Grilled Vegetable Panini with Herbed Feta Spread

I've been waiting and waiting for sumer to come so I could share with you my favorite panini.

That's right, favorite.

Grilled Vegetable Panini with Herbed Feta Spread

Adapted from KRUPS cookbook

2 small zuchini, sliced horizontally into 1/2 inch thick slices

1 roasted red pepper (you can roast it yourself, or buy it in a jar), sliced

1 red onion, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices

2 portabello mushroom caps, stems trimmed

olive oil

2 T balsamic vinegar

1 T soy sauce

salt and pepper

4 ciabatta rolls (or 8 slices crusty sandwich bread)

herbed feta spread (recipe follows)

Preheat panini grill to medium high. Drizzle soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and 1 T olive oil over mushrooms. Let the mushrooms marinate while you grill the other vegetables. Grill the mushrooms last. Brush zucchini and onion slices evenly with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Place on hot grill and leaving the grill open, cook until browned and tender, about 4 minutes per side for zucchini, 6 minutes per side for the onion, and 8 minutes per side for the mushrooms. Remove from grill and let cool. Cut the onion rings in half.

Reduce panini grill to medium. Lay out bread, spread bottom with herbed feta spread, and layer with zucchini, onion, mushroom and red pepper. Spread second bread slice with feta spread and place on top of sandwich, feta side down. Brush both sides of sandwich evenly and generously with olive oil, and grill, about 10 minutes. Repeat process with remaining ingredients to make additional sandwiches. Slice and serve warm.

Herbed Feta Spread:

1/4 c cream cheese, room temp

1/4 c sour cream

4 ounces feta cheese, room temp

1 t fresh lemon juice

6 leaves fresh basil, minced

1 T chopped fresh chives

1/4 t dried oregano

1/4 t salt

1/4 t coarse ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mash together using a fork until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Smokey Beef Tacos

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Here's my recommendation for tonight. Thank you Martha Stewart. The rice and bean dish isn't my favorite though. I substitute it with this recipe, minus the chicken.

Chocolate Zebra Cheesecake

I made my first cheesecake. I'm quite proud of myself. My mom got this from her friend Kathy (remember the stacked enchiladas...?) and has made it several times, but since I'm a little intimidated by baking, I've never attempted it until now.

I would recommend making this recipe a day ahead. It just takes a lot of time and I don't want to see you sending your husband home in the middle of church so he can put it in the fridge so it has enough time to cool before dinner. 'Cause I would never do that.

Let's get started, shall we?

Ingredients

1 1/2 c chocolate wafer crumbs (about 30 wafers)

3 T butter, melted

1/2 c (3 0z) semi sweet chocolate chips

4 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened

1 1/4 c sugar

3 T cornstarch

1/4 t salt

5 large eggs

8 oz sour cream

2 t vanilla extract

1 c whipping cream

8 oz semi sweet chocolate (if you like dark chocolate you can use up to 12 oz)

8 oz white chocolate

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9" spring form pan. Mix chocolate wafer crumbs and butter; firmly press onto bottom of spring form pan for crust. Bake 12-15 minutes. Remove crust from oven; sprinkle 1/2 cup chocolate chips over hot crust. Let stand for several minutes until chocolate pieces soften, spread softened chocolate evenly over crust (if you can get it to spread evenly, don't worry about it, just leave it as is). Refrigerate while preparing filling.

In a large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. In small bowl, mix sugar, cornstarch and salt; gradually beat into cream cheese until blended with mixer at low speed. Gradually beat in eggs, sour cream, vanilla and 1 cup heavy cream until bleded and smooth. Divide batter evenly into 2 containers with pouring spout.

In small saucepan over low heat, melt 8 oz semisweet chocolate. In another small saucepan over very low heat, melt white chocolate. Stir melted semisweet chocolate into batter in one container and stir melted white chocolate into batter in second measuring cup.

To create Zebra design, pour 1/2 of dark batter into spring form pan. Holding white batter about 2 feet above pan, pour about 1/2 batter directly into center of dark batter (pouring at this height will cause batter in the center of the cake to be bushed toward the edge of the pan, forming zebra or bull's eye design). Repeat procedure 3 times, decreasing the amounts of batter each time and pouring from high about pan only into center, ending with white batter.

Bake cheesecake 30 minutes. Turn oven down to 225 and bake 1 hour and 45 minutes longer or until center is set. Turn off oven, let cheesecake remain in oven 1 hour. Remove cheesecake from oven. Run knife around edge of cake to loosen from side of pan. Cool cake in pan on wire rack. Refrigerate cheesecake at least 6 hours.

Raspberry Topping

12 oz. pkg frozen raspberries, thawed

3/4 cup sugar

1 t lemon juice

Puree raspberries. Separate the seeds by pushing puree through a strainer. Combine puree (without seeds), sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Heat on medium until sugar is disolved.

Fruit Salsa

I found a new food blog. I can't remember how I got there, but after just a few minutes I found two recipes that I had lined up to post in the near future. So instead of going to the work of making them again, taking pictures and writing about it... I'll let Our Best Bites do the work for me. If you like my blog, I really recommend pursuing their site. I've never found a food blog so similar to my own tastes. Needless to say, I'm a big fan.

Okay, first, Sweet Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips. I got the recipe from my sister-in-law Amy. We used kiwi, apples, blackberries, and strawberries. Then we used 2 Tb white sugar and 1 Tb brown sugar. As for the Cinnamon Chips, they are great. However, if you're in a hurry, just pick up some Stacy's Cinnamon Pita Chips at the grocery store and you're set. They taste great.

Toffee Apple Dip

A quick shout out to Jana S for introducing me to this sinful dip. She has a habit of pushing delicious, fattening recipes my way while she stays a size 2.

This dip is like crack. You just can't stop coming back for more. I recently served this at an event and it was by far the most requested recipe. So for all those requests, here you go:

Ingredients
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 pkg. toffee bits (you can find these by the chocolate chips at the grocery store)

Instructions
Combine cream cheese and sugars. Fold in most of the toffee bits and then sprinkle what's left on top. Serve with apple slices and prepare to be harassed for the recipe all night long!

Chocolate Coconut Toffee Delights

I call this a conversion recipe. Previously, I was never a fan of chocolate cookies. However, when my mom came home from Australia and made these for me, I couldn't stop eating them. And neither can anyone else.

I also like it because any recipe that sticks "Delight" at the end of the title makes me smile.

Ingredients

1/2 c flour

1/4 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1/4 c butter, cut in small pieces

1 12 oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

3/4 c packed light brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 t vanilla

1 1/2 c flaked coconut

1 c English toffee baking bits (if you can't find them, you can chop up Heath or Skor bars)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl; set aside. Place 1 cup of chocolate chips in microwavable bowl and melt, stirring well. Add butter to chocolate; stir until melted. Beat in brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla with wooden spoon until well blended. Beat in flour mixture until blended. Stir in coconut, toffe bits and remaining 1 cup chocolate chips. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto prepared cookie sheet. Flatten with rubber spatula. Bake 10 minutes or until edges are just firm to the touch. Cool cookies on cookie sheet two minutes; slide parchment paper and cookies onto countertop. Cool completely.

All About the Sweet Potatoes, Baby.

Do you ever create a meal just so you have an excuse to make the side dish? That's what this post is. Don't get me wrong, the chicken and the salad are great, but do yourself a favor and go straight to the sweet potatoes.

Menu

Crunch Almond Chicken

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

PW's Spinach Salad