fondue and make sure that you can "taste" the cheese, if not , add a little bit more cheese.  Cheese has different flavors and some are stronger than others.

1.  Combine the first four ingredients until just starting to boil; add the flour. 

2.  Mix baking soda with 1 T. water and add to flour/milk mixture. Cook and stir until thickened.

3.  Add all of the cheese at once.  Turn heat down and stir until well combined.  

 To reheat, either use the microwave or a saucepan on the stove.  Be careful not to burn it on the stove. 

 4.  Serve with apples and/or bread.

NOTE:  The baking soda blends the fondue so that it is smooth.  If you leave it out, it may look grainy and separate.

The recipe can be found here.

Written by Sherron Watson

Easy Guacamole

Gluten-Free Easily requested some yummy recipes with very few ingredients, this was the recipe I shared with her.  I have checked out the other recipes and they look awesome!  Go check them out.  You can find my contribution to her blog here.  I have also shared this recipe with my friend,  Chef in Disguise and her blog a few months back.

It was one year ago this week that my family and I did something CRAZY!  We sold all of our belongings, rented out our home and bought a travel trailer.  Destination unknown.....We set off towards Texas because my Hubster (that's what I call him) had some work options.  We landed in Texas for 6 months.  Texas is quite large and so we explored every detail...Gulf of Mexico, Austin, Dallas, East Texas and we drove through the west side.  During our travels we were introduced to lots of TEX-MEX and it was HOT, HOT, HOT!

We learned to eat a lot of foods that were not cooked.  Even with air conditioning, it was unbearable to heat up the trailer.  Our go-to food soon became fruits, salads, and guacamole.  We love avocados.  this is a recipe that I just recently made for our family.  It does not matter how much I make, it never lasts more than a few hours in our home.  ENJOY!

Guacamole

4-6 ripe Avocados
1/2 bunch of Cilantro
1/2 red onion, diced
1 tsp. fresh Lime Juice
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. pepper
Salt to taste

Cut the avocado in half, remove the seed.  Using a spoon, remove avocado and add to large mixing bowl. Dice red onion.  Add onion, lime juice, garlic powder, pepper, and salt.  I use 2 butter knives and cut the mixture in a criss-cross pattern.  We like chunky guacamole.  Continue until the consistency is to your preference.   I tend to have to add more salt to mine.   Serve with chips, on hamburgers or with salads.

Written by Sherron Watson

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter has been a favorite of mine for years.  My friend, Debbie, used to make these peanut butter bars with chocolate frosting that were so divine.  The recipe made a cookie sheet full and I was usually the one who ate most of them.  When I found out I could not eat wheat, I was so sad. Yet, my waistline was jumping for joy.  I have not made the recipe using a GF flour yet to see if it would even taste and bake the same...BUT, I will one of these days.

Today I was in the mood for something with peanut butter.  I found this recipe on cooks.com several years ago and we have not looked back.   I like to take this recipe to parties and serve our guests in our home.  Everyone loves the flavor and the texture is perfect. 


My original thought was how does this work...no flour and only 4 ingredients.  I have to say it's super easy and can easily be made by a kid-let with adult supervision.   I have to tell you though, that the organic peanut butter DOES NOT work.  I tried this today and the dough was terribly dry and grainy.  So, I did what any good wife would do, I sent my hubby to the store to buy some normal peanut butter and they turned out great.  I posted a picture of the two so you can see the difference.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup of peanut butter. I used Jiffy.
1 cup of sugar.
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg.

1.  Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Stir with a fork until well blended.  I use a cookie scoop to make the cookies into balls (I also like them to all be the same size).  I take a fork dipped in sugar and add the criss-cross on top.

2.  Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes.  They should be golden brown.  I also line my cookie sheet with parchment paper so they will remove easier.  Let cookies cool on a cookie rack.

3.  The recipes makes about 20-25 small cookies (2 inches).  It works great for our family of 5.

Zucchini Puff Casserole

UPDATE 2020: We still eat this recipe at least once a month in the summer and sometimes in the winter. We love it!

It's summer and I can guarantee you that we will make this recipe at least 6-8 times before the zucchini surplus is over.  I found this recipe years ago in a cookbook.  I wish  I could remember the book, but all I know is the cover was a red and white check.  Any ideas readers?  LOL  

Everyone knows my love for cheese.  What I love about this recipe is it's easy, yummy and has the BEST cheese topping.  I wanted to post this recipe next week but I just found a blog hop on Julie's Eats and Treats and I want to participate.  I am here late Saturday night frantically writing up the post and recipe.  It's crazy how the foodie in me can get CRAZY excited about these little things in life.  But, they do make me happy...LOL

My oldest daughter absolutely loves this recipe.  It is her favorite.  I usually make 2 large pans and we eat it for every meal.  I have never tried the topping on any other veggie but I bet it would be just as yummy on any squash that you have in your garden or get from a friend.  ENJOY!

