Tag Archives: cheese

Grilled Tomato, Smoked Turkey, and Muenster Sandwiches

December 23, 2014
Shannon
0 comments
cheese, sandwiches, sourdough, tomatoes, turkey

I was talking with my friend the other day about how the best food to eat at a diner at 3am is a grilled cheese with tomato and French fries. I haven’t actually had such food in a really long time because I haven’t been to a diner, let alone at 3am, since I don’t know when. And that scenario at that time of night is the only time I will let myself eat such food. Since that conversation, I’ve had grilled cheese and tomato on the brain. It’s no wonder I found myself dying to make these Grilled Tomato, Smoked Turkey, and Muenster Sandwiches.

Slices of sourdough bread are smothered in a sour cream/Dijon mustard sauce, topped with turkey, tomato, and Muenster cheese before being buttered and browned until perfectly crunchy and oozing. This sandwich didn’t stand a chance with me. Fresh tomato with gooey cheese and yummy turkey? Sold! If only I had some French fries. And I was in a diner. And it was 3am.

Combine red onion, sour cream, Dijon mustard, and thyme in a bowl. Spread 1 teaspoon butter on one side of each bread slice.

Spread 2 tablespoons mustard mixture over unbuttered side of each of 2 bread slices; top each with 3 turkey slices, 2 tomato slices, 1 cheese slice, and 1 bread slice (with buttered side out).

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the sandwiches; cover and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Additions: None

Omissions:

Red onion

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Caprese Sliders

December 10, 2014
Shannon
1 comment
avocado, basil, caprese, cheese, pesto, sandwiches, tomatoes

Yes, I know, caprese tends to be a little more July than December. After all, tomatoes are a little redder, a little plumper, and a little juicier in the summer. But if I only ate caprese during warm months, I think I’d die. Okay, so I’m dramatic. But I could easily eat it in some way every single day. Even if the tomatoes aren’t in season, caprese can still be good because fresh mozzarella and basil are always available. And if you add a little bit of balsamic vinegar or pesto, it can help you forget that tomatoes aren’t at their best. I needed a caprese fix now so that’s why I made these Caprese Sliders.

Slices of tomato are grilled on the stove (although I didn’t actually grill them) before being layered with avocado, basil, and fresh mozzarella onto warm, doughy rolls smeared with vibrant bold pesto. Really, you don’t need to grill or warm the tomatoes but if the tomatoes aren’t so great, what’s it hurt? In season, I would stick to raw tomatoes but since it’s not, warming them actually makes them a little juicier so I didn’t mind. These sandwiches didn’t stand a chance with me. So what if they fell apart a little bit? Scooping up pieces of a really good sandwich and having juices dripping down your wrists is a sign of a good sandwich. And this is a really good sandwich!

Heat oven to 400 degrees . Place rolls on a baking sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes, following package directions. Allow to cool. Heat stovetop grill to medium-high. Brush tomato slices with olive oil and grill 2 minutes. Turn and grill 1 additional minute.

Split rolls horizontally and spread bottom half of each with 1 tsp pesto. Layer each with 1 tomato slice, 2 basil leaves, 1 mozzarella slice and 2 avocado slices. Top with remaining roll halves.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Family Circle magazine

Cheesy Sausage Balls

November 24, 2014
Shannon
2 comments
appetizer, cheese, food, quinoa, turkey sausage

I’m pretty slow to the sausage ball party. I first became aware of these little bites from Trisha Yearwood’s show on Food Network and thought that they would be a perfect little nugget for me considering how much I love sausage (turkey sausage, that is). But since then, I suddenly see sausage balls everywhere – on Pinterest, on the Today show, on my Instagram feed. Well, I figured it was high time for me to jump on the bandwagon and I was especially thrilled when I came across this recipe for Cheesy Sausage Balls which has a little different twist than your standard sausage balls.

Sausage, cheese, and quinoa make up the base of these bites which are perfect for a Thanksgiving appetizer. Instead of baking mix, these balls have cooked quinoa which is so much healthier than some floury mix. Granted, baking mixes are super simple and easier to throw into a bowl than cooking up a batch of quinoa but it only takes fifteen minutes for quinoa to cook so you can do it ahead of time and still have some leftover for another dish later. Plus, quinoa is so much better for you! The quinoa actually adds a bit of texture to these sausage balls, a bit of a pop, if you will. I haven’t tried the sausage balls made with baking mix but I don’t think I need to. I’m perfectly happy with these little guys and I bet you will be too!