Mozzarella and Ham Panini

This is a quick simple and delicious panini. I love that there is no sauces but olive oil and salt and pepper. It comes together and is ready for the table in around 35 minutes. I tore this recipe out of a Martha Stewart Everyday Cooking magazine years ago.

Mozzarella and Ham Panini

1 Large Loaf of Italian Bread (I use hard rolls or sub rolls. A crusty bread works well)

8 oz Fresh Mozzarella thinly sliced (Regular deli Mozzarella is all I have used fresh is hard to come by in these parts!)

4 oz Shaved Deli Ham (My favorite is Black Forest Ham)

2 oz Baby Spinach (2 cups, loosely packed)

Coarse Salt and Ground Pepper

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Split bread horizontally. Layer one side with cheese, ham, and spinach beginning and ending with mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper as you go. Close sandwich (making sure mozzarella is in direct contact with bread on both sides--its what holds the sandwich together as it melts).

Brush a large baking sheet with some of the oil. Place sandwich on sheet; brush top with remaining oil. Place another baking sheet on top (cover bottom of sheet with aluminum foil-makes for easy clean-up!), press down firmly. (I personally like to put my rectangular pizza stone on top of the cookie sheet to add some weight for the "press")

Bake panini, press down top sheet once or twice during baking (unless you have used my pizza stone idea or a brick would work too), until cheese had melted and sandwich is golden, 20-25 minutes.

If using a loaf, cut into four pieces and serve with salad.

South-of-the-Border Sandwiches (Lion House)

Yes, I have fallen of the face of the earth or so it seems. We have moved into our new house now and life is getting a little more settled. My desire to cook more and try new recipes is returning day by day. This recipe was one I served at a luncheon I hosted for one of my friends birthdays this month. Unknown to me she loves avocado so this recipe made the luncheon for her. I promised to get her the recipe so rather than have to type it out twice I am going for a one time deal here. It was so fun to host this gathering at my new house. True the entry way and other areas are still unfinished, but if I waited until everything was just perfect! I may never get to let my friends know how special they are to me. Perfect or not sometimes you just have to do it! Because I was busy enjoying my guest there is no picture of this recipe for now, but I am sure we will get one eventually. :-)

South-of-the-Border Sandwiches (Lion House Entertaining, p.42)

8 Sandwich roll, split open, or a loaf of french bread sliced

1/2 cup Olives, chopped

1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder

1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

1/3 cup Sour Cream

1/3 cup Green Onions, chopped

3/4 to 1 pound Cooked Turkey, thinly sliced (I bought Peppered Turkey Breast from the Deli)

2 medium Tomatoes, thinly sliced

2 ripe Avocados, sliced

3/4 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

3/4 cup Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (I used Monterey Jack)

In a bowl, combine olives, chili powder, cumin, and salt; set aside 2 Tablespoons of this mixture (for garnishing). Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, and green onions to the remaining olive mixture.

Place bread on a ungreased baking sheet and spread 1 Tablespoon of the mayonnaise mixture on each slice or roll. Top with slices of turkey and tomatoes. Spread with another Tablespoon of mayonnaise mixture. Top with sliced avocados and cheese. Sprinkle with the reserved 2 Tablespoons of olive mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until heated through. Makes 8 to 10 Servings.

*Note these are an open face sandwich. I used small hard rolls because I was offering more than one type of sandwich for lunch (The other was a quick simple and Mozzarella and Ham Panini from Martha Stewart's magazine I got years ago.) I wanted the guest to feel welcome to try both if they wanted too. So I was trying to keep the portions reasonable.

Served it with a variety of green salads and brownie ice cream sundaes

C&M's Fresh Lime Freeze

My brother Chad and his wife Merrie, make this refreshing lime freeze. They first served us this treat when they came to visit us when we lived in upstate New York. Over the summer I got several limes in one of my bountiful baskets and had to call her for the recipe. Thank you Chad and Merrie for sharing this refreshing recipe.

C&M's Fresh Lime Freeze

1-2 Limes, wash limes and cut in 1/2 or 1/4's and place (peels and all) in a blender.

Add 1 cup of water and blend well. Strain limes and water through a fine mesh strainer, catching in a bowl all the lime juice and water. There may be some contents left in the blender. Add a small amount of water to clean/rinse it out and strain anything left on the blender sides.

Place the strained lime/water liquid back into the blender add 2-3 cups of water.

