Panini 101 - Make the perfect Panini! No Special Equipment needed!

 You can use this basic recipe to make homemade Panini's that are as good as any fancy sandwich shop or restaurant.  I used fresh Mozzarella, Pesto and Roasted Red Peppers for a Caprese style Panini.  

 I substituted  Roasted Red Peppers instead of traditional tomato because I think it adds a lot more flavor and tomato's can make  your sammie mushy.  If you use tomatoes, be sure to deseed or chop in pieces before grilling.

This is more of a technique than a recipe.  You don't need a fancy Panini press to make these.  All you need is a non-stick grill pan, a heavy pan to weight it down. (like cast iron or even a dutch oven will work) and a piece of foil. 

Bread - oh so important when making the perfect Panini.  I have tried several, but my favorite is sourdough.  It is crunchy, but soft enough to eat. The grill marks show up nicely too.  Some of the Artesional breads like are so tough that you can't get through the bread to get to the ooey gooey center!  Sandwich frustration!

A few variations

Southwestern:  sliced chicken, grilled onions and peppers, pepper jack cheese

Ham and Swiss: ummm, well, Ham and Swiss

Burgers: Grilled Burger, Caramelized Onion, Bacon and Gouda

Egg and Prociutto: Fried egg, Prociutto and Pesto

The combinations are endless...just put your favorite sammie ingredients between two slices of buttered bread, grill, press and you are a sandwich hero!

Tweet

Eula's Sunday Casserole

This was one of my first posts....I thought I would republish.  It's a perfect use of leftover turkey and my original photo was just terrible!  This recipe is totally worth a face lift!

I'll bet most people have a 'go to' casserole in their family recipe box...they almost all include a can of cream of ka-ka (cream style soup), and this one is not much different, but every time I make this, I get asked for the recipe! It feeds a crowd and has a fresh flavor that not all creamy casseroles have.
Eula was my mother-in-law, probably one of the nicest people I have ever had the privilege of knowing...she had a true heart of gold. She was a wonderful cook, and I'm not so sure she would be thrilled to know that her name is attached to one of the simplest dishes she made, but we started calling it Eula's Casserole years ago and it's too late to change now!
This feeds about 6 people and is delicious with a side of french bread.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked turkey or chicken, cubed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 1/2 cups grated swiss cheese
4 cups cooked rotini noodles
2 cups broccoli florets
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with non stick spray. (or for easy clean up line the dish with foil).
In large bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream and chicken soup. Add chicken (or turkey), noodles, 2 cups of the cheese, broccoli and lemon juice, mix well. Pour into prepared casserole dish, cover with foil. Bake for about 45 minutes or until bubbly in the center. Remove foil, top with remaining 1/2 cup of swiss cheese and bake until cheese is melted.

Tweet

Caprese Pops!

Now how cute are these?  Easy, no cook, impressive little appetizers.

I put them in a pot of plastic grass...I thought it sounded cute...jury is still out on that one.  If you don't have a pot of plastic grass hanging around..you could stick the skewers in just about anything... get me started!

Ingredients and Directions

Cherry tomatoes
Mini Mozzarella (Ciliengine)
Olive oil
Basil or Pesto
Skewers

Slice tomatoes in half.  Remove seeds and pulp.   If you have a handy little tool like this great!  If not, a melon baller will work just fine.

Toss fresh mozzarella balls in olive oil, pesto (or basil), salt and pepper.

Skewer tomato's, add mozza balls...walla!  You got Caprese Pops!

Tweet

Top Fab 4 Fall Soups!

The top 4 favorite soups of the last year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tweet