3 Picnic Worthy Sandwiches

Independence Day is this weekend! I can hardly believe it. If you’re packing up for a picnic on the fourth or any summer day this weekend here are 3 of my favorite picnic worthy sandwich recipes:

1. Crab Salad & Mango Sandwich
2. Num Pang Tiger Shrimp Sandwich
3. Sweet & Crunchy Wasabi Tuna Salad Sandwich

What are you doing &/or making for the fourth? I'd love to know, so comment below! If you make any of these sandwiches be sure to snap a pic & then tag me in your photos on instagram (@mrshoh or #HeatherOMade)!

Better Home Cooking Basics: #56 Butter Bread with Mayo for the Best Ever Grilled Cheese.

I love a good grilled cheese. The bread is buttery & crispy & the cheese is melty & gooey. When you get a good one you know it & there is nothing better. I’ve tried endlessly to make the perfect grilled cheese at home but it wasn’t until recently that I found this life (or grilled cheese) changing tip in Bon Appetit that I was able to perfect my grilled cheese sandwich. The key - the secret to the best grilled cheese is MAYO!! Who knew? I’m personally not a mayo fan but you don’t taste the mayo with this method, you just taste nutty, brown, crispy, toasted bread. What’s even better is your cheese gets all melty & gooey just like you’ve always dreamed!

So without further adieu, this is what you do:

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with Goat Cheese, Spinach, Caramelized Onions & Mushrooms

I know it may appear that we never repeat the same meal in our house - but here’s a secret- we do! Since chicken is kind of blah (I’m bored with it just thinking about it) I find it is more exciting when it’s sandwiched in between some deliciously charred bread & smothered with toppings. Then it’s almost like you’re not eating the chicken at all. What’s even better is that you can make these sandwiches with simple ingredients & you get to eat them with your hands!

Num Pang Tiger Shrimp Sandwich

I know I've mentioned Num Pang before. In fact I made the watermelon juice they serve there (here… remember?). To refresh, Num Pang is a delish Cambodian sandwich shop. My sister & I always laugh about how when we asked them to cut a sandwich in half for us (so we could share two different kinds - because choosing is just so difficult!) the cashier kindly pointed the the sign "no substitutions." We cut the sandwiches ourselves - no big deal. The truth is they really don't need any substitutions & the tiger shrimp sandwich is no exception.

I found a recipe on the VillageVoice.com for said sandwich & had to give it a try. It was surprisingly simple as well as delicious. There will be no leftovers.

PS: Happy birthday Dawnie :)

Mediterranean Chicken Wrap

I love Mediterranean food, if you haven't noticed.  This post is this week's recipes wrapped into one, literally. Sometimes if you don't feel like cranking the oven it becomes a sandwich kind of night, or in this case a wrap kind of night. Just because you didn't turn the oven on or use your stove top doesn't mean you have to sacrifice flavor. This Mediterranean chicken wrap proves just that.

Mozzarella, Avocado, Tomato, Arugula & Mustard Toast

I really love toast. I think toasted bread  makes every sandwich better.  My brother is actually the one who schooled me on toasting my bread for sandwiches & layering the topping just so, so that when you cut through it there is a pretty cross section to display. This also feeds my need to make all of my food pretty. Chris will call it "fancy" but really I think it's just an  occupational hazard because I'm always picturing how it would look in (well) a picture.  I also think every meal deserves attention to how it looks, therefore breakfast, lunch & dinner may take a few minutes longer in our house.

Find out how you can start a toast addiction with this gateway version after the jump!

Red Pepper Pesto Breakfast Sandwich

On the weekend my go-to breakfast is an egg sandwich.  I like all kinds & experiment with all things (in my fridge).  This sandwich is just a toasted english muffin plus a fried egg & a glop of roasted red pepper pesto.  Simple & tasty just what I need to make my Saturday/Sunday morning easy.

Check out my quick no-cook recipe for roasted red pepper pesto after the jump!

Crab Cake Sandwich Dinner

 

I have a new found love for cooking with lump crab meat. I went off this recipe for crab cake sliders & morphed them into regular (ok pretty large) sandwiches.  I didn't have the crackers that How Sweet It Is used so I used panko bread crumbs.  After I mixed in all of the panko I thought they would add a nice crunch to the outside so I dipped my crab cakes in more panko before pan frying them.

Then what really attracted me to this recipe was the toppings - a pineapple kiwi salsa + a spicy lime yogurt spread! Yes, PLEASE! I also really dig cooking with greek yogurt instead of mayo & well this menu has greek yogurt in two spots, happy win!

Thanks for the inspiration How Sweet It Is! I hope I did your recipe justice!

Happy weekend everyone & thanks for reading!

Click through to see photos of how this dinner came together.

Roasted Chicken Dinner Sandwiches

I really love to make dinner for my hubby.  He is my biggest fan and makes me feel like I'm a five star chef when I'm really just a wanna-be.  One of his favorite things that I make are sandwiches.  I owe my sandwich skills to my days working as a barista at Immaculate Consumption in college. I leaned to make some mean sandwiches and will forever be inspired.

Monday nights are great for sandwich dinners - they're quick, easy and tastey!  This Monday I made roasted chicken with a marinated cucumber salad on ciabatta bread. They're really pretty easy to make and you only need some chicken, veggies and bread!

Read on to learn how I made them: