Sandwich de Monte Cristo

(I am so funny. lol.) 

Have you ever had a Monte Cristo sandwich? I've always wanted to try one ever since I heard about them, so I ordered one on Thanksgiving. Yep, on Thanksgiving. (My family went out to eat on Thanksgiving this year, and I had already eaten a Thanksgiving dinner earlier in the week, so it was no big deal for me to NOT eat it on the actual day.)

Anyway, I brought some leftovers home and decided to see if I could make something similar to the one I ordered. Here is what I came up with:

YUM!!!

Here is what you need:

• 4 thick slices of meat (I used leftover turkey)
• 1/2 cup sauce (I used leftover cranberry sauce, but you could use raspberry or peach jam)
• 8 slices of cheese (I used smoked swiss/cheddar)
• veggie condiment (I used sliced red onion)
• smidge of mayo (just enough to spread on one slice of bread)
• 8 slices french bread
• 3 medium eggs
• 1/2 cup half & half or milk
• pinch nutmeg
• 2 tbs butter

Here is what you do:

• Put the eggs, half & half, and nutmeg in a shallow dish. Set aside.
• Put all remaining ingredients, excluding the bread and butter, in an assembly line.
• Slice bread and place in front of assembly line.
• Layer ingredients on bread and spread mayo on one piece.
• Heat skillet. Add butter.
• Whisk eggs until well combined.
• Place sandwich in egg batter and then into hot skillet; repeat with a second sandwich.
• Reduce heat to medium-low.
• Place heavy object over sandwiches, like a panini press. Cook for 2 minutes. (I used two large metal bowls and a piece of aluminum foil between so the bowls didn't get dirty.)
• Flip over and repeat.
• Repeat with last 2 sandwiches, adding 2nd tbs of butter to coat the skillet.
• Allow to rest on paper towel for 2 minutes before serving.
• Makes 4 servings.

Heavy object...

Seriously, you need to try this (or some variation that you come up with) soon. It is to die for!

Pinterest Recipes

For the past couple of weeks I haven't been posting recipes that I've come up with because I've been trying out some recipes that I've found on pinterest. And, can I just say that I have loved it! It has been so much fun to try new things, new cooking techniques, and new flavors. I thought I wasn't skilled enough to do certain cooking methods, but once I decided to TRY them, I found that they weren't so difficult after all. YAY!!!

Here are some recipes I've tried that I totally recommend. (I'll spare you from the ones I've tried that I don't recommend.) I haven't posted the complete recipes for these; instead, I've given you the link to the original blogger. The bullets below the pics of the dishes are what I did differently or something Iearned in the process. If you want to make the dishes, you'll need to click on the links.

Grilled Chicken Piccata

• I've already posted about this recipe.

Lime Chicken Tacos with Garlic Fried Rice
(This photo is of the lime chicken and it is from the original blogger.)

• I did not add cilantro to the chicken. 
• I added garlic salt, onion powder, and salt and pepper to the rice. (to taste)
• I made both of these recipes then combined them and it was delicious! Plus, it helps you use less chicken since you are adding rice to the taco (or burrito), which helps the budget.

Nutella Stuffed French Toast

• I used 2 slices of thick bread and just soaked one side of each, spread the nutella on one piece on the side that wasn't soaked and then combined the two like a PB&J sammie. 
• Then I added raspberries to the top with a bit of their natural juices.

Gnocchi Chicken Soup (like Olive Garden serves)

• The secret to making yummy gnocchi quickly is the shortcut of using potato flakes. (I used potato pearls from the LDS cannery.)
• Also, I learned that it is important to make the gnocchi SMALL. The recipe says 1/2" wide but it should be a little less than that, like 1/4" wide by 1/2" thick.
• For the soup, I doubled the recipe. 
• I used dried onions and dried carrots. (1/4 cup dry onions and 1/3 cup dry carrots)
• I also used an entire bag of fresh spinach instead of what it calls for. 
• I did not add celery.

