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An Easy Summer Meal to Share

Summer is here, and it is time for easy living! Days at the lake, afternoons in the yard, and of course, road trips!!! I love taking it easy during the summer and helping to make life easy for others. You can read more about Meal Trains in the post below. But, in a nutshell, starting a meal train is giving meals to those in need because they have had a challenge of some sort. Maybe a new baby has thrown off their pattern, or a surgery, or illness. Everyone loves having a meal delivered that they don’t need to plan for and can enjoy eating. And of course, Summer is no different. Having a meal delivered by a friend or family member is the perfect way to turn a challenging week, into a blessed evening.

An Easy Summer Meal to Share

This last week I was out of town visiting my daughter on the East coast for her graduation. We were planning a short road trip through New England, eating out, and shopping and movies as well! But I knew that those I was leaving behind, in this case my Mom and my Niece, would need some help with having meals already made prior to my leaving. I didn’t want to make a lot of heavy casseroles, after all, it is summer, but I did want easy dinners that they could enjoy with very little preparation. With that in mind, I made up a few great meals that are easy to enjoy, easy to share, and easy to transport if you want to share them with those in need. I thought I would share with you, the recipes for Sit Upon sandwiches, Homemade Thousand Island Dressing, and Pineapple Icebox Cake.

You can check out some of my easy Meal Train Recipes in the posts below:

How to Start a Meal Train

3 Summer Recipes to Share

Easy Hospitality Ideas

Family Friendly Fall Meals to Share

3 Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Recipes Your Family Will Love

Sit Upon Sandwiches

Have you ever heard of Sit Upon Sandwiches? We have always loved them in our family, and have used them for trips to the lake and road trips for as far back as I can remember. In fact, they are the only sandwich I ever remember eating in the mountains. Our family had old property from my Great Grandparents Cattle Ranching Days way up in the mountains. We would visit the property every couple of years, and always took sit upon sandwiches. They are great because you can make the sandwich at home which is always more cost effective than eating out. And, they are fairly durable.

Growing up my Mom would make two versions of the sandwich. One was always Italian cold cuts, and the other was Tuna. I think we always had Tuna because my brother would eat it, and he didn’t really eat any other kind of sandwich. LOL. I have made them for years with my kids as well, but decided to update them a little this go around, and share my new favorite flavors with you.

Why are they called Sit Upon Sandwiches?

So, why are the sandwiches called sit upon you might ask? Well, because you sit upon them! The sandwich is made by cutting off the top of a round French or sourdough loaf. Then, you scoop out the center of the loaf making the bread fairly hollow as you would to make a bread bowl. Of course, I should let you know that while preparing these sandwiches it is completely normal to put a little butter on the table and enjoy the “heart” of the bread. Does your family call the center of watermelon and bread the “Heart”? We do. Probably because it is so yummy! Sometimes I use the center of the bread to make homemade croutons, and sometimes we just snack on it.

After the bread is hollowed, you coat the inside with a dressing mix. This works as a barrier so that the sandwich does not make the bread soggy. Then you fill it up with cheese, meat, and veggies, cover the sandwich with the top of the bread. Wrap in plastic wrap or foil, and then have someone sit upon it. You could also stack a few heavy books on it, but sitting on it is much more fun. During this last making of the sandwiches, I asked my 5 year old granddaughter to sit on the sandwich. She was a little worried and thought we were setting her up for a joke. She said she had never sat on a sandwich before, and didn’t think anyone should sit on a sandwich.

An Easy Summer Meal to Share

An Easy Delicious Dinner that Travels Well

In the end she sat on the sandwich, and it was squished to the proper proportions. I then put them in the fridge to keep cool and set. I had made several sandwiches so that my Mom and Niece could eat them for lunches or dinners all week, but that we could also eat them at our family dinner on the Sunday Night before I left on my trip. They were delicious!

I served them with a romaine salad with homemade Thousand Island Dressing, and Homemade Croutons. If you are eating the Sit Upon Sandwiches as home, you can wrap them in foil, and put them in the oven at 375 for about 20 minutes. This will cause the meat to render a bit, and the cheese to melt down through the layers. Yum!I recommend using a serrated knife to cut the wedges. And of course, uuummmm, the sandwich is delicious dipped into a little of the Thousand Island Dressing.

5 from 1 vote

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Sit Upon Sandwiches

An easy sandwich that travels well, and is easy to make.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword #Recipe, Easy, Sandwich

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Loaf French Bread Best made on a round loaf.
• 1 Pound Cold Cuts Bologna, Cotto Salami, Hard Salami, Mortadella, Roast Beef, Etc.
• 1/4 Pound Provolone Swiss works well also.
• 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
• 1 Cup Italian Dressing
• Black Olives- Sliced
• Roasted Red Peppers

Instructions

1. Slice Top off of Round French Bread. Scoop the center of bread out of the base of french bread and set aside. This extra bread can be used for croutons.