 Zucchini Cheddar Puff

2 lb. zucchini or yellow squash (sliced 1/4 inch thick) 7 cups

1 c. dairy sour cream

2 egg yolk, beaten

2 T. all-purpose flour (GF flour blends work well too)

1/2 tsp. onion salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1.5 c. shredded Cheddar

3 egg white

4 T. seasoned bread crumbs (I use GF bread crumbs)

2 tsp. butter

1.  In a medium saucepan cook squash, covered in a small amount of water for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well and spread evenly into a 9X13 pan.


 2.  In a bowl combine sour cream, egg yolk, flour, onion, salt, and pepper. Stir in cheese. 


3.  In a bowl beat egg whites until fluffy stiff peaks form. Fold into sour cream mixture. Spoon onto squash. Mix bread crumbs and butter together and sprinkle over the dish. 

4.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

NOTES:  I like a lot of the "puff" on my zucchini, I have made the recipe 1.5 times and it works well.  This recipe heats very well in the microwave the next day.

Written by Sherron Watson

Veggie Melts

2014 UPDATE:  THIS RECIPE IS HAVING NEW PICTURES OF THE SANDWICH TAKEN TO UPDATE THE BLOG.  THANKS!

Vegetables play a large role in our dinners.  Trying to come up with veggie foods that my kids will eat is challenging at times.  We eat a lot of melons, fruit salads, green salads, and sauteed veggies.  We like to eat these with fresh bread, quinoa, rice or homemade GF noodles.

This treat is something that my Mother-n-law use to make when we first got married.  I never forgot the flavor of the cauliflower mixed with the other veggies.  I have added different things in the past and this alters the original just a bit, but not much.  The other thing I do to try and keep it fresh is to change the dressing that I use.  Tonight I used a Caesar dressing.  In the past, I have used plain mayonnaise or Ranch.

The recipe is great as a normal sandwich too.  Especially if you live in a hot region and don't want to cook.

The bread that you see in the pictures is my recipe that can be found here .


Veggie Melts

1 head of Cauliflower, diced small
3 large carrots, sliced thin
3 stalks of celery, sliced thin
1/2 onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of salad dressing or mayo

Bread of your choice
Cheese of your choice


1. Dice all of the veggies into small pieces. Steam them in the microwave using a microwaveable bowl until they are firm but not crunchy.  Definitely not mushy.

2.  In a bowl add the salt, pepper and dressing or mayo.  Add the veggies when they are steamed to your liking.  Stir to blend.

3.  Slice the bread in half or use regular sliced bread, take some olive oil and brush on one side.  I broil this until lightly brown, add the veggies and broil until bubbling or lightly toasted.  Remove from the oven and add the grated cheese.  It should melt from the heat of the veggies.

The broiling is fast, so keep an eye on your oven and sandwiches.  ENJOY

I have also added zucchini to this.  My thought is the more veggies I get in the kids, the better. LOL

Written by Sherron Watson

Cast Iron Breakfast with Potatoes, Bacon and Cheese

There are so many things I love in my kitchen: rolling pins, whisks, graters, measuring cups and the list goes on and on.  So it is hard for me to pick just a few because they all play such pivotal roles in my kitchen.  My cast iron is treasured.  I love cooking with it.  It reminds me of using a "kitchen tool" that has been used for many, many years.  I feel a connection to all of the cooks from my past...Grandmothers, Great Grandmothers and on and on.

I will buy the worst looking cast iron at garage sales and flea markets and bring it home and restore it to it's natural beauty.  I will give it a beautiful black patina.  I give each of them the egg test.  If I can make an egg in it and not have it stick, then I have done my job.  This dish is the ultimate egg test because it combines eggs, cheese, potatoes and bacon.  

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I read an article that gave the easiest and simplest way to re-season your cast iron.  I used to slather it with Crisco and let it season in the oven for an hour and cool.  This took forever, heated up my house and did not always work the first time.  The new way is much easier.  They have you do it on the stove top.  I heat my skillet up, grab some tongs and a napkin, dip my napkin in the Crisco and melt it all over the inside of the pan, all while on the stove top.  I do this about 4 times and it's done.  My last two pans passed the fried egg test the first time.  

Skillet Breakfast with Potatoes, Bacon, and Cheese

The large skillet would feed 4-5 adults 

4-5 baked potatoes (a great way to use up leftovers)

1/2 sliced onion

1/2 sliced bell pepper (optional)

salt/pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 pound of Bacon..cooked and diced

2 cups of cheddar cheese 

6 eggs for the large skillet 

1/2 cup of cream or milk

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees and put skillets in the oven.  BEWARE, they will get very hot!

2.  Saute the onion, bell pepper and garlic for 3 minutes in butter. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add eggs and milk to a small bowl and whisked together.

4.  Using a thick hot pad, remove skillet from oven and coat with butter. Layer your buttered skillet in this order:

Potatoes

Bacon

Onion and bell pepper

cheese

eggs/milk

5.  Bake for 15-20 minutes in a 400-degree oven.  The eggs should be puffy yet firm when touched.  See the picture below.  Serve immediately.  

Before...

...and after.

I think my family liked it!

I love how you can see the individual ingredients that create a wonderful flavor when eaten together.

Written by Sherron Watson