Apple, Onion & Brie Panini

Makes 4 sandwiches  (10 WW points each)

INGREDIENTS

1 tsp. olive oil
2 - large granny smith apples (quartered, cored and sliced)
1/2 large sweet onion (sliced)
1 sprig rosemary
12 oz. beer (any beer will work, I used a pumpkin spice ale - you can also substitute with broth)
6 oz. brie cheese
8 sliced 100% Whole Wheat Bread

DIRECTIONS

Place oil in a large skillet set to medium-high heat.  Saute' onions and apples for approximately 5 minutes.  Add beer and rosemary spring; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer until onions and apples have cooked down and there is no liquid left, approximately 35-40 minutes.  Be sure to stir occasionally.

When it first starts to boil.....

....after about 35 - 40 minutes of simmering.

When the apples and onions have finished cooking; remove rosemary sprig and set aside.  Top four slices of bread each with 1 & 1/2 ounces of brie.  Then top with 1/4 cup of the apple mixture and then the remaining slices of bread.  When your panini press preheated, lightly spray with olive oil and grill your sandwiches until the cheese starts to melt.  Approximately 3-4 minutes.

One of my favorite breads for a panini is the Food For Life - Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted grain bread.  Locally you can find it at Dierbergs in the organic refrigerated section.  There are several different types, but I really like the Sesame.

Before they turn into sweet melty goodness.  :)

I think they are done!!!!

 

 

 

Delish!!!

Make your own....Fat Free Potato Chips in under 8 minutes!!!

I thought that may catch your attention!!!☺ 


You probably have everything you need right now to make your own healthy potato chips at home and you didn't even know it.  All you need is a potato, knife, and a microwave.  Optional items to make it just a tad easier and a bit tastier would be parchment paper and seasoning of your choice. 

STEP #1 - Slice your potato:   The thickness is going to make a difference on how long it takes to cook them properly, but the most important thing is to try and get them cut at the same thickness.  I like mine cut to about 1/8th of an inch or so.

If you have a mandolin it is a great tool to use for this.  I do have one, but honestly it's kind of a pain in the rear to get out and use.  So, if I'm only making enough for one meal or a snack, I just use a knife.  If I'm going to make a big batch I go ahead and get out my mandolin. 

STEP #2 - Microwave:  Place the slices in a single layer onto parchment paper, season according to your taste and place into your microwave.  Zap'em for about 6 minutes.  Check for crispness.  They will need to be browned in order to get crisp.  You may need a rotate a few from the middle to the outer edge so they evenly cook.  If they aren't quite done pop'em in for another minute or two.  It's important to watch them carefully at this point...you want dark brown...not black.

So, be sure to watch them carefully, especially the first few times you make them.  Once you get to know your microwave and how long it takes...it will be a breeze!

Now go.....CRUNCH AWAY.....GUILT FREE!!!!

 

Our picnic tonight was: Grilled Turkey Burgers, Homemade Chips & Fruit Salad

(Oh and juice for the boys and a brewsky for mom & dad)

Potatoes, Fruit Salad, Tomatoes, Lettuce & Homemade Pickles (made from fancy cucumbers) all courtesy of the Community Helpings Coop!!!  

To find out if Community Helpings Co-op has a delivery near you, please visit www.communityhelpingscoop.com.

My Uncle Bob's Favorite Green Beans

I made these green beans for the first time on Christmas Eve and they were a HUGE hit! My Uncle Bob told me no less that 7 times that they were the best green beans he'd ever had. They are super easy, super delicious, and super healthy! Seriously, try them...

Also, they were the first recipe I've ever used a shallot in! If you've never cooked with a shallot before it's a cross between an onion and garlic. It's in a bulb like garlic, but the taste and smell is more similar to an onion. But the bonus of shallots is that they don't make you cry while cutting them up and they don't give you bad breath. Bonus!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the cooking water
• 1 pound fresh green beans
• 1 large shallot
• 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Bring a medium pot of cold water to a boil over high heat and salt it generously. Trim the stem end off the green beans. Peel and finelychop the shallot.

Drop the green beans into the boiling water and cook, uncovered, until crisp tender, about 4 minutes. Drain in a colander set in the sink and rinse with very cold water until cool. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels. (The vegetables can be prepared up to this point, up to 4 hours ahead.)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add theshallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is just golden, about 2 minutes. Add the green beans, increase the heat to high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are heated through, about 4 minutes. Season with the 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper and serve immediately.

