Fancy Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I'm not sure why I started calling these sandwiches "fancy grilled cheese", but whenever my kids ask me what we are having for dinner, and I say "fancy grilled cheese", they know exactly what I'm talking about and start reminding me of exactly how they like theirs to be made- sliced avocado, mushed up avocado, more ranch dressing, not too crispy, etc...

Even though I really do enjoy cooking and baking very much, there are days when I just don't have time in my schedule to spend more than 20 minutes on dinner.  And, it's those days that dinners often look more like sandwiches or spaghetti, than pot roasts or beef stroganoff.

Fancy Grilled Cheese:

Bread (any kind of bread will work, but I've got to suggest that a sturdier bread than sandwich bread is definitely my preference.  I usually have a loaf of Portland City Sour wheat bread (from Costco) on hand for making grilled cheese sandwiches, and it is perfect for this meal.)

Bacon- fry some up (usually 2 slices per sandwich) before you start constructing the sandwiches.

Avocado- one large avocado will be enough for 3-4 sandwiches

Cheese- I won't judge.  I love almost all cheeses (except American).  But, I strongly encourage the sharpest cheddar cheese you can handle for this sandwich.  If you have kids that only eat mild or medium cheddar, fine.  Make their's with that.  But, for you my friend, don't go any lower than sharp, and my recommendation is extra sharp.  Be a man.

Ranch dressing.

Salted butter.

Okay, you can grill these any way you'd like- in a frying pan, on your George Forman, on an electric griddle.  I do it on a cast iron griddle/fry pan that sits on two gas burners on my stove.  It looks like this:

I use the smooth side, not the grill side for these sandwiches. It works well and you can cook up to for sandwiches at time on it.

Construct sandwich by buttering first side of bread and lay it on warm/hot griddle.  Layer cheese, bacon, avocado and ranch dressing.  Then top to with another slice of bread, buttered on the outside.  Cook both sides until the bread is browned and the cheese it melted.  

Serve and enjoy!

Biscuits and Gravy

This meal is high on the rotation chart.  Biscuits are a quick bread, so they're quick and easy to make (although, if you accidentally substitute baking soda for baking powder they will be disastrous, trust me).

You may already have a favorite biscuit recipe that you are loyal to.  If you do, go ahead and use that.  We all have our favorite when it comes to baked goods.  If you don't have a favorite biscuit recipe, let me introduce you to mine.  It comes from a dear friend, Hildie, who is one of the best cooks I know.  She put it up on her blog years ago, and once I gave it a go I became a loyal fan of these biscuits.  Check it out here.

BTW, Hildie is totally hilarious, smart and talented.  IMO, her blog is a must read.  Also, she is as authentic and lovely in real life as she is online.

So, to go with the delicious biscuits, I make The Pioneer Woman's sausage gravy.  You can find that here.  Now, let me tell you that I do make two alterations to her recipe because it just tastes and works better that way.  First, I use whatever milk I have on hand (usually 1% or skim) because this household cannot have whole milk just sitting around.  A certain someone, who will remain nameless, has a crazy addiction to whole milk and we just don't buy it.  Second, her recipe calls for two teaspoons of black ground pepper.  That is a lot of pepper my friends.  I made it once this way and my non-spicy loving family couldn't handle the heat.  So, I cut it down to a 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and that is plenty.

This dinner can easily be served with a side of steamed veggies and you'll have rounded it out quite nicely.

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Quiche

Y'all, real men eat quiche.  Seriously, its so good, and easy to make.  I'm guessing a lot of you have never attempted making quiche because it is something you'd only eat at a fancy brunch or at your snobby aunt's house, but truly, it's not for the rich and famous, it's for the masses.  And, it's not "girl" food.  Geesh.

This recipe comes from King Arthur Flour.

First, make a pie crust.  Come on.  You can do it.

My favorite recipe is this:

In a food processor put the following:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Pulse to combine

While on, add 1 stick of unsalted butter (cold and chopped into small cubes).

Combine until the mixture is crumbly and course.  Then, while food processor is on add:

2-3 tbsp ice water

mix until the dough forms into a ball almost.  It should come together and be a bit on the sticky side.  Take it out and flatten the dough into a disc shape.  Wrap in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Roll the pie crust out and form it to fit your pie pan.  No need to be overly fancy, but you can if you want!  Prick the crust with a fork 15 or so times and prebake the crust for 10 min at 375 degrees.

To make quiche filling:

3/4 pound bacon (I've used less before) precooked and chopped up

1 small onion

2 tbsp butter (or bacon fat)- this is for sauteing the onions

salt and pepper

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup milk

6 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar (or whatever kind of cheddar you like) grated

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Dice the onion finely and saute it until translucent.  Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the cream, milk and eggs.  Add to it the bacon, onions, cheese, salt and pepper.  Pour it into your prebaked pie crust.  Don't over fill.  If you have too much filling place the excess into small custard cups and cook those along side the quiche.

Bake the quiche for 40 minutes.  The edges should become golden brown and the center should feel just set.

