Fabulous Food And Fotos ~ A Few More From Maui!

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Jet lag really sucks!  Nearly three days after returning home, I'm still trying to adjust back to East Coast time (USA) from Hawaii time and the six-hour time difference.  I haven't fixed a thing in the kitchen, since my head is so out of it!  I'd probably burn down the kitchen while falling asleep at the wheel stove!  But for Wordless Wednesday, I'm going to simply share just a few of my last shots taken on Maui . . . and this time they include some famous dishes that are sought out by foodies who visit the islands.

Above are the famous "Macadamia Nut Pancakes with Coconut Syrup" from The Gazebo overlooking Napili Bay.  Enjoying this sweet indulgence early in the morning with a hot cup of kona java is absolutely one of our must-do breakfast rituals whenever we visit.  The portions are so large, that we each take home half and then re-heat them the next day for a second breakfast. These monster-sized pancakes really do hold up nicely overnight in the frig!  When you're there, make sure you pick up a bottle of the coconut syrup that they sell right there at this "very small" eatery.  There are lots of brands of this syrup available for sale on the islands, and the brand that The Gazebo uses is the best!  Click on this {link} to read the reviews of this great little eatery!  If you choose to go to The Gazebo, know that they do not take reservations and each and every day there is a 20 to 30 minute waiting line before the place even opens at 7:30 all the way through the lunch hour.  Yea, that good!

Macadamia Nut Pancakes

1/2 cup macadamia nuts (chopped)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

3 tablespoons butter (melted)

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

4 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Coconut syrup and whipped cream to lather on top of the pancakes. 

In a mixing bowl thoroughly mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

In a separate bowl, mix together buttermilk, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract.

Combine the dry and wet mixtures until the batter is lumpy.

Heat a non stick frying pan or griddle over low heat.

Pour batter for the size of the pancake that you prefer onto the frying pan or griddle.

Sprinkle some of the chopped macadamia nuts onto each pancake, flip it overand cook until golden for another 1 - 2 minutes.

Next on the photo show is this incredible hamburger, "The Luna" from Cool Cat Cafe in Lahaina on Front Street, winner of the best hamburgers on Maui since 2005 (click on 'Cool Cat Cafe' for the link, full menu, and reviews).  To put the size of this burger into perspective, the plate that it is sitting on is a dinner plate . . . it took up HALF of the enitre plate.  I was being a real pig, and ate the whole thing.  My husband had no problem eating his entire burger too, "The Bogy".  The Luna was a 6 1/2 oz. angus beef burger with bacon, melted Jack cheese, avocado, mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, and thousand island dressing.  Warning:  You will stretch the diameter of your mouth as you try to bite into these!

Here's a sample review from 'urbanspoon':

"I see a lot of people are talking about the burgers at Cool Cat Cafe in Maui, and there is a reason folks.  TEXAS has some of the best burgers you can wrap your mouth around, and this burger joint puts out one of my top 3 ALL TIME best burgers I've had...and i have had many a burger in 62 years!  We're talking the type of burger where the grease runs down your hand with flavor, large slices of onions and tomatoes, and the cheese tops it off, dripping over the bun. This a two-handed burger my friends...nothing skimpy here."

Got the picture?  And now I have just got to work on re-creating these massive babies for our Memorial Day grilling!

I realize that the above photo is not one of food or tropical scenery.  Yes, it is a picture of the commode in our favorite restaurant on Maui, Mama's Fish House.  I included it just to demonstrate that only on Hawaii would guests be treated to such tiny attention to details such as these tropical flowers tie-twisted to the tissue paper.  Not just your ordinary potty room experience!

The food at Mama's is literally as dreamy as is the scenery directly in front of the restaurant (shown below).  "Zagat" ranks Mama's Fish House as one of the top 5 restaurants for 2011!  Yes, when you make your reservation, go EARLY for your seating time so that you can sit as close to the beach as possible.  This is what you will look out at while you dine on extraordinary, fresh fish:  turquoise blue waters with white-capped waves rolling in and wind sailors dotting the horizon!  It is truly heavenly!

Our daughter Lauren, her husband Dawson, and our son Jesse gave us a gift certificate for our Christmas gift (which really helps because this is the most expensive restaurant on Maui).  Mahalo and grazie to you three sweeties!

