Sometimes less is more. 

I know I’ve said that recently in a post.  I’m intentionally practicing that line.  Sometimes less is more.  Key word here ‘sometimes.’ 

Perhaps to a fault, I’ve always been a fan of ‘the more the merrier.’ However last night called for a simple, quick and easy dinner. 

Let me back up and tell you that I had the most wonderful day yesterday.  Due to circumstances beyond her control (two little ones at Urgent Care), our office Santa Bethany had to call in for backup Elves. She needed someone to deliver Christmas gifts to the family our company members sponsored.  

I had the privilege of being that Elf. 

Spur of the moment forced me to put aside all the things I thought I should be doing on the day before Christmas Eve. Instead I was able to breathe in the joy that comes from giving. 

Our delivery of coats and shoes, gift cards and games, paid power bills and rent money, to this unsuspecting single mother of six boys was a bit overwhelming.  

I’m not sure if the much needed gifts were what brought her to tears or simply knowing that there are people who care and want to help.  My heart swelled with Christmas spirit and it hasn’t let up since.

Building the Sandwich

The Classic Reuben Sandwich is rye bread layered with thinly sliced corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing, then pan grilled to perfection. 

I like to take this sandwich to triple decker status, then press it while grilling.

Homemade Russian Dressing is the way to go.  Just a few simple ingredients combine to make this creamy slightly tangy dressing delicious.

And if you love a Reuben as much as we do, make a batch of this Hot Reuben Dip next time you’re hosting a party.  All those same great flavors in a dip.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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The Classic Reuben Sandwich

The Classic Reuben Sandwich on fresh bakery marble rye bread with a schmear of amazing Homemade Russian Dressing was just right.

Course Sandwich

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Russian dressing…

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbl. ketchup
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. prepared horseradish
• freshly cracked pepper
• pinch cayenne pepper
• salt to taste if needed

For the sandwich…

• 6 slices marble rye bread
• 1/2 lb. thinly sliced corned beef
• 1/4 lb. thinly sliced Swiss cheese
• 1 cup sauerkraut
• 1/2 cup Russian dressing

Instructions

For the Russian dressing…

• Combine all ingredients, adjust according to taste. Refrigerate any unused dressing.

For the sandwich…

• Spread Russian dressing on one side of each bread slice, then layer corned beef, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut in triple-decker fashion.
• Melt butter in large skillet, pan grill sandwiches until nicely browned, using a bacon press or similar to weigh it down. Add additional butter then turn sandwiches browning other side.

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Corned Beef & Cabbage Egg Rolls {with Russian Dressing}.

Recipe inspiration you ask?  Day after St. Patrick’s Day leftovers meets an open package of wonton wrappers on the second shelf of the refrigerator…and the plotting begins.  By the time I woke up this morning they had formed a bond and a plan.  When I opened the fridge door the Ziploc bag of wonton wrappers had neatly made it’s way to the top of the container of leftover boiled dinner.  Clearly it was a case of love at first sight.

Who was I to doubt their intentions?

I simply julienned the leftover cooked carrots, cabbage and corned beef, then added some thinly sliced scallion.  Since I was using smaller wonton wrappers, instead of full sized egg roll wrappers, it didn’t take much to fill them up.

I turned the wrapper at an angle so I could fold in the points from each side, before bring up the bottom point and rolling.  A little water on the top edges sealed the rolls.

Once they were rolled I cooked the egg rolls in batches in about a 1/2-inch of canola oil, seam side down, turning once so they were golden brown on each side.  It seems leftover corned beef dinner and wonton wrappers know a thing or two about Eating Out of the Fridge/Pantry and recipe creativity.  These egg rolls were absolutely delicious.

Our favorite use for leftover corned beef is the beloved Classic Reuben Sandwich, which we serve with Homemade Russian Dressing.  That dressing seemed like a natural pairing for our Corned Beef & Cabbage Egg Rolls.  It was.

Be sure to check out our New England Boiled Dinner recipe for instructions on how to prepare Corned Beef & Cabbage.

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Flipping through the pages of this month’s Food Network Magazine and nodding out loud while I acknowledge their feature article on The Wedge Salad.  No matter how you serve it, the crisp cool crunch of iceberg lettuce underneath savory toppings is simply hard to beat.

Crispy bacon, hard-boiled egg, tomato, scallions, cornbread croutons and Homemade Russian Dressing all spooned liberally over a wedge of iceberg lettuce can easily be a meal.

Toasted sesame seeds, roasted corn, chilled crab, minced herbs and diced avocado are all fantastic toppings.  Classic Salads are wonderful year-round.

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Loaded Wedge Salad

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 head iceberg lettuce
• 1 large tomato diced
• 6 strips bacon cooked crisp & crumbled
• 2 hard-boiled eggs chopped
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 1 cup croutons optional
• 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds optional
• 1 cup Homemade Russian Dressing

Instructions

• Cut head of lettuce into six wedges. Arrange on individual plates and sprinkle with toppings.
• Serve with Homemade Russian Dressing.

The post Loaded Wedge Salad appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Today’s the day.  The day I dread each January.  Taking down the Christmas decorations, or as we call it….Grinching Away Christmas.  Every year I procrastinate.  Drag it out until the very last minute.  The house just doesn’t feel the same without them.  The lights of the tree warm the room and my soul.  I hear trips being made to the basement….this is really going to happen today.  Ugh!  Can we just have a Wedge Salad instead.

This might be the time to share that there was the year I refused to take the tree down.  I left the lights on and removed the decorations, for a bit.  But then decided to hang little hearts on it in February for Valentines Day.  Easter Eggs in April.  And when Shelby’s Sweet 16th Birthday Party came around in May, I’m sure I made her proud when all her guests brought her a pair of flips flops…that we hung on the tree.  The Flip Flop Tree…hehe.  Maybe I’m slightly odd, but leaving the tree up all year was fun to do just once and it did make life so much easier when the following December rolled around.

Enough about Grinching and Procrastination.  Today for lunch we had The Wedge Salad.  I absolutely love this salad.  I know there are all kinds of fancy greens that I’m sure are more nutrient packed than good old iceberg lettuce, but there’s something about the cool crispy crunch of iceberg that I adore.

There’s not much of a recipe for this salad, but I will share this crazy good Homemade Russian Dressing recipe again.  This is the same one we used on our Classic Reuben Sandwich and it’s good.  Really good.

We topped our Wedge Salad with crispy bacon, hard-boiled egg, sliced tomato, scallions, a little goat cheese, and our homemade Cornbread Croutons.  Our New Year’s Day Cornbread was at the end of the road but made really tasty croutons.  Just cut it into cubes and baked at 350 for about 15 minutes until nice and crunchy.

Shhh…I don’t think anyone will notice if Nicholas hangs out just a little longer.

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The Wedge Salad {with Homemade Russian Dressing}

Course Salad

Ingredients

• Iceberg lettuce
• sliced tomato
• crispy bacon
• hard-boiled egg
• scallions
• goat cheese
• croutons
• freshly cracked pepper

For the Russian dressing..

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbl. ketchup
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. prepared horseradish
• black pepper
• pinch of cayenne

Instructions

• Remove core and outer leaves from head of iceberg lettuce. Cut into wedges.
• Top with favorite toppings.

For the Russian dressing…

• Combine all ingredients and spoon liberally over salad.

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