Tessa's Mini-Melts with Poppyseed Drizzle

Almost five months have gone by since this day...

Two years is a long time! My oldest son, Stephen left home to serve an LDS mission in Puebla, Mexico on February 16, 2011 (if you've been reading ABK for a while, you'll remember this post).  He returned two years, one month and three days later. That afternoon we dashed off to the airport with ballons and signs in hand. Our immediate and extended family gathered there, along with families of other missionaries who were returning that day. So much excitement. So much joy. So glad to have him  home!
In honor of Stephen serving for two years we celebrated his return with (what else?) food. We made  lots of salads, treats and some fun little sandwiches. It was nice to have something hot with the salads that didn't require too much time in the kitchen when we wanted to enjoy spending time with our newly returned missionary. Tessa gave me this recipe after she made dinner for a large group of sorority girls at the U. She said the girls loved them, and I thought, if they're good enough for the Chi-Omega's they're good enough for us! They take just a few minutes to put together, and are perfect for parties of any sort.
Grateful to have Stephen home.
So proud of his willingness to sacrifice and share the good word of God with the sweet people of Mexico.
Two years is a long time.
Yes, it is.

Mini-Melts with Poppy Seed Drizzle

Tessa Reinemer

print recipe

3 dozen soft dinner rolls 

2 pounds deli meat (or have the deli slice up the exact amount of slices you need)*

1 pound sliced deli cheese, or approx 18 slices, cut in half

Topping

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

1/2 cup butter

1 tablespooon minced dehydrated onion (optional)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Slice rolls and put small amount of turkey or ham with one slice of cheese.  Place sandwiches in 2- 9x13 baking dishes or one large jelly roll pan.  

Heat ingredients for topping in a saucepan until butter is melted. Brush or spoon topping onto sandwiches right before cooking.  Cover with foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese melts.

Serves about 15-20.

Tips (aka more than you ever wanted or needed to know about making baked sandwiches):

-These sandwiches may be assembled in advance.  A day before is fine, but don't brush with drizzle until right before cooking.  Store in fridge covered tightly with foil.

-*Deli meat- Slice the meat in half with a sharp knife (I cut the meat all at once). If you have 36 rolls, order 18 slices of deli meat, cut in half. 

-We used a combo of ham/swiss and turkey/havarti. Both were delicious.

-For a gathering at the school, and Anibelle's baby blessing, I used Costco large croissants and cut them in half after stuffing with meat and cheese. We used:

3 doz  large croissants

4 lbs ham or turkey

2 lbs sliced cheese

Served approx 75. 

-I use the Walmart Brand rolls, found near their deli when making these for a large (100+) crowd. I pinned the rolls here, so you can see what they look like. The rolls come 16 to a package. I like these for a crowd, because they are inexpensive and they stack well, without smashing if you need to buy a large quantity. I have also used a roll that looks similar to a Granny Sycamore cluster roll from Costco. They only sell these in the fall and winter months. This roll is much thicker than the Walmart brand roll,  and I add more meat to the sandwich when using the Granny roll, so the meat is not lost in the roll!

-Cooking for 100:

plan on about 1 1/2 rolls per person if you are serving other buffet items such as salads, appetizers, sweets.

10 packages of "The Bakery" rolls from Walmart, (Potato or Sweet Hawaiian) 16 per pkg =160 rolls

Deli meat sliced, approx 80 slices, cut in half to yield 160 slices

cheese slices, approx 80 slices, cut in half to yield 160

topping:

1 1/4 lb butter, melted (5 sticks)

8 tablespoons poppy seeds

6 tablespoons mustard

3-4 tablespoons dehydrated onion (optional)

2 tablespoons Worcestershire

Follow directions above for baking.

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