Eating Dinner With My Family

I like this sandwich. Heck I loved it. Is is an OMG? No, but it is a very tasty way to have an easy dinner.  The inside out grilled cheese is a better way to cook the sandwich, (and a better sandwich too) but the fillings were good. Grilled Gruyère and Sweet Onion Sandwiches 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced crosswise (4 cups) Salt and freshly ground pepper Eight 1/2-inch-thick slices of whole-grain bread Dijon mustard 8 ounces imported Gruyère cheese, thinly sliced 2 half-sour pickles, thinly sliced lengthwise In a deep skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the oil. Add the onion, cover and cook over high heat, stirring once or twice, until softened, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very tender and caramelized, about 25 minutes longer. Add water to the skillet as necessary, 1/4 cup at a time, to prevent the ...

I wanted an easy dinner and thought a fancified grilled cheese sounded like just the thing. When I saw a website called grilled cheese academy.com I figured I would try one of those.  I opted to try the Cheshire.  It was pretty good but really hard to eat! The Cheshire 4 tablespoons mayonnaise 1 clove garlic, minced 8 slices French-style country bread 4 slices Wisconsin Edam cheese 1 head Bibb lettuce 2 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced 2 ripe Hass avocados, sliced 8 slices bacon 4 eggs 4 slices Wisconsin Cheddar cheese 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature Mix mayonnaise with garlic. Spread 1 tablespoon of the mixture on each of 4 slices of bread. Top each with 1 slice Edam, a few leaves of lettuce, a slice or two of the tomato, and 1/4 of the avocado slices. Set aside. Fry bacon in cast-iron or nonstick skillet until crisp; remove to plate lined with paper towels and drain and pat dry. Remove all but 1-2 tablespoons bacon fat from skillet. Crack eggs into s...

I know first the papusa recipe is really vague and I'm doing it again here.  It's a shame I didn't write down exact amounts because we all liked it.  (I really liked it and I think my husband did too)  It was a quick and easy way to turn our thanksgiving chicken (yes I said chicken because my mom doesn't dig turkey:) in to a very tasty and different dinner.  I would work with turkey too.  It is basically the child of a chicken salad sandwich and a bahn mi.  I made a chicken salad with some Asian flavors, used the pickling recipe from another sandwich I wanted to try, and the rest of the toppings one finds on a bahn mi.  I am going to have to make this again and measure and write down the recipe.  Its a great "second time around" meal that uses up leftovers. Vietnamese Flavored Chicken Salad Sandwiches Leftover cooked chicken mayonnaise 1 shallot, small soy sauce sesame oil 2 carrots halved crosswise and thinly sliced lengthwise 1/2 Cup...

This throwback meal is arguably one of my husbands favorites.  Whenever he thinks of it, gets this kind of dreamy look in his eyes and says something along the lines of "oooh that is a good one!"  We all like it, but it holds a special place in his heart.  It is also one of the easiest meals ever.  It takes less than 10 minutes start to finish.  (If you can cook all sandwiches at once otherwise you will need about 5 minutes more)  I cooked two sandwiches at a time and I spent about 15 minutes.  The pickles are not optional for us but I left that in the instructions in case it was a deal breaker for some of you.  You need to try this sandwich!  Serve it with a salad and you have a great meal!  Cut it in to small wedges and you have an excellent appetizer.  It is fast enough for any meal, with any time constraints, but delicious enough to be a wonderful dinner. Inside-Out Grilled Ham-And-Cheese Sandwiches 4 Tbl unsalte...

I am afraid of what you will think of me when I say what I am about to say.  Please don't judge me too harshly, but I have never seen Breaking Bad.  Still with me?  Ok, my husband is watching it on Netflix, and I think I would like the show, but I really hate mob movies and all the killing and violence in them and I have lumped (I am told unfairly) Breaking Bad in to this genre.  As such, I have as much desire to watch it as I do to eat sweet and savory together.  (regular readers inside joke;)  But any reason for a party and themed food works for me, so when I saw that The Savory was suggesting this Breaking Bad Burger, I was so in.  (like I need a reason for burgers in this house)  it wasn't too hard to prep, but when I was cooking the burgers they broke and it was bad! (I know groan!). But it's true. The burgers didn't stay together well. I managed to keep one intact for the picture, but a few of them had a ring crumble off and I had ...

