Sammich Saturday: Turkey Bacon Swiss

Happy Memorial Day weekend!! I hope you all are enjoying this holiday weekend with friends and family, and taking advantage of the weather before the summer heat really takes hold. I am spending time with some friends and family back home that I don't see nearly enough, and I couldn't be happier! For this sammich, I did something very simple, but very good! Turkey, with some swiss cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato! And, of course, avocado!!

It was quick to throw together, and super tasty! If you need a quick throw-together sandwich to get you through this weekend, in between barbecues or whatnot, this is the one for you!!

Turkey Bacon Swiss

Ingredients

• 4 slices of bread
• 10 extra thin slices turkey
• 2 slices Swiss cheese
• 4 slices of bacon
• 2 lettuce leaves
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1 small avocado, sliced
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Preparation

1. Cook the bacon over medium heat until browned and slightly crispy, turning once, 5-7 minutes. Remove to papertowls to drain grease and after cooling, break each piece in two, leaving you with 8 pieces.
2. Put 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard onto the bottom slices of bread.
3. Top with 5 slices of turkey, 1 slice of Swiss cheese, 4 pieces of bacon, tomato slices, avocado, lettuce leaf, and top slice of bread. Cut sammich in half and enjoy!!



What's Baking: Pineapple-Zucchini Bread

 

 

It's time again for What's Baking! Our hostess for this month, Ammie from Adventures In My Kitchen, chose the theme of Spring Produce for our challenge. Fortunately "produce" includes both fruits and veggies, so I had a good variety to choose from. As I scrolled through the list of in season produce, I marked down the ones I would be interested in baking with, and for some reason zucchini and pineapple both caught my eye. And instead of choosing between the two, I found a way to use them both!

It sounds like a somewhat strange combination, I know, but the result of this bread was incredibly moist and flavorful. I also made some mini muffins, which were equally delicious, and even better - bite size! You know how I love bite sized food! Spring produce baking = success! Thank you Ammie for a great challenge. Check out her blog at the end of the month to see the round-up from the group's creations.

 

 

Pineapple Zucchini Muffins

Source: All Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
• 1 cup (fresh or canned) crushed pineapple
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease your loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. 
3. Form a well in the center, and add in the oil, eggs, zucchini, pineapple and vanilla. Stir to combine, until smooth. 
4. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and cook 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Strawberry-Basil Martini

Happy Thirsty Thursday friends! Tomorrow will begin Memorial Day weekend, and fun drinks are always a good part of a holiday weekend. I have a good list of beloved martini flavors, but I thought I'd try something a little different to welcome summer. Strawberry and basil seem to go well together in different recipes, and I've seen it on menus at various martini bars, so I figured I may as well give it a try!

It was very tasty, indeed! I only wish that SG or T had been here to share them with me.... martinis are always better with friends!! Make a batch for your celebration this weekend!

Strawberry Basil Martini
Source: Dine with Darling

Ingredients

• 5-6 fresh strawberries (and a few extra for garnish) 
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 5 oz vodka
• Ice

Preparation

1. Wash and cut the stems off the large, fresh strawberries.  Place then in a martini shaker.
2. Rinse the basil, reserving a few leaves for garnish, and place remaining leaves in martini shaker with the strawberries.
3. Muddle basil and strawberries until you create a pulp.
4. Fill the martini shaker with ice and add the vodka. Secure the shaker lid and shake vigorously.
5. Divide between martini glasses and garnish with a strawberry slice and basil leaf.

Asiago Baked Salmon

Although I love most kinds of fish, salmon is at the top of the list of my favorites. I know a lot of people think it's too "fishy", but I love it, and it goes so well with some of my favorite flavors (i.e. balsamic!), and it's good for you too! (Helloooo Omega-3.) And while I've marinated, seasoned, and sauced salmon so many different ways, but I had never thought to top it with a delicious cheesy sauce. What the hell was I thinking?!?! Or not thinking, as the case may be.

Anywho...as soon as I saw this on Jessica's blog, I knew I had to try it, and it was every bit as good as I imagined it would be. And, as always, it was super easy to prep and didn't take long to cook. A great weeknight meal! Serve it up to your someone special or friends for a nice dinner!

Asiago Baked Salmon

Source: How Sweet It Is

Ingredients

• 1 lb salmon filets
• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 3 Tbsp grated asiago cheese
• 1/2 Tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 Tbsp chopped shallots
• Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Season salmon with salt and pepper.
3. In a bowl, mix yogurt, cheese, shallots, parsley and garlic together. Spread on top of salmon.
4. Bake the fish about 15 minutes, until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Taco Tuesday: Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos

It's not often that I make a vegetarian meal for myself - this girl loves her meat! But, every once in awhile, I come across something that just looks intriguing, and I have to try it . This was one of those of those meals. I've been eating a lot more black beans lately, and while I'm picky about when I like sweet potatoes, I decided to give it a go. Now, if I liked enough vegetables, this taco alone would have been enough to convince me to do a meatless meal at least once a week. It was pretty fantastic!

