GRILLED CHICKEN PESTO PANINI

What is a panini? In Italian it means "small bread roll". It's pretty much yummy cheese, meat, and herbs squished between fabulous bread. This recipe came from the ward recipe swap 2 months ago from DW who got it from her sis-in-law who got it from ??? After tasting hers, I went to the sandwich shop down the road and tried their chicken pesto panini. I won't name names but it's one of those trendy places that boasts of fresh ingredients and artisan bread. It costs an arm and a leg for one sandwich and in the end you think, "I could have made that at home." I'll tell you what, their sandwich doesn't hold a candle to this one. It takes more work than your basic grilled cheese but it's worth it!

GRILLED CHICKEN PESTO PANINI

2 chicken breasts cut in half to make 4 pieces of chicken
2 T. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. dried Italian seasoning

Pound chicken to about 1/4 inch thick. Mix above ingredients and marinade the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. I put it in a Pyrex baking dish, you could also use a large Ziploc. After one hour, saute chicken on medium for about 5 minutes until done.

Bottled roasted red peppers
Bottled pesto sauce
4 slices Provolone cheese
8 thick slices Italian bread (I used homemade bread from the Traditional White Bread recipe)

Brush olive oil on the outsides of the bread. Put a slice of Provolone on the inside of one piece of bread, then the cooked chicken, then the red peppers. Spread a spoonful of pesto on the inside of the other slice. I used my George Forman to squish and grill the sandwich. If you don't have one, place the sandwich in a pan over medium heat. Place another pan on top to squish it together. Cook on both sides until toasted.

PEACH KUCHEN

This dessert disappears quickly every time I make it. It's kind of like peach pie with a yummy sweetened sour cream topping. You can serve it warm or refrigerated. We prefer it warm. I like to cut the recipe in half so I've included the whole recipe and the halved recipe to save you the math. It's a simple dessert that can bake while you're eating. I hope you enjoy it.

PEACH KUCHEN-Taste of Home 2002

Whole Recipe (9 x 13):

Crust:

3 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 c. cold butter

Combine the flour, 1/4 c. sugar, baking powder, and salt; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a greased 9 x 13 baking dish.

Peach Layer:

2 cans (29 oz. each) sliced peaches
1 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
Reserve 2 -3 T. of cinnamon sugar mixture to sprinkle over the sour cream layer

Arrange peaches over the crust. Combine cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle over peaches. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and add sour cream layer.

Sour Cream Topping:

4 egg yolks
2 c. sour cream
2 -3 T. cinnamon sugar

Combine egg yolks and sour cream. Spread over peaches. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top. Bake 30 - 35 minutes more until golden.

Half Recipe (8 x 8):

Crust:

1 1/2 c. flour
2 T. sugar
1/4 t. baking powder
1/8 t. salt
1/2 c. cold butter

Combine the flour, 2 T. sugar, baking powder, and salt; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a greased 8 x 8 baking dish.

Peach Layer:

1 can (29 oz.) sliced peaches
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
Reserve 1 1/2 - 2 T. of cinnamon sugar mixture to sprinkle over the sour cream layer

Arrange peaches over the crust. Combine cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle over peaches. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and add sour cream layer.

Topping:

2 egg yolks
1 c. sour cream
2 T. cinnamon sugar

Combine egg yolks and sour cream. Spread over peaches. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top. Bake 30 - 35 minutes more until golden.

HAYSTACKS

This is a simple make your own plate meal. You can easily serve a crowd with this dish and picky eaters can choose what they want. I've listed several toppings that we like but you can add whatever suits your taste.

HAYSTACKS

Perfect rice:

1 c. rice
3 c. water

Add above ingredients to rice steamer. An easy way to get perfect rice is to remember the 3 to one rule: 1 cup rice + 3 cups water.

Chicken:

2 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can water
1/4 - 1/2 t. curry powder if desired

Place chicken, soup, water, and curry in slow cooker. When it's done, dice the chicken and add it back into the gravy.

Toppings:

shredded cheddar
nuts (we like salted almonds or cashews)
diced celery
toasted coconut
diced, fresh tomatoes
chow mein noodles
pineapple tidbits
mandarin oranges
green onions

To assemble start with rice, then chicken & gravy, then toppings.

Breakfast in a Jiffy

Have you ever noticed how mornings run much smoother when mom is calm and collected? I've discovered that if I'm up and ready before they are and if breakfast is planned and clothes are picked out and backpacks are packed (whew!) we have a much better morning.

I have one child who cannot be rushed and who has never eaten a bowl of cereal or oatmeal. She dislikes milk and so neither of those two meals appeal to her. Her calcium comes from yogurt and cheese. In the morning, she only wants something hot that can be covered in syrup. Well, with school starting at 8:45 a.m., I needed to figure out a way to get pancakes and waffles done quickly. I keep several baggies of pancake and waffle mix in the pantry with the dry ingredients already measured. In the morning, all I have to do is add milk, eggs, and oil. I usually double the pancake recipe and keep some of the pancake batter in the fridge. It keeps for a couple of days and that way your pancakes are fresh each morning. There's nothing worse than dry pancakes. I usually cook all of the waffle batter and then freeze them in a huge Ziploc-my own version of Eggo's. I hope these tips are helpful. Best wishes for a peaceful morning!