I really have to say I dug these sandwiches.  Yes, I am going to complain about some things, mainly so if you make these, you won't have reason to be annoyed with them, but this is an awesome take on a Bahn Mi type sandwich.  Now we adore bahn mi, so this was going to be a popular dish in the house, but because we are going to compare this to one of our all time favorite meals, there could be some disparaging comments.  There weren't! We all enjoyed it, a lot!  Ok on to the complaining! If you follow the cooking directions, you need to cook the chicken in one batch.  If you split it in to two batches, like I needed to because of the  size of my grill pan, you will have some burnt mayo in the bottom for your second batch.  It wasn't horrible, but it was a bit smelly and stuck to some of the second batch chicken.  Also, the shallots cooked way faster than the chicken and they were almost, and by almost I meant just over the line burnt!...

The boy and I really liked them.  My husband said they were good but not that great, but I think the fiasco he had cooking them on the grill colored his judgement.  You see, pesto is a good percentage of oil and when you put oil soaked burgers on a gas grill, the oil cooks out, and causes a big mess and a big fire!  So, he was a little annoyed with the burgers before he even tasted them.  He said I should warn any of you who might attempt the burgers (and I do recommend that you do:) most emphatically not to cook them on a grill but on the stove in a pan.  No, it wasn't a top 10 burger, but still good.  The boy ate 1 1/2 before we had finished our first, and that is saying something! Caprese Burgers   2 Cup basil leaves 1/4 Cup salted roasted almonds 1 garlic clove 1/2 Cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for brushing 1/4 Cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese Salt Freshly ground pepper 1 Lb ground beef chuck 1 Lb ground beef sirloin 8...

It was one of those moments where you think the universe is telling you to do something!  I had on deck for this week, and indeed scheduled for today, this grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a mustard/ apricot jam dipping sauce that I saw on an article of grown up grilled cheeses on Yahoo. Yesterday, I got my latest issue of Food and Wine, and under the heading '7 minute dinners' here was this recipe for the inside out grilled ham and cheese. It also had an apricot/mustard sauce but the main difference was that you press a layer of grated Parmesan cheese in to the buttered bread before grilling. Brilliant!  Genius!  The result, even without all the other tasty ingredients, was this crispy perfect, ultra thin Parmesan frico. Now figure in the apricot/Dijon sauce and the pickles and you have one heck of an awesome sandwich. I don't know why I don't want to give it a 5 star rating, but I'm going with 4.5. Perhaps it was my son not digging it quite as much as we did. ...

On the way back from dropping my boy and his friend at my MIL, we went through my pins on Pinterest, and my husband picked several recipes; this was one of them.  I did make some changes to the original recipe. Mostly because the jus left in the crockpot, while a good start, wasn't very flavorful. First i strained out the onions to use in the sandwich. After I removed the fat from the jus with a separator, I pot it in a pot and boiled it to reduce. I also added about a teaspoon of 'Better than Bouillon' mushroom base. Then when I took it off the heat, I added a splash more whiskey so it would still taste 'boozy' Boozy Slow-Cooker French Dips   2 Lb beef roast 3 Tbl dijon mustard salt and pepper to taste 1 beer of your choice  (we had Yuengling) 1 large yellow onion sliced 2 Tbl whiskey (I used Maker’s Mark) 2 Clove garlic smashed 1 Cup beef stock 2 french baguettes sliced in half and cut into sandwich-size 1 tsp better than bouillon mushroom base Pro...

Well, I have found myself going to the grocery almost every day!  And, while I seem to spend more with that plan of attack, I waste less. Tonight's dinner is a perfect case in point. I had bought plain, full fat yogurt for the lassi I plan on making, but it only came in a huge portion. I used it for last night's shawarma, tonight's gyro and still have enough to make my lassi once the mango is perfectly ripe.   We liked tonight's dinner, but we all agreed it was only a 3.5.  To be fair, we all did think most people we know would rate it higher, but that was our impression.  It was pretty easy to make.  The only issue we had was that the chicken exuded a lot of liquid when cooking and it took longer to brown than we expected.  We also added shredded lettuce to the dish.  I found this on pinterest, and I'm not sure if the site it is from is a blogger or not, so I am erring on the side of caution and treating it like it is from a blogger and providing...

