Holiday Snack Food~ Mini Grilled Sandwiches

Making holiday menu plans isn't always easy.  As I was planning my Thanksgiving meal, I knew I would need some snacks to bridge family and guests from breakfast to dinner but not overwhelm them.  Sometimes veggies and fruit may not be enough.  Anything more and I am have an abundance of leftover turkey, potatoes and green beans.  And, I always want to do something a bit different.

My children really inspired this idea.  They like small food.  Small amounts of food at a time.  Small food because it's cute.  Small food helps them try things they may not otherwise try.  But mini food doesn't have to be for the children only.  These mini sandwiches are perfect for holiday snacking.  They are also perfect to have while watching the football game.

Need more inspiration for grilled sandwiches?  Check out the Grilled Cheese Academy for more grilled cheese sandwich ideas.  Cocktail bread can be found in rye, pumpernickel and sourdough.  Check back in a few days to see what I did with the sourdough cocktail bread {your kids will love it}.

Mini Grilled Sandwiches
Rye Cocktail Bread
Deli Roast Beef
Muenster Cheese
Coleslaw
Thousand Island Dressing
Butter

Preheat griddle to 325F {or a frying pan over medium~high heat}.
Assemble sandwiches by cutting a slice of Muenster cheese into four equal pieces.  Place one piece of cheese on a piece of rye cocktail bread.  Add some deli roast beef {just tear it into smaller pieces to fit on top of the cocktail bread}. Add a bit of coleslaw, then top with a second piece of Muenster cheese.

Melt a few tablespoons of butter on griddle. Grill the mini sandwiches for about 1 minute, or until bottom piece of cheese begins to melt. Top with second piece of cheese. Add a more butter to an empty spot on the grill and flip the sandwich to grill the other side. Remove from heat. Either serve with a small ramekin of Thousand Island dressing for dipping.

Tips and Tricks
*Make a mini Reuben with corned beef, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut on pumpernickel cocktail bread.
*Make a mini Rachel with pastrami, Swiss and coleslaw.
*Let the cheese and meat sit on the counter while you are assembling the other ingredients and heating the griddle.  The sandwich with heat through better and the cheese will melt easily if it isn't straight out of the fridge.
*Per two mini sandwiches I used one slice of Muenster and one slice of roast beef. Use this to calculate how much you will need to buy from the deli for the amount of sandwiches you plan to make.