Day 219: Grilled Zucchini Paninis

I love using fresh summer vegetables!!!  And fresh off the grill, they taste even better!  For this recipe, I didn't rely solely on the grill.  I used a grill pan on the stove to cook the paninis.  This is because the cheese melts and you don't want that getting all over the grill--better to catch it in a grill pan on the stove.  But I did have Randy grill the zucchini outside and the chicken that I'll use in tomorrow night's dinner.

For 4 Grilled Zucchini Paninis:

Cut the ends off a zucchini and cut it in half.  Slice both halves lengthwise to make strips.  Brush the zucchini strips with olive oil and a little bit of salt and pepper.  Grill for about 2 minutes on each side.  Meanwhile, mix 8 oz ricotta cheese, the juice from 1 lemon, 2-4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese, and a little salt and pepper.  Spread the mixture on 4 slices of hearty white or sourdough bread.  Layer on 2 strips of the grilled zucchini and top with another slice of bread.  Drizzle olive oil on a hot grill pan or panini press and grill the sandwiches, pressing down gently with a spatula.  Flip when ready.  Serve warm.

Day 139 & 144: The Perfect Italian Sub

Have you ever had a spicy Italian sub from Subway?  This was Randy and my go-to sub during our "courting" & engagement period.  We were usually strapped for cash, and Winchendon doesn't have a lot to offer in the restaurant department (yes, we are so glad to be out of there!), so we would often split a foot-long spicy Italian from Subway.  Now, whenever I order one or make my own, it brings me back to a simple time of walking along the old rail trails on a summer evening eating a sub, dreaming about our future, and not having nearly as much responsibility as we do now!  We were broke, but we were in bliss!

Here's my Perfect Italian Sub:
We had these sandwiches for lunch last Sunday (Day 139) and then again on Thursday (Day 144) I packed them for us for work.  They are so good...

Slice the sub roll in half, lengthwise.  Layer with salami, sandwich pepperoni, and provolone cheese.
Toast it!  Definitely toast it, there's nothing like it!

Layer spinach (or lettuce), sliced tomatoes, and banana peppers.  Randy would want sliced red onion on his, but not me.  Drizzle with chipotle ranch dressing.  It's perfect to eat right away or make in the morning and save until lunch time!

Day 120: Bacon Ranch Chicken Sandwiches

So, if you're keeping track, you may know that Day 120 was actually Monday.  Yep, almost a week ago!  I have been totally M.I.A. and lagging on my post upkeep, sorry.  When doing a "daily" challenge like this, it's hard to not let life get in the way.  I didn't know that this blog would take off and become a "business" website of sorts for the time being.  In fact, I didn't even know I would be going into the catering business when I started this blog!  But now I have big plans for it and other things related to the business, food, and blogging.  All of this will unfold (probably slowly) in the future.  So with 2 catering jobs this past week (and all of my business cards are now GONE!), Noah's 1st birthday party to prepare for, and daily life, I have a bit of catching up to do.  Unfortunately, the only new recipe I have to share from dinners this past week was from Monday, so I'll start there.  Stay tuned for more posts about other recipes I prepared for the catering jobs and our cook-out (and Noah's cake)!

Bacon Ranch Chicken Sandwiches (4 sandwiches)
I would say the inspiration for these came from Wendy's, probably. I've mentioned before how I like to re-create some fast food fixings at home--better health, better taste, better cost. ;)  So here's how I do it...

1. Pound out 2 chicken breasts so they are thin and can be cut in half.  Sprinkle each with salt, pepper, and 1 tsp of ranch seasoning on both sides.  Grill chicken on the stovetop or grill.

2. Meanwhile, cook 4-8 slices of bacon in a 400* oven.

3. Slice 4 kaiser or bulkie rolls in half and spread with butter. Sprinkle the remaining ranch seasoning from the packet on the buns.  When the bacon is done cooking,  turn the broiler on and toast the buns under the broiler.

4. Slice a tomato and tear some lettuce so they are ready for toppings.  When the chicken is just about done cooking, place a slice of cheese on each piece of chicken just so it melts a little.

5. To assemble the sandwiches, place the bacon on the bottom bun and top with the chicken & cheese, lettuce, tomato, and drizzle with barbecue sauce.

