Grilled Turkey & Havarti

This is something I made up. Which usually turn out being my favorite things. Although I can't really take all the credit for this masterpiece because it was inspired by one of the signature sandwiches at Safeway. It has also made me fall in love with havarti cheese.... Mmmm....

Grilled Turkey & Havarti

2 pieces of wheat bread
a slice of havarti cheese (sliced from the deli)
honey mustard
4-6 quartered artichoke hearts (marinated or not, but I prefer the little spice that the marinated ones add)
3-5 thin slices of deli sliced turkey
Spray butter

1. Lightly spray one side of each piece of bread the lay them on your pan to grill.

2. Spread honey mustard on both pieces of bread.
3. Lay your slice of havarti cheese on one piece of bread, with turkey folded on the other.
4. Place artichoke hearts on top of turkey.

5. Turn on your stove and grill for about 2 minutes until you can see the havarti start to heat. Take a spatula and put the sandwich together and grill until nice and crispy brown. Enjoy!

This sandwich is SO good! The way the make it in the store is in the oven and they toast it, but I have found that the oven scorches the cheese and you don't want to do that. Anyway, try it!

Grilled Chicken with Penne Pasta in a Tomato Cream Sauce

I tried a recipe I found on a friends blog a while back and totally forgot to post it here because it turned out SO good. Bo couldn't stop talking about how good it was, and he doesn't even really like pasta! Anyway, it can originally be found HERE, so check it out - it has better instructions and pictures.

Grilled Chicken with Penne Pasta in a Tomato Cream Sauce

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Montreal Steak seasoning
1/2 pound penne pasta
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup chicken broth
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 to 1 tsp salt & pepper (to taste)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded*

Rinse chicken breasts in cold water. Layer between sheets of wax paper and pound to even thickness. Season both sides with Montreal Steak seasoning. Preheat grill for medium high heat, lightly oil grate, and grill chicken breasts on medium high heat for 6-8 mins each side.

OR heat 2 tbsp butter & 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter and olive oil is nice and hot, add chicken breasts and cook 5 mins each side.

Set chicken aside to cool.

In a large pot, boil water with 1 tbsp salt. Add 1/2 lb penne pasta noodles and boil according to package directions.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is tender, but do not let the garlic turn brown (about 3-5 mins).

Add the chicken broth to the pan and allow to reduce by half. Meanwhile, slice chicken.

Once the broth has reduced, stir in tomato sauce. Add the heavy cream and stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to low.

Chop the parsley and chiffonade the basil, then add to sauce and mix well. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Stir well to coat. Serve pasta on plates, top with sliced chicken or mix it in.

*If you're wondering what chiffonaded means, it means to stack the basil leaves on top of one another, roll them up and thinly slice the leaves.