Chicken Pesto Panini

Oh, how I love a good sandwich, and I REALLY loved this one!!!  The original recipe from Damn Delicious was for a Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Pesto Panini.  I've said it before and I'll say it again...I love anything with Peso.  So, I thought I'd give this sandwich a try, but I substituted the turkey for baked chicken breast and it turned out AMAZING!!  I didn't even get to add the avocado to mine (it was bad when I cut into it..boo!) and it was still amazing.  So, if you love a good sandwich and you love pesto, you will LOVE this!

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Chicken Pesto Panini

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 loaf of French bread cut into 4 equal pieces

1/2 cup pesto

4-8 ounces mozzarella, sliced

2 cups sliced baked chicken

2 roma tomatoes, sliced

1 avocado, sliced

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  Spread pesto over each side of French bread.  Top with mozzarella, chicken, tomatoes, avocado, and top half of bread.  Repeat for remaining sandwiches.  Add sandwich to a pan and grill until bread is golden and the cheese is melted, about 2-3 minutes per side.

This really is amazing!!  Enjoy!  :)

Cajun Burgers

I was at home a few weeks ago and my Dad was raging about some hamburgers he had made.  He talked about them so much that I decided I needed the recipe.  I can't really take credit for making these because my husband actually made them while I was out running errands one night, but I CAN tell you that they were FANTASTIC!!!  I expected them to be spicy because of their name, but they aren't.  They are SUPER juicy and have a definite "restaurant" taste to them.  The ingredient list is long, but you will have almost all of these things in your pantry, so don't be afraid.  I will definitely be making these the next time we have friends over to cook out!!

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Cajun Burgers

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 large onion, chopped (We didn't include this because we did the green onions and it seemed like a lot!)

6 green onions, thinly sliced

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 egg

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp dry bread crumbs

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp cream cheese, softened

1/4 tsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp seasoned salt

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp ground mustard

1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce

2 pounds ground beef

8 hamburger buns, split

condiments of your choice

In a large bowl, combine the first 16 ingredients.  Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.  Shape into eight patties.  Grill over medium heat or broil 4 inches from the heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees and juices run clear.  Serve on buns.

Seriously, how good does this look?!?  You will definitely impress your friends with this one!  Enjoy!  :)

Catfish Po' Boys

I got this recipe from my Dad a few weeks ago and decided to give it a try.  I'm always a little hesitant about making fish because I expect it to taste like I got it in a restaurant and I often fall short.  However, this one was GREAT!  It is super easy and quick too!!

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Catfish Po' Boys

2 tbsp reduced-fat mayonnaise (I used olive oil mayonnaise...my favorite!)

1 tbsp lemon juice plus 1 tsp zest

1 tsp lime zest

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

Dash of cayenne pepper

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning

4 catfish or founder fillets (about 4 oz each)

4 soft hearty white rolls, split in half

1 ripe tomato, thinly sliced

4 pieces of Bibb lettuce (I forgot this, but it would have been great!!)

Heat broiler.  Coat a broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray.  In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, lemon juice, zests, garlic and cayenne until smooth.  In a shallow glass dish, whisk together cornmeal and Old Bay seasoning.  Coat fillets with nonstick cooking spray and dredge in cornmeal.  Place on prepared broiler pan and broil, 4 inches from heat, for 7-8 minutes or until fish flakes easily.

 To assemble, pull out some of the soft center of the rolls and discard.  Cover both sides of the rolls with the mayonnaise mixture and fill with a fish fillet, tomato slices and lettuce.  Don't forget the lettuce like I did!!  (I think some pickles might be good too.)

These were SO GOOD!!  Enjoy!  :)

Ham & Cheese Sliders

My friend Melissa recently shared this recipe with me and I purposely set it aside for after Easter. I knew we would have leftover Honey Baked Ham and I knew we would want another way to eat it! I am SO GLAD I had this recipe because these little sliders are FANTASTIC!

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Ham and Cheese Sliders

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup miracle whip

24 white dinner rolls, split in 1/2 sandwich style (I used the Hawaiin ones...yum!)

24 pieces of honey ham (you can of course use deli meat...I just had leftover Honey Baked!)

24 small slices Swiss cheese

Poppy Seed Sauce:

1 T poppyseeds

1T + 1 1/2 t yellow mustard

1 stick butter, melted

1 T minced onion

1/2 t Worcestershire sauce (I didn't realize I was out of this, so my sauce is probably more yellow than it should be)

**I halved this recipe and then only put the Poppy Seed Sauce on half.

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and miracle whip. (I'm not a fan of miracle whip, so I only used mayonnaise.) Spread onto both sides of each roll. Layer 1/4 square of Swiss, 1 slice of ham folded in half, and another 1/4 of Swiss on each roll. Close and place very close together in a large baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together all poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. Let sit 10 minutes until butter sets slightly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 15 minutes until cheese melts. Uncover and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Serve warm.

I'm telling you, these are GREAT!! My husband and I devoured the ones with the sauce and my son loved the plain ones. Enjoy! :)

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

I confessed in my last post that I *might* have a slight addiction to Pinterest. Well, I'm SO GLAD I do, because I found this next recipe on there and it is nothing short of AMAZING! The first words out of my husband's mouth were that it tasted like something he could order at a restaurant. SCORE! I definitely agree and it is definitely a dish that will be on our weekly menu many more times. The recipe originally came from MelsKitchenCafe and I will definitely be making some more things from her blog!

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Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

1 cup cooked rice, warm or at room temperature

1 cup cooked, shredded chicken

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)

1/2 red or green pepper, diced (I used red)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

juice on one lime

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

2 cups shredded cheese (I used Montery Jack/Colby)

Sour cream (optional) - I did this and it was great!

6 Burrito-sized flour tortillas

Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and sour cream.

Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2 inch border around edges. (Optional: dot the cheese with sour cream)

Arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla.

Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open. Spray the tortillas all over with cooking spray. Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side.

I cannot express to you how delicious these are! You really need to make them QUICKLY! Enjoy! :)

Salad Wraps

This is a recipe that I adapted from a Paula Deen recipe because I didn't have all of the ingredients she called for. It is now my absolute favorite sandwich to eat at home...SO EASY and delish!

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Dena's Salad Wraps!

(Eyeball the ingredients based on how many people you are making these for. The pictures show ingredients for 2 wraps...one regular size and one MAN size!)

Lettuce, chopped

Tomatoes, chopped

1 Avacado, chopped

5-6 slices of turkey, chopped

2 slices of Colby-Jack cheese, cut into squares

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Ranch dressing to taste

Flour tortillas or my favorite...Mission Sun Dried Tomato Basil Wraps

In a medium bowl, place lettuce, tomato, cheese, turkey, avacado, and bacon.

Add ranch dressing; stirring gently to coat with dressing.
Place filling on each tortilla or wrap; roll up and cut in half crosswise.

SUCH a good, light lunch or dinner...YUMMY!! Enjoy! :)