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Non-Grilled

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What do you call it? It is some form of bread with melted cheese on it and possibly between two pieces of bread.

I’ve heard toasted cheese, cheese toastie, cheese jaffle, tosti and, of course, grilled cheese. I use the term grilled cheese. While variations in ingredients can produce a croque monsieur, panini or patty melt, the original is often best.

When I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever grilled a grilled cheese. My typical method is to butter the outside and pan fry it. I have put it under the broiler, but never heated up the grill for the task. Franky, it seems a little overkill.

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This variation uses a French baguette and has tomatoes on it.

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This was good with a regular tomato but I think it could really be interesting with different heirloom varieties.

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Making a quick spread for the bread.

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Broiling them up as I didn’t want to fire up the grill for this task.

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Adding the tomatoes.

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Laying out the cheese. I sprinkled some Italian seasoning on top of the cheese.

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Yum!

Open-Faced Tomato Grilled Cheese

Prep Time: 0 hours 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 hours 10 minutes | Makes: 6-8 servings | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Kosher salt
  • 1/2 baguette, halved lengthwise
  • 1 large clove garlic, halved
  • 1 medium tomato, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
  • 1/4 pound sliced provolone cheese

Directions:

Preheat a grill to medium high. Combine the olive oil, oregano, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Brush the cut sides of the baguette with some of the flavored oil. Grill cut-side down until toasted, about 4 minutes.

Rub the grilled sides of the baguette with the garlic. Top with the tomato slices, season with salt and cover with the provolone. Grill, covered, until the cheese melts, 3 to 5 minutes. Drizzle with the remaining flavored oil and season with salt. Cut into pieces.

Source: http://m.foodnetwork.com/recipes/recipe/546677

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The Super Secret Decoder Ring

4 Comments

When I was first married, the Internet was still the property of the government and universities, so to find new recipes, you had to go analog – a cookbook.

We had a few (very few) cookbooks to start out with, and like with many young couples, money was tight enough that cookbooks, for the most part, were not in the budget. I collected recipe from friends and relatives and cut an occasional one from a newspaper or magazine, but that was a slow process. I needed to find a better way.

Around that time, I happened upon an offer from Kikoman (think soy sauce), that if I sent in several UPC codes and filled out their form, they would send me the Kikoman cookbook. I sent away for it, and like Ralphie in The Christmas Story, I eagerly checked the mailbox daily to see if my “super secret decoder ring” had arrived.

When it came it was a 20 page, glossy booklet. While not a full cookbook, it instantly increased my recipes dramatically. I cooked through most of the recipes and even found a few favorites. Having had success with this, I knew there were other brands that did the same.

Over the next several years, through send-aways and purchases at the aisle at my local grocery store, I added a dozen more of these booklets. Splenda. RealLemon. National Beef Council. Had them all, and, of course, Pilsbury.

I believe I first found this recipe there.

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These are great little pockets of chicken. A great hot lunch.

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Very few ingredients.

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Making a roux.

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Adding the chicken and cheese.

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Flattening out the pockets.

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You end up making a little “purse” of the contents. It is important to ensure the dough is closed at the top as much as possible for the next steps.

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Breaded and ready for baking.

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Out of the oven.

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Great little pockets. Kids love them.

Chicken To Go Biscuits

Prep Time: 20 Min | Cook Time: 40 Min | Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 2 tablespoons Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose or Unbleached Flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Dash pepper
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 cups cubed cooked chicken*
  • 1 1/4 cups (5 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup (4 oz.) chopped or sliced drained mushrooms
  • 1 (16.3-oz.) can Pillsbury® Grands!® Refrigerated Buttermilk Biscuits
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten
  • 3 cups cornflakes, crushed or 1 cup cornflake crumbs

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In medium saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Add milk all at once. Cook about 1 minute until thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in chicken, cheese and mushrooms; set aside.

2. Separate biscuit dough into 8 biscuits. Roll or pat each into 5-inch circle. Place about 1/3 cup chicken mixture on each biscuit circle. Wrap dough around chicken mixture, pressing edges to seal.

3. Dip rolls in egg, then coat with crushed cornflakes. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375°F. for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.

Source: http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/chicken-to-go-biscuits/be794f6a-7923-46e6-8bec-00d5e0d33c9d/

Rock and Roll Gourmet Grilled Cheese

8 Comments

Many cities have a laundry list of “must see” items that truly make them unique. Can you pick just one thing to see in New York? For me, if forced to choose just one, it would have to be the iconic Statue of Liberty. Using the same limiting factor for other cities would force me to choose Bourbon Street in New Orleans, South Beach in Miami and Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

Looking at my city where I live, Cleveland, Ohio, there is really one choice – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Many people actively wonder why the Rock Hall (as it is called here in town) is in Cleveland and some of them really want it moved to New York, but here it is and hopefully here it is to stay.

From a foodie perspective, it is also difficult to choose just one restaurant in town. If you were going to fly into Cleveland for the evening, where would I recommend that you go to eat? Surprisingly, Cleveland is actually becoming a foodie town. There are great new restaurants and superstar chefs (Iron Chef Michael Symon) and plenty of places come to mind. In the end, though, I’d take you for a grilled cheese sandwich.

A trip to the Melt Bar and Grilled (yes, it is grilled) is a “must do” in Cleveland. Started a few years ago, the place specializes in gourmet grilled cheese. While you can have melted American cheese on bread (they call it the Kindergartener), you can also venture out and have Ahi tuna, lasagna or bratwurst on your sandwich (or all three). You have choices of dozens of ingredients and a variety of different cheese. If you want, you can even get your sandwich battered and deep fried (ala Monte Cristo). Served with a mountain of fries and with dozens of cold beer on tap, I cannot in good conscience take you anywhere else.

