Tuesday: Pressed Mozzarella Sandwiches

I forgot that I had a dance class yesterday on the later side, so I didn't have time to do the Buttermilk Chicken -- that will be for tonight!

Instead - I made the pressed mozzarella sandwiches that I had seen, and drooled over, here. I knew it would be pretty fast, and I had just gotten a jar of Giada's Pesto last weekend at Target that I wanted to try.


Really liked this pesto! It tasted fresh, and had a hint of sweetness that I really liked.
These sandwiches were YUM. Pulled out the panini press (which has been gathering dust as of late) and used the following:

UDI's Whole Grain Bread
Giada's Basil Pesto
Fresh Tomato
Fresh Mozzarella
Red Pepper Flakes
EVOO spray

I was pretty impatient and didn't wait long enough to let the cheese melt all the way through, but my husband did. His regular bread also held up a little better to the pesto, but we both loved this & will definitely have it again for a quick & easy dinner.

Monday: Salad Nicoise

We had been eating heavy food all weekend and decided we should start off the week with something on the lighter side.... One of our 'go-to' meals for the summer in Salad Nicoise, pronounced 'nee-suaz' (or, my take on it at least).

My mom always made it this way, and I tend to vary the ingredients depending on what we have in the house. Traditionally it's tuna, green beans, potatoes, olives, egg, and I think, anchovies... But here's how I made it:

Canned tuna in water (we're trying to eat light here, not the stuff in oil)
Small red potatoes
black olives
fresh green beans
Capers
Ken's Original Italian Dressing
a spoonful of Dijon mustard


I boil the potatoes first, drain, then let them cool to room temp. After those are done, boil or steam the green beans (don't overcook!), then let those cool. In a large bowl or shallow dish, mix in all ingredients with dressing & mustard - and serve! I like eating this salad room temp, not hot, and not cold. It's so easy & always tastes good.

You can get much fancier with this dish - especially if serving for a party - you may want to arrange everything separately and not mix it all together - or sear some sushi tuna if you want to get really fancy - but for a nice light meal, especially in warm weather - this is a great go-to.

GF S'mores Bars

We are having a little "Valentine's Sweet Swap" at work today... and as most of you (correctly) are thinking - I probably won't be able to eat anything, but that's OK! I mean, are you looking at that picture above? I'll be juuuuust fine.

I made some super delicious gluten free S'mores Bars last night.

I used the recipe here, but had also read about them here... and just adapted it to be GF, just 2 substitutions. (I went with the first recipe because it was a smaller batch, do the second recipe if you want to make s'more, couldn't resist, sorry) And let me tell you - they are sooo good. The bars are a little crumbly though, and I'm not sure if it's due to the GF graham cracker crumbs & gluten free flour? I was also impatient and didn't wait for the butter to be room temp so my mixture started off on the crumbly side, not smooth. Maybe that messed it up?

Here's is the recipe:

S’More Bars Recipe

Prep Time: 15 mins Cooking Time: 30 to 35 mins

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (or 4 regular chocolate bars)
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups GF Flour Mix (I used King Arthur GF mix)
3/4 cup GF graham cracker crumbs (I used kinnikinnick graham cracker crumbs)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. Use an electric mixer to cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Set aside. Meanwhile,whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.

Place chocolate bars over dough. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Be sure to cool completely before cutting into bars. Makes 16 squares. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

There they are hot out of the oven. It was hard to resist the urge to dig right in, but I waited till they cooled for a while, then tasted. In the morning I cut the entire thing up (didn't want the fluff to ooze out) to transport to work. I think next time I make these I may add MORE marshmallow fluff -- maybe even use real marshmallows, and I'll let the butter be room temp to see if that fixes the crumbly problem. Let me know if you make these!

Week of Dinner

I decided that I would take a stab at planning our dinners for the whole week and shop for everything today. I tried this in the past, and found it really saved us a lot of money knowing exactly what to buy. And sure enough, I usually spend around $100 at the grocery store and today I only spent $60 --- didn't buy Friday's meal ingredients yet, and had to get some random odds & ends... but not bad!

I feel like it might be kind of tough but I'll give it a try & blog about it this week! Here it is:

Sunday: Makings S'mores bars for work tomorrow, Take out GF Pizza night (woohoo)
Monday: Nicoise Salad for V-Day
Tuesday: Buttermilk baked chicken, roasted brussel sprouts, baked potatoes
Wednesday: Saucy Shrimp & Grits
Thursday: Pressed Mozzarella & Basil sandwiches (we're having ppl over too, so snacks)
Friday: Veggie Cassoulet
(Saturday we're going to a party)

Love that I can cook again since work is slower!

Super easy & delicious dinner

I was browsing through my Epicurious App on the train home two nights ago looking for something delicious & fast to make for dinner. I was craving red meat, and found this:

Sautéed Beef with White Wine and Rosemary

• 1/2 lb boneless sirloin steak (preferably top butt; about 1 inch thick)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur Gluten Free Flour)
  
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
• 2/3 cup dry white wine

Full Recipe here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauteed-Beef-with-White-Wine-and-Rosemary-357470#ixzz1DZUptqin

Check out the recipe -- I made a few minor edits --- I added shallots, only used 2 garlic cloves & crushed them, used less salt (as the reviewers noted) and used more white wine than they called for.

The only thing I had to pick up at the store was the steak and I got some fresh rosemary... I made spicy rice and sauteed some zucchini to have on the side -- this entire dinner was ready in 20 minutes and was so tasty!

Hi ho, hi ho....

I am SO looking forward to this coming Wednesday when this project I've been working on at work will be OVER. I have been working until 9 or 10 every night, the past 3 weekends (boo hiss), and I WANT MY LIFE BACK.

that is all ;) thank you for indulging me in my whining. i'm over it now.

I can start cooking again and not ordering take out and eating GF noodle rice bowls every day starting Thursday. Wednesday I think I'll just do nothing.

French Macarons

Do you all know, love and cherish this little french confection as much as I do? Or have you never heard of them before? And no, I'm not talking about "macaroons" made with coconut, those are good too though. These are those delightful, beautifully colored sugary treats that are big in Paris (umm, hello? Pierre Herme and Laduree??? in my best gossip girl voice, haha).

Here's a fancy pic of Ladurée macarons (not my pic)

If you do love them as I do - then you know, they're gluten free - although, be sure to double check before buying!!) -- they're made with egg whites & almond meal (among other things) to get that delicate crunchy - meringue-like texture.

We went to Paris in 2009 (remember that? full post here) and I was so excited to eat macarons, every day...

Anyway.... there is a guy I work with who is dating a fabulous woman who makes french macarons (and amazing chocolates) for a little chocolate shop here in Beacon Hill. I am lucky enough to sit near him, so that when she has "extras" or macarons that aren't exactly perfect - he brings in the leftovers to work and he has me as a best friend that day.

My birthday was last week and I thought, I should ask if she sell directly to me a big pile of macarons for me to indulge in all to myself, and sure enough - she did! I can't tell you wonderful these are. These actually taste as good (if not better) than the macarons we had in Paris. She has a magic touch, here's my assortment of cassis and hazelnut flavors that I arranged on my pretty cake plate:


OMG. So good. If you can find them, I highly recommend them. OR - maybe try making them yourself? One day I will do this. The ones that I had from Pierre Herme in Paris were rose flavored, divine, and their recipe is here. Or, I'm sure you've read Tartlette right? If not - check her out. The most gorgeous food photography, and she talks about macarons all the time.

OK - can you tell I'm obsessed?