Grilled Cheese with a Twist

I lived on grilled cheese in college.

I made them in my dorm - I lived across from the kitchen, which was usually gross, since weird food odors lingered, but it was convenient for whipping up a grilled cheese!

My go-to grilled cheese has evolved since then - we like an Italian bread with sesame seeds, American cheese for melting, and a spritz of EVOO. I have a grill pan and a bacon press, and they both work pretty much like a panini press, so I use those, most times. The press also helps melt the cheese and heat the toppings through a little more quickly and evenly.

But TODAY, the kids were gone, so we made a grown-up grilled cheese: we had a few slices left each of sourdough bread and asiago cheese bread, so we made 1 of each, and shared. We spritzed the bread with EVOO, and layered basil farmer's cheese from Brennan's (soooo good), thinly sliced Roma tomatoes we picked in the garden this morning (sliced with the Pampered Chef tomato knife I just got - really nice!), and a few fresh basil leaves I grabbed when we were out there. D.E.L.I.S.H.

I know someone who builds these babies, and then wraps them tightly, and freezes them before grilling/panini-ing, and then thaws them in the fridge and makes paninis, thus making this a freezer-friendly meal. You could do it with any combo of toppings - chicken, spinach, different cheeses, etc. I can't comment on this, as I've not tried it yet, but you've done it, tell me what you think! Or if you're game for trying it, let me know the results!

Layered Mexican Trifle Salad

So this is awesome. It's a lot of work, but it is awesome. Feeds a crowd, looks cool, tastes great. What more can you ask for? I first had this at a party, and then tracked down the recipe - I believe it was originally from Pampered Chef. You can mix it up, but I really like this combo. It's easy to double or whatever is needed, based on the serving dish. The one pictured was MASSIVE, and was basically a triple batch - so much work, and at the last minute! Layered Mexican Trifle Salad I ngredients: Beans: drain, rinse and mix together 1 15 oz. can pinto beans and 1 15 oz. can black beans 1 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained (I've also used fresh) 1 large tomato, diced (I usually use several Roma tomatoes) 2 green bell peppers, diced 3 ripe avocadoes, diced and mashed with the juice of 1 lime and salt and pepper to taste 1 large onion, diced (red or white) 2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded 2 cups cheddar or jack cheese, shredded

Skillet Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti & Asiago Cheese

We ALL really love this recipe. This is based on a recipe from the good people at Cooks Illustrated - I am grateful to them for getting my kids to happily eat sundried tomatoes and broccoli! I've also made this in a huge batch and served it family-style for a dinner party (and got to use my giant Pampered Chef Simple Additions square pasta bowl (it's really big), and it was AWESOME). If people could have licked the bowl clean, they might have - there was NOTHING left. Try this, and love it: Chicken, Broccoli, Penne and Asiago Cheese Skillet 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares 2 tbsp. vegetable oil (or olive oil - just don't heat that to smoking) 1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup) 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp.) 1/4 tsp. dried oregano 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes 8 oz. ziti or penne (2 /12 cups) 3 c. water 2 c. low-sodium chicken broth 3-4 c. broccoli florets 1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, rinsed and choppe

Another Take on Comfort Food

Sometimes there's nothing you can do but cook. I've had the displeasure of seeing 2 young moms in our school community recieve cancer diagnoses in the last 18 months. If you're like me, when someone you know is hurting, you want to help, but lots of times, there's not much you can do. If you can cook, you can take away some of the stress of getting the family fed and bring a meal or two. In fact, even if you can't cook, you can pick up a meal at a restaurant or a bag of groceries, or even a gift card for a local restaurant. I think it comes naturally to some - the church and school communities I grew up in always loved with food - church potlucks, school spaghetti dinners, and of course lots of meals for people who needed them. But not everyone has done this before, so it might be overwhelming. As in my "feeding a crowd" blurb, there are a few things to keep in mind. Don't try to impress - don't try new recipes. Find out if you're

A Cooking Baker

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