Prosciutto, Tomato and Mozzarella Paninis

Prosciutto, Tomato and Mozzarella Paninis or as we refer to them at home, Let's Clean Out the Fridge Paninis.
Prosciutto, tomato, fresh mozzarella, bacon, hot roasted pepper, fried peppers... I think that was it. And really that was enough. The combination resulted in an amazing dinner!

And this is what I found on our dining room table this morning... best friends!

The Big Salad

 

 Red Leaf Lettuce, Carrots, Homemade Croutons, Tomato, Hot Roasted Peppers, Olives, Ricotta Salata, Fresh Mozzarella, Bacon, Beets, and a Lemon Juice and Olive Oil Dressing.
All served in our new salad spinner!

And speaking of big... who has the biggest eyes!

 

Juicy Lucy

Burgers again? Well yes. Tonight we tried the Juicy Lucy Burger. Not to be confused with Lucy! 

 

This burger is made up of two beef patties with American Cheese stuffed inside. Yes it is as decadent as it sounds. There was nothing green or healthy in this meal. But we did have Jake's corn!

Not a bad burger. How can you argue with a hamburger oozing yellow American cheese. We need to adjust our cooking times, yes we will try this again. It was fun to eat but our next meal has to be a salad!

Bourbon-Sauced Pork Chops

I knew the name of tonight's post would get your attention. When I saw the recipe in Better Homes and Garden it certainly got my attention. This was a Prize Tested Recipe from Chris Gegorek. Only one word is needed to describe the taste - Wow. The meat was so moist and the flavor of the sauce was perfect. Nice and tangy and a little spicy. The thought of this dinner puts a smile on my face! Does that sound silly? If you tasted these pork chops you would not think it was silly at all.

For sides we had grilled zucchini and grilled fingerling potatoes.

Juicy Steakhouse Burgers, Sugar Snap Salad and Raspberry Vodka

 

Happy 4th of July!
Tonight's dinner was suggested by Chris. Juicy Steakhouse Burgers. A couple of weeks ago I said I had a new favorite meal, the Grilled Mini Meatloaf. Well I am changing my mind. Heck it's my blog so I can do that. This was truly the most delicious burger we have grilled. It had to have been the panade — a mixture of bread and milk. They were so juicy. It was the perfect burger.

For sides we had Corn and a Sugar Snap Salad. The recipe was from Bon Appetit. I did not have radishes or feta cheese (shocker!) but I did have Gorgonzola... not a bad substitute.

Earlier today I went raspberry picking over my Dad's.

 

What did I do with all the raspberries... What else Raspberry Vodka!

Meatless Monday

Meatless and Wordless Monday..

Spiral Cut Hot Dogs

This morning I was reading Chow and came upon this article, Why You Should Spiral-Cut Your Hot Dog For Grilling. I was planning on Hot Dogs for dinner so why not give it a try. They were interesting. And I would try them again.

Side dish was a Lentil and Feta Salad. I have been making this recipe since we got married and not sure where I found it. Oops. Forgot to take a photo of it!

Corn by Jake

Last night we had take-out from Zhang's. When I pulled into the parking lot I saw the sign I have been looking for every day when I drive by - Jake's Corn Opens 6/30! Oh happy day! I got home and I told Chris we were going to have Corn for dinner on Saturday night!

And we did have corn. Amazingly delicious corn. And we had steak too! Porterhouse on sale this week. Half price! As much as I love veggies the porterhouse is my favorite steak.

I also found a wonderful recipe for Italian Potato Salad. It is from Nonna Lina's Kitchen blog. I have a weakness for authentic Italian recipes or at least recipes that I think my mom, grandmother or any of my aunts would have made. This site is a delight.

And I made dessert. From the new Bon Appetit, Cheesecake with Ginger-Lime Candied Raspberries. It was light but it did not firm up like the magazine photo. I am not experienced with gelatin so that was probably the problem. What I liked best was the raspberries. I think they would be good on just about anything. Cheesecake is rather rich to eat more than once a week, at least for me. Check out the Nutritional Info at the end of the recipe!

Chicken with Leeks and Pancetta Quiche

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that when Chris I were dating we worked together at a small restaurant in New Haven, Nancy Lee's. One of her menu items was Chicken with Leeks and Bacon.  That was the inspiration for this quiche. It was easy to make, yeah I cheated and used a pie crust that was in the freezer. The chicken was from rotisserie chicken, also in the freezer. The leeks were sauteed in a little olive oil and butter, seasoned with salt and pepper. I had some Fontina cheese which was shredded and the Pancetta was cooked. All ingredients went in to the pre-baked pie shell. I added 2 beaten eggs and about a cup of milk. A dash of nutmeg, salt and pepper. And I added some sliced olives. My mom would put black olives in just about everything she made. I suppose it could be said that they were her signature! The quiche baked for about 35 minutes. Yeah it was as good as the dish that inspired it!

Grilled Mini Meatloaf, Grilled Potatoes and Arugula Salad

New favorite meal, well my Mom's Baked Macaroni and my brother-in-law's Christmas Eve dinner will always be my favorite favorites. But tonight's dinner was right up there... let's say it is a summer favorite. Grilled Mini Meatloaf and Grilled Potato Slices. I got the idea from this recipe,  Mini Meatloaf and grilled potato slices, but used my own meatloaf recipe. Super moist and delicious.

The salad was put together in 5 minutes. Okay I roasted the Chickpeas on Sunday.
I loved the peppery taste of the Arugula and the splash of mint. Want the recipe.... Click right here - Arugula and Roasted Chickpea Salad with Feta.