My daughter requested burgers tonight. I am, shockingly, running low on new burger recipes.  Ok not exactly low, but I only have recipes left to try are low in interest such as this "bikini friendly" burger.  I am innately suspicious of a 'light' burger.  Despite our concerns, we all liked it way more than we thought we would.  My son even rated it a 5!  Burgers are always easy and this one was no exception.  The most taxing thing was chopping the pickles and peppers.  Next time, I would half the peppers.  It might just be the pickled jalapenos we used, but this was really spicy.  It wasn't unbearable on the burgers, but we did want a bit more of the sauce, but didn't think we could take the heat. Turkey Burgers With Spicy Pickle Sauce   1/2 Cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt 1/2 Cup chopped dill pickles 2 Tbl chopped pickled hot peppers Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 1/2 Lb lean ground turkey 1 Tsp smoked swee...

I made this because I thought my husband would really dig it, but I gotta say I really liked it too!   If I were going to criticize anything, I would be that the bread I got was a bit too bulky.  I love a baguette but maybe if I had scooped it I would have liked it a bit better. (Or at least it wouldn't be so filling and we could have eaten more;)  Not really complaining.  It was wonderful but planning ahead for the next time I make it.   My husband pointed out that when we make something with ground pork, we seem to really like it. (However if you don't eat pork, some ground turkey could work. Make sure it isn't only turkey breast).  It was spicy, but not too spicy.  We splashed some hot sauce on them and they were just the right amount if heat. Spicy Pork Po'boys 1 1/2 Lb ground pork 1 1/2 Tsp paprika 1 1/4 Tsp dried thyme 3/4 Tsp cayenne pepper 3/4 Tsp garlic powder Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 Cup mayonnai...

These weren't the original plan for the burgers for tonight.  I wanted to make the burgers with the wasabi mayo and ginger pickled onions, but I didn't read the recipe, just the ingredients and the onions needed to pickle at least 3 hours.  OOPS! So I pull out another burger recipe from the to try file and made it instead.  Since I had all the ingredients for the wasabi burger, we will have to have burgers again this week. (Darn;)  Buns come in 8 packs anyways; it's like just good economics to eat them twice in one week.  (just not good health:)  This was just an ok burger.  No one complained, but I found it not that memorable.  So many better better burgers out there.  I will say, the dressing was pretty tasty.  I don't know what else it would taste good on, but for a family that isn't a fan of 1000 island type dressings or tarragon, we were impressed we liked it as much as we did. Cheddar Blt Burgers With Tarragon Russian Dressing ...

The boy and I liked this better than my husband.  It was tasty, but not stellar.  Actually I think we probably liked it the same but my son and I tend to err on the side positive when it comes to judgements.  The dressing was nice, and the meat was perfectly done.  It was super fast to cook and easy too.  For that, I can forgive its lack of perfection.  We didn't eat anything with it; we just dressed some extra lettuce with the dressing and called it a 'salad". Grilled Steak Kebab Pitas With Ginger & Garlic Dressing   1/2 Cup extra-virgin olive oil more for brushing 1 Tbs. finely grated ginger 1 Tbs. green Tabasco or other jalapeño hot sauce 2 Tsp cider vinegar 1 small to medium clove garlic finely grated or minced Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 lb. 1-inch-thick -boneless beef strip steaks, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes 6 to 8 bamboo skewers (at least 8 inches long), soaked in water for at least 20 minute...

I liked this sandwich, but I did think that the apples were a bit superfluous.  There were bites I never noticed them, there were bites where they were overwhelming, and there were bites were perfect.  I know that is pretty useless critique, but it is the truth.  I would make it again, and I would probably include the apples.  I tried it with out the apples and only the mustard and it wasn't as good.  It was a nice and different sandwich, and because it is warm and filling, it makes a great fast dinner. Oven-Toasted Ham, Brie And Apple Sandwiches 1    large baguette (about 1 lb.),cut into 4 pieces 7 oz brie,most of the rind trimmed off and thinly 2    Tbs. unsalted butter 1    -1/2 medium Granny Smith apples,cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick 3/4 lb ham steak,thinly sliced on the diagonal 2    Tbs. whole-grain Dijon mustard 1    Tbs. honey 1 t  chopped fresh thyme Posit...