Best side dish ever! Enjoy!

Much Love,

Jess

Roasted Garlic

I'm back and feeling soooo much better. It turns out that I had a severe sinus infection and it kicked my butt for about a week and a half. But after the old faithful Z-Pack and lots and lots of sleep I'm back in the kitchen!

I made a fabulous meal that I was super excited about for Easter Sunday! But since that blog would be way too long I decided to break each dish from the meal into a separate blog.

I started with roasted garlic to put on rustic bread. And it turned out beautifully. It's a super easy recipe to make and it ups the caliber of just plain old bread or store bought garlic bread.

Roasted Garlic:

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

*Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

This is what it should look like before roasting.

*Place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

*Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

*Eat as is or mash with a fork and use for cooking. Can be spread over warm French bread, mixed with sour cream for a topping for baked potatoes, or mixed in with Parmesan and pasta.

This is the end result! Delicious!!!

 This is definitely my new favorite and easiest recipe! I promise once you've tried it you won't ever go back to frozen garlic bread again! :)

Much Love and Deliciously Bad Breath,

-Jess

My 1st ~ Dierberg's School of Cooking class

I love to drink wine, but honestly I don't know much about wine.  I know what I like and what I dislike, but that all changed a bit last night.  Thanks to my friend, Liz.  Last month was my birthday and Liz decided she was going to take me to a class at the Dierberg's School of Cooking. ☺ What a great gift!!!

Last night we attended a Pairing Food & Wine Class, which we both loved.  It was taught by a Certified Wine Educator named, Ted Fuehne.  He does wine tastings and events all over the area.  Since we signed up to be on his mailing list, I'm sure you will be hearing more about him and the wines he will teach us about.  Last night we got to sample 6 different wines from Cupcake Vineyards.  Did you know that all Cupcake Vineyards wines are only $10 at Dierbergs? Ted then paired each Cupcake selection with something from the Dierberg's deli department.  Which by the way, have some really great items to help you create a perfect dinner party without having to lift a finger in the kitchen.  I obviously love to cook, but I'm also not opposed to using quality, freshly prepared foods to make the evening more easy for the host.  Dierbergs is the perfect place to help you achieve that. 

Here is a what we enjoyed:

Mosel Riesling (Germany) - paired with mild cheddar and creamy havarti cheese and fruit - I started enjoying  wine about 10 years ago while visiting wineries in Missouri.  I started out with a Riesling similar to this one.  If you are new to wine, this would be a great selection to start off.  It's fruity, not too overly sweet and a great wine for sipping on a hot summer night. It would be really nice to pair with spicy Asian food, but just sweet enough to enjoy by itself after dinner.


Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand) - paired with penne pasta in a creamy and garlicky Alfredo sauce - this was my least favorite only because I'm not a fan of the more "grapefruity" wines.  This grape makes wines that are just too simply too tart for my taste.  Strong flavors of limes, lemons and grapefruit shine through.  I was surprised though the way it balanced out against the garlic in the Alfredo sauce and I would probably like this with a garlic roasted chicken and grilled asparagus.  So, while this wasn't my favorite, I enjoyed learning about how to pair it and make it more easy on my palette. 

Chardonnay (California) - paired with roasted chicken.  I was very surprised with this selection as well.  Typically Chardonnays are too "oaky" for me and I don't care for them.  This however was more buttery, soft and smooth.  Ted said that many vineyards are realizing the strong oak flavor is overpowering and not enjoyed by most people so they are starting to age them in stainless steel barrels or not aging it as long in the oak barrels.  This particular wine was only aged for 9 months in oak barrels which made the toasty oak very subtle and I really enjoyed it with the roasted chicken.  The wine took on a creamy buttery flavor up against the slow roasted flavors.  This would have also been good paired with the salmon we had with our next selection.  I would like to pair this with roasted chicken breast stuffed with a compound butter of blue cheese and spicy peppercorn bacon and see how that turns out.

