Crocktoberfest

We are halfway in and thus far I have been thwarted in my Crocktober project largely in part due to my poor planning and also vehicle troubles.  Me, a planner who knows what we're having for dinner in two weeks, thought I would be able to wait till the end of September and map out my crockpot meal plan for an entire month.  Except I did it after my end of September shopping trip and realized I was bringing our menu into October with not a crockpot recipe in sight.  Oops.  We also have to fix Mekius' car, so that put the kibash on any last minute shopping sprees to catch up.

So I'm trying to salvage what I can and try to hit at least 2 crockpot meals a week for the rest of the month.  Next year I start planning in July.

Today's recipe is brought you by Big Red Kitchen

Start with a large round load of crusty bread (I purchased a loaf of peasant's bread from Mary's Market for under $5 and I think it's going to a great canvas for this painting lol).

You're going to make 12 slices in the bread, making sure to only cut 3/4 of the way through (you still want it connected at the bottom), to make 6 sandwiches.  Two ends will be small and obviously the middle very large.

Now you're going to make the bundles to put in each sandwich.  This is where I had to stray a bit from the original recipe because Walmart does not carry Mortadella or Capicola.  Suitable replacements are Balogna and Ham.  I think prosciutto might also be tasty.  Next time I'll head to a nicer store for the real things as I've had Mortadella/Capicola/Hot ham (former deli workers represent!) and they are delicious.

So my bundles consisted of two sliced of provolone, three slices pepperoni, two slices salami, one slice ham, several banana pepper rings and onion slivers.  I topped it off with some dried basil & oregano.  The nice thing about this setup is you can customize.  For example on the ends I only used salami and ham, since my kids will eat the smaller sandwiches.

Fold bundles and place in between sandwich slices.  Make sure after the first sandwich, you make sure to leave two slices between each bundle, so that each sandwich slices nicely.  Conversely if you like them stacked, feel free to arrange them as such :D

The assembled product, all ready to get in the crockpot

Once the bread is stuffed take two long pieces of tin foil and set them on a counter in the shape of a cross.  Wrap the sandwich tightly from all sides.  To place in the slow cooker I took some foil, shaped 4 balls and set them at the bottom, added 1/4 water and placed the wrapped loaf on top.  Set crockpot to low and let cook on low for 4 hours.  BRK suggested even letting it go another hour or two if you're busy or out of the house while it's cooking.

After cooking is complete, remove carefully, unwrap and slice through each sandwich.  It will be VERY hot.  Drizzle a little olive oil or Italian dressing over them if you would like.  You should get 6 sandwiches out of this.  I will not because I was not able to get another cut into mine, but I'll still get 5 and we *MIGHT* have leftovers.  This was touted as being great to cook while you're out Christmas shopping and it this turns out well, I may be tempted to serve it at the holidays as it tends to be more of a casual event.  This would also be delicious served with soup or salad.  I'm thinking of serving ours with a caesar salad tonight.  Only 3.5 more hours to go and the smell has already worked through the house!

Please be sure to check back for additional Crocktoberfest recipes!  I will be sharing one a day, though I may not always be cooking along :)