Bacon Fontina Panini Sandwich

What is your favorite go to meal when you have to make supper in a hurry? My first choice is pizza but for some reason the rest of my family think we shouldn't eat pizza every night. Well, I agree since I think we should have it for breakfast and lunch too with the occasional bowl of cereal. However, they would have no problems if we had sandwiches every day. When I make sandwiches, I like to change it up. Some days it is just a cold sandwich. Other days I use the broiler to toast the sandwich. Then there is always the grilled cheese. Why make a grilled cheese when it is even faster to use a panini press, right? Except if you decide to add caramelized onions to your sandwich, then it will take a little extra time. It was worth it.

Bacon Fontina Panini Sandwich
5 pieces of bacon
3 tsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced thin
10 slices of smoked deli ham
5 slices of Fontina cheese
10 slices of crusty bread like french bread
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

Directions:

1. In a skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat. Set aside.
2. Wipe out the pan and add 2 tsp of oil to the skillet.
3. After a minute, add the onion and saute every few minutes for 20 minutes. Set aside.
4. Brush the panini press with the remaining oil (or add to your skillet the oil).
5. Butter two sides of the bread with the butter.
6. On the unbuttered side of one slice of bread, add one slice of cheese, bacon, two slices of ham. 
7. Top the ham with the caramelized onion. 
8. Place the unbuttered side of the bread on top of the onions.
9. Set the assembled sandwich on the panini press and close (or in the skillet), and cook for a few minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago.............................I made Nutella Hot Chocolate.

Sometimes onions are messy to eat!

Did you already know...............
-Fontina is a creamy, semi soft cheese.
-There are different types of fontina cheese like Italian, Swedish, or Danish.
-Fontina is a versatile cheese and can be eaten with fruit or cooked in a dish.

Roasted Vegetable Panini

We just started to decorate for Halloween. I have several containers full of spooky stuff. I even have some of my sister's decorations. I had stored her scarey crows away and the kids thought they were great. I did have to remind them that she will want them back. Instead, they decorated my house with them. When I saw them, I told my husband the bad news how some black crows had actually entered our home. He said he saw them and didn't know how our cat was going to take the news. It wasn't our cat that we should have been worried about but our dog. He kept staring at them. My husband thought it was funny to make one chase our dog while making cawing noises. Our dog retaliated by jumping up on him. Don't worry the crow is safe.

My youngest daughter calls these broccoli sandwiches. I guess she is right. I think of them as roasted vegetable sandwiches. I tried to make the photo look like claws. The kids thought it looked scarey or acted scared.

Ahhhh..........

Roasted Vegetable Panini (aka Scary Claw Sandwich)
2 cups broccoli, cut into small florets
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 cup cremini mushrooms
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
4 oz. butter
1 clove of garlic
 8 thick slices of french bread (I ask the bakery to slice the loaf)
4 slices of provolone cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler on high.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Toss the broccoli with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Place the broccoli on the parchment paper and broil for about 5 minutes.
5. Remove the baking sheet.
6. Add the mushrooms, bell pepper, and zucchini to the broccoli. Toss.
7. Broil the vegetables for about 5 more minutes, tossing once while in the oven.
8. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
9. In a small microwave safe bowl, add the butter and garlic.
10. Microwave the butter for 1 minute or until melted.
11. Brush two slices of the bread with the melted butter.
12. Place the slices in a heated panini press or skillet.
13. Top the bread with the vegetables and a slice of cheese.
14. Place another slice of butter bread on top.
15. Cook until golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats.

One year ago I made...............Black Forest Cherry Torte. 

Did you already know...
-The old English word wicce (witch) meant wise women. 
-It is said that witches held meetings on Halloween.
-Witches is a popular costume in the U.S.

Does she convince you that she is scared?

Ham, Cheese, & Fried Egg Panini

As a kid, did you look through the toy catalog and want all the toys? Did you care if it was a doll or a truck? I didn't. My mom would tell us we could only pick one or two items out of the catalog. I thought that was the most impossible task. 

As an adult, I have the same problem but with the William-Sonoma catalog. I would like one of these or two of those. Once in a while, I will break down if the price is right and purchase something like a lunch box with cookie cutters for $10. I thought that was a pretty good deal. My son thought it was great since it was for him. I do actually look at the recipes in the catalogs. Since I have an underutilized panini press, I decided to make this recipe. My family said this was a must make again meal.

Ham, Cheese, & Fried Egg Panini
yields: 4 sandwiches
1/2 tsp minced shallot
1/2 tsp honey
1 tsp Champagne vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
12 oz. Black Forest ham, thinly sliced
4 baguette rolls, sliced horizontally
6 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated
1 Tbsp mayonnaise/ Dijon mustard (optional)
1 cup mixed salad greens
4 eggs 
2 Tbsp chives, chopped

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix the shallot, honey, vinegar, and olive oil.  Set aside.
2. Preheat the electric panini press.
3. In a large skillet on medium heat, add 1 tsp vegetable oil. 
4. Working in batches, brown the ham slices about 1 minute per side. 
5. Transfer the ham on top of the open baguette rolls.
6. One the other side of the baguette rolls, brush with mayonnaise/mustard or the shallot oil mixture.
7. Add the salad greens to the shallot oil bowl and toss to coat the salad. 
8. Top the ham with about 1 oz. Gruyere cheese per a sandwich.
9. Cover the cheese with the other side of the baguette roll.
10. Place 2 sandwiches at a time in the panini press and close the lid.
11. Cook the sandwich about 4 minutes or until the cheese is melted. 
12. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining sandwiches.
13. In the large skillet used for the ham over medium-low heat, add 1 Tbsp vegetable oil.
14. Crack one egg into the skillet; cook the egg until the whites turn opaque.
15. Flip the egg over and cook about 1 minute or until desired doneness.
16. Open the sandwich and add the egg on top of the sandwich. 
17. Top the egg with the mix salad greens and sprinkle chives on top.
18. Close the sandwich and serve.

Source adapted from William-Sonoma January 2012 catalog.

Did you already know........
-Panini means sandwich.

-If you don't have a panini press, use a handheld grill press, brick covered with tinfoil, waffle iron, or a heavy skillet placed on top of the sandwich (or my oldest daughter's suggest use a clothes iron).

-In the early 1960s, Panini sandwiches could be found in sandwich shops around Italy.