Sub Sandwiches with Havarti Cheese

I have a new love in my life.  Havarti cheese.  If you haven't ever tried it, you must!  They were sampling it one day when I was at Henry's and it was love at first bite!  It's creamy and has a mild flavor and is fabulous on sandwiches.

Speaking of sandwiches, I love Subway!  It's my favorite fast food place for sure.  The Spy Who Loves Me and I shared a Subway sandwich yesterday and it was pretty good.  I had to get ham because the spy doesn't love turkey, which is my favorite.  So I sacrificed, as any good wife would, and had ham.  I put tons of vegies on my side, which I love, and it tasted good, but I would have liked turkey better.

Then, yesterday afternoon when I went to Henry's, I decided to buy stuff to make my own sub sandwiches.  I bought salsa turkey from the deli counter and had them slice it thin.  If you've never tried salsa turkey, you're missing out.  I also bought Havarti cheese.  It's kind of pricey, but it's worth it. 

Today for lunch I made turkey sandwiches for me and the spy and our teen son and they were a hit.  I put extra vegies on mine, but the spy and the son are so boring.  They just like lettuce and black olives.  Yuck!  And then the spy had a brainy idea to put this sauce on his sandwich.  Gross!  I told him not to do it.  I told him it would be gross and would ruin the delicious sandwich I had made for him.  But he didn't listen.  He rarely does.  He put the sauce on his sub, and guess what...he loved it!  What a weirdo.  Maybe you'd love it to.  If so, I'll think you're a weirdo, too.  But you do whatever you need to do and don't worry about me judging you and your choices.

Next time you're at the deli counter, ask for a sample of Havarti and then get ready to have your eyeballs roll back in your head.  It's good.  Really really good!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Cheese Ball

1 8 oz. Cream cheese—softened

½ c. mayonnaise

Green onion—sliced

½ lb. bacon, fried and crumbled

Mix together.  Form into ball.  Cover with sliced almonds.  Refrigerate.  Serve with crackers.

From whence it came:  Here we go again.  My sister-in-law, Lori, shared this recipe with me.  Lori is a great cook!  She makes good stuff.  And this recipe is really good stuff!

Why it's blogable:  It's so easy to make, and it's really pretty.  The onion and bacon give it great flavor.  It's a really fun dish to take to a party and it can be made ahead of time, which is always nice!

Click here to get the printable:

Cheese Ball

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Cali Cheesesteak Sandwiches

A few nights ago we barbecued New York steak, which is my favorite steak.  We don't eat it very often, but this past week The Spy Who Loves Me and I made it to the 29 year mark in the marriage department, so we thought a good steak dinner was in order.  And it was a good dinner.  We had quite a bit of steak leftover, and it would be a sin to waste New York steak, so last night I put it to good use.  Very good use.  Here's how it went down:

I chopped up some green bell peppers and onions and stir fried them in a little bit of olive oil.

When they were getting a little bit brown and soft, I added the steak, which I had thinly sliced.

Once the meat was warmed up, I added about 1/2 c. steak sauce, like A1, only I used the Walmart brand, and it was great!

Then I stirred it up (hey, this blog isn't named Stirring It Up for nothin') and let the flavors combine.  (Sorry for the steamy picture, it was very steamy in my kitchen last night.)

While I was doing all of that, my teen son put a little bit of butter and Parmesan cheese on some rolls and we toasted them under the broiler until they were just a little bit brown.  Then we topped the rolls with the heavenly meat mixture.  Yes we did!

And these divine little sandwiches couldn't be Cali Cheesesteak Sandwiches without cheese, so I topped them with a mix of Italian cheeses:  mozzarella, provolone, Romano and Parmesan.  Don't be overly impressed by my use of so many cheeses, they came already grated and mixed in a bag.  I shouldn't have told you that.  I should have just let you be overly impressed. 

Then I popped 'em back under the broiler for just and minute and, drum roll please, this is what happened:

Let me just say that the crowd went wild over these sandwiches.  The crowd included my marvelous momma, who was celebrating her birthday yesterday.  (I have the best mom in the whole world.  The whole wide world!)  She was a big fan of these sandwiches, and she wasn't alone.  The flavor from the barbecued steak combined with the vegies and steak sauce is over the top good.  Then you put it on that crispy, cheesy roll and add more cheese, well, you've got yourself something worth blogging about.  I named them Cali Cheesesteak Sandwiches because I'm from Cali, not from Philly.  I've never even been to Philly.  I've never even been to the right coast.  I'm a left coast girl, through and through. 

I served these sandwiches with baked beans and a fruit salad.  And for dessert, I made these cookies.  I probably should have made my mom a birthday cake, but she is crazy about these cookies, so I make those instead.  And my mom went crazy.  In a good way.  Not in a padded room kind of way.  But in a really good, thanks for making my favorite cookies on for my birthday, kind of way.

If you have leftover steak, make these sandwiches.  If you don't have leftover steak, barbecue steak and make sure you have enough to have leftovers.  Then make these sandwiches.  You'll be glad you did!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!