Don't Tease Me with a Naan Time

Today as I was wrapping up my trip to Walmart for essentials like drain clog remover and mascara, my eye caught sight of the... bread section.

And when I got closer, I saw it... Garlic Naan. From the Walmart bakery.

I flipped the package over and read a list of things I could do with my (oh yes, I had already committed) garlic naan. And on the list of things I could make... tuna melt naan, pizza naan, naan wraps, naan dippers, naanwiches, naantons, naan toast and... wait for it... PANINI NAAN.

Well. Didn't have to tell me twice.



My panini naan was simple enough. I used a collection of stuffs from the fridge. Ham, sour cream, and feta, actually.

Random, yes. Delicious? You betcha.

So... I share this naan goodness with you not so you'll buy my random ingredients and duplicate it. What you should do is... strike out and trust Walmart with something fancy. Apparently they can handle naan. (And drain cleaner. And mascara. And torture devices.)

Happy Monday, lovelies.

Asparagus + Goat Cheese = Pizza?

My kingdom for more counter space!


I guess this will always be the complaint, no matter how much surface area I have to work with. But seriously... I need more room.

Especially when throwing leftovers together to make mini pizzas. Because... one... really can't... have enough... room when building pizzas? Idk... let me just stop here and give you the lowdown.


Allrecipes.com told me to use my goat cheese and asparagus in either a quesadilla (no good without tortillas) or a pizza. So I built my pizzas on some EarthGrains Thin Buns and just tried to use as many of my perishables as possible.

From the bottom:

+ Thin Bun
+ Drizzle of olive oil
+ Parmesan cheese (Might have been a bit moldy... In an I-am-my-father's-daughter moment, I said, "eh... some people would pay more for that" and used it anyway. Judge if you want.)
+ Sliced cherry tomatoes
+ Chopped fresh asparagus
+ Chunks of goat cheese
+ Shake of red pepper flakes
+ Crumbled, fried facon (holla!)

Since the thin buns are already cooked, it's just about heating the toppings through. About 10 minutes at 350 will do the trick.


Mmmmmm... So good. Goat cheese makes my mouth happier than many other things, so I knew I'd like this pizza. What I didn't expect was just how much those fresh tomatoes would step up in a sauce-less situation. And while real bacon might have been a stronger counterpoint to the health stacked on that pizza, the facon was crunchy and close enough for my purposes.

AND today while I was napping on the futon, I think I heard Dr. Oz say something about how meal had to be colorful to be balanced and healthy. And just try to tell me these minis are boring.

That's right. You can't. I win again.

Salmon Panini of Dreams

We haven't been together long, by my panini press and I have had some great times together. The press' coming out party involved pound cake, Nutella, and a banana, but most days she and I stick to more basic faire. Grilled cheese with pepper jack, toast for egg sandwiches, that sort of thing.

Since I bought the press though, I've been dying to find a recipe for a jaw-droppingly good, hot, flavorful panini. You know... like the ones you get at bakeries and coffee shops.

Well... dear readers... I found it.

The Jaw-Dropper

My source, BigOven.com, called this the Grilled Smoked Salmon Panini with Red Onion Ribbons, but that is just boring. And not quite what I made anyway.

Okay, there are two things you need to make in advance when you plan to make a Jaw-Dropper. Marinated onions and a killer cheese spread.

To marinate the onions...


Whisk up 1T vinegar (I used Apple Cider), 2T lemon juice, 2t mustard, and 1t minced garlic. Add 3T olive oil while whisking continually. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss one thinly sliced red onion (or whatever onion you have) and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

For the spread...


Mix up 4 oz. cream cheese, 2 oz. goat cheese, 1/4t pepper, 1T lemon juice, and 1t mustard.

To build the sandwich...


Spread the... um... spread... on both sides of the bread.


Add a layer of canned boneless skinless salmon and press it into the cheese.


Top the salmon with marinated onion.

Close the sandwich up, grill it for 3 minutes on the medium setting and voila.


This sandwich made all my panini dreams come true. Salmon is a much milder canned fish than it's cousin, the tuna. Combined with my jams, cheese of goat and cream, this sandwich is a total winner. The spread is creamy and the onions are snappy, tangy bits of goodness.

I will say that the recipe called for things that I didn't have and therefore didn't use. Things like lemon jest, capers, spinach, green onion, and ciabatta. So... head over to BigOven's recipe (linked above) to read what this sandwich was really meant to be. However, if, like me, your cabinets are somewhat bare and you don't mind your panini being a bit pale, then take my version of the recipe and run with it!

And... the best thing about having made this panini tonight is...


I'm set and ready to do it all again tomorrow.

Leftovers FTW!

Not Yo' Momma's Grilled Cheese

Would you like a grilled cheese?

Who is going to say no to that? Honestly. (The answer is "no one".)


For this super fab grilled cheese, I started with two slices of the homemade Honey Wheat Bread and several slices of provolone cheese.


I buttered it, grilled it, and heated up some tasty V8 Sweet Red Pepper Soup to go with. Easy, tasty, and such a satisfying rainy day lunch.

Oh, but wait, what is this business?


Ladies and gentlemen... the interlopers in this sandwich are jalapeno slices. The addition of jalapeno brings a bite to this otherwise understated grilled cheese. The honey wheat bread is sweet, the provolone is waxy (or at least I think so), and the jalapenos tie them together with a bit of sass.


Dipped in the red pepper soup, this sandwich begs to be bitten.


And I certainly did not keep it waiting long.