A Month of Meals - Day 2

Menu:
Baked Reuben Sandwich, Carrot-Apple Slaw

I know, I know. To most people this menu sounds gross. Matt was pretty skeptical, but he really liked it and Winnie ate all hers, so what more could I ask for. Except, perhaps, for Winnie to start using her utensils to eat.

Recipe:
Reuben Sandwich Squares
1 13 3/4-ounce package hot roll mix (I made my regular bread/roll recipe, rather than a mix--you'll need enough dough for one loaf of bread)

Prepare hot roll mix according to package directions just through mixing step. Divide dough in half. Let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Set aside 1 half of dough, covered, for top crust. On a lightly floured surface roll the remaining half to a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Cover; let rise 20 minutes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven. (Baked layer will be lightly golden.)

1 8-ounce can Sauerkraut (1 cup, rinsed and well drained)
1/3 cup Thousand Island salad dressing
1/4 cup tomato sauce

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the rinsed and drained sauerkraut, Thousand Island salad dressing, and tomato sauce. Stir to mix well. Set the mixture aside.

8 1 and 1/2 - ounce slices Swiss cheese
3 3-ounce packages very thinly sliced corned beef (I used regular old cheap sandwich meat)

Arrange 4 slices of the cheese over the baked bread layer in the baking dish. Arrange all of the corned beef slices atop the cheese layer. Spoon the sauerkraut mixture over the corned beef. Top with the remaining slices of cheese.

2 teaspoons cooking oil
Caraway seed (optional--as in I don't add this)

Roll remaining dough into a 13x9-inch rectangle. Place over corned beef and cheese filling. Crimp edges. Cover; let rest 10 to 15 minutes. Brush the top with cooking oil. Sprinkle lightly with caraway seed, if desired.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or till top is light brown. Cut into 6 squares. Remove each square from the dish and cool up to 1 hour on a wire rack. Pack each cooled square in a freezer bag. Store up to 1 month in the freezer. Makes 6 servings.

Carrot-Apple Slaw

I just threw things together for this. I combined apples (fresh from the tree), shredded carrots and crushed pineapple, then made a basic slaw dressing (mayo, vinegar, sugar and salt) mixed to taste. The slaw was mostly apples.

I meant to make a green salad as well, but forgot all about it until dinner was over with.

Time Spent: An hour and a half, but a good portion of it is time waiting, not working. The rise times kill you on this one, so I made it Monday night. I baked it for 20 minutes and then put it in the oven for another 20 minutes at 300 degrees tonight. I was cooked perfectly.

Damages: A sink full of dirty dishes and a messy counter. Definitely not a one pot meal, but almost all things that can go in the dishwasher, so not awful.

Pros: We only ate a third of the sandwich, so we can eat it for lunches tomorrow and freeze another two servings.

Cons: Definitely not something that fits my normal timeframe very well. I'd usually have to make this on weekends or make it the night before like I did this time.

Final Review: Matt was scared by the sauerkraut, but he really liked it. Winnie normally doesn't eat Swiss Cheese, but she didn't even seem to notice it in this, even though I think it's a pretty strong flavor. This is definitely a time intensive meal, but it makes a lot of servings and it packs really well for lunches so I'll probably make it again.

(p.s. Am I the only one that has a terrible time getting Blogger to space things correctly? I just don't have the energy to go in and edit the HTML code tonight to make this look good. Sorry about the confusion that causes in the recipe.)