For a real cyberspace treat, click on this {link} to Mama's to hear some fantastic Hawaiian music, view photos, recipes, menu, awards, and more!

Every night is a beautiful sunset, including those that we enjoyed from the lanai (deck) of our hotel room.  Below you can see how romantic every evening becomes before drifting off to sleep with the sound of the surf outside your room.  As they say, "Maui no ka oi" which translates from Hawaiian into "Maui is the best".

But truthfully everyone, even though Hawaii is a lovely paradise, there's really no place like home!  

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Sloppy Joe's ala Jamie Oliver & Lunch Alfresco On The Deck!

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Don't worry, be happy!  This simple, positive outlook phrase guided me during my recipe search for this week's theme of "Happy Food" for the I Heart Cooking Clubs group, in which we've been cooking with Jamie Oliver.  I already had some corn-fed, Iowa beef thawed out from the freezer that we were going to just grill burgers with.  Instead I began wondering if there might be a recipe on Jamie's web-site for ground beef . . . there was ONE, lone recipe:  Sloppy Joe's!  What fun!  And so easy for a Sunday afternoon.

My husband even set the table on the back deck since the weather is so nice today.  I cannot remember the last time we had Sloppy Joe's; it's been that long.  Although they are not the healthiest sandwiches on the planet, they certainly are fun!  Even my husband said while biting into one, "I always thought Sloppy Joe's were so much fun!  In fact, I think I'm going to have another one."  Along with the traditional side dishes of baked beans and potato salad, we really had a fun and enjoyable 'alfesco' lunch.

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Our acreage is in the middle of 24 acres of woods and pastures.  

Only in the winter when the trees are bare, can you see the corner of a house about 4 acres away.

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I just read a piece of foodie trivia in Saveur's Sandwich Issue:  Sloppy Joe's were named after a 'sloppy' chef in a Sioux City, Iowa restaurant.  How appropriate that this recipe popped up on Jamie's site just in time to use up some of our Iowa beef!  Talk about serendipity!  Whenever my husband and I return to Iowa for a visit or whenever my parents come to visit us, a variety of Iowa-raised, corn-fed meats are frozen and packed on ice in a cooler to partially fill up our South Carolina freezer.  This state (SC) may have some super, awesome, juicy peaches, but it sure doesn't produce the flavorful beef that my husband and I were raised on in the Midwest.
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And now here is Jamie's recipe for this happy and fun sandwich:
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.click on "read more" beneath my signature for the recipe.

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Italian Sausage, Peppers & Mushrooms on Garlic Buttered, Toasted Buns

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Italian comfort food!  Italian street food!  That's what mouthwatering Sausage, Peppers and Onions is all about.   Although this Italian hoagie/submarine style sandwich is often associated with people pushing street carts in Italy, it was in family-owned Italian taverns in the Midwest where my family introduced these mouth-watering, sloppy, often messy to handle with spill-down-your-face-with sauce sandwiches.  Actually, I serve these with a fork and knife to cut into instead because I can't handle being a messy eater.
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Whenever I make these, hubby comes into the kitchen and declares "What smells so good?"  It's the garlic, darlin', it's the garlic!  This is so aromatic bubbling on the stove!  The sweet peppers balance out the spiciness of the sausages and tomatoes; plus the buttery mushrooms, garlic and basil, and a splash of Marsala just bring this dish to a perfect melody of flavors.  Top that off with the garlic buttered bread . . . well, you cannot go wrong.  So completely comforting.
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You can serve this a variety of ways:  by itself, ladled over creamy polenta, or as I have here (as part of our Super Bowl spread), on toasted, garlic-buttered hoagie buns!  Mmmmm!  Perfect-o!

