Croque Monsieur

Did you know that a humble grilled ham & cheese sandwich becomes a French bistro classic if you use Gruyére cheese? Well you do now! Behold the Croque Monsieur! The best use of leftover holiday ham.

Tips:
- Don't be shy with the butter!
- Grate your cheese; slices won't melt well.
- Add a small amount of your favorite mustard.
- To melt your cheese without burning your bread grill your sandwich in a skillet then finish it in the oven or microwave.

Italian Oven Fries

Making homemade fries isn't the easiest, cheapest, or healthiest thing in the world. Sometimes it IS worth it but sometimes you need a good oven fry recipe. I'm not sure how much healthier these are but you won't need a big pot of oil so no hot fat popping onto your arms/face/clothes/stovetop. 

These fries go great with my Turkey Sliders! Check them out here: http://eatinandcookin.blogspot.com/2012/10/turkey-burger-sliders.html

Todays recipe is brought to you by: http://www.marthastewart.com/349033/italian-fries

Ingredients:

Russet Potatoes, Sliced (approx 1/3 inch thick) 

Olive Oil

Butter, cut into little cubes

Romano Cheese, Grated

Salt & Pepper 

Dried Italian Herbs (Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Parsley etc)

Ready for the oven

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400, Slice potatoes and rinse them in cold water, then dry them on paper towels. 
• Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet and toss with Olive Oil. Evenly coat with the Dried Herbs and plenty of Grated Romano Cheese. Don't skimp on the cheese!
• Optional (but not really) - Sprinkle a modest about of butter evenly across the baking sheet. 
• Bake for 40-50 minutes, depending on the size of your fries, turning the fries over halfway through. Take them out when they are Golden and season immediately with Salt & Pepper.

PRO TIP: 50 minutes is too long to wait for fries IMO. Next time I'm definitely going to par-cook them in the microwave first. After the potatoes are sliced, rinsed and dried put them in a microwave safe dish, toss with the olive oil, cover tightly with plastic wrap and cook at least 5 minutes on high. This should cut the oven time in half.

Ready for the plate

Ready for YOUR FACE!

Try these fries with this Turkey Slider recipe! So good! http://eatinandcookin.blogspot.com/2012/10/turkey-burger-sliders.html

Breakfast Burritos for the Freezer

I LOVE breakfast burritos. I also love to spend as little time as possible on breakfast on a workday. So I'm making Sunday's breakfast and breakfast for the whole week in one fell swoop.

I got my inspiration from Kim's blog Stirring the Pot here: http://mykentuckyhome-kim.blogspot.com/2012/09/lets-talk-freezer-meals-burritos.html 
and also Here:http://mykentuckyhome-kim.blogspot.com/2012/08/spicy-chorizo-zucchini-and-egg.html 
She's got lots of good stuff posted, check her out.

I'm cooking up Chorizo, Zucchini, Onion and Potato, along with a big batch of Scrambled Eggs and topping them off with Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Manchego cheese and Chipotle Tobasco sauce.

Looks good. Smells even better. 

Fill em

Wrap em, stack em

This is the first time I've thrown a Zucchini in the mix and it was fantastic! They were so good we were lucky to get 5 (out of 9) into the freezer for later! Looking forward to breakfast this week. I'm also looking forward to trying this filling in a taco as well. 

Freeze em

Here's a rough recipe. Exact measurements aren't essential:

1 Small Zucchini (Diced)

1 Small Onion (Diced)

2 Small Potatoes (Diced)

1/2 - 3/4 Lb Chorizo

• Cook the Chorizo on med-high first, try to get some browning on it, once cooked through add the veggies. Lower heat and cover. Let the veggies soften and the flavors meld. Pour mix into a bowl, scrap out the pan and melt butter and scramble the eggs. 

9 Eggs

1 Big Splash Milk/Half and Half/Cream

1-2 Tbs Butter

Salt & Pepper

• You know how to scramble eggs, right?

What do you think of this filling? What do you put in your breakfast burritos? Make it? Like it? Let me know in the comments! 

Quick Pic: Veggie Pizza

I'm trying out my mobile blogger app. Here's tonight's dinner.

Sauted mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, red onion, garlic, cheddar, monetary jack and homemade pizza sauce. Topped with Parmesan and garlic salt. 
I use Leonardi's pizza dough from WinCo.

Pizza Tips: 

• Rest your dough! Even if you're using fresh store bought dough it's always best to let it rise and relax in a warm area for as long as possible. The texture will be better and it will be easier to roll/stretch out. 
• Make/buy your dough ahead of time! You can freeze it!
• Make your sauce ahead of time! You can freeze it!
• Don't over sauce your dough or use too many toppings with a high moisture content, such as fresh veggies. The top of your crust will be doughy and underdone.
• When using pepperoni: place between layers of paper towel and microwave for a short time (30 secs to a minute). You'll be amazed how much grease comes out. Added bonus: your pepperoni will be nice and crisp when they come out of the oven.
• Use plenty of olive oil on your pizza pan. It tastes great and will keep your pizza from sticking. 
• Cook your pizza on a lower oven rack at a high temperature, 400-500 degrees.

Calzone

I'd been craving calzone for awhile before I ran into this article: http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2012/08/secrets-to-perfect-calzones/

OHMANLETSDOTHIS!!!

I made one on Sunday. It was really, REALLY good. Even better than I expected. It was even better today, after the filling and sauce spent the day in the fridge.

I'm using store bought pizza dough. Leonardi's brand from Winco is best IMO.

 Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Parmigiano Reggiano with Garlic and Fresh Basil and an egg as binder. 

Wrap it up. 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Top with pizza sauce 

OH YEAH!

So good. So easy. Looking forward to experimenting with different fillings; spinach, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, BACON...

Thanks America's Test Kitchen. I <3 you. 

Check out this cookbook, I use it all the time!