Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese

I have to thank the lovely Kristina for this genius idea of her's!

Johnny and I love jalapeno poppers, stuffed jalapenos, or whatever you choose to call them. They go by many names, but the premise is the same: a seeded jalapeno, stuffed with ooey gooey cheese. This is them- but in sandwich form.

Begin by spreading a couple Tablespoons of cream cheese on bread. Add shredded cheese to the other side.

I seeded and roasted our jalapenos in the toaster oven for a few minutes, to give them a charred flavor. 

Sandwich the jalapenos in between the 2 slices of bread and grill (or use a panini press) to cook your sandwich and melt the cheese.

Slice and enjoy! Feel free to swap out your favorite cheese flavors, or even vegan cheeses, as Kristina did!

Road Trip Deli

The last wedding appointment Johnny and I had last weekend was with our Reverend. I found him online with great reviews, and after calling around to talk to a few officiants, I chose him. I love the guy! He's really personable and always cracks me up with a great sense of humor. This was Johnny's first time meeting him and he agreed. While we were walking away he squeezed my hand and told me I made the right choice.

We got in the car to drive away and I realized we should grab some food. I spotted Goldberg's Famous Bagels. There was no question. A Jewish deli making bagels? Can you get better than that!? I chose the everything bagel (BOTH sides were toasty and covered with toppings) with home made cream cheese and chives with Nova. He sliced the Nova fresh off the side of a salmon before putting it on my bagel.

For good measure, I texted my dad a picture with the caption "You jealous!?" It was delicious and makes me wish we had more Jewish people in the south. They just know their stuff.

New Sandwich Topper

As I was making a sandwich (on a hamburger bun from the freezer to use up) I went for the usual mayonnaise, but then stopped when I spotted a tub of hummus I made. I always see hummus spread on vegetarian sandwich options, but why not on a cold cut sandwich?

I smeared a healthy helping of a few tablespoons and it was delicious! Healthier than mayonnaise and adds another boost of protein to your lunch to keep you fuller longer!

Vegetable and Quinoa Bake

I've been turning to my health cookbooks more and more lately for inspiration. This Healthy Heart Cookbook had a recipe for a rice and broccoli bake. I thought it sounded like a really good idea, so I took it and ran with it. I changed the rice to quinoa, added way, way, wayyy more veggies, and left out some of the cheese.


Crust:
2 cups plain cooked quinoa
1 egg
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper, to taste

Filling:
1 cup frozen spinach
1 bell pepper
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
2 jarred, roasted red peppers
5 eggs
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper, to taste

Note: This can be made in a single 11 x 7" casserole dish, or separately in two pie plates.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg for the crust. Fold in the cheese and quinoa until evenly incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Spray your baking dish or pie plates with non-stick spray and turn the crust mix out into them. Using the back of a spatula or your hands, carefully form the crust along the bottom of the dish(es) and up the sides.

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large mixing bowl, add the veggies as you chop with the cheese. Feel free to add any combination of vegetables and cheese according to your individual tastes or preferences. You could even add beans, potatoes, or salsa - get creative! Reuse your medium bowl to beat the 5 eggs. Add to the large bowl and keep folding with the vegetables until everything is mixed. Season with salt and pepper.

Gently pour the egg and vegetable mixture into the crust(s), using a spatula to even out if necessary. Pop in the oven, uncovered for 20-30 minutes. Check the center for doneness with a knife. Let stand a few minutes before cutting. For breakfast or lunch, I would say this could serve 5-6. For dinner it serves closer to 3-4.

I was nervous about this one, but it really knocked our socks off! The quinoa crust was delicious. It held up really well, and the crunchy bits were really nutty and delicious.

I loved the combination of all of the vegetables. It was a really colorful meal, which always makes me feel like I'm eating healthy!

If you haven't already, could you please take a second to vote for my Lucia Buns? It's one-click to vote, no registration required. Thank you! (Voting ends March 4th)

NY Eats & Blizzard

My mom met me in New York to look at wedding venues and dresses. We stayed at a family friend's house and were treated to some delicious home made food!

Look at this adorable breakfast spread! Talk about spoiled!

They actually tapped and made their own maple syrup too! It was delicious and rich!

Later Sandy made us a key lime pie totally from scratch! I love tart pies, so this was a highlight of the trip for me!

My mom and I were both starving between venue appointments, so we pulled into a little roadside deli. I'm jealous these are so abundant up there! I got an Italian combo of salami, ham, mortadella, provolone, olive oil, lettuce, and marinated red peppers on a fresh Kaiser roll. It was gone in about 2 minutes flat.

And here's a few pics and a short video to show you guys the wrath of Blizzard 2011:

The front of our house.

The snow taller than Corky!

Drift in the backyard.

Our front walkway was waist high!

Blogger Meet Up - Big Bowl

Sunday morning Di (Johnny's sister) and I set off to pick up Jenn. Then we met Mara, Beth, Mel, and Kelly (Johnny and Di's sister-in-law).

We were all at Big Bowl to gab it up and chow down - which is exactly what we did! We definitely need to do this more than once a year! Can you believe September 2009 was the last time I saw Beth and Mara!?

I'd never been to Big Bowl before and to be honest, I was so busy conversing that I really didn't study the menu like I normally would. I opted for a ginger seafood dish, with scallops and shrimp.

