When it’s game day, you want to be able to have the guys over and serve them manly filling foods without breaking the bank. This week try our easy cheesesteak sandwiches. You can make cheesesteaks with a variety of cuts of beef, but this week we whipped them up with USDA Choice Beef Eye Round Steaks Thin Cut since they’re on our 5 for $25 meat sale.  If you choose to make this with a more tender cut like rib-eye steak, try placing it in the freezer to firm it, then slicing it very thin prior to cooking instead of pounding it as we do to tenderize a tougher cut of meat.

Easy Cheesesteak Sandwiches
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Serves: 2

3 USDA Choice Beef Eye Round Steaks Thin Cut
2 Ukrop’s Bakery Hoagie Buns
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 white onion, thinly sliced
½ large green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tsp. minced fresh garlic
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
4 slices Provolone cheese
Mayonnaise (optional)

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place steaks between layers of wax or parchment paper and hammer until almost paper thin using a meat tenderizer. Set aside. Once oven is preheated, place hoagie buns in oven on a baking sheet to warm.

Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add oil, onions and bell peppers and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized, about 6 minutes. Add salt, pepper and garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds. Move to one side of pan. Add steaks to hot pan and cook, breaking up with two metal spatulas and flipping, until almost all pink is gone, about 2 minutes. Top with cheese slices and reduce heat to low. Remove hoagie buns from oven and spread with mayonnaise if desired. Top each bun with half of steak and cheese and with onions and peppers to taste. Serve with Joe’s Market Kettle Chips.

Guests will gobble up these cheesy, spicy sliders.

Ukrop’s Cheddar Pimento Cheese is a tasty take on a Southern favorite. While most pimento cheese spreads are made with processed American cheese, the chefs at Ukrop’s use medium-sharp Tillamook Cheddar for a product that’s packed with fresh, cheesy flavor. Look for regular Ukrop’s Cheddar Pimento Cheese and Ukrop’s Cheddar and Jalapeno Pimento Cheese in 10-oz. containers in your store’s deli self-service case.

Pimento Cheese lends itself perfectly to tailgating. That cheesy, gooey flavor is perfect for chowing down before or during the game. We cooked up three delicious recipes featuring Ukrop’s Cheddar Pimento Cheese that can be enjoyed at home or outside the game.

Spicy, Cheesy Sliders
Serves: 8 as an appetizer  | Prep Time: 8 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes

1 pound Ukrop’s All-Natural Angus Ground Chuck (80/20)
3 Tbsps. A1 Bold & Spicy Steak Sauce (less for less heat)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 tub Ukrop’s Cheddar Pimento Cheese
8 Ukrop’s Bakery Artisan Bread Rolls, cut in half
Bread and butter pickle slices

Preheat grill to medium hot. Place meat in a bowl. Sprinkle with A1, salt and pepper and stir until sauce is evenly distributed. Divide mixture into 8 2-ounce tightly packed patties. Place sliders on grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until they are crusty on one side, then flip and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Remove from grill. Place 1 patty on each Artisan roll then top with 1 heaping tablespoon Cheddar Pimento Cheese.

Country ham and pimento cheese sandwiches are easy to make and packed with savory flavor.

Country Ham & Pimento Cheese Party Sandwiches
Serves: 12 as an appetizer | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes (optional)

1 package White House Rolls
2 tubs Ukrop’s Cheddar Pimento Cheese
1/3 pound country ham, thinly sliced

Cut White House Rolls in half. Spread each one with about 2 Tablespoons Cheddar Pimento Cheese. Top with 1-2 slices country ham. If preparing to take to the game, place on a tray, cover, and keep cool until serving time. If serving at home, preheat oven to 300 degrees, place sandwiches on a baking sheet and heat in oven for about 10 minutes or until sandwiches are warm and cheese is gooey.

Spicy, cheese-filled flavor makes Chili-Jalapeno Pimento Cheese Straws hard to resist.

Chili-Jalapeno Pimento Cheese Straws
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Serves: 16 as an appetizer

2 packages Ukrop’s Cheddar and Jalapeno Pimento Cheese
¾ cup flour
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together pimento cheese and flour until completely combined. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take about a 1-Tablespoon-sized piece of dough and roll into a log about ½-inch thick. Place on baking sheet. Repeat until sheet is full, spacing cheese straws about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with Kosher salt, chili powder and cayenne pepper. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges of straws are brown and crisp-looking. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before moving. Keep dough in fridge between batches.

Gooey, crunchy Loaded Apple Sandwiches make a great after-school snack.

Along with the recipes above, this is another of our favorite kid-friendly apple snacks.

Loaded Apple Sandwiches
Yield: 4-6 sandwiches
Ingredients:
2 apples
1 jar peanut butter, chunky or creamy
1 banana
1 cup granola

Core apple and slice into rings (each apple should yield between 4 and 6 good-size rings). Spread 1 side of each apple with peanut butter. Slice the banana into ½-inch-thick slices. Place 4-5 banana slices on top of the peanut butter on half of the apple rings. Sprinkle granola on the other half. Carefully place 1 apple half with granola on top of 1 apple half with bananas.

Tex-Mex Burgers are an easy twist on a favorite sandwich!

Quick Meals is a section of our blog that’s geared toward helping you create easy, delicious meals on weeknights. This week, we’re featuring a tasty Tex-Mex Burger Recipe that’s made with our flavor-packed Joe’s Market Roasted Garlic & Tomato Salsa. These burgers are both affordable and delicious when you make them with our ground round that’s on sale this week! Also, check out our Facebook page for a special coupon on any Joe's Market Salsa!

Tex-Mex Burgers

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients:
1 small onion, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup Joe’s Market Roasted Garlic & Tomato Salsa
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ cup breadcrumbs
1 pound ground round
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
1 avocado, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1 tomato sliced
4 lettuce leaves
4 rolls

Heat grill to medium hot. Mix onion, garlic, salsa, salt, pepper, bread crumbs and beef until just blended. Form into 4 patties. Grill burgers for 4 minutes per side and top with cheese 2 minutes before they are done cooking. Serve on rolls with lettuce, tomato, avocado, peppers, onions and more salsa if desired.

Dressed Up Mini Chicken Salad Subs are perfect for your next party!

Everyone loves Ukrop’s Breast of Chicken Salad. It’s a time-honored recipe that’s freshly made for that creamy, traditional taste you know and love. Tradition is fun, but sometimes you’ve got to mix it up, so we decided to stir in some simple ingredients and add some new flavor nuances to the blend. Then we piled the mix onto our freshly made Hard French Rolls for crowd-pleasing treats that are certain to go fast at any event (perhaps a Labor Day potluck?). Plus, with our Labor Day Pre-Sale today and tomorrow, Ukrop’s Breast of Chicken Salad is only $5.99! Try this recipe this weekend.

Dressed Up Chicken Salad Mini Subs
Serves: 18 as an appetizer | Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
2 tubs Ukrop’s Breast of Chicken Salad
¼ cup dried cherries, cut in half
20 grapes, halved
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
3 bags (18) Ukrop’s Bakery French Hard Rolls

Place chicken salad in a large bowl. Stir in dried cherries, grapes and almonds. Using a serrated knife, cut the top quarter out of each roll. Use your hands to scrape soft insides out of roll. Stuff chicken salad into roll. Replace top. Serve on a platter.