Sweet and Spicy Grilled Cheese, Revisited

You need this sandwich in your grilled cheese repertoire. It will extend your circle of friends. The ability to throw together an enticing hot panini is a much-desired quality (or at least it should be!). Lunch is never boring once you've mastered the art of the melt! This one is meat-less, but believe me, you're not missing out. What it lacks in meat, it makes up for with thick gooey cheese. Bold cheddar and spicy Pepper Jack that slowly melts into every crevice of the tomato and crease of the bread. This is one mean grilled cheese.

1/31/09: Dustin and I oohed and aahed between bites of this truly outstanding grilled cheese sandwich! Thick cuts of juicy beefsteak tomatoes are trapped between melted spicy pepper jack and sharp cheddar, oozing out of crisp buttered whole wheat bread. I'm not always in the mood to spend hours preparing dinner. I heated up some minestrone soup on the side, and voila, dinner was served!

INGREDIENTS
2 tsp. olive or canola oil
1/2 red onion, finely diced (use more or less depending on your love for onion)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 oz. sharp white Cheddar, thinly sliced, divided
8 slices whole-wheat bread
3 oz. Pepper Jack cheese, thinly sliced, divided
1 large beefsteak tomato, seeded and sliced
butter or cooking spray

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lower heat to medium. Add onions and saute, stirring, until edges are browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

2. Place 3/4-oz. Cheddar on 1 slice bread. Spread 1 tablespoon caramelized onions on top of cheese and top with 1 large or 2 medium slices tomato, then 3/4-oz. Pepper Jack and other slice of bread. Repeat with 3 other sandwiches.

4. Preheat a nonstick griddle or skillet. Butter both sides of the sandwich (or lightly coat with cooking spray) and place it on the griddle and weigh down with a heavy skillet or plate. (Or if you have a panini press it works wonders!) Lower heat to medium-low and grill until underside is a deep brown but not burnt and cheese is partially melted, about 5 to 6 minutes. Flip sandwich and grill other side, an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Slice in half and serve hot.

Serves 4.

(Adapted from Food Network)

Nan's Potato Salad

Ever since I met Dustin, I've been hearing about this potato salad. How it is the best. How no store brand or any other recipe could ever compare. How his mom is the only woman in the world who knows how to make potato salad right. Well, it took five years, but I finally got to try it for myself. (It was Dustin's one food request over our Christmas trip.) And you know what? The boy doesn't lie!

I've never been that impressed with any potato salad- until now. This one is different, it's delightful, it's down right delicious! Dustin's mom never follows a recipe. She was taught how to make perfect potato salad by her mother, and only does it by taste. But she taught me her tricks and I think I've come very close to replicating the dish. Keep in mind that these amounts are all estimates- they can and should be adjusted to taste. But there are a few essential steps: You must use small baking potatoes and boil them until just tender, use crunchy kosher dills and their briny juice to flavor the dressing, and keep your onions out of sight. Not that I would mind the addition of onions, but that's not how the Davis family does it, so I wouldn't dare deviate.

I realize that I might never make this potato salad as perfect as Nan can. That's OK. I got close (very close in fact) and that's good enough for us! Now Dustin and I can have our fill whenever the craving hits, without traveling 2000 to get it.

INGREDIENTS
8 small Russet potatoes (not large ones, they need to be small to boil whole)
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups crunchy kosher dill pickles, diced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3-1/2 cup dill pickle juice (I'm leaning towards 1/2 cup next time)
1 Tbsp. ketchup
2 tsp. mustard (not Dijon)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper, to taste
paprika, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
1. Place potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and boil 20-25 minutes until potatoes are tender-firm (a knife will slide in but the center will still be firm). Remove from the water and set aside to cool. Once cooled, peel off the skins and chop into bite-size pieces.

2. To hard boil the eggs, place the eggs in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then immediately remove the eggs from the heat, cover, and let sit 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, run the eggs under cold water to cool them. Peel off the shells and dice. RESERVE 1 whole egg for slicing on top.

3. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, pickle juice, ketchup, mustard, garlic powder, and chili powder. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Adjust amounts of mayonnaise and pickle juice to reach the desired consistency- slightly thick but runny enough to coat the potatoes. Adjust any seasonings to taste.