Italian Sausage and Peppers with Mushrooms and Onions
(very adapted from Giada de Laurentiis' recipe on Food Network)


6 - 8 links of sweet, mild Italian sausages (or if you can find it, Italian turkey sausage)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 - 10 cloves of garlic, sliced into slivers, not minced or pressed
1 lb. crimini or baby portabello mushrooms, cleaned with a cloth, stem ends trimmed, and sliced
2 large yellow onions, cut in half and then sliced
2 green peppers, cored, seeded, and sliced into 1/2" wide strips
2 red peppers, cored, seeded, and sliced into 1/2 " wide strips
1 yellow pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced into 1/2" wide strips
1  8 - 15 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp. tomato paste (to thicken the sauce; add more if you like it much thicker)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup Marsala or red wine (optional)
2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper to taste
Italian submarine/hoagie buns
butter
garlic powder


Poke the sausages all over with a fork.  
In a large, deep, heavy skillet, pour in the extra virgin olive oil, heat on medium heat.
Place the sausages in and cook until fairly brown.
Add the garlic to the sausages when they are not fully cooked, but fairly golden brown, so that the garlic does not burn from cooking too long.
Place the sausages into a large (13 x 9") baking dish, draining the oil to stay in the skillet.
Place the sausages in a pre-heated 400 degree oven to stay warm while cooking the peppers and onions.
Add the sliced onions to the hot left-over olive oil in the skillet.
Cook onions until browned and caramelized, but still crunchy, 6 minutes.
Add mushrooms to the cooked onions until browned and caramelized, 6 minutes.
Add the cooked onions and mushrooms to the sausages in the oven, draining the oil from them to be left in the skillet to saute' the peppers.
Add more olive oil to the pan if there is not enough.
Add all of the peppers and saute' 6 minutes; keep them at a nice level of crunchiness, not wilted or soft.
Remove the sausages, onion, and mushrooms from the oven.
Add the peppers to the sausage, onions, and mushrooms to the sausage mixture.
Add the oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; blend well
Add tomato sauce and wine at this point and carefully blend together.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Return to the 400 degree oven and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.


While baking, melt a stick of butter.
Add garlic powder to the melted butter to your preference level, about a Tablespoon.
Blend well.
With a pastry brush, thoroughly and heavily brush on the garlic butter on both sides of the hoagie/submarine buns.
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After the sausage, peppers, and onions are done baking, turn on the BROILER.
Place the buns under the broiler for about 2 - 3 minutes and watch them so they do not burn!  
When golden brown, remove from the oven.
Place a sausage on each bun and smother with the peppers, mushrooms, and onions!

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After the sausages are nicely browned, add the garlic to cook, but do not burn.

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Straight out of the oven and smelling like Italy . . . now this is comfort food!

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The only dish missing from this photo is the chili.  But this was just far too much food for 4 people and there were plenty of left-overs!

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Cobb Salad in a Wrap

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There aren't many people who don't like a loaded, classic Cobb Salad. The popular Cobb is one of those quintessentially American salads created at a moment's notice (sort of the same way that the classic Caeser salad was prepared in Mexico) back in the mid-1930's in California. I prefer the salad presented with each of the toppings in distinct sections on top of the bed of lettuce; whereas some folks (even the Mimi's Cafe restaurant chain) tosses all the toppings together with the lettuce.

Those famous Cobb ingredients include (all chopped) boiled eggs, avocados, tomatoes, crisply cooked bacon, red onions, blue cheese, chives, and cooked chicken which are beautifully presented on top of a variety of fresh lettuces. The only dressing that I ever consider for a Cobb Salad is blue cheese, but any dressing that you prefer can be used.

Today I prepared a lower- calorie version of the Cobb salad in the form of a turkey wrap! It was a perfect low-cal substitute and thoroughly flavorful and filling. My husband looked at it and said, "I find it hard to believe that this wrap is low-cal!" Well, it is! This wrap is going to make some encore appearances in my lunch boxes, that's for sure!

Turkey Cobb Salad Wraps
(adapted from "Fresh Food Fast")

2 cups shredded/ chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped tomato (1 medium)
1/4 cup chopped green onions (I used both red and green onions)
1 Haas avocado, peeled, pitted, and chopped
1/4 cup cooked, chopped bacon (my addition)
3 Tbsp. blue-cheese yogurt (I was unable to locate this in 3 different stores, so I used 1 Tbsp. blue cheese dressing)
8 oz. thinly sliced smoked turkey
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 multi-grain flat breads with flax (such as 'Flatout')

Spread the blue cheese yogurt or dressing on one side of each flat bread.
Layer all the ingredients on top
Roll up the flat breads around the ingredients into individual wraps.

Makes 4 wraps that contain 301 very filling calories each. Super for lunch!

Above is a a peek inside to see the ingredients before rolling up the flat bread. The turkey slices are on the right already semi-rolled up in the wrap. The only items missing from these wraps from the original Cobb Salad are the chopped boiled eggs and chopped chives. Those can easily be added without a huge amount of extra calories.

