Sandwich Fillers

Have you ever noticed the cost of luncheon meat? Both in the deli and pre-packaged, it is quite expensive when you look at the cost per pound. What was once a staple in our household is now the very rare treat for a trip or an outing. For $4.99/lb I can either buy roast beef in the deli or I can buy steak! Coming to that realization was a bit of a shock. Eliminating luncheon meat from our repertoire required a significant paradigm shift, but now that we are there, we enjoy some wonderful options that are healthier, and in my opinion, are even better tasting as well!

As to why this is a "Potluck Saturday" post... one of my favorite things to bring to a potluck are little sandwiches made from dinner rolls. We have a nice bakery around the corner with inexpensive dinner rolls, but to make it even more economical, you can make your own.

Choices of fillers:

• Pimiento cheese - these would be better served on regular sliced bread cut into little triangles than dinner rolls. This was a favorite of mine as a child!
  

• Tuna salad - tuna is becoming more and more expensive though, which is sad, as it used to be a real staple in our house. Mix in mayo, celery, chopped boiled egg, onion, and pickle relish (I prefer sweet.)
  

• Chicken salad - this is fast replacing tuna salad for us, as it is just so inexpensive and simple to whip up a little bit from a leftover roasted chicken. Mix in mayo, celery and craisins. Almonds and serving on croissants are a nice touch if you want to make it fancy.
  

• Egg salad - Mix hard boiled egg, celery, onion, pickle, mayo, and we especially like Penzey's sweet curry powder.

• BBQ Beef - I like to put a beef roast in the crock pot for a dinner. The leftovers are immediately shredded up and mixed with homemade BBQ sauce for sandwiches. Serve with a slice of cheddar either warmed or cold. BBQ beef is also nice in baked potatoes. Though we do it in an entirely different way, we also like to make BBQ pork out of pork shoulders. This would be a post of its own, but it is quite delicious and can be used in sandwiches or baked potatoes as well.
  

• Corned Beef - got leftover corned beef from St. Paddy's Day? Shred it up for sandwiches! It's delicious, especially with a little mustard!

• Leftover sliced ham is also delicious on little buttered yeast rolls. This is a wonderful way to feed a crowd!
  

• In the summer we ADORE BLTs made with our fresh garden lettuce and tomatoes. A nice thick slice of mozzarella is also a nice addition.
  

So re-think the way you have been doing sandwiches and save yourself the trouble of standing in line every week at the deli counter!

Got any recommendations for me with some delicious and inexpensive sandwich fillers? I'd love to hear them!