Need good, easy and not too expensive sandwich

[IcyMist]

Well my family taste tested the cream cheese, turkey, sun flower seed, lettice and honey french dressing sandwiches.....only people who liked them were my sister and I. I think I should have used the whipped cream cheese because I slathered it on thick. Was in a hurry and didn't take the time to whip it up, but I have decided not to make it since it flopped the family test. Am now thinking about just making some ham, swiss, horseradish sauce & mustard sandwiches. I would like to add lettice and tomato to those sandwiches but not sure how long it would take before they get runny. Would be making them up the night before. Maybe I should just slice tomatoes and put on the side? Should I add small dill pickles and bread and butter pickles on the side too? Or can someone suggest an EASY but delicious recipe? Sis is bringing chicken salad so need something totally different.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I must have missed some other thread. What are these sandwiches for & where will you be taking them?

Never add fresh tomato or lettuce to sandwiches except right before serving. Doing so beforehand WILL make the sandwiches soggy & runny, & the lettuce will wilt.

How about some sort of sub/hero sandwiches? These are easy to assemble on site or ahead of time minus the dressing & vegetable ingredients. Plus the bread, having a crisper crust, stays fresh longer.

 

[IcyMist]

I am helping cook for my niece's wedding reception. So far we have 200 and it could go over 300 (wedding is in mid-June). The distance of travel for the sandwiches will only be about 30 minutes away. We are making many different types of finger foods instead of a full dinner. With both my sister and I cooking it shouldn't be as difficult as my nephew's wedding last year because his was the first time we ever tackled such a large undertaking. It turned out great with the only real problem being we made waaaaaay too much food. Gave leftovers to a place that prepares food for the needy and so it didn't go to waste.

 

[mish]

I must have missed some other thread. What are these sandwiches for & where will you be taking them?

I echo Breezy's comment. Icy can you give us more info?

 

[mish]

I am helping cook for my niece's wedding reception. So far we have 200 and it could go over 300 (wedding is in mid-June). The distance of travel for the sandwiches will only be about 30 minutes away. We are making many different types of finger foods instead of a full dinner. With both my sister and I cooking it shouldn't be as difficult as my nephew's wedding last year because his was the first time we ever tackled such a large undertaking. It turned out great with the only real problem being we made waaaaaay too much food. Gave leftovers to a place that prepares food for the needy and so it didn't go to waste.

Gotcha. I would go with Tea (party) sandwiches, i.e. thinly sliced cucumber, cream cheese, watercress and buttered white bread, etc. There are so many varieties. Let me know if you would like more suggestions.

 

[abjcooking]

This is a great thread with lots of ideas
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f23/unique-and-great-sandwiches-2295.html?highlight=sandwich

 

[BreezyCooking]

Is there a general theme?

I know you say your sis is bringing chicken salad, which definitely puts Mish's Tea Sandwiches right in line. If you wanted a sandwich in the tea-sandwich line, but with more than vegetables without repeating chicken, you could make a chopped ham salad finger sandwich. Just make sure you butter the bread with softened butter before adding the ham salad so it doesn't sog up the bread. Shrimp salad is another possiblity, but would obviously be more expensive to make.

Actually, buttering bread with softened butter used to be a first-hand requirement for all sandwiches in order to keep fillings & dressings from ruining the bread.

 

[abjcooking]

Party Sandwiches

1 unslices 8-10 inch long load pumpernickel bread or other dense specialty bread
1 bunch green onions, chppped
1 (8oz.) package cream cheese, room temp
1/2 t. creole seasoning
1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced rare roast beef, from deli
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 pound bacon, fried crisp and drained
Hellmann's real mayo
Romaine lettuce leaves

Slice bread half lengthwise and hollow out the top of the loaf about 1/2 inch deep. Bread loaf should be about 3 1/2 inches wide. Mix green onion and creole seasoning into the cream cheese. Spread bottom half generously with mayonnaise. Cover the edge of bread. Layer the settuce on the bottom half, tomatoes, meat and top with bacon slices. Top with the hollowed our bread filled with cream cheese. Slice sandwich diagonally at 2" intervals with serrated knife.

 

[Constance]

One of the sandwiches I did for my daughter's wedding was braunsweiger mixed with cream cheese and sliced olives, and spread on soft rye bread that I cut into heart shapes with a cookie cutter. It's inexpensive to make, and very tasty.
If you have a bread outlet store nearby, you can save a lot of money by purchasing your bread there. We have a Dolly Madison here, and I find the breads just as fresh as what's on our grocers shelves at less than half the price.

 

[mish]

Here are a few ideas for Tea Sandwiches. I would keep them light. Less is more! Tomato and mayo sammiches are yummy.

http://www.stratsplace.com/rogov/tea_sandwiches.html

http://home.att.net/~dfaglon/tearecipe.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/et_pa_afternoon_tea/0,1972,FOOD_10924,00.html

 

[marmalady]

How 'bout some ham on little bitty cheese biscuits? Or Thin sliced Roast Beast on rosemary biscuits? Both super easy 'cause you can buy the meat at the deli!

 

[auntdot]

If you go the tea sandwich route would suggest you start with several different breads and a number of toppings.

Then have an enormous mis en place: the bread all cut, the veggies sliced, including the olives, the cream cheese ready to go and at room temp, meats, cheeses and and other items prepared.

Mish has given some wonderful web sites for ideas.

Oh yes, and butter, or margarine, a fat on the bread keeps the juices from tomatoes and such from making the bread soggy, at least for a while. Also have it room temp.

Then just start constructing the sandwiches.

