Bobby Flay's Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Aaron and I loved these, the boys, not so much :).  Noah didn't like the goat cheese, and Owen didn't like the tomato.  Aaron and I gave these a perfect 10 and Owen and Noah gave these a 7.  Bobby Flay called these grown up grilled cheese, and obviously he was right.  Aaron and I will eat these anytime, anywhere :).  They are easy to make, and filling with all the cheese and bacon.  Each sandwich was 557 calories, but that will differ based on the bread you use.  Here's what I did:

2 slices of bacon per sandwich, cooked
2 T margarine or butter per sandwich
2 slices bread per sandwich
2 slices sharp cheddar cheese per sandwich
1-2 oz goat cheese per sandwich, according to taste
2 slices green tomato per sandwich (if you want a juicier tomato, just go with a riper one :))

Spread the butter on one side of each slice of bread.  Toast it with the cheeses, tomato and bacon between.  Cook on both sides, then serve when the bread is toasty and the cheese is melted.

Absolutely Avocado's Cucumber Salad

We ate this with our Krab avocado sandwiches the other night, and we all enjoyed this so much.  I found this recipe in the Absolutely Avocado cookbook.  Each serving, for six servings, was 165, and Noah and Aaron gave it a perfect 10, Owen gave it a 7, and I gave it a 9.  Here's what to do:

2 T olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cucumber, chopped
2 avocados, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
salt and pepper

Mix together the oil and vinegar, season to taste, and set aside.  Assemble the vegetables together with the garlic, and then toss with the dressing, serve.

Jonah really loved this too :)

Michael Symon's Chicken Mozzarella and Basil Sandwiches

This is really just a fried chicken sandwich, but since that is something that is loved around here, I'm sure you can imagine it was a hit.  We all gave this a 9, and although it was a calorie bomb, it was great.  I found this in Michael Symon's 5 in 5, and each sandwich was 823 calories for 6 sandwiches because we used two slices of garlic bread for the bread, but it will be less if you use less calorific bread.  Anyway, this was a hit, and easy to make, so here's what I did:

1/4 c flour
salt and pepper
1 egg
1/2 c dry bread crumbs
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella cheese cut into slices
12 slices garlic bread
1/2 c fresh basil leaves
1 tomato, sliced

Pour the flour in a bowl and season it well with salt and pepper.  In another bowl, beat the eggs, and in a third shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and season it well with salt and pepper.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, and then dredge each piece in the three bowls in order, flour, eggs, then bread crumbs.  Pour the oil into the pan, and then place the chicken in the oil.  Cook until browned well on both sides, and cooked through.  Place the mozzarella on top of the chicken slices, place on the bread and top with basil and tomato, then top with the last piece of bread.  Serve.

Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup

A few weeks ago we had Michael Symon's Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup.  This was really tasty, but way too spicy for us.  The kids really didn't like it, and only gave it a 3, but Aaron and I liked it quite a bit, the flavor was awesome, it was just over the top spicy.  I'll make it again, but with way less srirachca.  We found the recipe in Michael Symon's Live To Cook, which is the cookbook I'm working through right now.  No picture, sorry, but here's the recipe.

2 T olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 28-oz can San Marzano tomatoes, with their juice (I just used regular canned tomatoes)
1 1/2 c chicken stock
3/4 c heavy cream
2 T sriracha sauce (I would use 2 t probably)
1 T fresh oregano leaves
1/2 c Roth Kase Buttermilk Blue Cheese (I used just a regular blue cheese)

Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart pot over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the onion and a large pinch of salt and sweat for 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and continue to sweat for 2 more minutes.  Add the tomatoes, their juice, and the stock and bring to a simmer.  Add the cream, sriracha sauce, and oregano and simmer for 45 minutes.  Pour the soup into a blender (I used an immersion blender), add the blue cheese, and blend until smooth, working in batches if needed.  Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot, taste, adjust the seasoning if necessary, and reheat to serve.  The soup will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for a few days.

I would definitely recommend trying this, but be careful with the sriracha :)

Cheesy Pasta Bake

We had this pasta dish with my parents yesterday.  I made it for a hearty lunch for them, and it was a success.  This was the portion size, and it was 255 calories/serving.  We all gave it a 9, it was really hearty, flavorful, and just plain satisfying, if not very pretty :).  Here's the recipe, which has lots of estimations, you can play with the spices, etc., yourself.
Cheesy Pasta Bake

6 oz pasta
1 t olive oil
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomato
1/4 c tomato paste
1/2 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c spinach
basil, onion powder, season salt, salt, pepper, red pepper, oregano, all to taste
1 c ricotta cheese (more or less)
1 c grated parmesan cheese
1 c mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease an 8x8 pan.  Boil pasta in salted water until almost al dente (still quite firm).  Heat the olive oil in a large pan, then add in onions and garlic.  Stir and add in some salt.  Cook until tender.  Add in the tomato paste, and cook for a few minutes.  Add in the tomatoes and desired spices and bring to a boil, then simmer for a few minutes.  While the sauce is simmering, mix together all the ricotta, and half the parmesan and mozzarella and some onion powder.  Remove the sauce from the heat, add in the spinach, then mix in the ricotta mixture.  Pour into the prepared baking dish, then top with the rest of the parmesan and mozzarella.  Bake for a while, about 20-30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and cheese is browning.  Serve.

These are all approximates, make to your specifications.

Tomorrow we're having some hamburgers.