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Recently I made grilled cheese at home that was much closer to the Kindergartener than the mountainous sandwich you can get at the Melt.

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This sandwich uses Grands ® Biscuits in place of the bread.

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I flatten it out with my palm first.

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Then roll it to about 5″ in diameter.

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You will end up with 8 discs. Fry up (on a non-stick surface with nothing or a little butter) one side of each disc. Those will be the insides.

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Once done, flip it over, put on the cheese (2 slices or more spread out to cover as much of it as you can) and top it with the other (fried side on the inside).

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Fry until done, then flip. This allows the cheese to melt properly.

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Grands!® Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Prep Time: 20 Min | Cook Time: 20 Min | Makes: 4 large sandwiches | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (8 biscuits)
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 8 slices (2/3 oz each) American cheese

Directions:

1. Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Press or roll each to form 5 1/2-inch round.

2. In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add biscuit rounds, a few at a time; cook 3 minutes. Turn; cook about 3 minutes longer or until light golden brown. Remove from skillet.

3. Place 2 slices of cheese on each of 4 biscuit rounds. Top with remaining biscuit rounds.

4. Return to skillet; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn; cook about 2 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Source: http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/grands-grilled-cheese-sandwiches/8454ce63-e47b-43de-9bbd-2d49b46540da/

Quick Lunch, Quick Post

5 Comments

This is another quick post for a quick lunch recipe. The dill slaw is very tasty and I was surprised at how delicious these wraps are. Make them!

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Great flavors.

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A surprising number of ingredients.

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The slaw.

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Making the wrap.

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You know a wrap is good when you need two or three toothpicks to keep it together!

Roast Beef Wraps With Dill Slaw

Prep Time: 0 hours 15 minutes | Cook Time: 0 hours 0 minutes | Makes: 4 servings | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups shredded coleslaw mix
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons horseradish, drained
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 pound sliced dill-flavored havarti cheese
  • 1/2 pound deli-sliced roast beef
  • 4 whole-wheat wraps
  • Vegetable or potato chips, for serving (optional)

Directions:

Make the slaw: Toss the coleslaw mix, dill, vinegar, sugar, mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl.Layer the cheese, roast beef and slaw in the center of the wraps. Fold in the sides, then roll up tightly. Cut in half and serve with chips, if desired.Per serving: Calories 434; Total Fat 25 grams; Saturated 9 grams; Total Carbohydrate 26 grams; Fiber 1 grams; Protein 25 grams; Cholesterol 71 milligrams; Sodium 1,061 milligrams

Source: http://m.foodnetwork.com/recipes/recipe/546883

Pop Tart Family

17 Comments

We are a Pop Tart family.

Over the Christmas holidays, we ended up playing a family game with a group of relatives that was focused on products and brands. My boys were on a team with a third person and a card came up that had to do with cereal. I knew they would be at a loss as the only one in our house that will touch cereal is me.

When my wife and I were first living together I found that she had the same breakfast every day: one package of unfrosted strawberry pop tarts. Me, I needed variety, but she was perfectly fine having that same breakfast every day for years.

Those years went by and after making a conscious decision to eat healthier came, the pop tarts were replaced, but by that time my kids were hooked. They liked a variety of pop tarts, but still wanted those rectangular pastries for breakfast. They still do today, unless I force an outage and drive them to other items.

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I came across this recipe a while back and saved it until just recently. These were pretty straightforward to make.

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The recipe called for grape but it will work just as easy with any flavor.

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Making the dough.

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Resting in the fridge.

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Rolled out and cut. Use a ruler.

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After I started making the tarts I realized I had just used up all the parchment paper in the house with another recipe. As a consequence and not wanting to burn the tarts, I baked them on a baking stone. Unfortunately the stone does not have a lip to it and as some of the jelly ran out during baking, I made a mess in the oven.

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Noticed the edges crimped via fork? Fancy….

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Making the glaze.

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The glaze had a distinct orange flavor (I did add the optional orange liqueur). I think next time, I would choose a less sticky choice and go with a standard glaze.

Grape Jelly Breakfast Tarts

Prep Time: 1 hours 30 minutes | Cook Time: 0 hours 30 minutes | Makes: 5 tarts | Difficulty: Intermediate

Ingredients:

For the Tarts:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons cold shortening, cut into small pieces
  • 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup grape jelly
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1/3 cup milk

For the Glaze:

  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • Juice of 2 oranges
  • 2 tablespoons orange liqueur (optional)
  • 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • Grated orange zest, for topping

Directions:

Make the tarts: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the shortening and about one-quarter of the butter and pulse until they disappear into the flour, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining butter and pulse a few times, until the mixture looks like coarse meal with pea-size bits of butter. Add 1/2 cup ice water and pulse once or twice, until the dough just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, form into a disk and wrap tightly; chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. (For quicker tarts, use refrigerated pie dough and skip this step.)

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out ten 4-by-3-inch rectangles using a toaster pastry press or a paring knife. Transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Chill at least 15 minutes.

Spread 5 of the dough rectangles with a heaping tablespoonful of jelly each, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around. Brush the edges with the beaten egg, then cover with the remaining 5 dough rectangles. Crimp the edges with a fork or use the toaster pastry press to seal. Chill at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake the tarts until flaky and golden, 20 to 25 minutes, brushing with the milk after 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Meanwhile, make the glaze: Bring the granulated sugar, orange juice and liqueur (if using) to a simmer in a large skillet over low heat; cook until reduced by half, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Let cool. Brush the glaze on the tarts, sprinkle with the orange zest and let set, 5 minutes.

Source: http://m.foodnetwork.com/recipes/recipe/560315

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