4. In a large bowl combine the potatoes, pickles, and eggs. Pour dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat. Cover and chill until ready to serve. (While the salad can be eaten immediately, refrigerating it allows the flavors time to develop.) Before serving, sprinkle with paprika (to taste) and garnish with the remaining egg, thinly sliced.

Serves 4-6.

(Recipe courtesy of Nannette Davis)

Curried Turkey Salad Sandwich

Today was my first day back at school. I'd forgotten how tired I am when I crawl in the front door and how by the time we finish dinner I can barely peel myself off the kitchen chair to clean up my mess, publish a post, and get around to homework. Yes, I already have some. I'm not too thrilled about it. But I'm happy to be back. And excited to start a new semester- I get to spend my clinical time in the pediatric and labor and delivery units, which should be such fun!

Like I said last year, I'll do my best to keep up with cooking and blogging about it. I can't make any promises but if I had made a cooking resolution for 2010, it would be to keep cooking. That's it! As long as my passion for food and healthy eating thrives, so will this blog!

I found yet another way to use up turkey leftovers. (Sometimes I consider roasting a turkey just for the fabulous dishes I can make from the scraps!) I tried a curried chicken salad at a local cafe and couldn't wait to try it with turkey. The dressing is lightened up by using half yogurt and the honey adds the perfect touch of sweetness. Instead of grapes, you could use diced apple. Instead of walnuts, pecans. This recipe is easily adaptable. The curry dressing was the perfect touch to liven this turkey up!

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups roasted turkey breast, chopped (chicken could be used)
1/3 cup seedless red grapes, halved
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
2 Tbsp. red onion, diced (optional)

4 slices whole wheat bread, toasted
tomato, thinly sliced (optional)
green leaf or butter (Boston) lettuce (optional)

Curry Dressing:
2 Tbsp. plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. honey
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, mayonnaise, curry powder, and honey. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with turkey, grapes, walnuts, and onion (optional) to coat.

2. Place lettuce, tomato, and half of the turkey salad on one slice of bread. Top with the second slice. Repeat with the remaining sandwich. Slice and serve.

Makes 2 sandwiches.

(Adapted from Pinch my Salt)

Pear Butterscotch Pie

I'm feeling really torn. Apple or pear? I don't want to be a traitor, but ever since I lifted a forkful of this sweet butterscotch pear pie to my lips, I've never felt the same way about the all-American apple pie. Because, to me, this is better! If you're wondering- you can really taste the pear! The flavor is very pronounced and it's made even more enticing by a butter and brown sugar coating that melts into butterscotch bliss. Plus, there's that crust. I'm not bragging because I didn't invent the recipe, but this pastry is phenomenal! It uses only butter (shortening stay away!) and when it hits the high heat something magical happens- it turns sweet, flakey, and golden. It's awesome. You could put anything (edible) in this crust and I'd eat it. Really, I can't think of anything I wouldn't like!

INGREDIENTS
1 recipe double sweet all-butter pie crust
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4-1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg (to taste- I can't remember which I used!)
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 1/2 lb. firm-ripe Bartlett pears (about 5), peeled, cut into 6-8 wedges, and cored
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 large egg, beaten + 1 Tbsp. warm water
1 tablespoon organic cane sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare pastry dough according to recipe directions (make sure to allow time for refrigerating).

2. Place baking sheet on middle rack of oven and preheat oven to 425 F.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and brown sugar, making sure break up any lumps. Add the pears, lemon juice, and vanilla and gently toss to coat. Let stand 5 to 15 minutes to macerate fruit.

4. Roll out prepared pastry dough on a lightly floured surface into two 13-inch rounds. Fit one half into the bottom of a 9-inch pie dish, trimming the edges if necessary.

5. Transfer the filling to the shell. Top with the second rolled out pastry, trim, and pinch the edges to seal. Lightly brush the top with some of the egg wash. Using a sharp knife cut three long vents in the top. Sprinkle the crust with sugar.

