This time of year is crazy hectic, so here’s a breakfast recipe that’ll make your life just a little bit easier (at least for a few mornings).

Whip up these Ham and Cheese Cups on Saturday or Sunday and after they’ve cooled, pop them in a resealable plastic freezer bag. Zap them in the microwave to reheat. (Uh…take them out of the bag, first!) Very easy. Very delicious.

Season them with your favorite seasoning salt (Old Bay, Lawry’s, etc.) or dried herb blend. You can fill them with whatever you’ve got on hand: chopped ham, cheese, chorizo or sautéed veggies. The best part: they make a great lunch or snack, too.

You can thank me sometime next week when you’re slammed because the alarm didn’t go off… or that it was your turn to drive morning car pool… or you just don’t feel like cooking!

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I forgot how deliciously rewarding it is to prepare and eat a Chef’s Salad.   You get your protein. You get your cheese. You get your veggies. You get your crunchy little croutons. You get a healthy, easy-to-make meal that is tied together with a bouncy light vinaigrette.

Traditionally a Chef’s Salad is made with smoked ox tongue, fresh roasted ham and chicken or turkey cut off the bone and carefully sliced “julienne” style. I’m fine with the ham and chicken or turkey, but the smoked ox tongue is definitely NOT happening in my salad bowl. You go right ahead, and thank you very much.

But what do you do if you don’t have a roasted ham or chicken or turkey hanging out in your refrigerator? You follow my recipe for Super Easy Chef’s Salad. Buy the meat and cheese at the supermarket deli and ask (nicely) for them to cut into ¼-inch thick slices.

You’ll still need to cut the meat and cheese into strips, aka julienne, but that doesn’t take much time. Just stack the slices and cut them all at once. Boiled eggs are easy (and you may already have some in your fridge).

You can use romaine lettuce, but I like to mix it up with iceberg and whatever other leaf lettuce looks good. In this recipe, I used only cucumbers and tomatoes, but you can add whatever veggies you like because, after all, this is a CHEF’S Salad… and you’re the CHEF!

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Don’t throw out those last few pieces of leftover Thanksgiving Turkey… make some Turkey Cubano Sandwiches for everyone… or just for yourself!

I’ve been to Cuba and used to live in Miami so, believe me, I know the debate that rages over not only what makes a true Cubano Sandwich but how to make a Cubano Sandwich.

This much everyone agrees on: A Cubano Sandwich is not a Panini. It is pressed on a sandwich press called a plancha (which is similar to a Panini press but without the grooved edges). I’ve improvised a plancha over the years (see below). Don’t laugh. It really works. (But, yes, you can use a Panini maker). Regardless, what you want to end up with is a thin hot sandwich oozing with cheesy goodness.

This much is also true: The sandwich ingredients are roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, thinly sliced dill pickles and, of course, Cuban bread (which looks like French bread, but is slightly sweet). I can’t find Cuban bread where I live, and I’m too frazzled right now to make it, so I use French bread (but never a baguette) or a bolillo. I scoop out a little of the bread on the inside so it isn’t too “bready.” Oh, and I add a little mustard to my Cubano, even though purists will object.

Pretty easy, very delicious and the perfect way to wrap up the Thanksgiving holiday… finally!

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Homemade Plancha to press the Sandwich!

Just finished voting and on my way home I was thinking about the swing states… no, not their political impact, but about the food that comes from those places.

GP is right… I’m always thinking about food.

Friends are coming over to the house tonight for a potluck dinner to watch the election returns, so I thought, why not have each person bring something (easy) representing one of the swing states?

I’m doing the two big items, the Smithfield Ham (Virginia) and the Cincinnati Chili (Ohio).

For appetizers, someone is bringing a huge platter of Wisconsin cheese. North Carolina is represented by Sweet Potato Tater Tots (because you can’t really ask a guest to do the barbecue thing, especially last minute).

One friend wanted to bring Loose Meat Sandwiches to represent Iowa, but we had enough entrees so she opted for corn on the cob (we did need a veg in there somewhere).

We’ve got dessert covered: A Florida Key Lime Pie, New Hampshire Pumpkin Bread and Shoofly Pie from Pennsylvania (which I’m very excited about because I’ve never had it before).

That leaves Nevada. We really couldn’t come up with anything for Nevada… so in honor of the ubiquitous buffets available in casinos across the state, we’re going to serve BUFFET STYLE and honor Nevada in that way.

Looks like we’ve got plenty of food, which is a good thing… because it could be a loooong night!