Grilled Cheese Goddess

I am rocking the big kid grilled sandwiches: BLT with a yummy twist, the gooey mushroom melt, and now this pesto grilled cheese. It was divine. Any mellow soft cheese will do, such as a swiss instead of fontina, but I feel that a cheddar or more flavorful cheese would interfere with the pesto. The parmesan cheese on the outside gets nice and toasty and very flavorful. I also served up some beanie weenies with a twist. I used my baked beans recipe but used some Dinosaur BBQ sauce (Wango Tango) in place of the ketchup and added some sliced up hot dogs (leftover from our engagement party!). Delicious and oh so spicy!

Parmesan Crusted Pesto Grilled Cheese

(Pinterest find!)

Ingredients:
Sourdough bread
Butter
Fontina cheese
2 tablespoons basil pesto
Grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
2.  Butter the outside of each slice of bread. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on butter. Place 2 pieces of bread, butter side down in pan. Spread pesto on bread, layer cheese, and top with the second slice of bread.

3. Grill until golden brown.

Cheesy Bread!

Let's talk about our marvelous appetizer night. This was my favorite recipe. Of course I'm a sucker for bread and cheese. I ate the leftovers two days later and it was still delicious. I made my own pesto using this recipe. This recipe was easy, requires minimal ingredients (especially if you buy pre-made pesto), and was a huge hit! KEEPER!

Cheesy Pesto Pull-Apart Bread

(Pinterest find! From Jamie Cooks It Up)

Ingredients:
1 large crusty loaf of bread
1 cup basil pesto
2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Directions:
1. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray. Set one large crusty loaf of bread in the center.
2. Slice the bread carefully, without cutting all the way to the bottom of the loaf. Then slice it going the other direction so that you have lots of little 1 inch squares all over the top of the loaf.
3. Using a butter knife, spread pesto inside the loaf along every sliced part of the bread.
4. Pull the slices apart and push a bit of shredded mozzarella cheese and shredded Parmesan cheese into all the cracks.
5. Wrap the bread up in the aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Uncover the bread and allow it remain in the oven until the cheese is melted and a bit golden in color.
6. Take the bread out of the oven and let it cool just a bit before serving.

Fast Fish!

This dish was fast and good. It was a light dish and loaded with veggies. Perfect for detoxing after a week long eating fest! I ended up using my Hendrickson's Sweet Vinegar and Olive Oil salad dressing because we didn't have any Italian (and the last thing I need is another bottle in my fridge!). It added a nice sweetness to it but it would have been interesting to have the zestiness from Italian. I think I'm finally getting the hang of cooking fish and knowing when it's done. This batch was perfectly moist and only semi-mangled.

Fast Fish Skillet

(adapted from Kraft Food & Family)

Ingredients:
4 tilapia fillets (1 lb.)
1/4 cup Italian Vinaigrette Dressing made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
1 tablespoon pesto
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, cut lengthwise, then crosswise into slices
1 cup grape tomatoes
3 Tbsp. thinly sliced fresh basil
Directions:
1. Brush fish with 2 tablespoons of dressing. Cook in skillet on medium heat 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with fork. Transfer to plate; cover to keep warm.
2. Add remaining dressing, pesto, vegetables and tomatoes to skillet; cook 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring frequently. Spoon over fish.
3. Top with basil.

There were a ton of veggies! I just dumped everything on one big platter.

Good Idea

I'm going to start "Bits and Pieces" entries which are good food ideas that are simple, don't really have a recipe, or involve left overs. The first official Bits and Pieces entry was Vanilla Milkshakes and Nutella Graham Crackers both of which are wonderful ideas. Last night's dinner involved leftover pesto and some extra cheese for good measure.

Pesto meet Pasta!

Goat Cheese, Garlic and Pesto Bruschetta

We've done a pretty good job finishing up leftovers and putting a dent in the super full freezer (seriously, I have a pint of ice cream in the ice machine and therefore no ice and I was also attacked by some rogue chicken cordon bleu that last time I opened the door). To celebrate this accomplish we met Amanda for happy hour at the Kite and the Key (They had Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence! ♥!) and came back to our place for appetizers and dessert (but no dinner).

I have been wanted to make Goat Cheese, Garlic and Pesto Bruschetta which we originally had when we went out to Tria with the boys. It was amazing and Weggy was in need of some pruning so it was the perfect time to make some fresh pesto.

Say hi to Weggy enjoying his prime Center City view:

(before and after pruning)

Mr. Lawyer constantly makes fun of me for naming my plants, talking to them, and generally becoming too attached to them but I argue that I get a better product and happy plants. Without Weggy this meal would not have been possible and it was delicious so he deserves a little respect!

Goat Cheese, Garlic and Pesto Bruschetta

(inspired by Tria, Pesto recipe from Giada)

Pesto Ingredients:
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (many recipes also use walnuts which are cheaper)
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1/2 to 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Pesto Directions:
1. In a blender or food processor, pulse the basil, pine nuts, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until finely chopped.
2. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until the mixture forms a smooth and thick consistency.

3. Add the Parmesan and pulse until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Bruschetta Ingredients:

Yummy Baguette

Pesto

Goat Cheese

Garlic

Bruschetta Directions:

1. Slice the baguette and toast it at 425 degrees for 8 minutes (4 minutes each side)

2. Remove toast from oven and rub with garlic

3. Spread on goat cheese and top with pesto

It's a great combination but you have to like goat cheese which is very strong and rich. The pesto was better after it sat for a couple of hours. Definitely a keeper.