Philadelphia Cheese Steak Sandwich

Who knew it could be so easy to make a Philadelphia Cheese Steak Sandwich at home? I always thought it was too complicated until J found this scrumptious recipe. The hardest part was slicing the meat!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced as thin as possible and rings separated (we didn’t keep them in rings)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (canned is fine! We used the little can)
2 green peppers, sliced
12 ounces chipped steak (very thin-sliced eye of round, ribeye, or sirloin tip roast cut into 1-inch slices) We used boneless ribeye.
Salt and coarsely-ground black pepper
Provolone cheese slices
4 hoagie rolls (we got them from the bakery section of our favorite grocer)
Dill pickle spears (side)
Peperoncini (side)

Directions:
In a large frying pan over high heat, add olive oil and heat so that a drop of water will sizzle when you drop it in the oil; lower heat to medium. Add onions and mushrooms, stir and cook until mushrooms darken and onions start to look transparent. Add steak slices and cook for approximately 3 minutes or until meat is lightly browned.

Add salt and pepper to taste.  Slice bread lengthwise. Using a spatula, scoop 1/4 the meat mixture on to the bread. Top with 2 slices of Provolone cheese for each sandwich. Put in a warm oven on low broil. Monitor the sandwiches.

When the cheese is melted into the sandwich and the bread is starting to brown, remove from the oven.

My opinion:
So good. So filling. Next time we’ll caramelize the onions a little longer and toast the hoagies before adding the filling.

J’s Muffuletta Dip

I tried this dip out on my coworkers for a recent carry in and it went over surprisingly well! I say surprisingly, because I originally thought it was a bit too salty. Turns out the longer it marinades in the refrigerator, the less salty it becomes! Super special thanks to J for finding the original recipe from an SEC Tailgate Recipe Book and tweaking it to be perfect!

Ingredients:
1 cup Italian olive salad, drained (we used the HyVee mix)
1 cup diced salami (about 4 ounces, sandwich cold cuts is fine!)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup peperoncini salad peppers, diced to your liking
1 can (2-1/4-ounces) sliced black olives, drained
4 ounces provolone cheese, diced
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Stir together all of the ingredients. Cover and chill for one to 24 hours before serving (again, the longer the better!). Stir in parsley just before serving. Serve with French-bread crostini or crackers or tortilla chips. Store the leftovers in refrigerator for up to five days.

My opinion:
Originally, I thought it was too salty. Turns out it’s perfect and I don’t love olives!