Shiraz (Australia) - paired with lemon-pepper salmon.  I learned last night that Shiraz and Syrah are actually the same grape.   Syrah was renamed when it moved from the Southeastern part of France even further Southeast to the Australian region.  It is still known as Syrah when grown in France, but when it is grown in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina it is known as Shiraz.  Even though they are the same grape they taste completely different depending on the region it was grown in.  Shiraz is not normally a favorite of mine.  It is always so peppery to me and just not something I like to sit and sip on.  However, last night was a perfect example of when paired with the right food the wine can take on totally different flavor than what you expect.  The spicy notes of the wine paired perfectly against the spicy lemon-pepper seasoning on the salmon and really married together well.  I would probably serve this with a spicy shrimp stir fry, or my spicy drunken marinara with pasta.

Malbec (Argentina) - paired with barbecued beef and cubed blue cheese.  OMGosh!!!  By far my favorite pairing of the night.  I personally had never even heard of Malbec.  Ted explained it as "the other Merlot" so I was sure I was going to like it.  Wow! I was so right!.  The nose on this was dry and leathery, then you are surprised by the soft velvety texture and the flavors of chocolate, blueberries and plums.  It does finish with a hint of oak, but not too overpowering.  The best part of this tasting was when you paired it against the blue cheese and the BBQ beef. DEEE--LISH!!!  If you don't like blue cheese, than you wouldn't like that regardless.  BUT if you do!!!  This was the Buttermilk Blue found in the deli section of Dierbergs and by far the best blue cheese I have ever had.  Especially when paired with this fruity and intense Malbec.  If blue cheese isn't your thing, you can still enjoy this wine with the BBQ Beef which was equally delicious and when you put all three together it was like heaven.  ♫♪♫♪ ANGELS SINGING ♫♪♫♪

We still had one more to go though.....

Petite Sirah (California) - paired with Beef au Jus and CHOCOLATE!!!!  Petite Sirah is very dark in color.  Almost black.  Honestly, by this point of the tasting....I was very wine happy and still so caught up with loving the Malbec and blue cheese combo that I didn't pay much attention to the Petite Syrah.  I do know this was great with both pairings, especially the chocolate!!!  Probably not something I would chose to drink though.  I like a dark red, but this was a little too bold for me.  I would however love to cook with this.  It would be a great sauce for pork or beef by making it into a simple reduction.  It would also be great in a beef stew. 

Overall, I had a super fabulous time with a great friend and I'm looking forward to many more Dierbergs School of Cooking classes with ALL of my wonderful friends and family.

Denied....

I normally wouldn't do this...but I feel the need to share with you the fact that I made something the other night and well....it sucked!!!  My husband wouldn't even eat it and he eats everything!!!

It was a recipe that I doctored up a bit.  Maybe it was the fact that I doctored it up and I should have just left it alone.  I'm not sure, but like I said IT SUCKED!  I of course still ate it because I truly do eat EVERYTHING.

The recipe was a "takeout fakeout" of Sesame Chicken found at Food Network from Melissa d'Arabian the winner of season five of The Next Food Network Star.  I love how she is a mother and likes to fix healthy and affordable meals for her family.  I also love the "takeout fakeout" concept.....this however....not so much.

I doctored it up by adding some panko breadcrumbs to the chicken after coating it in the flour.  I thought this would give it some extra crunch.  I also made a glaze of sweet chili sauce, fresh orange zest and juice.  I honestly think that it was not my additions to this recipe that made it so gross.  You could really taste the raw flour on the chicken.  Now, I did omit the butter that she poured over the chicken and THAT is probably where I went wrong.  I just lightly sprayed the chicken with olive oil, because really butter?  You might as well deep fry it if you are going to pour butter over it.  Right?

So, I don't think it needs to be deep fried, but next time I just may go ahead and lightly fry the chicken in a skillet and just to be on the safe side reduce the glaze in sauce pan rather than having to thicken it with cornstarch.  That may just be the trick.  OR omit the flour and just use the panko breadcrumbs OR just pick up the phone and order takeout.  ☺

In the meantime....it did look kind of pretty, right??? 

Too bad it just didn't taste pretty and that is what really counts.


So...for all of you who think I don't screw stuff up.....you're wrong! 

I do....I just normally don't blog about it.

☺ Jessica Dudley

MIA

Sorry for the hiatus faithful readers... I'm sick! Mondo sick! And since I still have to go to work (I never call off unless I'm puking) my evenings are being filled up by sleep and not blogging.

But I promise I will return with an outstanding recipe this weekend! :)