Roasted Veggies

• I can't believe I've never roasted veggies before. I have been missing out! It is incredibly delicious and EASY.
• I roasted brussel sprouts that were once frozen in a bag and one bunch of fresh broccoli. 
• I also roasted some red potatoes and added a little bit of garlic salt to those because they are so bland.
• After I tasted the finished product, my preference in order is: broccoli, brussel sprouts, then potatoes.

I've said it before and I'll say it again... I should be paid for advertising pinterest. lol. If I had a dollar for every time I told someone about it, I'd have over $400 by now. lol.

ABC & S Pizza

"ABC & S" stands for Alfredo, Bacon, Chicken, and Spinach Pizza, which is synonymous with YUM!!!

Here is what you need:

• 1 pizza crust (I used one in a can from Pillsbury)
• 1 cup alfredo sauce (I used Ragu's roasted garlic flavor)
• 1 chicken breast, cubed
• 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup parm cheese
• 1 cup mozz cheese (or a little more...wink)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Here is what you do:

• Preheat oven according to instructions on pizza dough can
• Cook bacon; remove from skillet; place on paper towel to drain
• While bacon cooks, drain spinach and set aside; cube chicken
• Cook chicken in bacon fat; add a bit more veg oil if needed
• While chicken cooks, roll pizza dough out on pan, leaving a ridge around the edge
• Add spinach, salt, pepper, and garlic to cooked chicken
• While spinach cooks with chicken, spread alfredo sauce on pizza dough (add more if necessary)
• Cut bacon into bite size pieces and add to chicken and spinach; stir for about 1 minute
• Spread mixture over alfredo sauce
• Top with mozz cheese then parm cheese
• Bake according to the baking time on the pizza dough can

It is so DELICIOUS!!! I am already craving the leftovers. 

Spread mixture over alfredo sauce.

(Careful...its HOT!)

Top with cheese! 

Teriyaki Ground Beef and Rice

Last night I needed to make two quick dishes for my lunches and dinners for the rest of the week, so I opened my freezer and pantry to see what I could whip up in a jiffy. For one meal, I saw rice and hamburger as my main ingredients and then browsed my fridge and pantry to see what else I could add. I didn’t want to do my usual cream of whatever soup with veggies, rice, and beef, so I looked deeper into my stash and found teriyaki sauce! I have made teriyaki chicken before, but I’ve never used it with ground beef, so I wasn’t too sure what the result would be.

You may have already tried something like this, but here’s what I came up with and how I did it. It was super simple!

Here is what you need:

• 3 cups rice, brown or white
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 onion
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 3/4 cup teriyaki sauce (I just guessed at this; you want it to be more liquid than beef and onion)

Here is what you do:

• Cook rice
• Chop onion into small pieces
• As rice is cooking, sauté the onion with the garlic
• Add ground beef and cook until beef is completely done
• Add teriyaki sauce and reduce heat to a simmer
• Simmer for 8 minutes (or so—this is a guess)
• Serve beef and sauce over rice
• If you want to make a bunch, freeze whatever you don't use and then you'll have an instant meal later!

It. Was. So. Delicious!

Here it is with all the sauce and beef mixed with the rice.

The pic makes it look dry, but it certainly WAS NOT!

Seriously! I loved every—single—bite!

Refreshing Pasta Salad

Last night I made some spiral pasta for my Lemon Chicken and Pasta dinner, so I went ahead and saved some of the pasta to use for this refreshing salad. That makes it super quick and easy to throw my lunch together the next day!    

Here is what you need:

• 3 cups of spiral pasta, cooked (leftover from dinner)
• 1/2 cup broccoli, cooked and chopped
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1 cup peas
• 1/2 cup fat free zesty italian dressing
• 1 tbs ranch dressing
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest

Here is what you do:
Mix it all together in a large bowl and then put in fridge for 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

Really and truly, that's all you do. Easy!

PS ~ If you wanted to add chopped tomatoes, it would be delicious! I just didn't have any at the moment, otherwise I would have added some for sure.