Fajita Panini

Last Christmas I got a panini press. It's been ok - just trying to figure it out with as less mess as possible.

I also got/get the Food Network Magazine - It's been ok - just trying to figure that out with as less mess as possible, too. In each magazine they have little booklets that you can remove. In each booklet are 50 recipes - all focused on one thing such as, pasta sauce, pizza, after-school snacks, summer drinks, burgers, etc... (If I could just get these little booklets, and forget the magazine, I would!)

So, in their October 2010 magazine, Food Network inserted their booklet on..... 50 PANINI!

It totally rekindled my love for panini.

Last night I made Fajita Panini -

Yes. Fajita Panini.

I followed their instructions - which are so simple.

1. Brush the inside of a split sub (I used a crusty loaf of bread) with olive oil.

2. Fill with sliced grilled chicken (I used rotisserie chicken), sauteed peppers and onions, and shredded pepper jack cheese (I used sliced pepper jack).

3. Press and cook until golden.

So your list of ingredients looks something like this:

-- Sliced Chicken Breast (Rotisserie, Grilled, or even that kind you can find in the frozen section in the grocery store that's already cooked, you just reheat, do you know what I mean?)

-- Sliced Onions & Peppers (I used half of a red onion, a quarter of both red & green peppers)

-- Pepper Jack Cheese (sliced, shredded or slivered :))

-- Bread of Choice

-- olive oil for brushing

Then:

Heat your panini press. I heated mine to about 350 degrees. (if you are cooking on the stove, preheat a skillet with butter or oil to medium low. Add your sandwich, then press a heavy pan on top to weigh it down. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side -- that's all from FN Mag)

Sautee your onions and peppers in a little bit of olive oil (i used butter, yum), about 5-8 minutes.

It's really all about assembly after that. Put as much chicken, onions, peppers, cheese as you like. Press it like a panini and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until cheese is melty.

I think next time I will put another slice of cheese on it - and I had cilantro, which I totally forgot to put on it. But I think it would have been so good in it, too.

Hope you enjoy this as much as we did!!

Chicken, Potato, Greens, & Goat Cheese Quesadilla

I am revisiting this post from an earlier post... i feel like it needed a pretty picture.
also, it is a delicious recipe and so easy -- and different!!
try it and let me know what you think!

1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
1 1/3 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled Yukon Gold potatoes (about 2 medium)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/3 cups (packed) coarsely grated hot pepper Monterey Jack cheese (5 to 6 ounces)
1 1/3 cups jarred salsa verde (tomatillo salsa)
a handful of coarsely chopped stemmed spinach/arugula (from 1 bunch), divided
4 8-inch-diameter flour tortillas
3 ounces chilled fresh goat cheese (i have used feta before) coarsely crumbled
Olive oil

Steam/boil potatoes until tender, about 8 minutes. Place in large bowl; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Toss to coat.

Arrange tortillas on work surface. Divide greens between bottom half of each. Top greens with sliced, chicken, potato mixture, jack cheese, then goat cheese and 2 tablespoons salsa mixture for each. Fold plain tortilla halves over filling, pressing to compact. Brush with oil.

Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 2 quesadillas, oiled side down, in skillet. Brush tops with oil. Cook until quesadillas are brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to sheet in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining 2 quesadillas.

Cut each quesadilla into 3 or 4 wedges. Serve with remaining salsa.

the idea came from a bon appetit march 2007 issue - i've revised it, added chicken and instead of mustard greens, i chose spinach or arugula.

Baked Lemon Pasta

Last week i made this for the family -- i got the idea from Ree Drumond's recipe (from The Pioneer Woman Cooks) but made a few substitutions and add-ins. (p.s. she takes beautiful pictures of her food -- and the method for each ingredient! check it out by clicking on the link!)

I also added another 'tag' to our list of labels... 'rotisserie-chicken-shortcut' -- I usually try to buy a rotisserie chicken on the day i grocery shop. it makes for an easy meal prep! so start looking for new dishes you can use a rotisserie chicken for dinner!

here are The Pioneer Woman's ingredients: (mine are italicized and bold)
1 pound Thin Spaghetti (i used linguine)
4 Tablespoons Salted Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole Lemon, Juiced And Zested
2 cups Sour Cream (i used heavy whipping cream, my husband HATES sour cream!)
½ teaspoons Kosher Salt, Or More To Taste
Plenty Of Grated Parmesan Cheese
Flat-leaf Parsley, Chopped (i used fresh rosemary)
Extra Lemon Juice
1 rotisserie chicken, sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti until al dente.

In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over LOW HEAT. When butter is melted, add minced garlic. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat.

Add sour cream (or whipping cream) and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary. Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into an oven safe dish.

Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.)

When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top. Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley (or rosemary). Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.

I then topped it with the sliced rotisserie chicken, you could - of course - cook a couple of chicken breasts in place of a rotisserie!

Serve with crusty French bread and a simple green salad.

Red Beans & Rice

Living in Texas adds so many different flavors to my cooking. We have southern food (I tried, for the first time, black-eyed peas and collared greens on New Years Day). We have Tex-Mex, and being from California originally, it has been pretty hard to get used to.
I often find myself looking at the menu I had planned and just don't feel like making it. When I came up with this recipe, I was looking for something to make with a new Wild Rice blend I had found at the grocery store. I really loved the flavors of it all - and thought I would share with you!

Red Beans & Rice
1 cup Wild Rice (I used a white, brown, red, & wild rice blend)
1.5 cups Chicken Stock
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Garlic Cloves, minced (or more if you like!)
1/2 of an Onion, diced (any kind you prefer, I used red in this)
1 Rotisserie Chicken
1 can Kidney Beans, drained & rinsed
-- Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium saute pan and bring to a boil. Then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
--While the rice is working, cut up the rotisserie chicken into bite size pieces.
-- Once rice is done, add the chicken and beans, stir to combine. Then cover over a small flame for another 5-10 minutes.
--I served this with tortilla's, chopped cilantro & diced tomatoes. I think a grated pepper jack would be delicious, even some sliced olives.
Or go a different way and drizzle with some BBQ sauce and grated cheddar cheese.