Ham & Bell Pepper Sandwich



It’s the time of year when it feels like I’ve packed a million school lunches and we’re all sick of sandwiches.  I have a few things I do to add variety, but I hadn’t made these bagel sandwiches in a long time.  When I sent them to school with my kids last week, they all came home raving about them.


Ham and Bell Pepper Sandwiches Ingredients:
whole grain bagel cream cheese 3-4 slices Black Forest ham thinly sliced green bell peppers Soften cream cheese and spread on both sides of a bagel.  Layer ham on one half of bagel, and cover with thinly sliced green peppers.  Place other half of bagel on top and enjoy!


My 16 year old son loved his so much that he texted, begging me to bring three more identical sandwiches to him at school, and reported after school that everyone wanted him to share.  My ten year old who declares any green food as gross actually ate his and has requested them ever since.  The girls loved them too.  They are simple, pack well, and taste great.  With only four ingredients, they’re easy to plan and shop for, and for kids to prepare themselves.

Have a great day!

Bacon, Asparagus and Cheese Sandwiches

I like funerals.

I was thinking last week that I know more people who have passed away in the past six months than I know people who’ve had a baby in the same six months.  Is that a function of my age, or are a lot of people dying?

I don’t like people dying, but I do like funerals.  I have never been sorry to have attended one, and I’ve always learned something inspiring.  I also like all the stories and memories that surround them.  I was reminded of this at the viewing for my Dad’s cousin on Monday night.  You learn so many things about people and make so many connections when you attend events of this kind.  As sad as they are, they’re uppers in their own strange way.  They remind you what really matters in life.

When I was at my Aunt’s funeral at the end of January, I learned something about my Dad that I’d never heard before.  He started telling her four sons about how, when their mother died while they were still kids, Aunt Laurie was the one who went to the kitchen and prepared some of the meals that their recently deceased Mom had made for the family.  He spoke of how comforting it was to him, how it made home feel more like home, how much it meant to him and to their Dad.

Then my cousin asked, “What did she make?”

His reply:  “Bacon, Asparagus and Cheese sandwiches.”


And they all smiled.  They said it was her favorite food all her life, that she would make dinner for the family and then make one of these sandwiches for herself.

My sister and I looked at each other and said, “We’ve never heard that before!”

So I made some for my family and told them, “This is something that your Grandpa Sheffield ate when he was growing up.”


Ingredients:

1 lb. asparagus (I went for super thin so they would be easy for my children to bite) 1 lb. bacon shredded cheese hamburger buns I steamed the asparagus and cooked the bacon.  Then I sprinkled cheese on the insides of the hamburger buns and broiled them until the cheese was bubbly.

Then I cut the bacon strips in half, placed two on the bun and put a bunch of asparagus on top.  Add the top of the bun and you’re done.

And guess what?  My family LOVED them.  A few of them aren’t partial to the asparagus, but that’s no surprise.  In general they were a big hit.  Even my husband was impressed.

Who knew that a long forgotten story of comfort food could turn out to be a new favorite?


As I said, you learn some great things at funerals.  And occasionally you get a new recipe.

Hopeful Homemaker

Roast Beef Wraps



These wraps are versatile.  I serve them for lunch, after school snacks, and also for dinner.  They’re simple and inexpensive and my children like them.  They’re especially handy on those nights when we’re on the go. I can wrap them up and take them with us for a homemade meal on the run.

Roast Beef Wraps Ingredients:
flour tortillas ranch dressing salsa sliced roast beef shredded mozzarella cheese sliced olives Spread 1 tsp. ranch dressing over a flour tortilla.  Spread 2 Tb. salsa over the ranch.  Sprinkle 3-4 Tb. mozzarella cheese over each tortilla, then sprinkle with sliced olives.  Place 2-3 slices of roast beef on top.  Roll up and place seam side down in a 9×13 inch pan.  Heat at 300 for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

For a meal on the go, simply wrap each tortilla in foil after assembling.  Warm in the oven and take them with you.  I love having things like this planned for crazy nights.  We eat better and save so much money when we don’t “grab something” from a drive thru.

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