BBQ Spinach Chicken Wraps

I don't know about you guys, but after last Thursday - aka, the great American eat-a-thon - I've been craving something a little lighter. My poor tummy needs a break from the heavy, eat-til-I'm-uncomfortable kind of dining... and so does my waistline. Truthfully, after the gratuitous amounts of mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie I've consumed in the last few days, I should probably resign myself to eating naked lettuce and ice water for a month. But since we all know how likely that is to happen, I think a good wrap is in order instead.

I'll admit it... these wraps are another shameless rip off of a restaurant favorite. Way back when, in the summer right before my senior year of high school, when the only thing I had to worry about was creating an epic drum major salute for marching band and keeping gas in my crappy Volkswagon Jetta, I worked at Red Robin. It was a truly... interesting experience, and one I only cared to immerse myself in for one summer... but it had its perks. Not the least of which was getting half off of these amazing wraps on my lunch breaks.

Now, now... before you go freaking out, rest assured that I'm not divulging any top secret, inside restaurant information here. Red Robin will proudly tell you the ingredients in each of their dishes on their website, and besides, I have, of course, added my own little spin. I can never leave well enough alone after all.

But whether you've eaten the original or not, I think you guys are really going to love these wraps. They're super easy to throw together, and pretty darn irresistible. And they're pretty much the perfect lighter meal that people like us need after a weekend of binge eating. You might fall for the warm, juicy chicken, or maybe even the strangely intoxicating combination of BBQ sauce and ranch dressing. The crispy tortilla strips have always been the kicker for me though. It's like putting potato chips in your sandwich during a summer picnic... it feels so wrong, but tastes so right.

So if you need a little reprieve from your Thanksgiving food bender, give these a try. I promise you won't regret it.

Fall's Best Hot Ham & Cheese

So here they are... the first food photos to come from my new camera! What do you guys think? So far I'm pretty impressed with the quality of photos my new baby takes, but I'm still playing around with editing.

Lucky for me I had great subject material for my first shoot, because these sandwiches look almost as good as they taste. These guys bring together the best of fall's fresh flavors, in a way that allows each ingredient to shine... no element is overpowering, but each is complementary. I started with a succulent honey ham - this week's late night cook-ahead - and sliced it thick to make these sandwiches good and hearty. Then I layered on crisp, sour green apple, sharp cheddar, and a light slathering of Dijon mustard for extra flavor. Talk about delicious! Served alongside a few potato chips and a sour pickle spear, these were a fantastic meal that satisfied without weighing down. These were such a huge hit, and so easy that I'll definitely be making them all through apple season!

Sweet & Spicy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

I live with a veritable grilled cheese master. It's kind of Dane's signature dish, if you will... always his first suggestion when he's in charge of lunch or dinner and the thing I jokingly tell him he's best at making. (While I am still teaching the boy to cook he does make many things very well... but it is true, he does also make a mean grilled cheese.) So imagine my nerves when I decided to tackle this recipe. I had no doubt it would be easy and delicious... but would it live up to the boy's high standards of a great grilled cheese?

The easy answer? Of course it did.

These sandwiches are every bit as yummy as their name makes them sound. The simple yet genius combination of flavors make these anything but your everyday ordinary grilled cheese. Slightly caramelizing the onions brings out an amazing sweetness that, when paired with the summer's sweetest, ripest tomato, lends an almost candy-like quality to the sandwich. Then the sharp flavors of the full-bodied cheddar and spicy pepper jack kick in, and suddenly you're on a whole new level of delicious. Serve it with the Summer Corn & Vegetable Soup I shared earlier this week, and you've got yourself a healthy, flavorful meal fit for even the busiest night in your week.

Lamb Gyros

So, I have to admit... I was a gyro virgin until not too long ago. I honestly didn't even know what they were, and I certainly didn't pronounce the name correctly until my friend lovingly informed me that, "They're called yeer-ohs honey. YEE-rohs." Oops... how was I supposed to know they weren't JY-ros?

But finally last fall at Boise's annual Art in the Park, I popped my gyro cherry and bought one from one of the food truck vendors at the park. I was a little apprehensive - I'd honestly never eaten anything with lamb before, and what the heck was this stuff called tzatziki? But after I took one bite I knew exactly what everyone had been raving about. OMG yum.

I'd never really thought about trying to make my own until I saw this recipe in the cookbook I won from Annie. For some reason I thought the lamb would require hours of roasting and grinding yourself and all kinds of hard work. Boy was I wrong... these things are easy! And talk about tasty! This recipe brought back wonderful memories of that first gyro in the park, and was everything I expected. The cool tzatsiki perfectly balanced the hot onion, and the lamb was juicy and flavorful with just a hint of springy mint. I love the complexity of the flavors... each ingredient shines without overpowering, combining to create a flavor that is truly spectacular. And now that I know how easy these are to make, gyros will certainly be making a regular appearance in my life.

