Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

The credit for this recipe goes to Vanessa and probably her mom.  It was so yummy and perfect because you make it the night before.  What is better than Hot ham and cheese sandwich and a bowl of soup on a cool fall day.  And another great thing about this recipe is that it took about 15 minutes to prep the night before.  Make the sauce first and while it cool assemble the sandwiches.

1 dozen small buns (dollar buns)
1/2 lbs. deli ham (or enough to fill the sandwich)
1/2 lbs. Swiss cheese (or enough to fill the sandwich)

Sauce:
2 sticks butter
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. poppy seeds
4 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. yellow mustard

Mix all sauce ingredients in sauce pan, bring to boil. Cool.
Assemble sandwiches, place in 9x13 pans.
Spoon cooled sauce on top of buns.
Cover & refrigerate overnight.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes covered with tinfoil & 5 minutes uncovered.

Opulent Chicken

Shout out to Linda Hallman for this recipe.  This is an awesome recipe.  And with the advice from Linda, it is perfect to make the night before and warm it up the next day.  We (Bf and I) made this on Wednesday night and put it in the fridge over night.  Then when we were getting ready for our dinner guest we put it back in the oven to reheat.  You couldn't even tell it was made the night before.

We used chicken thighs instead of chicken breast.  Either will work.  Please don't let the artichoke heats scary you away.  I'm not a fan of artichokes either but once everything is cooked you can't even tell they are in the dish.  I actually forgot they were in the chicken dish until we were clean up dinner, then it dawned on me.  We served with Brandied Carrots and part wild rice and part white rice.  Makes a fancier meal that can be done ahead of time.  My 6 qt. dutch oven worked perfect for this recipe and fit 8 chicken thighs with no problems.

8 chicken thighs or breasts
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
1/4 lbs butter (1 stick)
1 - 15oz can of artichoke hearts
1/2 lbs fresh mushrooms
1 pinch tarragon
3 tbsp flour
1/3 c. sherry
1 1/2 cups chicken bouillon

Slather the chicken in paprika, salt, and pepper.  Saute in 1/2 stick butter until golden brown.  Place the chicken pieces in a large serving casserole and add the artichokes among them.  Put the mushrooms and the remaining half of the butter in the same skillet you used for browning the chicken.  Season with the tarragon ans saute for about 5 minutes.  Sprinkle the flour in gently and add the sherry and bouillon.  Simmer for 5 minutes and pour the sauce over the chicken and artichokes.  cover the casserole and bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.

Recipe taken from Saucepans and the Single Girl