This idea came from our Dinner Club this last Sunday where our food theme was Soup Night. Thankfully, the weather in So. Cal has finally turned "California cold" (60's during the day and 30's at night...Brrrrr!) and what better way to honor the cool weather, than to have a Soup Night. There were three soups on the menu that night, one of them being my friend Kathryn's Crockpot Tomato Basil Soup which was my inspiration to set up the grilled cheese sandwich bar for that night. What else goes with Tomato Soup better than Grilled cheese sandwiches? Am I right? Grilled Cheese just so happened to go well with the Potato Soup and Rustic Minestrone as well.
I got out the electric griddle and set up a Grilled Cheese Sandwich Bar. Luckily, I had mini cocktail bread coming out my ears already since my mom brought me a half of loaf that she wasn't going to use and I had a loaf that I bought to make another appetizer and never go around to doing it. I pulled out an assortment of cheeses including American Cheese, for the kids that were in attendance. I thought the kids would've enjoyed making their own sandwiches but, it was the adults that liked it the most. :) I included sides of grilled onions, spinach and roasted red bell peppers along side American, Provolone, Havarti with Dill and Muenster cheeses. It was a huge hit!
I imagine this will become an even bigger grilled sandwich bar for my next party or get together where I'll add ham, turkey, pepperoni, bacon, pickles, sweet pepper jam or relish, tomatoes and a ton of other sandwich ingredients. :) The best part is that these mini sandwiches are literally three bites each so you can try a ton of different combinations without having to eat a whole sandwich or fill up on a lot of bread. Perfect for your next soup night or as a fun take on Sandwich night with the kiddos where they could make their own creations. Come up with your own favorite combinations and enjoy! Here's to a happy and healthy New Year everyone!
Mini Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
1 loaf of Rubschlager® Cocktail Sourdough Bread Assorted cheeses, cut into 2" squares (I used American, Provolone, Havarti with Dill, Muenster) Grilled onions Roasted red peppers Fresh spinach leaves Dill Pickles Pepper Jam or Sweet Pickle Relish 1/2 cup salted butter, melted
Preheat griddle to 350 degrees.Melt butter in small ceramic bowl and then place the bowl on griddle to keep warm. Using a basting brush, brush melted butter on one piece of mini bread and place butter side down on griddle. Add cheese and toppings desired. Butter another slice of bread and place on top, butter side up. Let sandwich grill for about 4-5 minutes and then flip over. Grill on other side until cheese is melted ~3-4 minutes. Enjoy and Repeat!
This is one of those recipes that, at first look, seems really yucky. Who would make jam out of vegetables? And why would you want to?
I'll admit, it doesn't look all that appetizing in the jar but, put aside your judgement of questionable looking canned vegetables and make a batch of this jam! Why make it? "It is delicious!"
I made this Jam last summer when peppers were cheap and abundant. Canning is a good way to preserve summer fruit and a great way to transform all those peppers into an delicious and versatile condiment. I know you are probably asking, "What the hell will I do with an entire jar of Sweet Pepper Jam?" Here are few ideas...
Sweet Pepper Jam makes a quick and easy appetizer for all those holiday get-togethers. Open a bottle of wine. Spoon a generous amount (1/2-1 cup) of this sweet relish over a block of cream cheese. Put out some crackers and watch the faces of your guests turn from skeptical hesitation to smiling, taste bud euphoria!
Your friends WILL eat the entire plate so make sure you have enough crackers on hand. It is just that delicious! The taste is similar to Jalapeno Poppers with the creamy cream cheese filling, only without the heat.
This jam is also great in the summertime when you grill hot dogs and Chicken.
Hot dogs: Substitute the typical hot dog relish with this Sweet Pepper Jam. It is makes each bite the perfect combination of sweet, sour and savory.
Chicken: Coat chicken with some Sweet Pepper Jam after grilling for a uniquely sweet BBQ sauce.
Sandwiches: Add it to your favorite sandwich, such as Turkey, Ham or grilled cheese. More ideas: Add it to quesadillas, bagels, scones, simple toast with butter, and to top warm Baked Brie. The possibilities are endless. Enjoy!
