Summer Panini

Sumer PaniniThe Panini Days of Summer
Last weekend was crazy, and it was only the beginning of what will be a Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride of Adventure Summer for us. I am not entirely sure if I know my own name at this point. I do know that the mother of all laundry piles has gathered in the laundry room, and your guess is as good as mine as to when it will get some attention. The bright side is that the dog loves her new bed.

We have now entered what I call, The Panini Days of Summer. These are the days when there is so much going on that dinner is more often than not, something that we can slap between two pieces of bread and throw on my Panini press. Cut up a cold Cantaloupe or Watermelon and voila…dinner a-go-go.

There are so many possible panini creations. If we can, we’ll use whatever is left over from the previous night’s dinner (some left-overs just won’t work in a sandwich). It’s not unheard of for us to just use a bunch of cheese—sometimes with an apple slice or two. Left over spaghetti and meatballs? Don’t underestimate the power of a meatball panini dipped in leftover sauce. (A favorite of my son’s). July and August mean that we have tomato paninis. Although with no garden this year, we’ll have to rely on friends for that garden grown yumminess. And don’t get me started on the grilled veggie panini!

This is my favorite go-to panini, because I always have the ingredients on hand. If you are looking for more ideas for panini, take a peek at this article from Food Network with lots of great ideas.

Amy’s Summer Panini
Ingredients
Chicken breast
Olive Oil
Crusty French Bread or Foccacia
Pesto Sauce
Marinated roasted red peppers
Fresh Mozzarella

Directions
Slice a chicken breast in half horizontally into two thin pieces. Grill or pan fry them in olive oil ‘till they are cooked through.

Place the chicken breast on sliced crusty French bread or Foccacia (I like the Sweet Batard from Acme or the Rosemary Foccacia from Semmifreddi’s) that has been smeared with pesto sauce on both slices. Top the chicken with jarred, marinated  roasted red peppers and fresh mozzarella.

Grill until the cheese has melted and the bread is crispy. Take a bite and enjoy!

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