Maple Drizzled Apple-Cinnamon Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

YUMMY!!!!!!!!  I'm a grilled cheese connoisseur, so I got pumped when I saw this recipe!  This did NOT disappoint....it was so yummy!!!!   I would make this again and again....I really liked the sweetness of the apple / cinnamon!!

Makes 4 sandwiches: OBB

Measurements are approximate.  These are sandwiches- don’t overthink it!

Ingredients

4 slices rustic sandwich bread

8 slices sharp cheddar cheese (or enough to cover all the slices)

1-2 sweet, crisp apples (honey crisp were amazing)

ground cinnamon

kosher or sea salt

3-4 tablespoons real butter

100% real maple syrup

Butter each slice of bread and place slices butter-side down on a cutting board.  Place cheese on each slice of bread.  Core apples and slice into 1/8 inch slices.  Place apple slices on 4 slices of bread and lightly sprinkle them with ground cinnamon and salt.  Put sandwich halves together and grill in a hot skillet, or on a Panini grill, or broiled in the oven, flipping sandwiches and cooking until each side is golden brown and cheese is melted.  Drizzle with maple syrup, or serve on the side for dipping.  

Italian Chicken Roll-Ups

Ahhhh I haven't cooked a new meal in forever!!!  It was the first time since I've had my blog that I almost missed a month with a new recipe, so I snuck a couple in at the last second :)  Guess that's what happens when you sell your house and have to pack up all your kitchen stuff!!  We are living with the parents now, so figured I would pay them back for their hospitality with some home cooking!

This was soooo good!!  It was really easy to prep too - and then you can relax (or get dinner ready for your baby!) while you wait for it to bake!!  Awesome!!!

Serves 6 : Recipe OBB

Ingredients:

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup spinach leaves
8 ounces ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Garlic Bread Seasoning
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Pizza Sauce (or your favorite marinara sauce)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together the ricotta cheese and garlic bread seasoning and set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Place a chicken breast flat on a plastic cutting board and cover the entire board with a piece of plastic wrap. Pound the chicken breast with a meat mallet until it’s about 1/4″ thick (it will have spread considerably). Cut the pounded chicken breast in half. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.

Line a chicken breast with spinach leaves. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture over the spinach leaves, leaving about a 1/2″ margin from each edge, then sprinkle with mozzarella. Starting at on one end, carefully roll up each chicken breast and secure with 2 toothpicks. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.

Roll each stuffed chicken breast in melted butter, then roll in the Italian seasoned bread crumbs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes in the preheated oven or until the chicken is cooked through. If you want to brown the tops a little, turn on the low broiler for 1-2 minutes (be sure to  keep an eye on it–burning things at this point would be very sad).

Make up your pizza sauce for dipping while you wait!

Baby Food - Mango

This was Brody's all time favorite food so far!  He can't get enough....I think he would eat these until he was sick!

One mango yields about six ounces of puree.

When purchasing fresh mango, look for fruit that's free of nicks, bruises, and other blemishes. A ripe mango will give slightly when you squeeze it and have a fruity aroma at the steam; the color can vary between red, yellow, or orange and isn't the best indicator of ripeness.

Wash the mango with a mixture of three parts water and one part white vinegar to remove bacteria. Rinse under cool running water and dry.

Use a knife with serrated edges to slice the thickest part of the mango on either side; cut as close as possible to the pit. Make three horizontal and three vertical cuts (down to the peel but not through it) in the flesh of the mango. Scoop the flesh out with a spoon.

Puree mango in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water as needed to reach desired consistency.

Refrigerate leftover mango puree for up to 3 days. Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in your refrigerator.

Baby Stuff

I've been getting lots of emails requesting my lovely baby spreadsheets, SO I created a new link on my blog - "Craft / Baby Index" (top header on left) - to store all that loveliness.  Enjoy :)

Cookie Sandwich

Hmmmm heaven in your mouth!!!!

Ingredients:
1 recipe of Chocolate Chip Cookies
Strawberries - diced
Cool whip (or Whipped Cream)

Grandma Mimi's Chocolate Chip Cookies

A co-worker of mine won an award for the "best chocolate chip cookie" - so we thought we would give it a try tonight at cookbook.  These were good....and we made them even better by doing this: Cookie Sandwich.

Kerry Olzenak Award Winning Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup butter-flavored shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon hot water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour
12 oz package chocolate chips
2 cups oatmeal

Cream shortening and stir in sugar and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mix until smooth.

Add vanilla, hot water, soda, salt, flour and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Add oatmeal and stir well.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 9-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Summer Pasta Salad

Possible last cookbook club at 14234??  We sold our house - YAY - so it was weird to think this could be the last cookbook at my house!  We made up a yummy summer salad; it was so tasty!!  I would add in some grape tomatoes....hmmm yummy!!!

 

Ingredients:

8oz dried bow tie and/or wagon wheel pasta 

2 medium avocados, halved, seeded, peeled, and coarsely chopped

6 slices bacon, crisp cooked, drained, and crumbled

2/3 cup chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup finely shredded Pecorino Romano cheese

 

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain.

 

Meanwhile, in a large bowl - combine the avocados, bacon, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, pepper, and salt.  Add the hot pasta and toss to combine.  Transfer to a serving bowl.  Sprinkle with cheese.