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Comfort Food Saturday: Jalapeno Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

This recipe was adapted from this post over at Closet Cooking. I found the picture and link on Pinterest and immediately started daydreaming about the sandwich.  On my next shopping trip, I grabbed some jalapenos and made myself one for dinner. It was everything I wanted it to be and more.

Jalapeno Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

(recipe is for one sandwich...increase ingredients to make more!)

• 2 jalapeno peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
• 2 slices of bread (your choice, but I used Italian bread)
• Butter or margarine
• 1 tablespoon cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated

First, roast your peppers.  Place the pepper halves on a baking sheet, skin side up.  Broil in your oven for approx. 10 minutes, or until the skin has blackened and blistered enough that you can pull it right off.  (after it's cooled a bit, of course)  Assemble sandwich by spreading margarine or softened butter on one side of each slice of bread, then cream cheese on the other side of each slice.  Place peppers on top of cream cheese, then top with grated cheddar cheese and other slice of bread.  Grill until golden brown. Enjoy.

 
A horrible picture of assembly.

 
The finished product.

Comfort Food Saturday: Antipasto

 
Marcus and I lived in Queens for several years, as many of you know, and we frequented an amazing little salumeria that cured their own meat and made their own cheese.  Everything I ever ate from there was incredible.  We used to go pick up some antipasto, ravioli salad and a nice, crusty loaf of bread, then sit and indulge in a nice Italian feast.  Since we've moved away, there have been days where we'd give ANYTHING for some of that food. In fact, I brought home 2 quarts of balsamic ravioli salad from NYC when I went for BlogHer last year.  We decided to splurge a little this week and buy some good-quality meats, some fresh cheese and a few other odds and ends to make our own antipasto.  It was worth every single penny we spent. 

We used Boar's Head meats, some from the deli's refrigerator, others that we had cut fresh.  Publix has a good fresh mozzarella, so we got some of that, along with some fresh veggies, then we picked some fresh herbs from my garden.  Assembling it was almost as much fun as eating it. (Almost.)

This antipasto, alongside some pasta salad and a nice loaf of crusty bread, makes for a perfect summer dinner.

ANTIPASTO

*Use as much or as little of each cold cut as you want.  We used a large Ziploc container and filled it to the top, eyeballing the ingredients.

• Mortadella (with pistachios)
• Sopressatta
• Prosciutto
• Hard Salami
• Pepperoni
• Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
• Red onion, sliced into rings, then cut in half
• Pepperoncini peppers, sliced into rings
• Green onion (2, diced)
• 1 small bottle Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar salad dressing

Cut meats and cheese into cubes and place into a bowl.

 
Add peppers and onions and entire bottle of dressing. Stir well, then refrigerate, stirring every hour.  Serve well-chilled.

 
Enjoy!

Comfort Food Saturday: Baked Parmesan Tomatoes

Nothing says SUMMERTIME quite like fresh, homegrown tomatoes.  My husband and I are weirdos, though--we don't like raw tomatoes. I know, we're strange.  It's a texture thing.  However, cook a tomato? And you'll have trouble keeping me away from it.  My mom used to bake tomatoes like this when I was growing up and the flavor is amazing.  I have basil and parsley in my garden this year to add even more to the fresh taste.  This is a great side dish for dinner or a nice accompaniment to a sanwich or cup of soup for a light lunch.

BAKED PARMESAN TOMATOES

• 4 tomatoes cut in half (horizontally)
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon each fresh oregano, parsley and basil, chopped
• 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place tomatoes on a baking sheet, cut side up.  Sprinkle on cheese, herbs, salt and pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Bake until tender, about 15 minutes.

 

Photo credit:  Eating Well

Submitted to Ingredient Spotlight:  Tomatoes  at Eat At Home. Check out all the other great tomato recipes!

Comfort Food Saturday: Citrus Jerk Pork Tenderloin

 
LOOK AT THAT!

My darling husband, who is a pretty incredible cook, whipped up some delicious jerk pork this week and the recipe was way too good not to share.  This particular take is not overly spicy and the citrus leaves your mouth feeling sort of fresh.  The meat was so tender and juicy that it literally fell apart. A fantastic meal for a hot summer night.