Taco Tuesdays have definitely opened me up to some great meals that I am glad to have in my arsenal, and these tacos will definitely be making a second appearance!

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Tacos

Adapted from: Bev Cooks

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 sweet potato, cut into a medium dice
• 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp cumin, divided
• 2 tsp chili powder, divided
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• flour tortillas
• queso fresco, crumbled
• 1 avocado, diced
• lime and cilantro for garnish
• coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 400.
2. In a bowl, toss the diced sweet potato with the oil, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, a pinch of coarse salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes on a foil-lined baking sheet.
3. In a small sauce pan add the beans and season with the remaining cumin, chili powder and garlic salt. Heat for about 5 minutes over medium heat.
4. Warm tortillas and spoon on some beans, followed by sweet potatoes. Top with diced avocado, queso fresco, a little lime juice, and cilantro leaves.

Creole Shrimp, Avocado, and Pineapple Salad

Another weekend has come and gone. How do they go by so fast?? It seems like it was just Friday night, and I was at T's house, playing with baby C, eating burgers that Mr. T cooked on the grill, and taking a dip in the hot tub and now it's Monday morning and it's back to the office. Sigh. Time goes by too fast.

But, at least I have some great dishes to share with you over the next few days! This salad was the perfect meal to end the weekend. The creole seasoned shrimp went great with the sweet pineapple and tangy lime vinaigrette. If I keep eating like this, I'll be down to my desired weight in no time! And with food that tastes this good, I'll have no problem keeping it up.

There's one more weekend left in May and then summer is officially upon us. I can't wait for the long weekend with friends and family, and I can't wait for summer!! I have so many great food and drink recipes in the wings...I can't wait to make them and to share them with you!

Creole Shrimp, Avocado, and Pineapple Salad

Inspired by Pampered Chef - Spin on Salads

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1-2 Tbsp Creole seasoning
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp diced jalapeno
• 1 large avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup pineapple, chopped
• 3 cups Spring salad mix

For the lime vinaigrette

• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp canola oil

Preparation

1. Mix lime juice, creole seasoning, jalapeno, and garlic together in a medium bowl. Add shrimp, toss to coat, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
2. While the shrimp is marinating, make the vinaigrette by first combining the lime juice and sugar in a small bowl. Then slowly whisk in the canola oil until combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp in and cook until opaque, turning once, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Divide salad mix among serving plates. Top with shrimp, avocado, and pineapple. Drizzle lime vinaigrette over the top and serve.

Sammich Saturday: Balsamic Caprese Panini

I have a confession. I tend to be a creature of habit. My daily routine is usually planned out ahead of time if it will vary from the norm, and if something "comes up", it usually makes me cringe a little inside, even if it's something that I will really enjoy doing - because it means that my planned day/night is going to be altered. While I am adaptable and enjoy spontaneity, I can't always shake that feeling inside or the need for structure and planning.

Last weekend I prepared a sandwich that I had on my menu, and let's just say - it didn't turn out how I'd hoped. So, I'm thinking (in a panicked voice) I'm not going to have a sandwich to post on Saturday!! What am I going to do? The menu is planned out for the rest of the week already!!

And then I breathe, take a look at other sandwiches, and do some menu shuffling. Problem solved, crisis averted. And, while I hope to revisit the sandwich that was originally planned (because it really will be great!), this panini turned out to be a wonderful replacement! While it isn't quite tomato season yet, this is still so good! I found some delicious tomatoes, and combined with fresh mozzarell, basil, and my beloved balsamic vinegar on crusty bread I had a summer sammich hit in my hands.

Now, full disclosure - my first attempt was not the best, because the bread I used got a little soggy in spots. So, be sure that you use a good, thick and crusty bread so that this doesn't happen to you! The flavors are too good be be ruined by soggy bread.  If you opt to eat it as a cold sammich, instead of a hot panini, then you probably don't have to worry about it getting soggy, though. Now, get to the store, and make this panini!

Balsamic Caprese Panini

Source: Budget Bytes

Ingredients

• French bread (or other crusty bread)
• 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
• 3 oz Fresh Mozzarella, sliced
• 9 Fresh Basil Leaves, stems removed
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Olive Oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Slice your bread in half, to make top and bottom buns. Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic over the open surfaces. Place alternating layers of tomato and mozzarella slices on the bottom bun (2 layers of each). Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Place the basil leaves on top and either serve cold or place in a countertop grill, a panini press, or cook in a skillet until the bread is crispy and the cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes.