Summer Panini

The 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 Read more…

Peach Cobbler

Baby, it’s Cold Outside

Memorial Day Weekend is upon us, and I gotta say, I can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that the official start to Summer and the Summer grilling season is here. Perhaps it’s because it feels more like February than May. ( Seriously? Can we shut the fan off now? Thanks.) This time last year, I was at a baseball tournament melting into the bleachers. Fast forward to the tournament this weekend and we’ll be wrapped up like we’re at an outdoor hockey game.

It goes without saying that I just can’t get excited about firing up the BBQ. I look outside and think braised short ribs not baby back ribs. I can, however, get behind dessert. Weather doesn’t matter when it comes to dessert, and if you look really close, you will notice that the peaches and nectarines are in the market. We’ve received some of the first loads of Fitzgerald Peaches in the store, which is always a happy day. I’m dying to make something with ‘em.

My plan for Memorial Day is: figure out what sort of dinner we are going to have once we know the baseball schedule, and make a peach cobbler. Whether you BBQ or not, anytime is a good time for peach cobbler…or peach crisp…or peach tart…or peach pie…you get my drift. Nothing goes better with peach cobbler than a Memorial Day BBQ except maybe some good vanilla ice cream—although you won’t hear me say no to peach cobbler for breakfast either (ice cream included).

Peach Cobbler
Adapted from King Arthur Flours.
Yields 12 servings

This version is made from fresh peaches baked with a sugared biscuit topping. Tapioca flour or Instant ClearJel are both good choices for thickening. Either, unlike flour or cornstarch, keeps the fruit’s juice clear and its flavor true. The resulting color (and flavor) is spectacular. Read more…

Canal House Style Chicken Thighs with Lemon

Good Yard Bird
The kitchen can be the world’s best reality check. The outcome of your endeavors is not always guaranteed—no matter how good a cook you think you are—and for that reason, it is best to always check one’s ego at the door (and keep your instant-read thermometer handy). Just when you think you can totally take on an Iron Chef, karma has its nasty way with you. I need only to look back a couple of weeks to the epic fail that was my attempt to make Pearly Rice Balls with Red Bean Paste in them. Instead of producing lovely round rice balls, I managed to make a gelatinous, shapeless glob that looked like scary fried eggs.

And yet, sometimes (cue the choir of angels), you make something so tasty, so utterly divine that your obvious talent just can’t be denied. (Move over Thomas Keller! I laugh at you and your Michelin stars!) Last night was one of those nights…

To be fair, my genius had some help this time around. (OK. Yes. Most of the time I need help.) Mine came in the form of the book Genius Recipes by Food52 by way of The Canal House. This cookbook has been getting a lot of buzz lately and for very good reason. It is the bomb-diggity. It really is genius. It is also the cookbook we are using for our next cookbook club.

Looking at my copy right now I have at least twenty recipes that I have flagged to try. One of them is Canal House Style Chicken Thighs with Lemon which is what I made for dinner last night à chez moi. My husband told me it was the best chicken I have ever made. I’ve made a lot of chicken, which means either this recipe is just that good or I need to go back to school. Full disclosure, I used preserved lemons. made by a friend, who also happens to be in our cookbook club. It’s possible that they were the secret ingredient because man, they were good.

Do yourselves a favor, go get this book. Or, you can follow along on their blog as Kristin Miglore cooks her way through the book.

And look-y there. The BEST EVER CHICKEN is front and center….

Canal House Style Chicken Thighs with Lemon
Recipe adapted from Food 52 Read more…

Grilled Pork Chops with Sweet Lemongrass Marinade

Top Five?

We had our cookbook club dinner over the weekend and the consensus was that our chosen book left us a bit underwhelmed. There were some very tasty recipes (Hot Pot!!!), and then there were others that just didn’t impress. Our conversation turned to the recipes we have made from past cookbooks that we absolutely loved, especially the ones that have become staples for our dinner table.

One of my favorites, and one we all agreed was great, is a grilled pork chop recipe that I have been making since the weather has gotten bit warmer. (Not that temperature really matters all that much. I have no problem grilling in the rain if necessary.)

These Grilled Pork Chops with Sweet Lemongrass Marinade are adapted from Charles Phan’s Vietnamese Home Cooking and they are fantastic. I love how the smell of the freshly chopped lemongrass lingers in my kitchen. Heaven!

I like to marinate the pork chops overnight in the fridge to give them as much flavor as possible. Getting them in the marinade the night before makes for a super-fast and easy mid-week dinner you can serve with steamed rice and some stir fried bok choy…or whatever floats your boat.

Grilled Pork Chops with Sweet Lemongrass Marinade
Adapted from Charles Phan’s Vietnamese Home Cooking
Read more…