Mix and match ingredients.

Make it so that the guests will not know exactly what they are getting until they bite into it.

Cream cheese with pimento, or slices of olives, maybe a cuke slice and a bit of shrimp salad, or pumpernickel with ham, or cheese, or both and some mustard.

Used to do this sort of thing as a kid and not only did people like it but it was a lot of fun.

Just a thought.

 

[IcyMist]

WOW thanks for all the ideas. I will have to give it some more thought about which to make now. You have all given me great ideas. My mother is making pineapple & cream cheese sandwiches, sis the chicken salad and I will figure out something to go along with these. We have many many other types of appys, but wanted some finger sandwiches to go along with all the other finger food. So far we are having meatballs, sausage balls, antipasto squares, jalepino poppers, thumb print ham & cheese thingies, veggie tray, cheese tray, mini corn dogs, pigs in blankets, crab purses, buffalo wing dip, stuffed black olives (haven't totally decided about what to stuff them with yet but was thinking of chives, cream cheese and maybe a little ranch dressing?), bacon wrapped sausages, cold veggie pizza, and at least half a dozen other things. Between my sister and I we will be busy little bees for the next few weeks.

 

[Corinne]

"Salad" type sandwiches:
Chicken
Ham
Egg
Buffalo Chicken
Seafood
Tuna

 

[BreezyCooking]

Something my mom does is make "pinwheel" sandwiches.

She removes the crusts from a loaf of white bread & rolls each slice lightly with a rolling pin to flatten/condense it a little. She then spreads each slice with a filling: cream cheese & olives, pimiento cheese, soft Brauschweiger liverwurst spread, etc. Each slice is then carefull rolled up & wrapped in wax paper or plastic wrap & chilled overnight in the refrigerator. Next day, with a sharp knife, she removes the paper & slices the rolls & they look like little pinwheels.

 

[Constance]

Wow! You're going to have quite a feed, Icy. The only thing I see that you're missing is fruit. Perhaps you could put together a nice tray with fresh pineapple (the new "golden" cultivar is extra sweet), grapes, sliced apples (dip in citric acid to prevent browning), and whatever else looks sweet and juicy. Serve with a cream cheese based fruit dip, and place next to your cheese tray.
You could also carve out a melon basket and fill it with assorted melon balls and a good shot of your favorite fruit brandy.

 

[mish]

The roll-ups can be made without the bread, wrapping a piece of proscuitto (or ham - spread with cream cheese mixture) around the spears and securing with party picks. Or mix some horseradish into the cream cheese, or omit the bacon, if you prefer. They look appealing wrapped in puff pastry in place of bread as well.

Asparagus Roll-Ups

16 fresh asparagus spears
16 slices sandwich bread, crusts removed
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
2 tablespoons minced chives
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
grated Parmesan cheese

Place asparagus in a skillet with a small amount of water; cook until crisp-tender, about 6-8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Flatten bread with a rolling pin. Combine the cream cheese, bacon and chives; spread 1 tablespoonful on each slice of bread. Top with an asparagus spear. Roll up tightly; place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Brush with butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cut roll-ups in half. Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Yield: 32 appetizers

Here's an idea of what they look like. I would put them on a prettier tray - silver or glass, garnish the platter with dill or parsley, and make a more attractive arrangement.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I love the deli roast beef idea. But you said you wanted things inexpensive. To make my idea work, you have to have a rotary slicer that can shave the meat from a roast.

Purchase either and inside round or sirloin tri-tip roast. Figure about a quarter pound per person (for 100 that's a toatal of 25 pounds of meat). Fire up a charcoal, kettle grill. Dived the coals into two piles on either side, leaving a 6 inch space between them. Light 'em up. season the roast with salt, pepper, and garlic. Place a throw-away aluminum laof pan, filled half way with water, between the charcoal piles. Add chunks of apple or maple to the fire. Place the cooking grid over the coals.

Put the roast over the drip pan. Cover the barbecue grill and close all vents half way. Roast without touching for about ten minutes per pound. Test how done it is by placing an instant read thermometer into the roast center. When it reads 135 degrees F. Remove the roast, place in a plastic bag and throw in the fridge. Let sit overnight.

Take the roast out in time to shave it into sandwich sized pieces. Use the roast beef to make the sandwiches.

This isn't as easy as bying deli meat, but it's a whole bunch cheaper, and in my opinion, it tastes much better. I did just this trick at my oldest daughter's wedding last year. It was a real hit.

Another great, and even cheaper way to do this is to barbecue a turkey, using the same method described for the roast beef. But don't take the turkey out until the thickest part of the breast reads 155 degrees. No need to baste, though brining would add flavor. Just carve the meat into thin slices by removing the breast muscles as one big piec, then slicing very thinly accross the grain. Of course you can shred the dark meat and use it as well, either for turkey salad sandwiches, or as is.

And you can do the same thing with good pork roast, or a fresh ham.

For something a little different, tnederize and grill some chuck or round steak. Dice and place in a pressure cooker with diced onion and diced green peppers, cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper, and a bit of your favorite hot sauce. Cook for a half hour and serve with diced tomato, guacamole, shredded romaine lettuce, and sour cream, all to be used with flour tortillas. They are carne-asada buritoes, but with tender carne asada meat because of the pressure cooking. Also have plenty of shredded medium cheddar cheese with this, and some good salsa. Oh, and don't tell people that you're serving burritoes. Tell them that you're giving them wraps. It seems that the term is "in style" right now. And if you purchase small flour tortillas, it makes the fillings go a long way.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North