Sue's Reuben Sandwich ***

The 12-year-old's very favorite food right now is Reubens.  I haven't made them in at least two years, but both he and the hubby have been begging for them lately.  I finally caved in over the weekend.  They were wonderful as usual.  I do always have to rinse my sauerkraut really well, though, just because hubby hates the flavor otherwise.  Truthfully, I don't really follow the amounts on the recipe.  I just use it as a guide to make sure I get everything on the sandwich in the right order.  I definitely need to make them more often, though, because they all loved them!

SUE'S REUBEN SANDWICH
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Food.com)

4 ounces lean thinly sliced deli corned beef
2 (1 ounce) slices Swiss cheese
2 slices rye bread
1/3 cup sauerkraut, well drained
1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons thousand island dressing (to taste)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 pinch crushed juniper berries or 1 pinch caraway seed (optional)

Bring corned beef and Swiss cheese to room temperature.
Heat sauerkraut until it is warmed to about 120-140 degrees.
Prepare sandwich by first buttering one slice of bread on one side with 1 tbsp butter.
Place bread, butter side down, in a small skillet.
Follow with the following ingredients in this order: 1 slice of Swiss cheese, followed by 4 oz. corned beef, followed by 1-1/2 to 2 tbsp (to taste) of Thousand Island dressing, followed by well drained and warmed sauerkraut, followed by a pinch of either juniper berries or caraway, followed by the final piece of cheese.
Top the sandwich with the last piece of bread and spread the other tbsp of butter on the outside of the bread.
Heat the sandwich in the skillet on a med-low heat until the bottom side becomes golden; flip sandwich with spatula and lightly brown other side.
Remove to plate and slice in half before serving.
Serve with a dill spear and your favorite chips.

Previous Posts:
2/4/12 ~ I was completely astonished when hubby requested Reuben sandwiches this week, since he is vehemently anti-sauerkraut.  That being said, there are a handful of dishes that I can make with it, as long as I rinse the kraut really well.  That takes away some of the tartness of it, which is what he has the biggest problem with.  I don't like Thousand Island, but you really can't taste it in here.  It just adds the tiniest bit of sweetness to the sandwich.
I made these tonight, but I didn't follow recommendations for amounts or anything, just the order in which the ingredients were added.  I didn't bring my meat and cheese to room temp, but when I put them in the skillet, I put the lid on it, to warm the entire thing.  That worked just fine.  When I rinsed the kraut in the colander, I did it with warm water, so that warmed it enough that I didn't have to warm it separately.  Hubby asked for seconds, and both boys loved them too.  Definite winner for us.  :-)

Pumpkin Delight Dessert ***

This was delicious!  My grandma always made a cake she called a Robert Redford, which was basically a vanilla version of this.  Then my mom picked up and made a chocolate version, aptly named Chocolate Delight.  This one miraculously popped up on my Pinterest feed the very same day that my mom asked me to bring a dessert for a family get-together.  It was perfect!  I made it that morning, and it was good to go by the afternoon.  I will say, though, there were a couple pieces left over that the kids had for snack the next day, and it is so much better the second day.  I would probably make it the day before next time.  But however you look at it, this is a total winner for us!  I made it in a 9x13, and if you do that, be sure to follow her notes about increasing the crust amounts.  You don't want to skimp on that deliciousness!

PUMPKIN DELIGHT DESSERT
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ LilLuna)

1 cup Flour
1/2 cup Butter (softened)
1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup Pecans, chopped
8 oz. Cream cheese, softened
1 cup Powdered sugar
3 cups Whipped topping, divided
2-1/2 cups Milk
3 small pkgs. White chocolate instant pudding mix (or vanilla) - 3.4 oz. boxes
1 (15 oz) can Pumpkin puree
1 tsp. Pumpkin spice

Layer 1: Mix flour, butter and 1/2 cup pecans together. Press into a sprayed 9x9 OR 9x13 pan. (For a 9x13 or if you would like more crust add an additional 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup chopped pecans.) Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, then remove and let cool.
Layer 2: Blend cream cheese and powdered sugar, add 1 cup of the whipped topping then spread over cooled crust.
Layer 3: Mix milk, pudding mix, canned pumpkin, pumpkin spice and 1 cup whipped topping until smooth. Spread over top of layer 2.
Layer 4: Spread remaining 1 cup of whipped topping and sprinkle pecans.
Let chill for 3 hours or until set.