And that wraps up this post with one last look at some creamy avocados and crisp bacon bits peeking out!

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Below is a photo that illustrates a traditional presentation of the ingredients on top of a Cobb Salad.

(photo from "LaLosh")

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Sun~Dried Tomato Pesto Turkey Burgers With Basil Aioli and A Major Southern Snow Storm!

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You know it really is true:  if we plan ahead and go to the market/store with a list of all the ingredients that we'll need for our planned menus, we'll stick to a healthier food plan overall!  Plus, if it snows like it has been doing right here in the South (and subsequently icing up ~ which is even worse!), we don't have to venture out onto uncleared snow-covered roads.

So I followed this healthy rule last week and had all of the necessary ingredients on hand for a week's full of good stuff.  Who would have 'thunk' that this would have been the week that no one was able to drive on ice-covered roads in a state with only 20 snow plow and ice clearing trucks . . . even the National Guard was summoned in this week to help us out!  I don't know about you, but that's a big "Wow" in my book, especially being from the Midwest where roads are cleared in the middle of the night and schools are NEVER closed!

Even our Internet connection has not operated in two days; so this is truly a late recipe for "y'all".  I do apologize, but this recipe is certainly worth the wait!  It is completely outstanding!  No lie, friends!  You've got to add this to your healthy recipes file!  It is truly the best of the last three healthy recipes that I've posted BY FAR!  Once again it is from Cooking Light's "Fresh Food Fast" cookbook, with my own adaptations and additions (that made a big difference!); a resource that is shocking my family and me for the tasty, yet good-for-us recipes that are provided.  I'm just amazed!  You'll never know that this recipe is actually good for you!  And isn't that one of the goals that eating more healthfully is all about:  Enjoyment!?


Sun-Dried Turkey Burgers with Basil Aioli

1 1/4 lb. ground turkey breast
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (2 oz.) crumbled goat or feta cheese (I substituted Parmesan, cuz hubby hates feta cheese)
1/4 cup chopped and drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves (I substituded sun-dried tomato pesto instead)
1 Tbsp. freshly minced garlic (this was my own addition)
Cooking spray
Green leaf lettuce
White-wheat hamburger buns (such as Nature's Own)
4 tomato slices (or more)
Basil Aioli

Prepare grill.
Combine first 6 ingredients.
Divide turkey mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2" thick patty.
Place patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes on each side, or until a thermometer registers 165 degrees.
Place lettuce leaves on the bottom halves of each bun; top each with a turkey burger, and one tomato slice.
Spread 1 Tbsp. Basil Aioli on one side of each bun top.
Place one bun top on top of the other bun half and turkey burger.

Basil Aioli

1/4 cup light mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil (I used more, but that's just me)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, minced (I doubled this amount!)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

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Stay healthy, everyone!  And more importantly, stay happy and positive!

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Prosciutto, Fresh Fig, and Manchego Cheese Sandwiches

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Italians have culinary contributions, such as prosciutto di Parma, that once tasted, I cannot imagine being without it in the kitchen!  One of the time-tested food combinations of Italians is prosciutto and fresh figs.  Nearly every cookbook or Italian chef will have a unique way to pair these two food friends together!

Every now and then, a recipe comes along that just sends your taste buds soaring into the heavens!  This sandwich recipe is just one of those unique, packed full of diverse flavors recipe!   I discovered it from one of my favorite bloggers, Velva, on her tomatoes on the vine blog.  Velva gives credit to Cooking Light which never fails to amaze me with wonderful recipes.  After reading about the ingredients that are currently fresh and in season right now, I simply could not wait to prepare these.  The marriage of flavors in this creation are sweet and savory al magnifico!  The sweetness of the fresh figs and fig jam, combined with the savory Italian prosciutto di Parma, Dijon mustard, and Manchego cheese is indescribable.  Besides being a delectable lunch/dinner sandwich, another great idea would be to cut the sandwiches into little mini-sammies for party finger food (with toothpicks to keep them held together).  Your guests will certainly be impressed when they bite into them!

First of all, I had to order the fig jam from an Italian grocer on the web, since I could not find any at Whole Foods or The Fresh Market.  You really need this ingredient for the flavor combination!  It arrived in the mail one hour ago from my making the sandwich and posting it!