   

2. Mix the Mayonnaise and Italian Dressing. Dress the inside of the bread, and the sliced off top of the bread with the Mayo/Dressing mixture.

3. Layer Meat, Cheese, Roasted Peppers, and Olives inside the Bowl of the bread. Press out into the sides ensuring that the entire bread is filled to overflowing with sandwich fillings.

4. Close the top of the sandwich and wrap in foil. Then, either have a child sit upon the sandwich, or place heavy books on the sandwich until it is fully squashed.

5. If you want the sandwich to be a cold sandwich, place in refrigerator or cooler until ready to eat. If you want a hot sandwich, bake in a 375 degree oven for 20+ minutes until desired heat is reached.

6. Slice sandwiches in wedges using a serrated knife. You can add pickles or tomatoes at this point. Each large round French Bread feed about 6 people.

5 from 1 vote

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Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

This rich and tasty dressing is so flavorful. So much better than prepared Thousand Island Dressing.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword #Recipe, Homemade, Salad Dressing

Prep Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Mayonnaise
• 1/2 Cup Ketchup
• 1/2 Cup Pickle Relish I prefer Dill relish, but sweet pickle relish can be used as well.
• 3 Tablespoons Dill Pickle Juice I use the extra juice out of a jar of Dill Pickles. If you do not have any Dill Pickle Juice, use White Vinegar and add 1/8 tsp of salt.
• 3 Tablespoons Chili Sauce I typically use the Heinz brand.

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients with a whisk until fully incorporated.

2. Store any remaining dressing in a jar in the refrigerator. Can stay in the fridge for up to a week.

And then it was time for dessert…

For dessert I made a Pineapple Icebox cake. My niece had never had icebox cake and she fell in love with it. Icebox cake was always the dessert that my Grandmother made for my Dad when he was growing up on special occasions. Then when he married my Mom, she started making them. Years later, he would request them from me. As I shared in this post, my Dad has been gone for 20 years, but we are still enjoying Icebox cakes, and remembering how much he enjoyed them as well. There are a couple of different variations, but I put the easiest in the recipe below.

I used Cool Whip, but you can use regular whipping cream, beaten, and mixed with sweetened condensed milk. I also like to add a ½ cup of chopped pecans to add texture. Since I was making it for my Mom I omitted the nuts. Finally, I didn’t add maraschino cherries, but if you cut the refrigerated version of maraschino cherries in quarters, and then add in at the last minute they add a nice flavor. You can also add a few to the top as a decoration.

You can also make a Gluten Free Version

Finally, I wanted to let you know that I made two version, one with regular graham crackers, and one with Schar’s Gluten Free graham crackers. Both held up well, so if you are GF, feel free to make the swap to GF graham crackers in the recipe. My niece fell in love with this cake, and she and my Mom enjoyed it all week while I was on my trip.

An Easy Summer Meal to Share

5 from 1 vote

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Pineapple Icebox Cake

A quick and refreshing summer "cake".

Course Dessert, Treats

Cuisine American

Keyword Baking, Easy, Treats

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Servings 10

Ingredients

• 2 Packets Graham Crackers- Approximately 10 ounces 3 Packets come in a regular sized box.
• 1/4 Cup White Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Butter Melted
• 2 Small Containers Cool Whip
• 2 Cans Crushed Pineapple, drained
• Whipping Cream for decoration

Instructions

1. Crush Graham Crackers by placing in a gallon sized Ziploc bag and rolling with a rolling pin.

2. Reserve 1/2 cup of the Graham Cracker Crumbs for decoration on the top when finished.

   Mix the crushed graham crackers, sugar and melted butter inside a 9x13 baking dish. Then press the mixture down until it is coating the entire bottom of the dish.

   

3. Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool for a half an hour.

4. Drain the pineapple fully, and then fold into cool whip. If you are adding chopped pecans or maraschino cherries add them now.

   

5. Pour mixture onto cooled crust, and then refrigerate. Prior to serving decorate with whipped cream, and sprinkle with the reserved graham cracker crumbles. Refrigerate any remaining portions.

   

I hope these recipes give you a few ideas for making summer road trips easier. And, I hope they also inspire you to make an extra to share with someone who would love a pick me up this summer. So, have you ever had Sit Upon Sandwiches before? What are your favorite meats and cheeses to fill the sandwich with?

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