French Dip Panini

I think I have a new favorite Panini Site ... Panini Happy. I just had a DECLICIOUS French Dip tonight. Served it with some apples and some bubbly. MMmmm MMM.

French Dip Panini

INGREDIENTS:

1 sweet yellow onion, sliced into 1/4″ rings
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
French bread, thick slices
Mayonnaise or roasted garlic aioli (here’s an easy recipe on Art & Aioli - thanks, Nicole!)
Roast beef, thinly sliced
Gruyère cheese, grated

Au jus (see recipe on For the Love of Cooking)

• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1 small shallot, sliced thinly
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 -4 cups of beef broth
• 3 tsp bouillon crystals
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Season onions with salt and pepper and sauté in the olive oil for 15-20 minutes until caramelized.

Preheat panini grill to medium-high heat (375 degrees).

Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise or roasted garlic aioli on a slice of bread. Top with roast beef, onions and cheese. Close the sandwich with another slice of bread. Grill 7-8 minutes until cheese is melted and grill marks appear. Serve immediately with au jus and enjoy!

Carne Asada

LOVE this recipe. When we moved to Rochester, NY there were no Mexican restaurants to be found. We were heartbroken. So I learned how to make Carne Asada. Tasty. Thank you Tyler Florence.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds flank or skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat
• 1 recipe Mojo, recipe follows
• Olive oil, for coating the grill
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 16 (7-inch) corn tortillas
• Shredded romaine or iceberg lettuce, for serving
• Chopped white onion, for serving
• Shredded Jack cheese, for serving
• 1/2 cup Pico de Gallo, recipe follows
• 2 limes, cut in wedges for serving

Directions

Lay the flank steak in a large baking dish and pour the mojo over it. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 8 hours, so the flavors can sink into the meat. Don't marinate the steak for more than 8 hours though, or the fibers break down too much and the meat gets mushy.

Preheat an outdoor grill or a ridged grill pan over medium-high flame (you can also use a broiler). Brush the grates with a little oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Pull the steak out of the mojo marinade and season the steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill (or broil) the steak for 7 to 10 minutes per side, turning once, until medium-rare. Remove the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to settle. Thinly slice the steak across the grain on a diagonal.

Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds on each side in a dry skillet or on the grill, until toasty and pliable.

To make the tacos, stack up 2 of the warm tortillas, lay about 4 ounces of beef down the center, and sprinkle with some lettuce, onion, and cheese. Top each taco with a spoonful of the Pico de Gallo salsa and garnish with lime wedges. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Mojo:

• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 large handful fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 orange, juiced
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil

In a mortar and pestle or bowl, mash together the garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, salt, and pepper to make a paste. Put the paste in a glass jar or plastic container. Add the lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, and oil. Shake it up really well to combine. Use as a marinade for chicken or beef or as a table condiment.

Yield: approximately 1 1/4 cups

John Wayne Casserole

John Wayne Casserole

Combine and spread in 9X13 buttered dish …

2 4 oz cans diced chilis
1 lb jack cheese
1 lb cheddar

Mix and pour over cheese mix …

4 egg whites (beat until stiff and fold into 4 egg yolks)
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/8 tsp pepper
½ tsp salt
1 tsp flour

cook at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove and add sliced tomatoes on top and cook for another 30 minutes longer.

Apple Crisp

This recipe is from a dear friend of mine. She's a foodie so trust her. This is much less sweet as the last apple crisp I posted. This one is my mom's new favorite apple crisp. And I'll be making it today for Thanksgiving tomorrow.

Apple Crisp
by Liz Smith

6 large apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup flour
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

Place sliced apples in mixing bowl, stir in white sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Arrange into 9" round or square baking dish. Combine brown sugar and flour; cut butter into mixture with a pastry blender. Stir in rolled oats. Spoon mixture over apples, pressing down lightly. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Enjoy with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!

Buttermilk Waffles

I got this recipe on foodblogsearch.com it is a very fun site to search. It as adapted from Cook's Illustrated which always makes me happy. These waffles are light and delicious. I can't get enough of them these days.

2 cups flour
2 Tbsp cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs separated
2 cups buttermilk
4 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
Nonstick cooking spray

Start preheating your waffle iron. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking soda. In another mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolk with buttermilk and melted butter until combined.

Clean your whisk and beat the egg white to soft peaks.

Fold in the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, the batter will be quite thick. Then add the egg whites and gently fold them into the batter.

Spray your waffle iron with some nonstick spray and spread the batter onto the iron. Cook until the waffles are golden brown, about 2 - 5 minutes depending on your machine instructions.

For freezer toaster waffles, leave the waffles golden and slightly underdone. They can be frozen then popped into the toaster for a quick breakfast.

Saffron Rissoto

I have fallen in LOVE with Rissoto. My gourmet buddy Liz introduced me to the fine art of Rissoto a year ago and I learned it's actually fun to make and not as intimidating as it should be. It needs love. So while you're fixing your salad or preparing your side dish, just go back and stir the risotto often. If you love it, it will love you.

This recipe I just found from an email from Self.com, in my quest to get more healthy. We enjoyed it tonight and it was delicious! I'm convinced that pretty much anything cooked with wine is a fabulous. I added some marscapone cheese as well. Mmmm.

Ingredients

• 28 oz chicken stock
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 cup white wine
• Large pinch of saffron
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus shavings for garnish (optional)

Preparation

Bring stock to a low simmer in a medium pot. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat for 1 minute. Cook onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add rice and a pinch of salt. Sauté until rice is translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine and saffron; bring to a simmer, stirring, until rice has absorbed most of wine. Add 2 ladles of stock to rice; simmer, stirring, until rice has absorbed most of stock. Continue adding stock, allowing rice to absorb it before adding the next ladleful. Cook until rice is al dente and mixture is a little loose. Stir in butter. Turn off heat. Stir in grated cheese. Cover and let sit 2 minutes. Divide among 4 bowls. Garnish each with cheese shavings, if desired.

Corn Bread

Mmmm MMMM. Nothin' says lovin' like a great slice of hot fresh corn bread. I like my cornbread to be more of a dessert and this recipe does the trick. Yeah ... bisquick. I don't really use bisquick for anything else except this recipe. Today I'm going to try using buttermilk instead of milk. Thanks to April for giving me this recipe back when I was first learning that cooking involved more than just going Costco.

CORN BREAD

2 Cups Bisquik
4-6 Tbs cornmeal
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter
put into a 9x9 greased pan and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.