It was good, but because I requested no mushrooms, there really wasn't much in terms of veggies - just the green onion bits.

Before we said our goodbyes we got a group shot. Last time we totally forgot to get pictures together!

I left with some goodies too, of course!

Jenn made everybody mini banana muffins with chocolate chips. Forgive the notebook paper background, but I had to get a really quick pic because this was the last one! They were so good, I had all I could do to save one for a shot!

Mel made an awesome white chocolate "bark" with pecans and dried cranberries. This is so creamy and delicious - just my type of dessert! I'm not a huge fan of chocolate, but dark and white chocolate are an exception!!

And Beth was such a sweetheart to get up early and make us all pumpkin scones! I've already gobbled up three four of these!

Thanks girls! Di, Kelly, and I had a blast with you! :)

Elizabeth's Cafe

Long time readers of my blog will remember that my brother, Michael is a CIA grad chef with his wine certification. He had been living and working in California at a Mobil 5 star restaurant, but now he's back on the east coast!


He has returned to the restaurant where he started as a dishwasher and worked his way up, Elizabeth's Cafe. They used to be dinner-only, but he now offers his own lunch and accompanying wine menu for casual dining inside or on the patio.


We went with long time family friend Lyn and her daughters Cecelia and Marissa (my God daughter!), my mom, and her friend Pam.

When Michael saw us approaching through the kitchen window he immediately started on the girls' lunch so they wouldn't have to wait long. They had grilled cheddar cheese sandwiches with their favorite cottage cheese!

I ordered the saffron shrimp salad on Ciabatta roll with the apple slaw to share with my mom and it was delicious! My plate was sparkling white by the end of the meal!

My mom ordered the seared diver scallops with the green bean salad. These were so awesome and scallops are my favorite seafood!

Pam ordered the crab and cauliflower lasagna, which she let me take a few bites of. This was really creamy and I loved the cauliflower in there - I'll have to add that to mine in the future!

Lyn was adventurous and went for something she said she never would have considered - the peach and plum gazpacho! I also stole a spoonful of this and it was so refreshing!

The warm French bread that came at the beginning of the meal was SO addicting, I asked my brother if I could take a few pieces home. Imagine my delight when he popped out of the kitchen door and handed me a whole loaf!!!

Sushi Style Ham Rolls

Wow, I started a new semester yesterday and I am worried about the next 8 weeks! My two professors this semester are both giving the impression of real hard-balls! Both have the strictest schedules I've seen since I started school again and huge research paper assignments on the syllabus. Yikes! At least it'll be nicer weather outside because it really helps me to be able to do a lot of reading on the patio or lounging in a lawn chair! It also helps my tan, too!

I got this recipe from the Philadelphia Cream Cheese web site because it looked really interesting. Of course I made some changes!

6 or 12 slices deli ham (*See notes below)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup leftover cooked rice
1/4 cup thin pepper strips
1/4 cup thin cucumber strips

Divide the cream cheese and rice into six even portions. Spread a slice of (*rectangle shaped) ham to the edge with the cream cheese. Top with the rice, gently pushing in to adhere it to the cream cheese. Place two or three strips of the peppers and cucumbers at the short end of the ham slice and roll up tightly. (*If your ham cracks or is sliced too thin, roll using 2 layers of ham.)

Cut each roll into 5 pieces and serve as an appetizer, lunch, or light dinner. We ate this as a light dinner since we had eaten a late lunch that day. It took only a few minutes to whip each one up with very little mess!

These actually reminded me of real sushi, surprisingly! The rice and crisp bite from the peppers and cucumbers were correct, while the saltiness from the ham was reminiscent of the saltiness of seafood and soy sauce.

Tips:

• To make ahead and serve later, make each roll and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge and slice just before serving.
• For brighter colors feel free to use red, orange, or yellow peppers. The green ones were on sale, so I chose those.
• If you have kids, make sure you let them help out! The assembly of these is pretty straight forward and leaves little room for great mess or error!
  

Reuben Cousin

Sunday night I was watching The Next Iron Chef and Chef Mullen won the challenge with an Asian inspired reuben. He was describing all of the components, and it sounded so crazy it might work. The judges loved it and were commenting how there isn't a person out there who doesn't love a reuben! I had to feel a little silly at that point, because I've never had one!

So, with corned beef leftovers in my fridge, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to try at least a reuben cousin - my variation, with what's on hand.

2 slices wheat bread, buttered
corned beef, sliced
cheddar cheese
dill pickle slices
brown mustard

I pretty much just cooked it like a grilled cheese! I buttered both sides of the bread, assembled it, and reduced the heat and put a lid on. I left it alone for about 2 minutes on each side so the inside could get hot and everything melty and crisp.

When I cut into it, I have to admit I felt like Sophia! She always creates complex flavor combinations (most times with cheese!) that I would never think of. This was pretty out there for me, the most daring my grilled cheeses have gotten before this is adding sliced ham!

All in all, I really liked it! There was the salty tenderness of the corned beef, the cheesy goodness, and then the tart backgrounds from the pickle and bites of the brown mustard. All balanced by a crusty, buttery bread!

I also finally did something with my Twitter account! There's a link in the taskbar on the side, if you want to follow me! I found a lot of you to follow, but I still need to track some of you down...