Friday, February 17, 2012

Turkey Cranberry Panini Sandwich


Tricks for a successful sandwich include:

1.  Preheat your meat.  Do this by warming it up in a saute pan or microwaving it for a few minutes.

2.  Use cheese on both sides of the sandwich.  This does two things: makes it yummy but also holds your sandwich together so the insides do not slip out.

3.  Use good bread.  We love all multi-grain pieces of bread, dark slices of bread and especially a homemade rustic loaf.

4.  Experiment.  Try new things.  It's fun to be the sandwich king once in a while.


Recipe:  Turkey Cranberry Panini

Layer your sandwich in this order:

bread
honey mustard
cheese
turkey
green onion
cranberry sauce
cheese
honey mustard
bread


Butter both sides and press it baby!

TA-DA…you're done.  Now go be the sandwich king and impress your family!

Meatball Sandwich




Recipe:  Meat-Veggieball Sandwich

(6-8 sandwiches, depending on how many meatballs are used per sandwich)

Preheat oven to 400

1 pound of ground beef/pork or a combination of both
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 finely chopped kale
1/3 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup of diced onion
2 eggs
1/2 tsp of oregano
1/4 tsp of pepper
1/2 tsp of salt

3 cups of your favorite tomato-based sauce- store-bought or made from scratch
Kaiser Buns
Mozzarella or Provolone Cheese

1.  Combine all of the ingredients into a large bowl.



2.   Using a cookie scoop or your hand, create your meatballs and put them onto a cookie sheet or casserole pan.  Use something with a lip to keep the juices from running all over your oven.


3.  Bake meatballs at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove meatballs from pan and put into a large saute pan.  Add your sauce and simmer for 15 minutes.  While meatballs are simmering in sauce, prepare your buns.  Turn you oven to broil, lay cheese on each opened Kaiser roll and broil until cheese is bubbly and melted.  Remove from oven.




 4.  Serve meatballs on sandwiches or have your guest build their own.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Asparagus Parmesan Soup




It's no secret that we love soup.  I have been making this easy and quick soup for a few years now.  I have tried substituting broccoli instead of asparagus and it does not work, in my opinion.  I keep thinking I want to try carrots, cauliflower or zucchini…one of these days I will give it a try.

A couple of things to note when making this recipe.  If you are going to use a blender, REMEMBER that you never close the lid on a hot liquid.  It will explode and this can be very dangerous.  I usually set my blender speed to low, fill the container about 1/3 full and put a towel over the top…just in case.  Once the liquid has become smooth and creamy, then I increase the speed to high for a few seconds.  This soup will need to be blended in batches. I don't want anyone burned.

This soup is wonderful when served with warm bread.






Recipe:  Asparagus Parmesan Soup

2 bundles of asparagus
2 cups of chicken broth
salt to taste
dash of pepper
1/4 tsp. of garlic powder
1/4 tsp. of onion powder
1/2 cup of cream
1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese, grated

Steam your asparagus using whatever method you prefer: stovetop or microwave.  In a blender, add a small amount of soft asparagus and chicken broth.  Blend until smooth.  This may take 2 or 3 batches.

Add the blended soup to a medium-sized pot. Add your spices: salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.  Taste and add more spices depending on your taste buds.

Warm your soup to very hot,  but not boiling.  Add the grated parmesan cheese and stir until cheese is melted.  Add your cream and stir.  Again, bring soup to a temperature of hot (steaming) but not boiling.

Serve immediately.  Store leftovers in the fridge and rewarm to eat again…we don't usually have leftovers.

UPDATE:  3-5-2013--I made this today and did not have chicken broth so I used 2 cups of the water that I used to cook my asparagus.  Instead of steaming them I added them to a microwave-safe bowl with 2 cups of water and cooked for 8 minutes.  I slowly added the hot asparagus water to the blender.  It did require a bit more salt than the original, just taste and add as necessary.

Donut Breakfast Casserole

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.  Share  this pos...

Popular Posts