Sweet Pepper Jam
(Jam recipe and instructions from Sure Jell® Fruit Pectin)
Makes 6 cups
2 medium green peppers 3 medium red bell peppers 10 large jalapeno peppers 1 cup apple cider vinegar 5 cups sugar 1 package of Sure Jell® Fruit Pectin
Sterilize canning jars according to directions on canning jars. And keep jars in hot water bath until ready to use.
Seed and chop peppers. Make 4 cups of prepared peppers. Wear gloves when handling jalapenos. Add peppers into large saucepan. Measure out the 5 cups of sugar and place in a separate bowl and set aside. Add 1 cup of apple cider vinegar and pectin to the peppers and bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that does not stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat. Stirring constantly. Stir in sugar quickly. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, skim off any foam. Ladle quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with lid and bands. Hand tighten. Place jars on elevated rack of canner. Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Cover and bring to a gentle boil and process jam for 10 minutes. Remove from the canner and cool jars on a towel. Once jars are cooled, check seals by pressing down on center of lid. If not sealed properly, refrigerate jam. If properly sealed, jam can be stored on a shelf for up to 1 year. Opened Jars must be refrigerated.
WARNING: You will eat every last one of these tacos and you will not want to share! You will have to unbutton your pants and it's not going to be pretty. You have been warned. The day I made these and shot these photos, I literally made a meal and a half out of this plate of seven wonton tacos. I didn't share them. I ate them all. They were so damn good!
But it's an appetizer for crying out loud, not a main dish! I should've stopped after 3 and definitely after 4. I was full. But noooo...there were 3 left getting soggy in their deliciously sweet and spicy BBQ sauce, sitting all alone on the platter without their friends. What's this very full, taco-loving girl to do?
No, I didn't eat them right away. I resisted. I did.
I resisted the temptation and walked into the other room to fold laundry or do some other never ending household chore, when I heard the faint cries from the appetizer plate. "Please eat me!" No, I can't eat another bite! I argued.
"Please eat me!"
Really. I can't. I mustn't.
My resolve began to weaken as I imagined drippy BBQ tears puddling around their crispy wonton shells... No, I really can't eat another...
The weary sobs of 'please eat me' finally drew me back to the kitchen where I half expected to see a soggy hot mess and that's when I realized these little wonton tacos weren't fooling around. The lonely trio were perfectly lit with afternoon light coming through the kitchen window...all poised in beautiful deliciousness with that cool and crunchy cucumber relish...
"Resistance is futile." They whispered.
Damn it! I topped them with more relish and more BBQ sauce and I ate every last bite. :)
The End
Spicy Pork Wonton Tacos with Cucumber Relish
Makes 24
(I used pork for this recipe but you can substitute with beef or chicken.)
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
1lb. sirloin pork roast 1/2 cup soy sauce, low sodium 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup brown sugar or honey 2 T toasted sesame oil 3 T fresh ginger, grated 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 T Sriracha sauce (optional) Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and heat on high for 6 hours or until meat can be shredded. Remove from slow cooker and shred with two forks. Set aside.
Spicy BBQ Sauce 1/3 cup Heinz Jalapeno Ketchup (or regular ketchup) 1-2 T Garlic Chili Sauce (to taste) 2 T brown sugar 2 T low-sodium soy sauce 1 T toasted sesame oil
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside. Heinz makes spicy ketchup varieties and I used their JalapenoKetchup for this spicy BBQ saucebut if you don't have it, substitutewith regular ketchup.
Cucumber Relish 1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced 2 T red bell pepper, finely minced 3 T cilantro leaves 2 T rice wine vinegar 1/2 t sugar 1/2 t salt red chili flakes (to taste) Mix vinegar, sugar, and salt in small bowl and add cucumbers, red pepper and cilantro and let sit for at least 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator. Wonton Taco Shells 24 round wonton wrappers Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Assemble cookie sheet with wire baking racks. (see photo) I got these racks at the Dollar Tree for $1.
