Remember the days of Food Network actually having shows with cooking? Ahhh, barely. Thinking of that is almost as nostalgic as the show this recipe came from. Tyler Florence had decided to create an ultimate rainy day menu, which consisted of chicken soup, grilled cheese, and brownies. All with a gourmet twist of course.

With our rainy weekend and cooler days, I decided to make a grilled cheese panino, layering fresh mozzarella, pesto, and tomatoes on Acme’s Herb Slab, then weighting it down to grill until the cheese was nice and oozy. (more…)

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Comfort food, Italian, Lunch, Vegetarian by Courtney

Some people like a BLT. I’ve never been much on lettuce or tomatoes on my sandwich, so I’ve always made a BMT – bacon, mayonnaise, and toast. After years of making this sandwich for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I think I’ve hit upon the perfect ingredients for the perfect sandwich.

Not long ago, I stumbled upon Trader Joe’s organic mayonnaise. There’s something about this mayo – it just tastes so much better than the Hellman’s and such that you usually pick up at the grocery store (and we’re talking quick and easy meal here, so no making my mayo from scratch). Slather this on sandwich bread that has been toasted for a little wetness to all the dry. The bacon? (more…)

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Breakfast, Dairy free, Dinner, Drink Time, Lunch, Southern by Courtney

Generally, I’m hungry around 10 am. This is because I’m not ready for food before that time, only coffee. By 10:30 am, I am susceptible to craving immensely whatever food is put in front of me. So this morning, when I read that the place my old college roomie works for was being featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, I was in prime-craving mode. I haven’t been in Kansas City in nearly 6 years, so I decided to pop over to the Happy Gillis website and see what they had to offer. Just in case I’m ever in the area again, ya know?

Croque Madame caught my eye — ham, swiss, and grainy mustard, with runny egg to boot! Some may find this odd, but despite my love for runny egg, I’ve never had a croque madame. I didn’t even know how to make one. But, alas, I have no ham.

Or so I thought! I went to rummage through my refrigerator, because at this point I wanted something. We had some friends visiting this weekend, and they had come bearing not only gifts, but their road trip leftovers, which included – HAM! Hot diggity, I am back in bidness! (more…)

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Brunch, French, Lunch, Sandwiches by Courtney