6. Place pie on hot baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 F and continue baking until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, about 20-30 minutes more. (I covered mine with foil for the last part of baking because it was browning so fast.) Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before slicing. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Makes 1 9-inch pie.

(Adapted from Gourmet)

Sausage, Apple, and Cranberry Stuffing

This isn't your ordinary stuffing. It's something special. It's got apples and cranberries, fresh autumn herbs, chunky cubes of bread, and it's loaded with sausage.  Yes, full-fat, flavorful, juicy pork sausage. And it tastes wonderful! I feel bad calling it a "side" dish because it practically stole the show! I could easily eat a big bowlful and call it dinner. (It does contain two fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy (yep, butter counts), and a protein- it practically is a meal!) We enjoyed it alongside herb-roasted turkey, balsamic roasted potatoes, buttered haricots verts, and rich turkey gravy. I'm pretty sure this recipe is going to stick around; it might even make the Thanksgiving line up for years to come!

INGREDIENTS
6-8 cups cubed bread (I used half whole wheat sourdough and half roasted garlic loaf)
1 lb. mild Italian pork sausage (this is definitely a lot of sausage, next time I think I'll use less)
1 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup celery, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 golden delicious apple, cored and chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced
approx. 1 cup turkey stock (homemade is best!)
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. To toast the bread cubes, preheat oven to 350 F. Spread bread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes in preheated oven until evenly toasted. Remove and let cool.

2. Cook sausage and onion in a large skillet over medium heat until the sausage is browned and the onions are soft. Add celery, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, to blend flavors.

3. Toss to combine toasted bread cubes and sausage mixture in a large bowl. Stir in apple, cranberries, and parsley. Pour into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Drizzle with melted butter and turkey stock and mix lightly. Season with salt and pepper, to taste (if you are using store-bought turkey stock you will probably NOT need to add any salt).

4. Preheat oven to 400 F (or whatever your turkey is cooking at). Cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until apples are tender and the stuffing has browned on top. You can stir it every so often for more even cooking. If it becomes dry, drizzle more turkey stock over top.

Serves 8.

(Adapted from All Recipes)

Balsamic Roasted Vegetables

These beautiful jeweled potatoes accompanied our roasted turkey feast. I'm proud that I managed to squeeze a (rather small) turkey and two side dishes into the oven to bake. Large dinners are problematic when you have a small kitchen. Oven space aside, I don't have the counter, fridge/freezer, or dishwasher capacity to handle such a mega meal. My dream kitchen would include two of each- ovens, dishwashers, and sinks. A massive range, freezer big enough to hold several bodies (sorry, couldn't think of a better comparison), and endless cupboards and counter top. But since that is only a dream, I've learned to make do.

You'd be amazed what a girl in dire circumstances can do. Have I mentioned that my furnace closet serves as a pantry? I'm not sure if that breaks any sort of law or presents a health/safety hazard. I don't have a choice! I'm not complaining. I love my kitchen. There's just no room to expand. For now, while I'm still only feeding two, it works. Any more additions to this family and the kitchen's gonna have to grow with us.

But back to turkey dinner. I came up with this recipe sort of on the spot. I have roasted my share of vegetables and saw the idea for using balsamic- somewhere. The shallots and garlic are requisite in my opinion. Two of my favorite flavors. I threw the sheet of vegetables in the oven during the last hour of cooking the turkey and by the time we ate they had crispy skin and soft centers. And they looked gorgeous on the plate!

INGREDIENTS
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 small butternut squash, peeled, cored, and cubed
potatoes (I used a mix of baby Yukon, red, and purple potatoes), cubed
several shallots, peeled and sliced
several cloves garlic, minced
2:1 ratio extra virgin olive oil to balsamic vinegar (enough to lightly coat the vegetables- I used about 1 Tbsp. balsamic to 2 Tbsp. olive oil)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. In a large bowl, toss vegetables with shallots, garlic, oil, and vinegar to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on prepared baking sheet.

3. Roast in preheated oven, turning occasionally, until tender, approx. 40-50 minutes.

Serving size depends on the amount of vegetables used.

(My own recipe.)

