Hearty Tail-Gating French Bread Sandwich Melts Recipe
Sinkology is proud to present Emily Schuermann, our food-loving guest blogger who runs Food for a Year. Emily is here to share some recipes she has created exclusively for the Sinkology blog that reflect her view of a copper sink: simple, timeless, affordable, and beautifully rustic.
It’s hard to believe football season is already here! But summer is almost over and kids are back in school & that can only mean one thing :: Football. I don’t know about you, but for me – living in a college town means we experience 5 seasons in a year :: Spring, Summer, Football, Fall & Winter. Really.
Our weekly schedule changes, our grocery store trips change, we plan birthday parties and weddings — all to accommodate home and away games. On top of all of those adjustments – the types of food we eat & serve changes as well. Yes, that’s what life looks like when living in a small town occupied my a big university (Boomer!)
The trick with game day food is to keep it yummy ((meaning more than slightly indulgent)) and warm all the while managing to watch the entire game. And with many recipes, that is a nearly impossible trick to pull off. But, these French bread sandwich melts check off every single one of the “game day recipe” requirements effortlessly.
So let’s talk details.
Start off with a loaf of fresh French bread. My local supermarket sells loaves for $1 – helping to make this recipe affordable too! In addition, you’ll need shredded Monterey Jack cheese, mayo, cream cheese, ½ c finely diced onion and a few dashes of steak seasoning.
From here, select your toppings – as you can imagine, the combinations are limitless but I’ll share with you my two favorites ::
-
Spicy Veggie
-
Ham & Salami
Other topping possibilities include:
- Supreme ((loaded with all your favorite meats & veggies))
- Cheesy Taco ((with taco meat and all of the fixin’s))
- Chicken & Sun-dried Tomato ((rotisserie chicken is the key for this one))
- Pepperoni ((a classic crowd-pleaser))
- Hawaiian ((pineapple & Canadian bacon are a match made in heaven))
- Cheeseburger ((pickles, ketchup, mustard & all))
I could keep going!
Once you select & chop your toppings your are minutes away from getting these sandwich melts into the oven.
Slice the bread in half horizontally and set it aside. In a large mixing bowl combine the cheeses, mayo, onions & seasoning. Select your add-ons, mix into the cheese mixture and spread across the sliced sides of the French bread.
Toast in a 400° oven for 25 minutes until the cheese is melted & bubbly and the top is golden brown in color.
You can either serve these sandwiches immediately or put the top and bottom back together, wrap in foil and head to your tailgate party. Slice and serve – it can’t get much easier. (And certainly can’t be more delicious!!)
Hoping your team wins all of their games – unless they are playing against my team! Aren’t you ready for some football?!
- 1 loaf French bread
- 1 c mayonaise
- 1 lb Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- ½ c white onion, finely diced
- 2 t steak seasoning blend
- 4-5 sweet & spicy pickled red peppers, chopped
- ½ c pepperoncini peppers, sliced & chopped
- 6 jumbo green olives (mine were stuffed with jalapeño and pickled garlic)
- 1½ c thick sliced deli ham, chopped (2-3 slices)
- 1½ c salami lunch meat, chopped (approximately 10 slices)
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Slice the bread in half horizontally and set it aside. In a large mixing bowl combine the cheeses, mayo, onions & seasoning. Select your add-ons, mix into the cheese mixture and spread across the sliced sides of the French bread.
- Line two baking sheets with foil and spray with non-stick coating. Place cheese-topped bread, cheese side-up on the lined baking sheet and into the oven. Toast for 25 minutes until the cheese is melted & bubbly and the top is golden brown in color.
- You can either serve these sandwiches immediately or put the top and bottom back together, wrap in foil and head to your tailgate party. Slice and serve - it can't get much easier. (And certainly can't be more delicious!!)
For more recipes from our copper-loving foodie, check out our blog. If you have any questions about copper or copper sinks, our Sinkologists are here to help. Contact us or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Houzz, Pinterest, or Instagram for helpful tips, recipes, and design ideas.