I must also give you a heads-up on another little important tidbit about this recipe . . . it isn't cheap at all; in fact, it is rather pricey!  Good quality Italian prosciutto can cost at a minimum of $12.00 a pound, the 1-year old Manchego cheese was commanding $19.00 a pound, the imported Italian fig jam was $12.00 plus $7.00 shipping and handling, the fresh figs were about $4.00 for a small basket, and a small jar of Grey Poupon Dijon mustard is about $5.00.  Of course those full quantities weren't used, but I'm just letting you know that this isn't your every day turkey sandwich!  For a splurge of a sandwich, this is it!

Prosciutto, Fresh Fig, and Manchego Cheese Sandwiches
(from Velva and Cooking Light)

4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
8 thickly sliced Italian bread, toasted
1 cup arugula, (I used red leaf lettuce for brighter color, plus arugula was unavailable in the market)
2 ounces very thinly sliced prosciutto (of course, I added more to my sandwich . . . yum!)
2 ounces thinly sliced Manchego cheese (again, I added more, and used 1-year old aged Manchego for a stronger flavor)
8 fresh figs, cut into slices, top stem cut off
2 Tablespoons fig jam (or more!)

Spread the Dijon mustard on four slices of bread.
Spread the fig jam on the other four slices of bread.
On the mustard bread slices, layer the arugula or red leaf lettuce.
Place the prosciutto on top of the lettuce, divided evenly among the four sandwiches.
Top each with the cheese slices.
Top each with 3 - 4 fig slices.
Place the bread slices with the fig jam (jam side down) on top of the sandwiches.

I served this with a little bowl (a tiny dipping bowl size) of Dijon mustard and another with fig jam to pass around to my guests to add to their sandwiches (I liked a little more Dijon on mine).

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Grilled Portobello & Cheese Melts with Smoky Red Pepper Mayo

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Eating healthier is such a challenge when it comes to preparing delightfully tasting, non-boring, and still good-for-you recipes.  Compound that frustration with the daily demands of university teaching, I need recipes that are not only delicious and exciting, I'd like them to be easy and fairly quick to prepare on weekdays after my hour and a half commute home.  After all, time is precious whether you work outside the home or not!  Plus, I just cannot wait to sit down and eat with my hubby!

In answer to that need, I picked up a wonderful cookbook that caught my eye last week.  The book is published by Cooking Light and seriously, I have not been able to put it down!  This paperback gem is titled "fresh food fast ~ ~ weeknight meals"  for 5-ingredient, 15 minute recipes.  I just didn't know where to begin cooking!

One other thing that I've been trying (with much difficulty) to do is decrease the amount of meat in my nutrition and increase my vegetable-based entrees.  I am not a vegetarian, and really have no plans of ever adopting that type of diet, but simply want to increase my fruits and veggies as recommended.  After all, if you look at some of the healthiest cultures in the world, such as the Mediterranean where my Italian ancestors are from, you'd find that they eat with less meat.  On top of that, my relatives lived in the  mountains in northern Italy and were quite poor as a result.  It's funny how risotto and polenta, which were staples on both my parents' and my plates growing up, were once considered food for the poor in Italy, and which now are considered gourmet cuisine!  But little meat was ever on their plate, and super healthy they were!
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As usual, I have made a few of my own Roz-alterations to the original recipe, so this is what many call an "adapted" recipe.  I hope you enjoy this sandwich as much as I do.
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Portobella & Cheese Melts with Smoky Red Pepper Mayo

4 large Portobello Mushroom caps
Olive oil cooking spray
4 slices Provolone cheese (I added this and used low-sodium)
Finely shredded Mozzarella cheese
6 - 8 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmigiano-Regiano cheese (I increased this from 2 Tbsp.)
Smoky Red Pepper Mayo
4 whole-grain Wheat Sandwich Thins (I used wheat instead of white as used in the recipe)

Smoky Red Pepper Mayo

1/2 cup light Mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. bottled roasted Red Peppers (I increased this from 2 Tbsp.)
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed Lemon juice
1/ tsp. smoked Paprika
1 tsp. freshly minced Garlic (I increased this from 1/2 tsp.)