CITRUS JERK PORK TENDERLOIN

• Pork Tenderloin (ours was 1 1/2 pounds)
• Bottled Jerk Marinade (we used World Harbors brand)
• 1 lemon
• 2 limes
• 2 oranges

Marinate tenderloin in marinade for 1-2 hours.  Sear on a hot grill on all sides, then remove from grill.  Place slices of citrus fruits in a line on a piece of aluminum foil. Place tenderloin on top of fruit, then top with more fruit slices. (Fruit should be in rows.)  Wrap tenderloin in foil and roast in oven at 425 degrees for 40 minutes (more or less, depending on weight of your piece of meat).  Halfway through roasting, open foil packet and drizzle on a bit more marinade.  Be sure to rest the meat for at least 5 minutes when you remove it from the oven.  Slice into medallions and serve.

 
 

Comfort Food Saturday: Rosemary Lemonade

I have an abundance of rosemary in my herb garden this summer and we're all sick to death of my favorite rosemary chicken recipe, so I've been trying to venture into new territory with this lovely, fragrant herb.  Here's a new twist on lemonade that could just as easily be made with lavendar, mint or basil for a different, yet still refreshing, taste.

ROSEMARY LEMONADE

• 6 cups water, divided
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3/4 cups lemon juice (fresh-squeezed is best)

Make a simple syrup by bringing 2 cups of water and 1/2 cup sugar to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and add rosemary.  Steep for 30 minutes.  Strain infused syrup into a pitcher, then stir in 4 cups of water and 3/4 cups of lemon juice.  Add more lemon juice to suit your taste.  Chill and serve over ice.

 

Photo credit:  culinary.net

Comfort Food Saturday: Blueberry Cobbler

Each June, my family and I attend the Black and Blue Berry Festival at a nearby farm.  Their berries are outstanding and picking them is always a lot of fun. Here's one of my mom's favorite recipes using the fruits of our labor.

 

Blueberry Cobbler

• 
  3/4 cup water
• 
  2 T. cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 
  4 cups fresh blueberries

In saucepan, combine water, cornstarch, and sugar; bring to a boil.  Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add berries and mix together; remove from heat.  Pour into a 10-inch pie plate or 8x8-inch baking pan.  Cover with Topping (see recipe below).  Bake at 425 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is lightly browned.  Yield:  6 servings.

Topping
1 cup flour
1/2 t. salt
1-1/2 t. baking powder
1/3 cup skim milk
3 T canola oil
1 t. sugar
1/4 t. cinnamon

Combine flour, salt, and baking powder.  Mix milk with oil; add to flour.  Using a fork, mix until dough forms a ball.  Drop by spoonfuls onto cobbler.  Combine sugar and cinnamon;  sprinkle over dough. 
Serve hot with frozen vanilla yogurt.  (My mom would like you to know that it's good with ice cream or whipped cream, too.  )

Comfort Food Saturday: Lemon Ginger Drop Cookies

My friend Tanya came over the other day bearing a whole box of these delightful cookies. The recipe is from Martha Stewart's website.  They may well be the perfect summertime cookie. They're crisp, spicy (from the ginger), refreshing (from the lemon), sweet and just plain delicious.  Bring a batch to your next picnic!

LEMON GINGER DROP COOKIES

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top of cookies
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
•  1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup diced (1/8 inch) crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  In an electric mixer, mix butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).  dd egg and mix on high speed to combine.  Add zest; mix to combine.

In a bowl, whisk together flour, ground ginger, baking soda, salt and crystallized ginger;  add butter to mixture; mix on medium-low to combine, about 20 seconds.

Using 2 spoons, drop about 2 teaspoons of batter onto baking sheet. Repeat, spacing cookies 3 inches apart.  Bake 7 minutes.  Sprinkle cookies with sugar and bake until just golden, about 7 minutes more.  Cool on wire rack about 15 minutes.

 

Comfort Food Saturday: Asian Cole Slaw

My mother in law makes the best cole slaw in the world, if you're into that kinda thing.  While we were on vacation, we devoured a batch of this stuff pretty early in the week. when she picked up more cabbage on a shopping trip, I thought we were in for another batch.  Instead she made this Asian cole slaw, which is also quite good.  It has a lot of nutty flavor and a nice crunch to it and was a nice complement to sandwiches and burgers.