Herb Roasted Turkey with Gravy

Thanksgiving in January. There's nothing wrong with that. I'll eat turkey dinner any day! I might be a few months late, but I finally got around to cooking the holiday feast I'd been dreaming about. Not that our Thanksgiving with my family wasn't spectacular- it was! I just wanted to repeat it on my own! Except, admittedly, I went a little bit gourmet. Herb-rubbed roasted turkey, balsamic jeweled potatoes, sausage, apple, and cranberry stuffing, and a butterscotch pear pie. I'm already longing for it next year!

Gourmet doesn't necessarily mean complicated. And in this case, it really couldn't be simpler. This turkey only takes a few minutes to prepare. You stuff the cavity full of earthy aromatics and rub fresh chopped herbs over and under the skin to infuse during roasting. Before and during cooking you drench the skin in melted butter. This, in combination with a generous sprinkling of kosher salt and black pepper, results an irresistibly crisp skin and unbelievably moist meat.

Then there's the gravy. I didn't think I could do it. Gravy scared me silly. So much so that I almost didn't even try. But what is turkey and potatoes without gravy? So at the last minute I decided to attempt something simple. I knew our bird (being so small) wouldn't produce an excessive amount of drippings. But I did have frozen turkey stock (left from our real Thanksgiving). So I made a roux with equal parts butter and flour (classic thickening method), stirred in the drippings and stock, brought it to a boil, and cooked it "till thick. It worked! It was wonderful! (Full of flavor- highlighted by the fresh herbs that collected in the juices.) And so easy. I'm no longer afraid of gravy. Phew!

Really, you don't have to wait until the end of November to make such a meal. You could buy a bone-in turkey breast instead of a whole bird. In that case, you can skip stuffing the cavity (since there won't be one). Remember to save the bones and carcass of your devoured bird to make rich turkey broth when you're done. Homemade broth/stock can be frozen for months and defrosted when the need arises. It is worth it's weight in gold.

INGREDIENTS
10 lb. turkey
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, quartered
1 head garlic, halved
several sprigs of fresh herbs (I used parsley, rosemary, thyme, and sage)
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
1 Tbsp. each fresh parsley, rosemary, thyme, and sage, chopped

Turkey Gravy:
turkey drippings (from above 10 lb. roasted turkey)
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2-3 cups turkey stock/broth
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Adjust rack to lowest position in oven. Preheat oven to 325 F.

2. Remove turkey parts from cavities and pat the bird dry with a paper towel. Stuff the cavity with the onion, head of garlic, sprigs of herbs, and bay leaves. In a small bowl, combine the chopped fresh herbs. Rub the herbs all over the surface of the turkey, making sure to rub underneath the skin on the breast. Place the turkey breast side up on a roasting rack and brush with half of the melted butter. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Tent with foil and roast in the preheated oven for 2 hours. Remove the foil and baste with the remaining butter. Raise oven temperature to 425 F and continue roasting until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165 F in the thigh (about 45-60 minutes more). Re-cover with foil if it is browning too fast. When done, remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving.

5. To make the gravy, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk constantly to form a roux. After about 1 minute, pour in the drippings from the turkey as well as the turkey stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5-10 minutes, until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more or less stock according to desired taste and consistency (and amount of drippings you had).

Serves 4-6.

(Adapted from Food Network)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is it! The oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe I've been searching for! Funny thing is, I had it all along. I just forgot. Over the last year I've tried quite a few different recipes in search of one that blows me away. None were that special though. And then one day last week it hit me- I had an oatmeal butterscotch cookie recipe that I'd made several times before with great success, why don't I try that one out?! So I did, and it was equally delicious with chocolate chips!

I couldn't help but notice how similar this recipe is to my family's classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. Just a little less flour and some oatmeal in its place. No wonder it's so good! You could easily use any type of baking "chips" you want- white chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter...! Or use dried fruits and nuts instead. This is a very simple and versatile cookie recipe that you should definitely add to your collection!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (or white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, Craisins, etc.)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Combine butter and sugars in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, 1 at a time, and the vanilla, beating until incorporated.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until just blended. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips by hand.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until golden on the edges. Remove from the oven to cool on a wire rack. Store at room temperature in an airtight container or in the freezer.

Makes 3-4 dozen cookies.