Heat up the grill.
Coat both sides of the mushroom caps with cooking spray.
Place mushroom caps, 'gill' side down, on grill rack also coated with cooking spray.
Grill for 7 minutes (not 5 as the recipe states) on this side and then turn the mushroom caps over.
With the 'gill' side now facing up, place a slice of Provolone on top of each mushroom cap.
Generously sprinkle the shredded Mozzarella cheese on top of the provolone cheese.
Generously sprinkle the Parmigiano cheese on top of the Mozzarella cheese.
Grill for 10 minutes (not 5 as the recipe states) or until cheese is golden and melted.

While the mushrooms are grilling, prepare the Smoky Red Pepper Mayo:
Combine all the ingredients in a deep bowl.
With an immersion blender, thoroughly blend them all together.

Assembling the sandwiches:
Thoroughly and generously spread the Smoky Red Pepper Mayo on each inner side of the sandwich thins.
Place the mushroom caps, cheese side up, on the bottom sandwich thin and then cover with the top sandwich thin.

Serve with forks and sharp knives, because these are HUGE and can be fairly messy!
SO INCREDIBLE!  Kudos to Cooking Light for the delicious inspiration,  perfect for both my blog's focus, and for all of our health!
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Asiago Cheese Bread BLT's!

I have this crazy love affair with asiago bread ever since Panera Bread began marketing it years and years ago.  I have not been able to locate a good recipe to bake it at home, so if you happen to know of one, PLEASE share it with me! 

Since our little acreage is way out in no-man's land we don't have a Panera Bread nearby . . . BUT, you'll never believe the company that now bakes a fairly decent asiago bread?  None other than Wal-Mart.  Who would have thought?  But yes, even hubby says its not too bad!  This bread flies off the shelves due to those asiago lovers like me who don't want to drive 60 miles to the closest Panera.

With the lazy days of summer upon us, nothing beats simplicity!  Sweet, simple living in the summertime!  What says simple summer livin' more than a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich?  So with that dreamy thought in mind, I decided to make some "BLT's" because the tomatoes are ripening in the garden at the speed of lightening with this warm summer.  I didn't do anything different to this traditional sandwich other than usual. 
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(Click on 'read more' below for more about this sandwich)



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Cheesy Southern Pimento Cheese Burgers!

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Pimento Cheese Burgers all garnished up and ready to devour just moments ago!

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Before my family and I moved to the Southern region of the U.S. I had already fallen in love with Southern cooking through the hundreds of mouth-watering recipes that I read from my subscription to Southern Living magazine. In many of those recipes, I would come across an ingredient that was simply impossible to find in the Midwest: Pimento Cheese!

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This brilliant orange colored stuff is created with extra-sharp cheddar cheese, chopped pimentos, mayonnaise, and other ingredients that folks differ on whether or not to include (I provide several options for you in the recipe below). After moving here, I found this incredibly tasting, yet very fattening whipped cheese everywhere! Southern cooks even have their own prized secret family recipes! Many a Southern mama would curse any family member for giving away their treasured recipe, no matter HOW politely you may ask!

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And in South Carolina, in the middle of the state, in the capital city of Columbia, is a classic hamburger that is served using this golden cheese spread: Pimento Cheese Burgers! This unique hamburger has even been given the title of the city's "national food". As a pimento cheese addict, I had to try this Southern burger, no matter how bad it is for my cholesterol level (which is low by the way!). Trust me, you'll be begging for more too!
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Above pimento cheese burger served without any garnish for hubby. Cut open and the cheesy concoction appears! It stayed inside perfectly!

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Fontina & Asiago Grilled Cheese Panini & Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

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For those of you who live in parts of the country that have been getting hit hard with the Winter of 2010 blizzards, snow and ice storms . . . here's the perfect cozy-up lunch idea that I made last week when the weather rolled through the Carolina's. Here's a few photos of what we experienced that was just enough 'weather' to build a roaring fire in the fireplace and put my diet to the side for one day!

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Tomato Sandwiches! Pure Simplicity!

