BUFFALO CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICHES

I've been trying to use my cookbooks more often.  I find recipes online, but neglect my constantly growing collection of cookbooks.  Do you ever buy one, read it cover to cover and earmark recipes to make?  Then, do you NEVER OPEN THAT COOKBOOK EVER AGAIN?  Yeah, me neither.  Except I always do that.  Oops.  Message to loved ones reading this: please keep buying me cookbooks as gifts.  Please and thank you.

I have quite a few Cooking Light cookbooks and this one contains the easiest and most hassle free recipes.

This recipe immediately caught my eye because it uses my favorite cooking shortcut: store bought rotisserie chicken!  And it includes buffalo.  You can never, ever, EVER go wrong with buffalo flavored anything. 

Now, I may perhaps be nitpicking here, but whenever I see a "buffalo" recipe that only uses hot sauce, not buffalo sauce, I feel slightly annoyed.  Hot sauce does not equal buffalo flavor.  I substituted Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce and it was perfect.  Other changes: I used the entire chicken, not just 2 cups.  I used more celery, less mayo, more buffalo.  I seasoned each sandwich and its lettuce and tomato with salt and pepper.  Oh, and I used ciabatta rolls instead of boring hamburger buns.

Ingredients

1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise (I don't use reduced fat, I use Duke's regular!)
3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup buffalo sauce (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded and discarded of fat and skin
romaine lettuce
tomato slices
salt and pepper to taste
rolls for serving

Combine mayo, blue cheese, buffalo sauce, salt and pepper in large bowl.  Taste, then add additional buffalo sauce or salt and pepper if needed.  Add chicken and celery, gently combine with your hands.  Serve on toasted bun with lettuce, tomato and additional salt and pepper or buffalo sauce. 

HOT HAM AND CHEESE SLIDERS

These little sandwiches are so so good.  Apparently they're very common (I did a quick google search, only to find out I was the last person on the planet to discover these amazing creations).  I heard about them from my friend, Tara.  We trade recipes constantly, and she's never strayed me wrong.  So when she claimed these were even good LEFTOVER, I knew I had to try them.  Have you ever heard rave reviews about a leftover sandwich??  Me neither.

There are many variations for this sandwich:
- onions.  Some swear by grating an onion, but that sounds like work to me.  Some call for chopping an onion.  Work.  I use dried minced onion, found in the spice aisle.
- condiments.  Some use mayo, some use miracle whip, some use none.  I use both.  It gives it the creamy consistency of mayonaise, but also the sweet tang of miracle whip.  I only spread the mixture on one side of the bread; if you use it on both sides your sandwich will be soggy.
- topping.  Some people claim you must refrigerate these sandwiches for 24 hours before you bake them, but I just let them sit on the counter for 10-20 minutes until it looks like the saucy tops have set.
- bread.  I've used regular white dinner rolls and King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls.  The latter wins.
- meat and cheese.  Most recipes call for "good" or "deli" products.  I buy the prepackaged variety from the regular aisle and they are delicious.
- poppyseeds.  I know, it's weird.  You have to buy them because they aren't on your spice rack.  Trust me, they make this sandwich delicious.  You won't end up like Elaine from Seinfeld.  Unless you're going on a work trip to Africa soon.  In that case, omit the poppies.


Sandwich stuff:

 (yeah yeah, ignore the mustard, lining up condiments is a tough task)


Saucy topping stuff:

Ingredients:

24 small rolls (King's Hawaiian, preferably)
24 slices deli ham
24 slices swiss cheese
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
1/3 cup maynonaise
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
1 1/2 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons yellow mustard (not dijon or spicy brown!)
1 tablespoon poppyseeds

Split the rolls in half, making sure you don't cut all the way through.  Keep them connected just enough so the top is still hanging on.  Mix together mayo and miracle whip in bowl.  You may not use all of this mixture, depending on how much mayo you prefer on sandwiches.  Spread on bottom of each roll, top with one folded slice of ham, top with cheese (fold/break into fourths to make fit).  Close sandwiches tightly, and push them together on pan closely.  They should all be touching.
In bowl, melt stick of butter.  Add remaining ingredients and thoroughly stir.  Pour over sandwiches.  Use spoon to spread over tops of sandwiches, making sure there are no dry spots.
Let sandwiches sit for about 20 minutes, until mixture sets.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 13 minutes.  Yes, 13.
Remove foil and bake for about 3 minutes, until tops are slightly crisp.

I made a full pan of 24 for our adorable little family of two.  Not because we're pigs, but for the sole purpose of having leftovers to bring to work for lunch.  Yup, leftover sandwiches.  To be reheated in a microwave.  Seriously, they're that good.