Monte Cristos and Brussels Sprouts TWO ways

This hot sandwich is such a wonderful stand-by when you're not in the mood to make dinner. It's just as fast and easy as a regular grilled cheese but it's Gourmified! Swiss cheese, ham, egg-dipped slices of sourdough bread. Just thinking about eating this again makes my mouth water. For a bit of a twist, we LOVE sprinkling powdered sugar all over them and sometimes add our favorite jellies.

Monte Cristos

4 thick slices of sourdough bread (about 1/2 - 3/4 inch)
2 eggs
1/4 c. milk
swiss cheese, sliced
thinly sliced ham
1 T. Butter
Powdered sugar and favorite jelly (if desired)

Combine eggs and milk in shallow bowl, set aside. Warm skillet on stove with butter to melt on medium LOW heat. Place one slice of bread at a time into egg mixture. Coat ONE side and put onto warmed skillet, egg side DOWN. Top with cheese and ham then cheese again. Top with another slice of egg soaked bread, egg side UP. Cook on each side until cheese is melted and bread with eggs are thoroughly cooked, about 8-10 minutes. Top with powdered sugar and jelly, if desired.

I had extra brussels sprouts from a dish I made from Thanksgiving and didn't want them to go to waste, so I tried another recipe using this YUMMY vegetable that gets such a bad rap. Seriously, people. Brussels sprouts are DELICIOUS!!! You just need to know HOW to cook them! Try one of these recipes, and you'll be surprised at what you've been missing! For the Roasted version in the photos, it was super easy, too!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

1 1/2 lbs Brussels Sprouts
3 Tbsp. good olive oil
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow/brown outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35-40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt (I like these salty like French Fries), and serve immediately.

Now, I know I didn't post any photos of my other favorite Brussels Sprouts recipe, but I thought I'd share that with you anyway. Since I didn't get the chance to take any photos, so you'll just have to take my word for it. If the ingredients sound at all like something you'd eat normally, you'll LOVE them with brussels sprouts, too. My Uncle joined us for Thanksgiving dinner this year. He lived in England for a couple of years and said this recipe for brussels sprouts was the BEST he's ever eaten! Wow! Thanks to Alton Brown and the Food Network for sharing such an AMAZING recipe!!!!!

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Cheese