Restaurant Review: Station 22, and their Ratatouille Sandwich Copycat

We love Station 22. It is hip, fun, and they have an awesome supply of gourmet sodas. We try a new soda every time we go. They have a fun and creative chef, who adds to the menu all the time. They serve sandwiches and burgers, and as well as some specialty dishes. 

One of my favorite things I ever ordered was from their dessert menu - S'more's in a Cup. It was a hot, rich chocolate pudding, with chocolate pieces, served in a mug, topped with a marshmallow and toasted in the oven, then sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs. Doesn't that sound enticing? 

We've tried many of their burgers, their wedge salad, and their amazing Sage-Fried Chicken and Waffles. So good!

One dish that stands out from the rest is their Ratatouille Sandwich, from their Vegetarian Menu This dish was so impressive, I was almost shocked. After the first bite, I began slowly taking it apart and taking mental notes of everything in it. This will definitely be a new summer meal around our house as soon as the squash and is ready to be picked.  I need to go plant an eggplant out their too. Here is my analysis on how to make this at home: 

Zucchini

Yellow Squash

Tomatoes

Onion

Mushrooms

Eggplant

Slice all veggies and sauté, or layer in pan and roast.

Ciabatta Roll

Spinach

Basil Pesto

Olive Oil

Slice roll, spread on pesto, arrange spinach and veggies and drizzle with olive oil. Replace top of roll. Enjoy!

Lastly, a tip of the day: pesto is now a favorite spread on some of my sandwiches!

Restaurant Review: Flanagan's Irish Pub, and copycat Corned Beef Reuben Sandwich

We recently ate at Flanagan's Irish Pub in Park City. The food was absolutely amazing and the atmosphere is fun! We tried several different dishes, and each one was Irish Heaven! They have a Salmon Sandwich that is to die for. I would go back there just for that sandwich.

They also serve a fun dish, Bangers and Mash, which is Irish sausage served with mashed potatoes and gravy. We made a similar version at home with boiled potatoes and cabbage. You can find an Irish Sausage at your local grocer.

We also loved their Reuben Sandwich, with corned beef and swiss cheese, and decided to make it at home for St. Patrick's weekend. It turned out fabulous! Here's how it goes:

1 loaf rye bread

1 lb. sliced corned beef - from the deli

1/2 lb. sliced Swiss cheese

1 jar sauerkraut

1 bottle Thousand Island dressing

Slightly toast the bread, slather with dressing, and pile up the corned beef, cheese, and sauerkraut. Wrap sandwich in foil and heat in oven till hot and cheese is melted. Enjoy with some coleslaw, chips, or pickles. We served some sliced green bell peppers too to look like a three-leafed clover. And then remember to serve it all up with a large frothy Root-beer float. Here's to eyes in your heads and none in your spuds!

French Dip Sandwiches

This is another easy meal, similar to a pot roast, but you don't have to peel any potatoes! This is a meal you can throw in a crock pot and forget about, and serve up whenever your ready. And after consulting several different recipes, this version is the one we liked the best! And don't substitute the beef consumé with beef broth. You'll be doing yourself a disservice, trust me.

1 beef roast

3 cans beef consumé

1-2 onions, sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper

1/2 jar of jalenos (or pepperoncini peppers)

1 Tb. oregano

1 Tb. basil

Provolone or Swiss Cheese

French Rolls (or a hearty frankfurter bun)- I made some with a simple roll recipe, rolled out pieces of the dough into 6" strips, smashed them down with my palm, and baked them on a cookie sheet. After they are done cooking, just slice them down the middle. They make nice homemade frankfurter buns.

Brown the roast on all sides. Salt and pepper it and put it in a crock pot with the beef consumé, onions, garlic and peppers (whichever you prefer, tang or heat), and seasonings. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Shred the roast in the pot, and spoon out juices in serving bowls, for dipping your sandwich in. You can either scoop up the beef and put it on a toasted bun with the cheese, or (for crowds) place it in some un-toasted buns with the cheese, wrap in foil, and place in warm oven to keep warm until everyone is ready to eat. Simple, easy, and super good!