Line your counter top with a large piece of parchment paper and spray the parchment paper generously with cooking spray. Place 9 wonton wrappers on sprayed parchment paper and then spray the tops of wrappers with cooking spray. Then, center each wrapper over the wire rack like shown. You will need to work in batches until you have 24 wonton taco shells.
Bake for 8-9 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and let cool.
Stuff each wonton shell with shredded pork and top generously with spicy BBQ sauce and the tangy cucumber relish. Devour! :)
Aren't these gorgeous? They taste as amazing as they look!
These days, you see recipes for kale everywhere. You can't look at Pinterest without seeing kale, quinoa orchia in some new and delicious recipe. They arethe trifecta of food popularity. I love quinoa and kale, there's a reason food becomes popular, because they are so yummy. Believe it or not, I haven't yet tried chia seeds. Not sure why I haven't. Maybe it's because I only see chia being added to yogurt and smoothies and stuff like that and I don't really eat yogurt or drink smoothies or protein drinks. Yucky. I guess you can say I'm still looking for a chia recipe that interests me. Anyway...
I do love Kale, but I must admit I am not all that fond of kale when it is in salads all by itself. An entire salad of just Kale is practically inedible. It definitely needs to have another green to tone down the roughage factor. It's tough, hearty and floral tasting but I find it can end up tastingbitter if not mixed with the right salad toppings. I personally think Kale tastes best when pairedwith something sweet like fruit like in my Kale Salad with Strawberry Mango Salsa.
I also think Kale isBEST when cooked. Saute, braise, roast into chips, and throw it into soups, all super yummy! If you like greens or fried cabbage this is the veggie for you. The idea of braising it with onions and topping it with a sweet and earthy balsamic butter sauce had been bouncing in my head for a while. I'd made it a few times as just a delicious side dish but I felt the heartiness of it needed to be its own meal. I decided to pair it with these yummy Salisbury meatballs and the dish was a home run. Enjoy!
Cool Product Alert! My mom gave me this lightly dried parsley from Gourmet Garden and I used it in my meatballs and also to top the finished dish. I loved having this on hand because I don't always have fresh parsley in the fridge. This little tub has quite a bit in it and goes a long way. Convenient and pure genius!
Salisbury MeatballswithBraised Kale and Balsamic Butter Sauce
Serves 4
Salisbury Meatballs 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef 1/2 cup bread crumbs 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 1 t. garlic powder 1 t. onion powder 2 T Gourmet GardenParsley, dried 2 T Worcestershire sauce 1 egg salt and pepper to taste 1-2 T canola oil for frying In
a large bowl mix all ingredients together and roll into medium sized
meatballs. Add oil to a large skillet and over medium high heat, brown
all sides until cooked through. Remove from skillet and cover with
aluminum foil and set aside.
Braised Kale and Onions 2 large bunches kale, roughly chopped (~10 cups) 1/2 large yellow onion, sliced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1-2 T olive oil 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth 1/2 cup white wine 1/2 cup water pepper
In a large pot, add olive oil, onions and garlic and cook over high heat until translucent. About 5 minutes. Add chopped kale, chicken broth, wine and water and cover with a lid. Heat on high for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, stir kale. The kale should be wilted enough to be covered by the liquid at the bottom of the pot. Heat on medium heat, covered for about 15 minutes until Kale stems are nearly tender. Add about half of the balsamic butter to the greens and stir.Continue to heat uncovered for another 10-15 minutes to reduce liquiduntil the kale is cooked to desired tenderness. Salt and pepper to taste. Note: Taste the kale before adding salt because the chicken broth when reduced adds salt so take care not to add too much. Balsamic Butter Sauce 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, reduced to 3T 1 stick of unsalted butter (1/2 cup) 1/2 T brown sugar black pepper Add vinegar into a small saucepan. On medium heat, heat vinegar until reduced to about 3 T. Turn off heat and add sugar and pepper and stir. Add butter and set aside until butter is melted.
Add about half of the balsamic butter to Braised Kale during the last 10-15 minutes of cooking time and drizzle the remaining half over the Salisbury Meatballs before serving. Garnish with Parsley and enjoy!
