Italian Pesto Sandwiches for a Crowd

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I love sandwiches so much. I could seriously eat one every day. Oh wait, I do! That’s right, I have a turkey sandwich every day for lunch and I never get tired of it.

In case you're curious, my sandwich that I've ever eaten was in Charleston at a restaurant called the Tattooed Moose. Next time you find yourself in South Carolina, definitely go there. They have a sandwich called "The Thanksgiving Sammy," and it's essentially Thanksgiving din ner between two slices of bread. It's served with a side of gravy for dipping because you're in the south, and that's how they do it.

The only thing better than a single sandwich is more sandwiches. So I’m sharing a recipe that makes 12 sandwiches at the same time. Actually, depending on the rolls you buy, you could actually make up to 18 sandwiches at the same. So you can either share them with friends or eat them all by yourself.

The concept is really easy -- just take the rolls out of the bag and while keeping them together slide a knife through the middle of them. Place the bottom halves of the buns in a pan, and just pile on whatever meats, cheeses, and toppings you like best.

Add the top of the buns to the sandwiches and coat generally with melted garlic butter. Could you skip this step? Absolutely. But the sandwiches won't be nearly as good. I only use Challenge Butter in this recipe because I know they use the freshest real milk, cream, and natural ingredients for a pure, superior taste.

Once your sandwiches are ready, stick them in the oven just long enough for the cheese to melt. And that's it! So good!

You can, of course, customize the sandwiches with any meats, toppings, and rolls your like. My personal favorite is Italian meats with pesto and sun-dried tomatoes.

Italian Pesto Sandwiches for a Crowd
Yield: Makes 12 sandwiches
Ingredients

• 1 package (12-count) King's Hawaiian Rolls
• 1/4 cup pesto
• 1/2 pound ham
• 1/4 pound salami
• 1/4 pound pepperoni
• 1/4 pound provolone cheese
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 4 Tablespoons Challenge butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. While keeping the rolls in tact, cut them in half. Place the bottom half of the rolls in a 9x13 pan. Evenly spread pesto on bottom half of rolls.
3. Layer ham, salami, pepperoni, provolone cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes. Place top half of rolls over everything.
4. Combine melted butter, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder in small bowl. Brush butter mixture over top of rolls.
5. Bake sandwiches for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. If the tops of the rolls start to turn brown, cover with aluminum foil.
6. Cut individual rolls with a sharp knife and serve.

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Bloody Shrunken Head Punch

A couple of people have asked me for drink recipes recently, and I realized that I don't actually have any on my blog! To be honest, I never really though about creating drink recipes because I'm mostly just a Diet Coke girl. But really, there are a lot of fun and festive drinks you can make for the holidays that add an extra special element to parties and gatherings. 

I wanted to make something spooky with Halloween coming up. I saw this idea to make shrunken heads out of apples, and I thought they would be perfect to add to a bloody-colored punch. 

This recipe does not include alcohol, but if you want, you can certainly add a little booze for an adult version.

Bloody Shrunken Head Punch

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 apples
• 3 cups cherry cola
• 3 cups cherry juice
• 2 cups strawberry daiquiri mix
• 2 cups fruit punch
• 1 cup ginger ale

Directions

1. Peel apples and carve them into faces using a melon baller and a knife.
2. Bake apples on baking sheet lined with parchment paper at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for about 90 minutes.      
3. Remove from oven and cool.
4. Combine cherry cola, cherry juice, strawberry daiquiri mix, fruit punch and ginger ale in punch bowl.
5. Place shrunken heads on top of punch and serve.

Punch recipe adapted from Ree Drummond

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Lemon Meringue Skillet Dip

Lemon meringue pie was always my grandfather’s favorite pie, but the only version I ever remember having was from Marie Calendar. Very few people make homemade lemon meringue pie anymore, and I think it has a lot to do with the fact that it seems like such a daunting task.

So in honor of my grandpa and Lemon Meringue Pie Day, I came up with a recipe that you can whip together in no time at all. There are just two easy steps to this Lemon Meringue Skillet Dip, and the ingredients are minimal.

The first thing I want to address are the eggs. With this recipe, and with most all meringue pie recipes, you will need to separate the egg yolks and the egg whites. Eggs separate most easily when they are cold, but egg whites whip best for the meringue when they are room temperature. So before you do anything else, I recommend first separating the egg yolks and whites so the whites can sit out at room temperature while you prepare everything else.

As you can see in the ingredient list below, there are very few ingredients in the filling. And it comes together just with a whisk. Which is good because you’ll need to save your muscles for the meringue.

So the way the meringue comes together is basically magic. Well, technically it’s science. You see, egg whites are 90% water and 10% protein. When you beat them together, air bubbles are distributed and the proteins cluster together causing it to foam. But the meringue is very delicate and at risk of deflating. So an acid like cream of tartar steps in to help stabilize the meringue by keeping the air bubbles in place. Even though you add just a small amount of cream of tartar, it’s very important for the structure of the meringue.

I’ve said this before (just a few sentences ago, in fact) and I’ll say this again — the meringue is very delicate! When it’s time to add the sugar, it’s important to only add it one tablespoon at a time so you don't knock the air out of the meringue. The meringue is done when you lift the beaters and the tip stands straight up. This is called a stiff peak.

For my last meringue tip, I want to talk about giving the meringue texture. Rarely do you see meringue spread smoothly on a pie. One of the things that makes it so beautiful is the texture, or curled peaks. You can create the curled peaks by using the bottom of a spoon to create an indent in the pie and then lift up. The meringue should lift up with the back of the spoon and curl up.

My intention for this recipe was that it would be eaten like a dip, but after trying it I realized it’s with something as delicious as this, there’s no shame in grabbing a spoon and digging in.



