How To Make Lovely Nostalgic Ribbon Sandwiches

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Wonderful Nibbles For A Special Occasion

I get in on so much fun when our daughters plan a party or an event! In late June, our daughter hosted a lovely wedding shower for the beautiful daughter of friends, the best kind of dear friend, because they are also cousins. 💖

Her amazing strawberry cake was a show-stopper, and I was asked to make the ribbon sandwiches. Hmmmm. As I pondered how I'd make them, I revisited my long-ago high school days when ribbon sandwiches were wildly popular for graduation parties and bridal showers.

I had eaten my share of the lovely things, but in all my years in the kitchen, I had never made a single one. I remember ribbon sandwiches in the 1970s were made using a whole loaf of unsliced bread.

Back then, the loaf was sliced horizontally, all the crusts removed, and each layer was filled with a yummy sandwich spread. Next, the whole loaf was frosted with whipped cream cheese and refrigerated.

When it was chilled, the loaf was sliced into individual servings the size of an entire slice of bread. It seemed daunting. That kind of ribbon sandwich was definitely knife-and-fork food!

I was way overthinking it! I knew I wanted something daintier and finger-food size. And here's exactly how I did it.

How To Make Beautiful And Easy Ribbon Sandwiches

I stewed and tried several kinds of bread and finally ended up making the dainty little things on ordinary square sandwich bread from Target! I used both white and wheat bread, and it worked beautifully!

I set out butter early in the day so it would be super soft and spreadable. I spread one side of three slices of bread with the thinnest layer of butter possible, then put sandwich filling on two slices, not quite to the edge of the bread.

Next, I stacked them on top of each other, left to right, with the third slice butter-side down on the filling. The thin layer of butter minimizes the filling soaking into the bread.

Once the three slices were stacked, I trimmed off all the crust and cut each stack into thirds, creating three little sandwiches. I lined them up in refrigerator storage containers with waxed paper between each layer.

What To Put Inside Of Ribbon Sandwiches

I have three go-to sandwich fillings: ham salad, chicken salad, and an egg and cheese salad. All of them are easy to make and good. The only difference in how I made them for these small sandwiches was to chop the ingredients a little finer.

Be careful not to chop the ingredients too finely, though. You want to retain each one's character and not make them into a paste. You only need a thin layer of filling.

If you have a different sandwich filling you'd like to use, go for it! For instance, I think pimento cheese or cucumber and cream cheese with dill would be amazing!

The sandwiches should be made ahead of time and chilled for plenty of time—overnight would be perfect! This will make the little sandwiches firmer and easier to handle.

I made some sandwiches with just one filling, and in others, I put two different ones in a single sandwich for variety. The white and wheat bread ribbon sandwiches made a nice contrast on the platters.

I've mentioned I'm a garnish lover. Look how much a few red grapes, fresh parsley, and basil enhanced the look of the sandwich platter!

In a future post soon, I'll have my younger daughter demonstrate in a quick video how she makes her fancy salami roses on a wine glass! I have watched her, but I never got a lesson! She makes it look easy!

We had some leftovers and they were still delicious when we ate the last of them three days later!!

The party was absolutely lovely, and the ribbon sandwiches were a hit. I want to share a few more pictures, first of the lovely bride and her beautiful momma.

I also loved the sweet detail of the faux cabbage rose with a plump, ripe strawberry in its heart in the center of the fruit and cheese platter. Both of our daughters added amazing creative touches to the table!

PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD

Yield: 8 sandwiches on buns or 10 cream puffs

Chicken Salad

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A savory chicken salad with basil, lemon, and toasted pecans that great on buns, in a cream puff shell, a wrap, or stuffed in a ripe tomato.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 -2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
• One heaping Tbsp Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base
• OR meat from one whole rotisserie chicken, skin removed.
• 1 cup thinly sliced celery
• 2 tsp dried basil, or better still, 2 Tbsp of fresh basil, chopped fine
• 1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt, or to taste, Lawry's preferred
• 1/2 tsp seasoned pepper, or to taste, Lawry's preferred
• 1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley or 3 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley, mainly for color, optional
• Juice from 1/2 medium lemon
• 1 cup real mayonnaise Hellman's or Duke's preferred
• 3/4 cup toasted pecan pieces, optional
• Leaf lettuce and red grapes optional, add to filling see note*

