Mozzarella, Raspberry and Brown Sugar Panini

I found this in a magazine as part of a bunch of brunch recipes by Giada De Laurentis - it's good!! This is her recipe word for word from the magazine - I'll tell you my substitutions at the end.
I had to take a picture of my rosemary. One of my good friends has an ENORMOUS rosemary bush in her front yard (like 5 feet around and 3 feet high!) and I go over to her house to cut fresh rosemary when I need it - it's like living next door to Ina Garten:)

Mozzarella, Raspberry and Brown Sugar Panini

8 (1/2-inch thick) slices bakery-style white bread
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup raspberry jam
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
8 ounces (2 balls) fresh mozzarella, drained and patted dry
Kosher salt, optional
2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Preheat the panini press.
Using a pastry brush, brush the bread on both sides with the oil. Spread 1 side of each slice of bread with the raspberry jam. Sprinkle the rosemary over the jam. Cut the mozzarella into 8 slices. Place 2 slices of cheese on 4 of the bread slices. Season the cheese with a pinch of salt, if using. Place the remaining slices of bread on top, jam-side down. Sprinkle the tops with the brown sugar. Press in the panini press for 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden and crispy.
Cut the panini in half and serve.

*Instead of raspberry jam, I used Roasted Raspberry Chipotle sauce (the one I love and post about all the time!)

Also, if you don't have a panini press, you can cook it on the stove top in a sautee pan with a heavy pan on top to get that 'squished' effect, some people even use bricks wrapped in aluminum foil to weigh their sandwiches down.

Pumped Up Bean Dip

My 7 year old (crazy picky eater) requests only a few things when I ask him what he would choose for dinner. Top Ramen, Shell macaroni or bean burritos - then he specifies "just beans and a tortilla - remember that Mom"
Since I am not the kind of Mom that likes to cook out of a box, so I am constantly challenging his pallet. This one is a winner - even for him:)

Pumped Up Bean Dip
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can refried beans
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 c sour cream
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 c cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 medium onion, chopped

In a large microwave the cream cheese and sour cream for about 30 seconds to soften them up and make them easier to blend together. Then add all other ingredients and combine them together. Put it into an 8x8” casserole dish. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

I usually serve this as a dip with chips – but my kids often request this in a warmed up tortilla served burrito style.

Raspberry Chipotle Tacos

I made these the other night and they were such a delicious spin on your run of the mill taco's.
Raspberry Chipotle Tacos
3 or 4 chicken breasts
Fischer & Weiser Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce*

Add ingredients to your crockpot. Make sure you use enough sauce to cover the chicken completely. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours. About 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, shred chicken and add shredded chicken back into the sauce.

Serve in a taco sauce or flour tortilla and top with all your favs. I topped mine with sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and shredded cheddar. Delish.

*I use this sauce all the time. I buy it at Costco. It's the perfect quick appetizer for unexpected guests - just put out a brick of cream cheese and pour the sauce right on top. Serve with tortilla chips. I've used it in several other applications - a definite must buy and try.

Christmas Eve Menu

We have a great arrangement between my extended family and my husbands extended family for Christmas. We spend Christmas Eve with my husbands family, Christmas morning at home with the kiddos and Christmas afternoon/dinner with my family.

Every Christmas Eve for the last 15 years we have gone to dinner with my husbands extended family to Olive Garden. They are a big Italian family and that is a tradition they've had.

Since I love tradition, but I'd rather spend our money on gifts and fun rather than food - we are going to keep the spirit of that tradition alive by having an "Italian Dinner" for Christmas Eve.

I asked my hubs and kids to tell me what he would order if we were going to go to Olive Garden so I could recreate that at home.

On The Menu:
Italian Salad
Garlic Breadsticks
3 Cheese Tortellini & Bechamel Sauce with Prosciutto
Mizithra Cheese & Browned Butter Pasta

3 Cheese Tortellini & Bechamel Sauce with Prosciutto

Here is my stand by Bechamel sauce with prosciutto - via Giada DeLaurentis - the Italian queen of cooking.
3 Cheese Tortellini & Bechamel Sauce with Prosciutto
Bechamel sauce:
1 stick unsalted butter (4 ounces)
1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 quart whole milk, at room temperature
Pinch fresh nutmeg
Sea salt and white pepper
1 cup grated fontina
1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, julienned
Fresh Butoni 3 cheese tortellini (in your refrigerated section)

Bechamel sauce:
In a 2 quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Always stirring, gradually add the milk and continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This will take approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg, 1/2 cup fontina, prosciutto and season with salt and white pepper. Set aside.

In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Drain tortellini and fold gently into bechamel sauce. DOUBLE YUM!

Christmas Dinner Menu

This is the first year that we won't be "home for the holiday's" Hubs and I were both born and raised in Salt Lake City, but relocated out of state 2 years ago. I have eaten the same Christmas Dinner (for the most part) for as long as I can remember. Seriously. I am big on tradition so I love the idea that this year I am going to stick with tradition. Here are the 'traditional dishes' on the menu: Honey Baked Ham Funeral Potatoes Jen's Thanksgiving Rolls and the addition of Onion Beet Salad this year! I'm super excited!! What are you making for dinner??

Jack's 3 Bean Soup

Twice a month each of my kids is chosen to make dinner for the family. Today was my 7 year old Jack's turn. Since "Jack Dinner" has been listed on the chore board all week, he's been thinking about what to make. Tonight, I gave him 3 options of what to make for dinner (always easy - as I am the sous chef). He said "actually, I've been thinking about what I'd like to make. I have some ingredient ideas already and then we can figure the rest out together." ALRIGHT!
He is a creative little kiddo so I was interested in hearing what he was thinking about tonight's menu. His ingredient list was: black beans, pinto beans, corn & taco seasoning. He thought of those ingredients because "I really like bean burritos and tacos" yet another idea was "since it snowed today (never snows here!) I think it should be a warm soup" so far so good! This is what we came up with - and it was good!

I served his in our "Super Star" bowl - because what a little super star!

Jack's 3 Bean Soup
1 medium onion, diced
2 T butter
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
2 cans (or 15 oz) corn - we used frozen
4 c chicken broth
1 packet taco seasoning
crunched up tortilla chips

Add butter and diced onion to your stock pot. Cook until the onion is tender and transparent. Add black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, corn, chicken broth and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes.

The last 2 minutes or so, add the crunched up tortilla chips (a little trick I learned from Rachael Ray) the starch will thicken up the broth a bit and add salt.

Serve with shredded cheddar, sour cream or whatever you want on top!

*Vegetarian option if you use veggie broth instead of chicken broth.