ASIAN COLE SLAW

• 1 pound cole slaw (shredded cabbage or broccoli stems--add in some shredded carrots if you want)
• 3/4 cup chopped green onion
• 2  (3 oz.) packages beef flavored ramen noodles (uncooked)
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds (shucked)
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup salad oil
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce, if desired

In a saucepan, dissolve sugar into vinegar.  When dissolved, remove from heat and stir in seasoning packet from ONE package of ramen noodles, soy sauce and oil.  Mix well and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  While mixture cools, mix together cole slaw, green onion, almonds and sunflower seeds.  Crumble the ramen noodles and add them to the cole slaw mixture.  Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss to coat.  Chill at least 30 minutes prior to serving.

 

Photo credit:  southernbite.com

Comfort Food Guest Post: Misinterpretation Cake

Today I'd like to welcome one of my favorite blog friends, Alissa, of Have Stroller Will Travel to Comfort Food Saturday! (on Monday! We're mixing it up like crazy people!  Woo hoo!)   Make sure to stop by her blog and check things out.  She's got a lot of wonderful things to say and is one of my very favorite people I've met from the blogosphere.  This is a great recipe for Memorial Day!

In college, I studied American Sign Language (ASL) and at the end of each chapter we could each have to come up with a story using the vocabulary from that particular section. When it came to the fruits and veggies chapter, my much smarter peers each came to school with a recipe. I came to school with a story that had talking fruits and veggies...ugh. I can still sense my sweaty palms as I watched person after person go up with a recipe before it was my turn. Why didn't I think of that??

Anyway, at the end of the semester we had a party and I thought I'd bring a recipe that one of the girls mentioned. I wasn't much of a cook/baker then as I'm not much of one now, but I was really proud for having made a little something. 

Then, the woman whose recipe I had made tasted my cake and said, "This is delicious. What do you call it?". Ummm...it's the recipe you gave in class....or so I thought. So that my friends is how I came to Misinterpretation Cake. I'm sure someone out there will recognize enough parts of it to tell me what I did wrong and what it's really called.

Misinterpretation Cake

1 box yellow cake mix

2 small cans mandarin oranges (drained)

 

Frosting

1 regular container Cool Whip

1 box Instant Vanilla Pudding

1 small can crushed pineapple (drained)

Optional: 1 large can sliced pineapple (drained)

 

Directions:

 

Mix cake mix according to the directions on the box. Add in both cans of oranges (drained) and mix thoroughly. Poor into 9 x 13 pan and cook according to box.

While cake is cooking, mix Cool Whip, dry pudding mix (do not make pudding with it) and crushed pineapple (drained) and refrigerate.

Remove cake from oven and cool. Once completely cooled, add frosting to top. 

*Sliced pineapple can be placed on top as garnish.

 I find this cake to be best served chilled.

My husband refused to even taste this cake for the first several years we were together, but after he did...all I saw was an empty pan. It's a great cake for a hot summer day.

Enjoy!

Comfort Food Saturday: Coconut Cake

I could have sworn I posted this recipe before, but digging through my CFS archives, I cannot find it. I'm craving this cake today. It's one my mom whipped up last summer while we were visiting here and it is deeeelicious! My husband is not a fan of flaked coconut, so Dean and  I will be on our own if we make one this weekend.  Something tells me we won't need any help finishing it.

COCONUT CAKE

• 1 box white cake mix
• 1 (14 oz.) can cream of coconut (I found mine in the section with the Bloody Mary mix)
• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (16 oz.) container Cool Whip (thawed)
• 1 package (10 oz.) flaked coconut

Bake cake according to package directions and allow to cool completely.  In a bowl, combine cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk.  Poke holes in your cake with toothpicks or a straw and pour creamy mixture over the cake.  Spread whipped topping over the entire cake, then sprinkle on flaked coconut.  Chill 20 minutes then serve.  Store in the fridge.

This would look beautiful on an Easter dinner table, don't you think?

 

Happy Easter, y'all!

Photo Courtesy of www.whatscookintew.blogspot.com