International Grilled Cheese Day

I'm not sure if you're aware, but last Thursday was International Grilled Cheese Day!!!

I've talked about my love for cheese before,

so you can imagine my excitement when my husband told me what day it was!

In true fat kid fashion we didn't settle for your ordinary grilled cheese,

and we couldn't make just one kind either.

We started with the best grilled cheese, (yep that's the title of the recipe).

I don't know that it's the best I've had but it was REALLY good!

Then we did a couple variations of your typical grilled cheese,

one with cheddar and spicy pickles,

and the other with cheddar, spicy pickles, and salami.

Top: cheddar w/spicy pickles, Bottom: best grilled cheese

To keep with the cheese theme,

we also made homemade mac n cheese.

Our cheese fest was amazing,

can't wait for the next one!

***Our tweaks***

For the Grilled cheese:

We used grated cheese on all our sandwiches (it gets gooey-er!)

Once the bread was buttered we poked holes through each slice so the cheese could ooze out

We sprinkled grated parmesan cheese on the outside of the bread as it was grilling



For the mac n cheese:

We omitted the eggs

Used non-fat milk instead of whole

Once the noodles we cooked/drained we mixed everything together in the pot, transferred to a baking dish and baked for 25 minutes @ 350

After ten minutes of baking we added panko break crumb topping (next time I'll put the panko on at the beginning)

Spicy Siracha White Bean Dip

The title really says it all,

but don't just take my word for it, try it for yourself!

The recipe can be found here.

Be sure to let me know what you think!

I'd love to hear if you made any substitutions too :)



Garlic Parmesan Edamame

This recipe had me at garlic!

Add the parmesan and I hit the jackpot (for those who don't know- I LOVE cheese)!

***I adapted the recipe a bit and added soy sauce and extra garlic.

These were absolutely Ahhh-mazing!

To try this recipe yourself visit 28cooks, I promise you'll be happy you did!

If you decide to give it a whirl, I'd love to hear about it :)



Two for Two

Baked Ravioli

Need I say more?

This is my lovers’ favorite dish to order at Joes, a local family owned Italian restaurant. 

We had both been craving Italian food and rather than spending money to eat out,

I decided to make his favorite at home!

Initially I wasn't sure how to interpret his silence,

but he continued to eat (not that he turns away anything)...

and FINALLY he speaks,

"babe, can you make this again, tomorrow?"

me, "not tomorrow, but I'll make it again."

him, "okay next week then, please! This is SO good!"

Ladies and gentelmen,

we have another hit!

You don't have to take my word for it,

try it for yourself and let me know what you think!

Baked Ravioli:
1 lb. ground turkey (sub, beef or Italian sausage)
2 lb. frozen ravioli (I used cheese)
1 jar marinara sauce (homemade sauce is on the list of things to try)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Seasonings to taste (I used salt, pepper, garlic salt, dried oregano)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brown ground turkey seasoning as you wish. Meanwhile bring pot of water to a boil and cook ravioli just until they start to float to the top (they will continue to cook when you bake them). Drain meat and add jar of marinara sauce, warm and set aside. Drain ravioli and return to pot, pour sauce meat mixture over ravioli and stir (be careful not to break ravioli). Pour into 9x13 baking dish and cover evenly with both cheeses. Bake until golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes. 



Spicin' Things Up

Sometimes I get stuck in a rut when it comes to my creativity in the kitchen.

Don't get me wrong,

I LOVE to try new recipes.

But sometimes it's easier to just whip something together without having to follow a recipe!

We have many favorites in my house that I can practically make with my eyes closed

...

well not really, I'd hate to burn myself!

But you get the point.

The hubby and I share a love for tasty food,

but we don't always share the same taste.

He's not so keen on fruits and veggies,

 I'm not the biggest meat eater, and seafood is outta the question!

So you can imagine that it can sometimes be difficult to find something we're both crazy about.

BUT

I'm feeling risky and ready to try new things...

even if they require following a recipe!

And what do ya know?

Cajun Chicken Linguini was a HIT!

We both devoured our entire bowl...yumm.

I'm so excited to add something new to our list of favorites :)

and anxious to try more!

Enjoy!

 

Cajun Chicken Pasta (recipe adapted from food.com):

8 boneless skinless chicken tenders, cut into chunks
4 ounces linguine
2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
1-2 cup heavy whipping cream (I used 1 cup non-fat milk and 1 cup whipping cream)
2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes (I used about 4 tbsp.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (I used about 1/2 cup, but I love cheese)

Place chicken and Cajun seasoning in a bowl and toss to coat. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté chicken until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat add heavy cream (and milk if using), tomatoes, basil, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and heat through. Pour over hot linguine and toss with Parmesan cheese. I let it sit a few minutes for the sauce the thicken a bit before serving. Enjoy!