Instructions

1. In a pan, dissolve the bouillon with just enough water to cover the chicken. Simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender and easily pierced with a fork. Save the broth! You can also use an Instant Pot to cook the chicken!
2. OR chop up all the meat from one whole rotisserie chicken with the skin removed.
3. Chop or shred the chicken to the desired chunkiness. We like ours fairly finely chopped. You should have 2 to 3 cups of chopped chicken.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. If the mixture seems a little dry, add a little broth at a time until it reacheslittle broth at a time until you reach the right consistency.
5. If you add pecans, toast them first by putting them in a single layer on a paper towel and microwave in thirty-second increments, stirring in between until the desired toastiness is achieved. I can't tell you how just long because every microwave is different.
6. Pile on a high-quality bun like King's Hawaiian or serve in a wrap, a croissant, a cream puff, or stuff inside a plump, ripe tomato.

Notes

*The tea room used to cut 6 or 8 red grapes in half and press it right into the filling. You may love it! Add lettuce and enjoy!!

PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD

Yield: 10 servings

Ham Salad

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This is a classic ham salad you can make quickly and easily in your food processor. You can vary the ingredients to taste.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• About one to one and one-half pounds of ham, cubed or diced. Leftover ham or ham you purchase especially for this salad
• Onion or green onion, to taste. I used about 1/8 of a medium onion cut into pieces
• 8-10 dill pickle slices
• 2 Tbsp mustard
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 stalk of celery, sliced
• Black pepper to taste
• Sandwich bread, slider buns, or hearty crackers to serve ham salad as you choose. (We love dark pumpernickel bread for this ham salad.)

Instructions

1. Place the diced ham in a food processor with a blade attachment and pulse just until it is coarsely chopped.
2. Place the remaining ingredients in the food processor and pulse, scraping the sides down a time or two until the desired consistency is obtained. Do not overdo it. You want a salad that is somewhat chunky, not pasty.
3. Add mayonnaise or even a small amount of pickle juice if the mixture seems dry.

Notes

• You can change dill pickles to sweet pickles bread and butter pickles, pickle relish, or diced whole pickles, depending on what you have in the fridge and what you like.
• You can use green onions or any onion, or leave it out if you don't like onions.
• You can add a hard-boiled egg cut in quarters.
• You can add a dash of hot sauce or a few flakes of red pepper if you want to turn up the heat.

PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD

Yield: 8 sandwiches

Egg And Cheese Sandwich Filling

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This is not your Joe Average Egg Salad. We always called them "track meet sandwiches." Hard-cooked eggs are married with shredded sharp cheddar cheese, green onions, poppy seeds, and a zippy mayo and mustard dressing. It's perfect on dark, grainy bread or marble rye.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 eggs hard cooked and peeled
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 tsp seasoned salt, your favorite
• 1-2 tsp black pepper, you decide how much
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp vinegar, apple cider preferred
• 3 or 4 green onions sliced thin, include green tops
• 1-2 Tbsp poppy seed
• 3 Tbsp yellow mustard
• 3/4 cup real mayonnaise, or enough to moisten well
• 2 Tbsp parsley, mostly for color
• Sliced bread for sandwiches
• Leaf lettuce

Instructions

1. Hard boil the eggs using any method you choose.
2. Peel the eggs and place them in a medium-sized bowl with sugar, salt, pepper, parsley, and poppy seeds.
3. Mash the eggs.
4. Grate the cheese and add it to the eggs.
5. Slice the onion thin and include some of the green tops for color. Add it to the eggs and cheese.
6. Add mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar and stir well to blend. If the mixture seems dry, add a little more mayonnaise, mustard, or vinegar.
7. Adjust seasonings to taste.
8. Spoon onto dark, grainy bread or marble rye, add lettuce and enjoy.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 411Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 223mgSodium: 894mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 2gSugar: 9gProtein: 15g

Having guests or hosting a party is a powerful incentive to clean and organize, make small changes, eliminate some things, and add a few touches to our homes. It sure works for me!

The whole process can be very rewarding to our creativity and happiness. If you use any of these ideas or try any of the recipes, we'd be delighted to hear from you!

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Love, GB (Betty Streff)

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