Add 3/4 cup sugar and fill the blender up with ice and blend. (In place of the ice vanilla ice cream can also be added.)

**If you like a stronger lime flavor you can increase your limes or cut back on the sugar.

Parrish Family Salsa

We have been using the same salsa recipe for years, canning it every fall. Last summer we made some changes to the recipe and love it all the same. It is a highly requested recipe among friends that taste it fresh or from our canned jars.

Parrish Family Salsa 2010

8 quarts Tomatoes, peeled, chopped, and cored

5 cups onions, chopped for chunky or grind if desired

2-3 cups Green Bell Peppers

2-3 cups Mixed Peppers Chopped

(7 Anaheim peppers, 1-2 yellow, red, and/or orange bell peppers to equal the three cups)

3 Tablespoons Jalapeno pepper, finely chopped or grind

1/4 cup Salt (pickling salt or table salt can be used)

1/3 cup white sugar

1 Tablespoon Cayenne pepper

1 Tablespoon Oregano

1 Tablespoon Cumin

1/2 cup Cider Vinegar

Blanch tomatoes in boiling water, peel, core, and chop to desired size and place in a large stockpot. Chop onions, all peppers add to the tomatoes. Add all sugar, spices, and vinegar. Stir well and bring contents to a boil. Turn down to a simmer to desired consistency, roughly 1 1/2-2 hours. May take longer depending on desired consistency. As it thickens remember it must be stirred more often. Put in hot jars with a lid and ring. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

** Water Bath Processing notes: Hot jars must go in hot water. Cold jars need to go in cold water bath and warm as it heats up. If you put a hot jar in cold water the jar can break (destroying your hard work and efforts).

Homemade Shortbread Cookie Crust

I am posting this as a "note to self". This is the crust from the turtle cheesecake recipe I make, but I think the crust would work perfectly in place of Lorna Doone or Sandie cookies in some of my other desserts. Like my family's Fresh Peach Dessert or my pumpkin cheesecakes.

Homemade Shortbread Cookie Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

6 Tablespoon cold butter, chopped

In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and pecans; cut in butter until crumbly. Press onto the bottom of prepared pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack.

Chicken with Mushrooms and White Sauce

This recipe has been in our "GOOD Recipe!" file for several years. When I got mushrooms in my BB basket last week this recipe popped into my mind. It never disappoints our tastebuds.

Chicken with Wine Sauce is the title on the recipe card 7:7 from my Easy Everyday Cooking file.

*This recipe calls for white wine but chicken broth can be used, hence the reason I changed my title of the recipe. This recipe is so rich and delicious, enjoy it!

Chicken with Mushrooms and White Sauce

4 Skinless, boneless, chicken breast (4 oz ) each

1/3 cup All-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup butter or margarine

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1/3 cup white wine or chicken broth

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 Tablespoons dried parsley

3/4 cup whipping cream

Pound each chicken breast to a 1/4-inch thickness. Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on waxed paper. Coat chicken with flour mixture. Shake off excess.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, cook chicken over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside; cover to keep warm.

Add mushrooms and white wine/chicken broth to skillet. Cook stirring continually, for about 2 minutes. (I like to add so minced garlic or garlic salt and 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions with the mushrooms for added flavor. Its great without it too.) Add parsley and whipping cream to skillet. Cook over low heat stirring continually, until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Serve sauce over chicken.

We like to serve this with a fresh salad or steamed seasonal vegetable side and a slice of nice bread. The perfect partner for it is angel hair pasta, but as you can see from our picture we like it with rice too.

Easy S'more Brownies

I got this idea from a Betty Crocker e-newsletter. I didn't follow their recipe exactly, but I am sure you could find it on their website. I simply made our favorite brownies from a box. I used the new flat and square marshmallows (the original recipe used mini marshmallows and covered the entire pan) I thought it would be easier to cut if the marshmallow was seperated. These square marshmallows worked great each brownie had its own and it worked great. Chop or break up some graham crackers and chocolate, then sprinkle on top of the toasted marshmallows while still warm.

To toast the marshmallows I simply turned the oven to broil after the brownies were completely cooked to insure that I wouldn't over bake the brownies and still end up with a tasty toasted marshmallow. I will say that I did not put enough chopped chocolate on the top, so next time I will be adding more. Can you ever have to much smooth and creamy chocolate?