Pesto Pork Panini

I can't even tell you how obsessed I am with pesto right now. My amazing friend, Ali, let me borrow some one night when I was in a crunch before dinner. She suggested making Pesto, tomato, and mozzarella paninis. I kicked it up a notch and this is what I came up with! Since this meal I have also done avocado, sweet bell peppers, thinly sliced turkey, pesto and havarti cheese, and HOLY yum! Give it a shot, you will thank me! (And Ali!)

Pesto Panini

Printable Version

4 slices bread

2 Tbs. pesto (I used Knorr brand Pesto Sauce Mix)

1 1/2 Tbs. mayonaise

1 Tbs. EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

Pork Panini

1 medium roma tomato

1 pork loin, thinly sliced and sauteed

mozzarella cheese

Turkey Panini

4 slices turkey

1/2 avocado

1 sweet bell pepper

2 slices havarti cheese

Preheat your panini press.

For the pesto, either use pre-made pesto or purchase a Knorr brand Pesto Sauce Mix. I found this near the gravy mixes in the grocery store. Pour package into a small bowl, and add mayo and EVOO. Spread 1 Tbs. of pesto on 2 of the slices of bread.

Divide tomato, pork, and mozzarella evenly between the bread.

Place the sandwiches in the panini press and close the lid. Grill the sandwich until the bread is toasty and the cheese is melted. Slice in half and serve warm.

Serves 2.

Garlic Red Potatoes

• If my hubbs could chow on potatoes every night, he would be in heaven! I am always trying to find new potato recipes (usually to no avail) to change it up a little. We LOVE the Hasselback Potatoes, Baked Sweet Potato Fries, and Grilled Potatoes, and now we have one more recipe to add to the bunch. These are especially great because they have parmesan cheese on them...and if you know my hubb, food+parmesan=HAPPINESS.
  
  
  Garlic Red Potatoes
  Printable Version
  
  2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
  1/4 cup butter, melted
  2 teaspoons minced garlic
  1 teaspoon salt
  1 lemon, juiced
  1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
  
  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  Place potatoes in an 8x8 inch baking dish, lined with tin foil to make an easy cleanup.
  In a small bowl combine melted butter, garlic, salt and lemon juice; pour over potatoes and stir to coat. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over potatoes.
  Bake in preheated oven for 25-35 minutes.

  
  

  Serves 3.

  Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

Big, Flat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

• That's right, big, FLAT, chewy cookies. My hubbs LOVES flat cookies...the flatter the better! Not me, I am a thick, doughy cookie fan. Well, that is, until this recipe. These are 100% flat, and 100% delicious. The flavor is amazing, melt in your mouth-deliciousness. There is a little crisp along the edges, but when combined with the middle, you get a chewy, out-of-this-world, FLAT cookie!
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Big, Flat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Printable Version

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease cookie sheets.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt, set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Beat in vanilla, egg and egg yolk until light and creamy, about 1 minutes. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. Drop cookie dough 1/3 cup (yes 1/3 cup) at a time onto the cookie sheet. Cookies should be 3 inches apart.

Bake for 15-17 minutes in preheated oven. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 12 cookies

Recipe from All recipes

Basil Butter

Basil Butter....who would have thought? Okay, so maybe all of you knew about this wonderful topping, but I didn't! I was just browsing on foodnetwork.com looking for a recipe with fresh basil. My cute friend Teddy grows it and I had a ton to use up! I found this recipe from Paula Deen, of course 'butter' is involved, and it was wonderful. You were supposed to top grilled chicken with this basil butter, which we did and loved. However, we then added it to our fresh corn, and O MY GOSH! It was great. I mean awesome. I mean great and awesome and so much more!

Basil Butter

Printable Version

2 Tbs. freshly minced basil leaves

1/4 cup softened butter

1 Tbs. parmesan

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Serve on top of any vegetable or grilled meat.

Serves 2.

Recipe adapted from Paula Deen

Apple Crisp

So perfect! My sister in law, Wendy, gave me this recipe when we first got married and I make it way too much! Now, I have an addiction to the crumbly part of apple crisp...so, the recipe below has double the crisp and half of the apple part. I know, I know, it seems crazy. Not to mention 2 times as bad for you! But, if you want to make a traditional crisp, double the apple mixture and half the crisp mixture, got it?! Or just do it the good way like me, below!:)

Apple Crisp
Printable version

apple mixture
6 cups thinly sliced apples
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 Tbs. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup water

crisp mixture
2 cups quick oats
2 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix apples, white sugar, 1/2 Tbs. flour and cinnamon and sprinkle over apples. Spread apple mixture evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 inch dish. Pour water evenly over all. In a large bowl, combine oats, 2 cups flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and melted butter together. (This mixture will be crumbly). Crumble evenly over apple mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Recipe adapted from: Wendy

Serves 12-15

Bookclub Chicken Salad

This salad is outstanding. It is perfect for a summer get-together. I made it for my best friend Teddy's baby shower, and the girls there just devoured it! The dressing has the perfect mix of tart and sweet. I ate the dressing for 2 weeks following on my salads and it jazzed them all up!

Bookclub Chicken Salad

Printable Version

6 to 8 chicken breasts

8 ounces slivered or sliced almonds

4 T. sugar

5 heads romaine lettuce

1-2 bags spinach

1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 cup craisins

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook chicken breasts on the grill, in the oven or in a skillet. Cool and cut into small pieces. In small skillet, sprinkle sugar over almonds and cook over medium heat until almonds are coated and sugar has dissolved.

Dressing

1/4 red onion, or less if onion is large

1 cups sugar

2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 cups vegetable oil

Finely chop red onion in food processor. Add sugar, dry mustard, salt and vinegar and blend until frothy. Slowly add oil. Toss chicken, lettuce, bacon, craisins, and cheese together in large salad bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle almonds on top and serve.

Recipe from Ali

Serves 15-20.

Twelve Boy Curry

I have posted this recipe before, but I thought that it needed to re-visit the front page. A few months ago, my mommy and I whipped this up to please our hubbs. I wouldn't have been able to do it without her, she is amazing. (Okay, so you CAN do it alone...this meal is SUPER easy, like 20 minute meal...but it is so much more fun with an amazing momma!) It was sooo yummy, even for us non-spicy lovers.

Twelve Boy Curry

Printable Version

6 Tbs. butter

1 cup minced onion

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup flour

2 Tbs. curry powder (this is quite potent)

1 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. paprika

dash of cayenne pepper

1 1/4 cup beef stock

1 cup light cream (or 1/2 cream 1/2 milk)

3 Tbs. catsup

1 3-pound chicken, stewed, cut into bite-size pieces

brown rice

Condiments:

celery

coconut

bacon

peanuts

orange marmalade

boiled egg

raisins

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until onion is limp. Combine all of the dry ingredients and add to the onion mixture, stirring over low heat until blended. Slowly add beef stock and cream and stir until smooth. Add catsup. Cook for 2 minutes then add chicken and continue to heat for about 5 minutes. Do not bring to a complete boil. Serve over hot buttered rice with any, or better yet, all of the condiments.

From: Colorado Cache Cookbook

Serves 4.