There was a lot of activity at our little farm last week. Planting bare-root vines, watering them in and tilling the garden patches kept us very busy. So when it came to preparing dinner, I kept it quick and simple. I have to give Earl Hill credit for the Rueben sandwiches in this week’s article since he made them once for a Leader lunch.

I made Ruben panini sandwiches, green beans (another effort to regain freezer space) and kale chips (in an effort to clear the garden of tired plants and prepare for spring tilling).

Rueben Panini Sandwiches
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
8 slices rye bread
1 package sliced roast beef lunchmeat
6 ozs. Swiss cheese, sliced
Thousand Island salad dressing
Sauerkraut
(makes 4 sandwiches)

Heat a panini press to high. If you don’t have a panini press, substitute an iron skillet and a clean brick covered with aluminum foil.

Slather one side of rye bread with Thousand Island dressing. Place Swiss cheese slices to cover the bread. Layer roast beef slices on 4 pieces of rye and sauerkraut on the other four. Put each half together and butter the bottom of the four sandwiches.

I laid two sandwiches at a time on my press. Butter the top of each and then gently close the lid. After 3-4 minutes, lift the lid and check the sandwich. The rye should be golden brown and the cheese should be melted and oozing out the sides.

If using the iron skillet-brick method, lay the sandwiches on the hot skillet and gently place the brick on top. After 3-4 minutes, flip and cover again with the brick, cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes.

Green Beans
Sauté 1 chopped onion in bacon grease (reserved from another night when we had breakfast for dinner). Then I added the thawed gallon bag of green beans and enough chicken broth to almost cover. Put a lid on the pot and cook until the beans are heated. Add salt and pepper as necessary.