Barbecue Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

A couple of weeks ago I had the honor and privilege of winning a copy of Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love from a wonderful giveaway Annie was doing over on her blog. Not only was I ecstatic to have won a copy of such a highly-reviewed cookbook, but it's also the first thing I've ever won from a blog giveaway!

As soon as it arrived on my doorstep I immediately sat down with it and flipped through every recipe...

...and promptly bookmarked more than half of them to try. (If you've been following this blog long you'll know this is kind of a habit, tehe.) So expect to see many more big bowl of delicious love recipes in the coming weeks!

But back to the epic pulled chicken sandwiches!

Even though it took me longer than I'd really hoped to finally try something out of my shiny new cookbook, my first recipe was definitely worth the wait. These sandwiches were a huge hit! I think the use of thighs was ingenious for this recipe - white meat is often too dry for my taste, but the dark thigh meat stayed mouthwateringly moist. Plus, after a 2-hour slow roast in thick, smoky-sweet BBQ sauce, the meat literally fell off the bone. I could have eaten it without the bun! I followed the recipe as written this time around and used my oven, but you could easily use a slow-cooker to keep your house cool this summer if you wanted to. But no matter the method... I'll definitely be making these again!

Thanks again, Annie!

Meatball and Pepper Heroes

Ok, so I'll confess... these aren't the most photogenic works of culinary art. In fact, they're hardly even polite to eat, since much of the saucy goodness will inevitably wind up on your face and your hands. But don't let the mess and bad pictures fool you, friends - these meatball subs are spectacular. Just make sure you invest in some heavy-duty napkins before you dig in. :)

I've been on the hunt for a good meatball recipe for quite some time, and I was not disappointed by this one at all! True to Ellie Krieger form, this recipe is packed with flavor and healthful goodness in just the right proportions. I was hesitant to try it at first since it included shredded carrot in the meatballs themselves, but I was surprised to find that this addition easily replaced some of the usual breading you'd include and was hardly even noticeable. For those of you with children or otherwise picky eaters in the house, this could be a really good trick to sneaking them more veggies! Ellie's recipe included a homemade sauce that sounded too smoky for my taste, so I simply substituted some jarred marinara that I happened to have in the cupboard, with much success. The sandwich recipe is easily adaptable for anyone's tastes, but I was mostly excited to find such a healthy, flavorful way to make meatballs... and you can bet I'll be using it in the future for other meatball-worthy recipes.

Sloppy Joes

Who can resist a big, messy sloppy joe? A big sandwich, dripping with sweet and spicy tomato sauce, just begging for you to pick it up... doesn't it remind you of being a kid again?

Have some napkins ready for this meal, friends, especially if you choose to eat it like a sandwich. They call them sloppy joes for a reason, after all. More civilized folk would eat it with a knife and fork, though. (And we won't talk about what kind of person - ahem, like me - eats the warm leftovers right out of the gladware container because it's almost too good to share with the hamburger bun.)

This recipe is everything you'd expect from a sloppy joe. A large amount of sweet and tangy sauce, hearty ground beef, and just a little bit of kick. But it has some unexpected elements too - like peppers and pinto beans - that add a little something different and a lot of extra nutrition. The picky boy didn't even notice there were beans in it until I told him! Serve it with a light salad to balance the hefty sandwich, or go all out and have some onion rings or fries... or just have another serving, because who needs a side dish when the main attraction is so good?

Trust me... try this one and you'll never eat another girly-wich again. :)

Italian Club Sandwiches

I wasn't planning to post about these.

No, my next post was going to be about the butternut squash soup I'm going to try my hand at tonight.

These were simply supposed to be an easy weeknight dinner, with a little something different for a change of pace.

But after one bite out of these savory... flavorful... heavenly sandwiches... 

...I knew I had to share.

This is quite possibly the most delicious sandwich I have ever eaten. Chewy focaccia, light, fluffy egg crepes, salty, crispy bacon, savory, thin-sliced turkey,sharp provolone cheese... and all with that distinctive zing of pesto. The only problem I have with this sandwich is that I can't stop eating it. 

I got the recipe from Giada De Laurentis on the Food Network website while I was looking for appetizers. She recommends cutting them up and serving bite-sized portions as finger foods... and they would be perfect for any kind of get together. But trust me, once you take one bite of these delicious sandwiches... you won't want to share.