Day 106: Caprese Paninis

I do realize that this is the second post in 3 days with a "caprese" theme.  I like to reuse ingredients to help save time and money.  Tonight Randy and I both had meetings so dinner was leftover New York Deli Mac & Cheese from last night.  But for lunch, I made paninis in advance.  I didn't feel like making pesto for my usual panini since I had weekend full of bread-making and cleaning the house!  So instead, I drizzled balsamic vinegar on the bread and then layered tomato, mozzarella cheese, and basil in between slices.
I then grilled the sandwich and used a cast-iron skillet covered in foil to add weight to the sandwiches so they would flatten.

This is one of those lunches that I can't wait for while I'm at work!!!

Day 81: Turkey Club Supermelts (take 2)

Another round of supermelts coming up!  Haven't had these since February!  Randy makes a great supermelt, so it's a perfect excuse to make him cook dinner!  Tonight he made them with barbeque sauce and sourdough bread.  I always plan to make a couple loaves of bread over the weekend but before I know it, I'm always out of weekend!!!  So we went with Pepperidge Farm in order to save my sanity.  Still excellent!

Day 57: Pita Pocket Salads

So today is Monday.  And for me, it was a MEETING Monday.  And I had a great night last night, that I'm very tired tonight.  And I have 2 meals planned for tomorrow night (1 for my family and 1 for a friend and I) so tonight's dinner is simple.  We had salad served in pita pockets and dressing.  I put apples, turkey, cheese, walnuts, and cranberries in with my lettuce and that makes a pretty hearty salad.  Abby is at a point where she can eat salads now without choking on the lettuce, so this meal feels easy and refreshing again.  (When a meal is supposed to be simple but gets complicated because you have to make something different for both of your kids, it definitely takes the joy of it away!)
#nopicture #toobusy #somedaysarelikethat #sorry!

Day 20: Turkey Club Supermelts

I love a good Friendly's supermelt!  So I started making them at home a while back.  But I have to admit, Randy makes them better than me.  He's also a pro at making great use of the griddle for an entire meal--he'll make all the bacon, eggs, and pancakes on the one griddle for breakfast, and it's the same with the supermelts.  Makes for easy clean-up!

Our supermelts generally include:

- deli turkey
- sliced cheese
- bacon
- thousand island dressing and/or barbeque sauce (the combo of the two is great!)
- optional tomatoes (sometimes we do, sometimes we don't)

Pepperidge Farm "hearty white" bread is fantastic for these sandwiches.  Homemade bread is really tasty for them, too.  Toast after the sandwich is assembled for that nice, melty cheese effect!  Mmmmmmm.......

Day 10: Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil Panini

On a night when Randy is working late and most likely heading to his second job right from his first, :(  Abby and I usually have something simple--PB & J, mac & cheese, or cereal. It's not that I don't enjoy cooking for my daughter, it's just that night's alone with 2 kids (and bath-time!) are easier when dinner is a non-issue.  So I present to you today: lunch!

I've said before that one of the ways I show Randy my love is by presenting him with good-looking and great-tasting meals.  (This is in no way something I believe all wives should do, it's just what I do--we all show love in different ways!)  Lunch is no exception.  I never used to care what I made myself for lunch until Randy started his internship this past fall.  It was the first time he would be out of the house all day, everyday, and need to pack a lunch.  So naturally, I started packing his lunch for him.  All of a sudden, I realized how awful my own lunches were--packed on a whim, no effort--sometimes I would just go without lunch!  But now that I pack Randy good, well-balanced lunches, I have better lunches, too!  We love sandwiches, so I usually try to mix them up a bit with wraps, subs, or paninis.   I don't have a panini press, so I either use my grill-lined cast iron skillet, or a flat skillet.  Then the panini can be warmed in the microwave at work before eating.

The recipe for the panini itself is simple: spread basil pesto (recipe follows) on both slices of bread, and stick a few slices of tomato and fresh mozzarella cheese in the middle.  Set the sandwich on a panini press or a buttered skillet and press down (a foil-wrapped brick, or heavy pot works).  Turn when golden on one side.  Press down again.