Oh my sweet goodness, just take a look at this completely, utterly BEAUTIFUL, perfect tomato! Talk about a simple blessing! It is these kinds of little things that just get me so excited and JAZZED.
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The FIRST thing that I do with our tomatoes is SIMPLY slice, sprinkle with salt and pepper and EAT one JUST AS IT IS! Savor it, taste the sweetness and savory-ness that blend in a fresh tomato! So what else can you SIMPLY do with a fresh 'mater? Toast some great white (yea, white) bread, slop on some Miracle Whip (not mayonnaise, because M.W. is more sweet and tangy), and then layer on super thick slices of the tomatoes . . . don't forget your salt and pepper to taste. SHEER BLISS! Look at this:
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Or one can always fix up a traditional BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato) sandwich -- cook up some extra thick smoked bacon, add some crisp lettuce, layer on some Miracle Whip on two toasted pieces of white bread

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Well, this is making me hungry and so I'm just going to go out on the deck and enjoy a beautiful summer afternoon on the acreage! Pin It

A Simple Egg Salad Sandwich ~ ~ And Superb!

I was in the mood for a simple egg salad sandwich lately. So W.D. and I whipped up the following recipe, which both of us agreed is as good as any recipe can get. There are hundreds of recipes for egg salad that are published and/or handed down through families. Who knows where the original recipe came from in order to give tribute to, since there are so many recipes that are each so similar, except for a little of this and a little of that. You can easily jazz up egg salad with avocados, bacon, curry powder, sweet pickle relish, or pimento stuffed green olives (which is how W.D. made his 1/2 of the batch!). It is a basic recipe that can become very creative, unique, and still delicious! I put fresh chives in this recipe because I have an overflow of chives in the garden, as well as lettuce that needs to be used up right away.

This may not be gourmet, but we eat very simply here on the acreage quite a bit . . . even more so than eating fancy and fussy meals due to the small amount of time we have to cook while juggling our jobs.

If you like egg salad, you'll enjoy this!


Old Fashioned Egg Salad Sandwich ~ ~ And Superb!
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9 jumbo eggs
1/2 - 1 cup diced celery, I use the leaves too!
1/2 medium sweet onion, finely diced (Vidalia or Maui)
3 jumbo/collosal pimento-stuffed green olives, diced (optional)
6 long stems of fresh chives, finely diced (or dill or tarragon)
1/2 - 3/4 cups of mayonnaise (we use Miracle Whip)
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. paprika
Freshly cracked salt and pepper to taste.
Fresh white bread (I like Pepperidge Farm Buttermilk bread)
Lettuce leaves (variety of your choice)

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Gently place eggs in a medium pot.

Fill with water.
Bring to a boil.
Boil for 10 minutes only.
One by one, crack eggs and run (individually) under cold running water while peeling off the shell.
Cool eggs in sealed container or plastic bag in frig.
Chop/dice all eggs, celery, onion, chives, and green olives. Blend.
Gently mix in mayonnaise, mustard, paprika, salt and pepper.
Serve with lettuce on very fresh, soft white bread for a sandwich or on a bed of lettuce for a salad.

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Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and BASIL Panini

It's PANINI time!

The garden's bounty is coming in big time! Tomatoes, lettuce, basil, peppers, and other herbs are ripening with this heat that we're now having ..... so that means that it is time to play catch up with eating and/or freezing everything as it ripens. We're STILL getting a lot of rhubarb on top of this . . . which I'm freezing.

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So today, I'm going to use some tomatoes, lettuce, and basil to make BACON, LETTUCE, TOMATO and BASIL PANINI!!! A twist on the traditional summer sandwich.

. Just ONE of our 7 basil plants . . . growing profusely (lots of pesto ahead!)

Use really good and FRESH Italian bread, large Basil leaves, and fresh tomatoes!

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The procedure is basically the same as a BLT sandwich, except to:

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  use ITALIAN BREAD instead
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  add 3 large leaves of basil for each sandwich
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  grill on a panini press

That's about it. Remember to cook the bacon (or Italian Pancetta) first and then add to the sandwich before grilling. Also add the lettuce AFTER the grilling so that it stays crisp. If you want, you can add the tomatoes after grilling as well; this way they won't soften up either.

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M-mmmmm, summer is certainly here!

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.LaLayer the cooked bacon, tomatoes, and basil on 2 slices of Italian bread (notice I left the lettuce off to prevent wilting in the panini press)

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Perfect summer tomatoes!

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One of the tomato raised garden beds . . . busting at the edges!

Our Panini press (I'm a huge Cuisinart fan)

I hope that you enjoy this summer-time panino! Pin It