Lemon Meringue Skillet Dip
Ingredients
For the filling

• 28 ounces sweetened condensed milk 
• 2/3 cup lemon juice
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest

For the meringue

• 4 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 8 Tablespoons of sugar

Directions
For the filling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Mix together sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, egg yolks, and lemon zest; set aside

For the meringue

1. Combine egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar
2. Using an electric mixer, beat at medium speed until soft peaks form
3. Switch mixer to high speed and add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time
4. Continue beating until sugar dissolves and stiff peaks form

Assembly

1. Spread filling into bottom of 10-inch prepared cast iron skillet
2. Spread meringue on top of filling; use back of spoon to form peaks
3. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the meringue peaks start to turn brown
4. Serve immediately with graham crackers 

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Celebrate the Brickyard 400 with these semi-homemade ideas

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

As you all know, Speedway, Indiana is considered to be the racing capital of the world, and lots of Hoosiers are dedicated racing fans. With the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, I want to share some ideas for celebrating the big race that don't require a lot of work. All of these ideas would also work really well if you're throwing a race car birthday party for a child.

Chocolate "Tire" Cake

I love using stencils and powdered sugar to make designs on cakes. I've done this in the past with the IU sign and the pi sign for "Pi Day." So I thought it would be fun to use the same concept to make a tire out of chocolate cake. I just googled "hubcap," printed off an image, and cut it out. I placed the stencil on the finished cake, and shook powdered sugar on top. One of the trickiest parts is to carefully lift the stencil off the cake. You have to be very careful because because you don't want the excess powdered sugar on top of the stencil to mess up your design.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup Challenge butter, melted
• 3 eggs
• 1 chocolate box cake mix
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare cake pan with nonstick spray
2. Mix milk, butter, and eggs; slowly add cake mix and stir until combine
3. Pour batter into cake pan and bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Once toothpick comes out clean, remove from oven, wait 10 minutes, and invert onto plate.
5. After cake has cooled, place stencil on top and use sifter to even distribute powdered sugar over stencil.
6. Carefully lift stencil off cake and admire design

Traffic Light Brownies

Boxed brownie mixes are one of my favorite semi-homemade desserts because I love the convenience of it. But I never follow the ingredients on the back of the box. I consider oil and water to be flavorless ingredients. Instead I always swap them for an equal amount of melted butter and milk. So if the back of the box calls for 1/4 cup water and 1/3 cup oil, you should use 1/4 cup milk and 1/3 cup melted butter. I think it makes the brownies richer. I always use Challenge butter because it's free of additives and hormones, so you'll get the nest flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 box brownie mix
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup Challenge butter, melted
• 1 egg
• Icing (I used Betty Crocker Cookie Icing)
• Red, yellow, green chocolate candies

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare 8 x 8 pan with nonstick spray
2. Mix milk, butter, and eggs; slowly add brownie mix and stir until combine
3. Pour batter into pan and bake for approximately 35 to 40 minutes.
4. Once toothpick comes out clean, remove from oven
5. Once cool, cut into rectangles
6. Use icing to make three small dots on brownie
7. Place a red, yellow, and green candy on top of dots and let sit until icing hardens

Chocolate Covered Pretzel "Oil Dipsticks"

Everyone loves chocolate covered pretzels and I thought they looked close enough to oil dipsticks. Important tip: Before dipping pretzels melt you chocolate in tall jar instead of bowl. It will be easier to get more chocolate on the pretzel.

Ingredients

• Pretzel rods
• 2 cups milk chocolate or dark chocolate morsels
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable shortening (recommended but not necessary)

Directions

1. Microwave morsels and shortening in microwave-safe jar on medium-high power for 1 minute and stir
2. If morsels are not melted, continue to heat and stir in 15-second intervals until you reach desired consistency
3. Dip pretzel rods into morsels, tilting the jar to get more chocolate on the pretzels
4. Place pretzels on wax paper when done
5. Once chocolate sets, dip them a second time and return to wax paper
6. Store pretzels in airtight container until ready to serve

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Buffalo Chicken Stuffed French Bread

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

What is it about buffalo chicken dip that is so addicting?

It is an absolute necessity at every tailgate and football party. It doesn’t matter if you’re a gourmet chef and the biggest food snob; I guarantee you will be drawn in by the buffalo chicken dip’s gravitational pull.

It’s spicy, it’s creamy, it’s cheesy – what’s not to love?

Let’s be honest – if there isn’t buffalo chicken dip, what’s the point of even having a party.

So what could possibly make this party staple even better?

Bread. That’s right. You heard me. Bread! The answer to everything is more carbs!

For this buffalo chicken dip recipe, I made a very easy bowl out of French bread. I suggest using a crusty French bread so it’s sturdy enough to hold the dip. But don’t go for one of those skinny baguettes! It will be too tough to pull apart and there’s not enough room to hold the dip.

Then you just slice a layer off the top, scoop out the insides, and viola! A bread bowl!

I suggest keeping the extra bread you scooped out and toasting it for a few minutes, and you can use it to dip!

If you try the recipe, let me know what you think in the comment section below!

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed French Bread

Yield: Makes 1 loaf of stuffed French bread

Ingredients

• 4 ounces Challenge cream cheese
• 1 cup shredded, low fat mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup plain low fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup reduced fat crumbled blue cheese
• 1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce
• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (or 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
• 1 loaf French bread

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Combine all ingredients except chicken in a medium-sized bowl; fold in shredded chicken
3. Slice off layer from top of French bread
4. Scoop out inside of French bread
5. Add buffalo chicken dip to bread bowl
6. Cook for about 20 to 25 minutes
7. Remove from oven and serve with bread you scooped out of bread bowl

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