There's nothing like a sandwich made on fresh bread!  Yes, I occasionally make my own bread.  It's really easy, and makes sandwiches so much better!  I was home yesterday with my sick baby and took advantage of some down-time.  I made Ina Garten's honey white bread.  Here's the recipe:

1/2 cup warm water (110*)
2 pkgs dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups warm whole milk (110*)
6 TB unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 TB honey
2 extra-large egg yolks (I use large and it still comes out great!)
5-6 cups flour
1 TB kosher salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Mix the warm water, yeast, and sugar in a bowl and let dissolve 5 minutes.  (You can use an electric stand mixer with the hook attachment, or mix the dough manually.)  Add milk, butter, and honey and mix on medium speed until blended.  Add the egg yolks, 3 cups of flour, and salt.  Mix on low for about 5 minutes.  While mixer is on low, slowly add the remaining flour until the dough doesn't stick to the bowl.  Knead dough in bowl for about 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary.  Dump dough onto a well-floured surface and knead by hand 1 minute.  Roll in a butter-covered bowl and let sit under a damp cloth for about an hour.  Then divide the dough and place into 2 greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.  Cover with a damp cloth again and let rise another hour.  Bake at 350* for 40-45 minutes.  Turn out of the pans and cool completely before slicing.  (I freeze one loaf.)

Pesto





 





I use as much basil as I have on hand at the moment (usually at least one bag's worth, or 50-60 leaves).  Wash and place in the bowl of a food processor.  4-5 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped--added to the basil.  Sprinkle a little salt and pepper.  Once the processor starts, drizzle in some extra virgin olive oil slowly and watch for the consistency you want to appear.

Randy's lunch.  He'll need some mint gum after that panini!

Day 5: Chicken Ceasar Sandwiches

When I was a kid, my family would go out to eat every Friday night.  Nothing expensive, mostly fast food (back when my dad could pay for a family of 4 at McDonald's or Wendy's with $20--those days are gone!)  The real fun was that we rotated who got to pick where we went.  Fun memories.  Now, I  can't seem to consider Friday night the same as any other weekday.  It always feels like it should be different.  I would be disappointed if I made a traditional meat, vegetable, and grain/starch meal on a Friday night.  That's a Monday meal.  Friday just wouldn't feel like Friday as a kid if it weren't special somehow.  Since we can't really afford to go out every week (and with a 2-year old plus baby don't really WANT to), I try to make a Friday night meal that we COULD get out somewhere.  Whether it's a burger/sandwich-type meal (replica of fast food), or an imitation of a steakhouse meal, my Friday night dinner has to make me think of going out to eat... somewhere... somehow...

Chicken Ceasar Sandwiches (fancy fast-food chicken sandwich!)
1 chicken breast (I use bone-in, skin-on--it's more flavorful to cook it that way and de-bone it later.  Plus, it's cheaper to buy them at the store that way.  One of my challenges this year will be to learn how to properly de-bone a whole raw chicken.)
salt, pepper
ceasar dressing (homemade, recipe follows)
greens (spinach, arugula, lettuce)
shaved parmesan cheese
ciabatta rolls
*Make it a "club"... add bacon! (I usually do...)

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Bake at 400* for 30-35 minutes.  Remove the skin and bones.  Slice the chicken.  Spread the dressing on the rolls, add the shaved parmesan slices, chicken, bacon (if using) and greens.  Voila!  Yummy chicken sandwich. :)

Ceasar Dressing
About 2 years ago, I desperately wanted to have ceasar salad with dinner, but I didn't have any dressing for it.  Abby was just a baby and it was too late for a run to the store--dinner was almost ready.  I looked in the fridge and figured I had enough ingredients to make the dressing myself.  I glanced through a few recipes online and then just whipped something together on my own.  Over the years, I have made minor adjustments and now have a method I love.  So this really is my own version of ceasar dressing.  Really, though, I never measure, I just eyeball it.  So I will attempt to put measurements on my ingredients here for you...

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic
2 tsps Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
juice from 1-2 halves of a lemon (depending on the juiciness)
rounded 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
fresh parsley, chopped
salt, pepper

I start by mincing the garlic and putting in a large bowl.  Add a pinch or two of salt and press with a pestle or the back of a spoon.  Then add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice and whisk together.  Add the mayo and combine well.  Finally, add the parmesan cheese, sprinkle of pepper, and the chopped parsley.  Mix well and refrigerate.  It will thicken as it refrigerates, but it will always taste great!