Avocado and Melted Swiss Sandwiches on Salsa Bread

I got ahold of a great sandwich book, and this was the first one I tried. It was great!

Salsa Bread:

1 Tb. yeast

2 cups warm milk

2 cups warm half-and-half

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup powdered sugar

8 cups all purpose flour

1 Tb. salt

1 cup salsa

1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese

2 eggs

4 tablespoons water

In large bowl, dissolve yeast in the milk and half-and-half. Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast is foamy. Add the butter and mix with a whisk, adding the powdered sugar and salt. Slowly add flour and knead well. Cover with a towel and let rise 1 hour. Punch down and divide into two portions. Roll out dough into a 9x11 inch rectangle. Drain excess juice from salsa. Spread 1/2 salsa and 1/2 cheese over dough. Tightly roll the dough into a loaf. Place loaves into well greased bread pans. Let rise 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400º. Beat together egg and water and brush over the dough. Bake for approx. 1 hour. Cool for 30 min. before slicing.

2 Tb. butter

4 slices Salsa Bread

1 cup guacamole

4 slices Swiss Cheese

2 Avocados, peeled and thinly sliced

1 cup salsa

1 cup lettuce greens

Berries and grapes for garnish

Butter both sides of the salsa bread and grill until toasted. Cut the bread slices diagonally. Spread the guacamole evenly over the toast. Put the swiss cheese in a bowl and sprinkle with a little bit if salt and lemon pepper. Microwave for about 10 seconds, or until the cheese is melted, then spread over the toast. Divide the avocado slices between the two sandwiches. Drain the salsa and spoon it over the top. Add the lettuce greens and cover with one of the pieces of toast. Serve with berries, grapes, and extra guacamole and salsa.

Easy French Dip and Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

French Dip Sandwiches

We've never had French Dip at home before, so this was a nice recipe to mix up the menu with, and it was really easy. And it made another meal with the left-overs. Just plan ahead so it can cook all day. 

1  beef London broil (or a round steak or brisket)

1 pkg. onion dip soup mix

1 can beef broth

8 hard rolls or mini baguettes

Place beef in slow cooker. Mix onion soup mix and broth and pour over beef. Cook on low 8 hours, or high 4-5 hours. Cut beef into thin strips, cut bread in half and fill with a few slices of meet. Serve with broth for dipping.

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

This is really good to make from the left-overs from the French Dip recipe. 

1 London Broil, slow cooked and sliced

1 onion, sliced into thin strips

1 bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

1 tsp garlic-pepper blend (0r just salt and pepper)

8 slices cheddar cheese

8 buns or hard rolls

ketchup 

horseradish sauce

Saute veggies with meat until warm, add seasonings. Keep warm while toasting buns and cheese under broiler 1-2 minutes. Scoop veggie and meat mix into the bun and add ketchup and horseradish sauce. Enjoy!

Simple, Yet Tasty

This is not a fancy meal, by any means, but it is easy to make and my husband and I both enjoyed it. These recipes only make enough to feed 2, so you may need to double the amounts for your family.

Bacon-Tomato Bagel Melts

2 Bagels, split and toasted
8 slices tomato
8 strips bacon, cooked
1 c mozarella cheese, shredded (I used colby jack, because that is what I had)
Ranch dressing

Place bagel halves on baking sheet, face up. Top each with 2 tomato slices and 2 bacon strips. Sprinkle with cheese. Broil 5 inches from heat from 1-2 minutes. Serve with Ranch.

Seasoned Oven Fries

2 medium baking potatoes
2 tsp butter, melted
2 tsp canola oil
1/4 tsp seasoned salt

Cut each potato lengthwise in half; cut each piece into four wedges. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the butter, oil, and seasoned salt. Add potatoes; shake to coat.
Place potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 450 degrees fro 20-25 minutes or until tender, turning once.