Steak and Fontina Cheese Panini with Chimichurri Sauce

From: joyfulhealthyeats.com

I posted a little bit ago the chimichurri sauce my friend Megan makes and then I saw this recipe so I had to try it with her sauce.  It was AMAZING!!  The perfect mixture.  I made it for the family and my kids didn’t love it, but my husband and I LOVED it so next time I’ll be making them just a grilled cheese and these will be ours. Bon A petit!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. of fajita skirt steak
• 1 loaf Sourdough Bread, sliced
• 8 slices of fontina cheese

Chimichurri Sauce:

• 1 cup of fresh parsley
• ¾ cup of fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup of fresh oregano
• 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes
• juice of 1 lime
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup of red wine vinegar
• ½ cup of olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Prepare fajita skirt steak and slice. {for grilled fajita skirt steak recipe – click here}. Set aside.
2. Prepare Chimichurri Sauce. In a blender add fresh parsley, fresh cilantro, fresh oregano, garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, lime juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt & pepper. Blend until completely combined.
3. To assemble the panini, layer ½ cup of sliced fajita steak, 2 slices of fontina cheese, and 1½ tablespoons of chimichurri sauce on a slice of bread. Top with another slice of sourdough bread.
4. Repeat this process for the other 3 sandwiches.
5. Place in panini press and grill for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted. {if no panini press use an indoor grill or skillet to cook panini}

Old Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies

From: Cooking Classy

These are my new obsession thanks to my friend Shannon.  She made them for a church function and now I can’t get enough.  You know the packed iced oatmeal cookies, I think it’s the “Grandma” brand???  Well, these are TEN TIMES BETTER!!!  I prefer no frosting because I’m weird, but they are so pretty with frosting and make the cookie complete.  Beware making these….you might not stop!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup butter, softened (I used salted)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Icing

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 Tbsp milk

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Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour oats into a food processor and pulse until partially ground, about 15 seconds. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground oats, for 30 seconds.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter, granulated sugar and light-brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 – 4 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing until combined after each addition. Stir in vanilla. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combined (scrape bottom and sides of bowl as needed). Allow cookie dough to rest 10 minutes at room temperature.
• Scoop dough out about 2 Tbsp at a time and drop onto a silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven 11 – 15 minutes. Allow cookies to rest on baking sheet several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• In a mixing bowl whisk together powdered sugar and milk and dip tops of cooled cookies in icing and allow excess to run off or alternately spread icing over cookies. Return to wire rack and allow icing to set. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
• Recipe Source: lightly adapted from Is This Really My Life? who adapted it from Novice Chef

Pesto and Sausage Baked Ziti

From: melskitchencafe.com

If you ever need to take a meal to someone, or when you have people come over I usually make this.  It is so easy and quick.  I started just keeping a jar of ricotta cheese and pesto in my freezer so I always have this ready to go.  In fact, I made it last night when family came over for dinner….YUM YUM!!! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ziti noodles
• 1 pound Italian turkey or chicken sausage, casings removed
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup pesto
• 9 ounces baby spinach
• 15-ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan and set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the ziti and cook until al dente. Drain.
3. While the pasta is boiling, in a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat, add the turkey sausage, onion and garlic and cook until the sausage is cooked through, adding a bit of salt and pepper to taste (the amount will depend on the seasonings in the sausage). While it cooks, break up the sausage into smaller pieces. Drain any excess grease if needed.
4. Add the diced tomatoes, pesto and salt and pepper to taste (I added about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Simmer for 10-12 minutes. Add the spinach, stirring until it cooks down a bit into the hot sauce, 1-2 minutes.
5. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella cheese and 1 1/4 cups of the Parmesan cheese.
6. In the prepared baking dish, pour in the drained noodles. Dollop the ricotta mixture over the top of the noodles. Spread the sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining cheese (1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan).
7. Bake until heated through and golden around the edges, about 20 minutes. Let stand 5-7 minutes before serving.

Creamy Baked Taquitos

From: thegirlwhoateeverything.com

I made these for my husband’s birthday dinner (who always requests anything mexican). He thought they were so amazing he actually brought them to work for leftovers.  He NEVER brings leftovers to work.  They were so good, they are on my top 10 list…if I had a top 10 list.  Happy Eating!!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup (3 oz) cream cheese
• 1/4 cup green salsa
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 2 Tablespoons sliced green onions
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 cup grated pepperjack cheese
• about 12 small corn or flour tortillas (we liked flour better)
• kosher salt
• cooking spray

 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
2. Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder and mix well. Add cilantro, green onions, chicken and pepperjack cheese and combine well.
3. You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.
4. The corn tortillas are harder to roll without cracking. For the corn tortillas: work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.
5. Place 3 Tablespoons of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.
6. Then roll it up as tight as you can.
7. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.
8. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Makes around 12 taquitos.
9. Dip in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or Tomatillo Dressing . They would be great with black beans and this Cilantro Lime Rice.