I love Moroccan flavors and harissa has to be one of the yummiest things ever!  I have loved everything I made with it.  (the pizza was my least favorite, but more due to the sausage)  I also love a good burger.  Needless to say, I loved this recipe.  If I were to make any criticism, it is that the caraway seeds were these hard little bits that occasionally made for unpleasant texture in your mouth.  They weren't bad enough to make me dislike this in any way.  I did half the recipe since there are only four of us, and I cooked it on the grill, but other than that, I followed the recipe. Cumin-Spiced Burgers With Harissa Mayo 3 lb ground chuck Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1/4 c  plus 2 teaspoons harissa 2 1/2 t  ground cumin 2 t  garlic powder 1 t  dried thyme 1    large red onion,sliced 1/4 inch thick 1 T  extra-virgin olive oil Eight 6-inch oval rolls split 1 c  mayonnaise 1 t...

For meatless Monday, I made a falafel.  While it wasn't the best falafel I ever had, it was the easiest by far to make.  We all enjoyed it; even the three year old ate some.  I only changed the type of tomatoes I used since I had some tomatoes on the vine (and some cukes) in my Front Porch Pickings basket.  I did also think it needed some sort of sauce.  As I had some tahini in the pantry, I used it mixed with some minced garlic and a little lemon juice.  My husband said he would also like plain yogurt.  (which was also mentioned in the original recipe as a possible sauce.)  As long as you have a food processor, this recipe is a snap, and while it won't be going on our restaurant menu, it was still a darn good meal. Falafel Sandwich With Tomato-Cucumber Salad 1    15-oz. can chickpeas,rinsed and drained 7    Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 1 t  ground cumin 1/2 t  ground coriander Kosher salt an...

The war on clutter continues.  Victory is in sight but still about a week away.  Tonight, I deliver a blow that I consider more of a stalemate.  I used a jar of harissa from the pantry I bought a while ago, but since I didn't finish it, it moved from a pantry combatant to a refrigerator combatant.  But I do not despair, one day soon, I will finish him off!  I did deviate a bit on this one.  I don't care much for the frisee or radicchio called for, and I had arugula so I used it.  I think I will use arugula for all future BLTs.  It was yummy!  I also used an extra tsp of the harissa.  My jar was not very hot, and I thought it could use some extra.  In fact we spooned some of the straight harissa on to the sandwich,  but I was under the impression it was pretty fiery usually.  I haven't cooked with it before, but I have had it in restaurants; sometimes the dish was hot, sometimes not.   I also forgot the ...

So, I have leftover buns from the Miami burger I made, so we will just have to have burgers again.  I figured we loved the Miami Burger, why not make the first burger in the cookbook, Bobby Flay's Bold Flavors, the Crunchburger!  Before I even ate it, I didn't like 3 things: no pickles (sacrilege!), no ketchup, and American Cheese.  I hate to say that despite missing my one crucial burger ingredient, pickles, I still liked it a lot.  I have always liked potato chips on a sandwich, and I have been known to put french fries on a burger, so this wasn't a big stretch for me.  My son adored it! My poor hubby is sick, but even he managed to be somewhat enthusiastic about it;). The only change was the buns, but I was making this to use up those extra 4 buns I had left over.  Oh and I forgot the romaine, but only I missed that. Crunchburger 1.5 lbs of Ground Chuck (or turkey) Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper 1.5 Tbsp Canola Oil 8 Slices American C...

Bear with me, the recipe is worth it!  A while back, I found this great site called Foodbuzz.  It was like facebook for food bloggers.  It helped us connect with each other, trade recipes and help promote others doing what we do.  Then Foodbuzz decided to take a perfectly great thing and ruin it.  It is now kind of a newsletter of what's hot right now. :/  Why am I ranting about this now, many months later?  Well, this recipe was from a fellow blogger and I noted the web address through Foodbuzz.  That page no longer exists and I can't find the recipe with a Google search.  I really tried and went through pages and pages of the search.  So, I can't give credit where credit is due and provide a link for the source of the recipe.  If through some quirk of fate, the person who posted this or someone who knows the person who posted this, reads this, PLEASE let me know so I can use a link to your recipe.  OK!  Blogger stuf...