English Muffin Open-Face Sandwiches

Our family finally had a night when we could sit down together and eat!

My kids LOVE this meal, and if you use whole wheat English muffins, it is a super-healthy, satisfying dinner.  That being said, my kids did turn their noses up the first time I made this, mostly because it has *gasp* lettuce under the meat and cheese, but really, you can barely taste it.  Of course, now that I have served it about a dozen times, they have gotten over it and love them!

Now, tell me, who doesn't like melty cheese???  Here are the magic ingredients:


1 package whole wheat English muffins (8 muffins)
1 bag of lettuce or spinach
4 Tbsp. (approximately) ranch dressing
1 package (16 pieces) sandwich-size Canadian Bacon slices
1 package Muenster cheese (you could use other types of cheese, but this is our favorite!)

Cut and separate the English muffins and place the halves split side up on a baking sheet.  Turn oven on to broil, and broil for about 2-4 minutes, or until the halves are toasted.  Meanwhile, mix about half of the salad bag with approximately 4 Tbsp. of the ranch dressing.  The lettuce should be lightly coated, so start with less dressing and gradually add more.  When the muffins are toasted, place a spoonful of the ranch-covered lettuce on top of the muffin halves - just enough to cover the toasted muffin.  Toast again until the leaves are wilted.  Remove the muffins again.  Place one Canadian bacon slice on top of the muffins.  Place Muenster cheese on top (I use about 3/4 of one slice of cheese on top of each muffin).  Toast until cheese is melted and golden.

I hope your family likes these little sandwiches!

Chicago & Chili

Last week, I had the opportunity to travel with my husband to Chicago!  It was a great trip.  There are so many fun things to do in Chicago, and so many great restaurants to try.  I had a chance to meet up with some old friends, too!  Here was our view from the hotel room (which was downtown on Michigan Ave. - the Marriott):

Anyway, I have another crock pot recipe to share with you!  It is my chili recipe.  You can modify it to include things that you like to have in your chili.  Here are the ingredients I use (minus the garlic - I forgot about that):

To make the crockpot chili, you need:

2 lbs. ground beef, browned & drained
2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans diced tomatoes, drained (I mix it up and use one petite diced and one regular)
1 can (16 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can diced green chilies
1 onion, chopped and diced
4 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste

After browning the ground beef and chopping your onion and garlic, place them in the crock pot.  Drain and rinse beans, then drain the tomatoes.  Dump the rest of the ingredients in the crock pot, and cook on low approximately 6-8 hours.

We serve this topped with shredded cheddar cheese, but you could also use green onions and some sour cream!

I had an old crockpot that stopped working, and I noticed that my new crock pot cooks much hotter than my other one.  If you have noticed the same thing, please leave me a note in the comments.  I hope you like the chili!