Subs for an Army

I know it is a little early for picnic recipes, and many of you are still hunkered down in cold weather, but things are beginning to warm up down here, and I wanted to share with you a technique I use to feed a bunch of people. It's easy. It's inexpensive. And everyone loves it!

We have four children in our family - three of them are boys - and once they hit those teenage years, I had quite a challenge keeping them fed. In fact, if we couldn't find one of our sons, it was very likely we would find the lower half of him sticking out of the refrigerator or the pantry. If you have boys, you might want to stop putting money in a college fund and instead save for their teen food consumption. I'm just sayin'...

Well, whether you are having guests for lunch or you are packing a "light snack" for your son and his friends, this is an easy, delicious, and inexpensive way to do it.

I recently found these amazing ciabatta rolls at the local WalMart grocery (not a super center, just a grocery; but the super centers may carry them as well). They are so delicious. For subs, I particularly like the onion and poppy seed rolls. I buy two packs which will make 12 individual subs.

First, lay out a bunch of paper towels on your work surface and separate the buns. If you keep them lined up, they will be easier to fill.

Now for the condiments. You can certainly add what you like here, but I spread a thin layer of real mayonnaise on one side of the buns and then add my "secret ingredient" on the other side. A while ago, I was introduced to this delicious submarine sandwich dressing. Well, I usually don't like to buy pre-made dressings because they always have ingredients that I cannot pronounce, and they are pretty expensive. So I saved the container and figured out how to make my own.

One half cup each of red wine vinegar and olive oil. Add 1/2 tsp each of dried oregano and salt plus 1/4 tsp pepper. Shake well and drizzle on bread.

Now add the fillings. I like to use turkey and swiss cheese or roast beef and provolone. Then a slice of tomato and lettuce. It feels like you are dealing cards on game night!

Once all the fillings are doled out, close the sandwiches and wrap them up. I like to use aluminum foil because it holds together well and keeps the moisture inside. If you don't want your food to touch the foil, you can place a sandwich on a piece of paper towel first. But before we wrap them up, here's one more look at this yumminess!