Remove quiche from oven and let it cool on a rack.  You can serve it warm or room temperature.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars

Recipe courtesy of Six Sisters' Stuff

These are so scrumptious.  The recipe makes a boatload, so if you want to half it you can use a half sheet baking pan instead.  

Cookie base:

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)

2 cups old fashioned oats

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Middle layer:

1 1/2 cups peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)

Frosting:

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup) softened

1/4 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp cocoa powder

2-3 cups of powdered sugar

To make:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl with paddle attachment, cream the butter and two sugars together until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla, eggs, and 1 cup of peanut butter.  Mix until combined.  Add oats, flour, baking soda and salt.  Mix for 30-60 seconds or until well combined.

Spread base cookie batter onto a greased baking sheet (18x13x1).  Bake for 15 minutes.

Once the base cookie is done, remove it from the oven.  Wait 10 minutes or so and spread the 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter on top as the second layer.  You can do this a bit easier if you drop the peanut butter on by the spoonful over the top of the cookie layer and spread it once the peanut butter is warm.

Let cool.(I put it in the fridge to cool faster)

While cooling, make the frosting by mixing all ingredients in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer.

Spread evenly over the cooled bars.

These cookie bars are delicious warm, room temp and straight out of the fridge.  You can also freeze them for up to a month.  And, since they have oats and peanut butter, you might even be able to consider them energy bars!

Baked French Toast

This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman.

I acknowledge that this meal is not the healthiest of options.  It is a bit of a dessert-type meal.  But, I only make it once a month or less and it is undoubtedly a smashing success every time I do.  The greatest thing about baked french toast, besides how delicious it is, is that you can make it ahead (the night before, or the morning of) and then when it's time to pop it in the oven, dinner will be ready in just 30 minutes.

Baked French Toast

1 loaf of crusty sourdough or french bread (I've used both, and sometimes pugliese, and it all tastes wonderful).

8 eggs

2 cups whole milk (I use what's on hand- usually skim or 1%)

1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp vanilla extract

For the topping (I usually make this right before it goes into the oven):

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of nutmeg

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter cut into small pieces

To make:

Grease a 9x13 inch pan with butter, or cooking spray.  Tear or cut bread up into chunks and evenly distribute in pan.

In a medium sized bowl mix eggs, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla.  Pour over bread.  Cover tightly and put into fridge for several hours (or overnight).

To make topping- mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Add butter pieces and cut them into the dry mixture until it resembles little pebbles.  

When you're ready to bake, sprinkle topping on top of bread mixture and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  If you like it a bit firmer, with less liquid, bake for one hour.

Serve with maple syrup.

Lazy Daisy Cake

A newer family favorite, this cake became a popular dessert for families in the 1930s.  The cake is a light and moist sponge with a delicious caramel and coconut topping.  It is a relatively quick bake that includes ingredients commonly found in the pantry.  The following recipe is from the book American Cake by Anne Byrn.

Cake:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk (please use real buttermilk.  It is far superior to using sour milk- milk with a bit of vinegar)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center of the oven.  Lightly grease your 9x13 baking pan with butter.

For cake, beat granulated sugar and 1 stick of unsalted butter (softened) in a large mixing bowl until creamy (2 min).  Add eggs and beat on medium until smooth and light- 2 min.

In another medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder and salt.  Add it to the batter alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla extract- end with flour mixture.  Beat on low until everything in incorporated, then increase speed to medium for 30 seconds more.  Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top.  Place in oven for 28-33 min, until golden brown and top springs back when lightly pressed.

Once cake has baked remove it from oven and turn oven broiler on.  Place rack 4-5 inches below broiler.

For topping, melt butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat- 1 min.  Add brown sugar and cream.  Let mixture come to a boil and boil for 2 min or until it thickens slightly.  Remove pan from heat and add coconut, vanilla and salt and stir.  Pour the topping over the warm cake, spreading evenly.  Place cake in oven, under broiler and watch carefully.  Let the topping broil until it bubbles up and the coconut carmelizes- 30 to 60 seconds.

Remove pan from oven and let it rest for 15 min before serving.  Enjoy!

Makes 12-16 servings.

Pesto Chicken Enchildadas

This recipe is a perennial family favorite that I was introduced to by my dear friend, and fabulous cook, Christy.  Endless thanks dear!

Combine and fill flour tortillas with:

3-4 chicken breasts (or equivalent in chicken tenders) - cooked and shredded
4 oz cream cheese
1 T milk
1 T pesto (homemade is best, but jar is just fine. I use pesto from a jar)

Place in a 9x13 glass baking dish and cover with sauce:

Mixed together-
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz sour cream
1 cup milk
2 T pesto

Top with 1-1 1/2 cups of cheese (I used a combo of pepper jack and cheddar, but this can be up to you), chopped tomatoes (I omitted because a couple of my kids don't like tomatoes), and cilantro.

Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Served with a green salad (romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, sliced almonds and ranch dressing).

Serves 4-6


***most photos will be taken with an iPhone 6 because I'm busy and that's what's handy.