PANCAKES-From Where's Mom Now That I Need Her cookbook

3/4 c. whole wheat flour (all-purpose will work)
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 T. sugar (White if you put it in baggies, brown if you're going to mix immediately-brown gets too hard sitting in a Ziploc.)
1 egg yolk
3/4 c. milk
4 t. cooking oil
1 egg white, beaten until stiff

Combine ingredients in order listed, folding egg white in last.

WAFFLES

1/2 c. butter, melted
1 T. sugar
4 egg yolks
2 c. milk
2 c. flour
4 egg whites, stiffly beaten
4 t. baking powder

Melt butter, stir in the sugar and egg yolks. Beat well. Beat in milk and flour. Fold in egg whites and baking powder. Bake in waffle iron. Store leftovers in refrigerator or freezer. Reheat in toaster.

BROWN SUGAR SYRUP-Yum-0! You'll love this!

1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. water
1 T. butter
1/2 t. vanilla

Combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Remember those tomatoes we canned during the summer? Well here is the perfect opportunity to try them out. I like to use fresh tomatoes in spaghetti sauce when they are in season, but during the winter home-canned tomatoes are the next best thing. The sauce recipe originated with my husband's Grandma Nida. After experimenting, I added a few extra spices to make it a little more to my taste. The meatballs are from the Williams and Sonoma Italian cookbook. I checked it out from the library one day and came across this gem! I've changed a few things in that recipe too. I like to double the meatball recipe and freeze half of them for later meals. You'll use a lot of garlic, (YUM!) just keep the breath mints handy;)

SPAGHETTI SAUCE

1 quart diced tomatoes
2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 can tomato soup
1/2 large onion (or 1 T. dried onion flakes)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 t. oregano
1/2 t. thyme ( or 1/4 ground)
1/2 t. basil

Add all ingredients and simmer until reduced in amount, about 1 hour.

MEATBALLS

1 lb. hamburger
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs
1 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 c. parmesan cheese, shredded

Combine all ingredients and roll into balls. The recipe suggested frying in olive oil. That was a little too greasy for me. I baked them for 10 minutes, flipped them over then baked another 10 minutes. The recipe also suggested adding 1 T. fresh, chopped parsley-I omit this, my family doesn't like the green stuff;)

BAGELS

Woo-hoo! The bagels worked. I'm so excited. This recipe makes 8 regular sized bagels. It was so easy! I always thought that it would be really time consuming but I was done in about an hour and a half and a lot of the time I was waiting for the dough to rest. I did half plain and sprinkled cinnamon-sugar on the other half. They disappeared quickly. I've always loved bagels and now I can have them fresh out of the oven anytime. If you try them, let me know what you think.

BAGELS

4 c. flour
1 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
1 T. vegetable oil
2 t. yeast
1 1/2 c. warm water

1. Mix all ingredients in your mixing bowl. Dough should feel a little bit stiff. Knead for about 10 minutes.
2. Cut dough into 8 balls, let rest 20 minutes.
3. Roll into a snake on the counter. Wrap into a circle and pinch the ends together.
4. Let rest 20 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
   
6. Bring a pot of water to boil, grease a large cookie sheet.
7. After 20 minutes the dough should be puffy. Drop them into boiling water without crowding them. Boil 1 minute, then flip over and boil 1 more minute. Place on an oiled baking tray. You can dust tray with cornmeal if desired.
   
8. Bake for 10 minutes, flip over, bake for another 10 minutes.
9. Let cool and enjoy!
   
10. To add toppings sprinkle the topping on a plate and dip boiled bagel in topping. Suggestions: cinnamon-sugar, poppy seeds, asiago cheese.
    

WHITE DINNER ROLLS

Winter weather has hit our fair state. The cool temperatures make me want to bake bread and make soup. You just can't have soup, stew, or chili without hot bread or rolls. It's like shoes & socks, Bert & Ernie, PB & J (you get the picture!) My husband's aunt makes the best rolls in the world. But when I make these rolls, my husband says I could give her a run for her money. I must admit, they are pretty yummy rolls. We generally eat the whole pan in one meal. Most of the time we burn our fingers peeling them out of the pan before they are cooled. Since I'm in the mood for hot bread, look forward to more recipes for different bread ideas. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking of making bagels later today. If it works out, I'll share. If not, I'll work at it until I get it right. Enjoy!

White Dinner Rolls - Betty Crocker

3 1/2 TO 3 3/4 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
1 t. salt
1 pkg. yeast (2 1/4 t.)
1/2 c. very warm water
1/2 c. very warm milk
1 egg
butter for melting over completed rolls

1. Mix 2 cups flour, sugar, 1/4 c. butter, salt, and yeast. Add warm water, milk, and egg. Beat on low 1 minute. Beat on medium 1 minute. Add enough flour to handle dough.
2. Knead 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. Grease 9 x 13 pan.
4. Punch down dough. Divide into 15 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Place in pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes. Spread melted butter over baked rolls.