Grown-Up Grilled Cheese

Grilled Cheese: The American grilled sandwich of choice.

I am all down for Kraft Singles between bread, and I get that that is what 'grilled cheese' usually means, but the grown-up version of me just hasn't really accepted this as actual food in recent years.  The ingredient list is quite long and well, the texture is a little odd to say the least.  And I would go for cheddar or colby, but those give me a bellyache.  And so grilled cheese became a thing of the past for me.

Until I was scrolling through Blog Lovin' the other day (which is way cooler than Google Reader ever was and you totally need to get it NOW and not later...) and I came across the most delicious looking grilled cheese sandwich I had ever seen: Avocado, mozzarella, and jalapeno-chimichurri.  OH YES.

I looked at Erin's recipe (over at Naturally Ella) and thought jalapeno sounded too spicy, and mozzarella too gooey (my stomach does not like gooey cheeses).  But the whole concept -- avocados + chimichurri + different cheese -- was a winner.

I didn't even know was chimichurri was but recently I have been seeing it pop up everywhere.  A quick internet search shared with me that it is basically an Argentinian style sauce used on top of meat, and another quick look, this time at the ingredients, showed me it is very similar to pesto, with red wine vinegar added to it.  Simple, fresh, and I had all the ingredients in the house.  Perfect.

I opted for goat cheese because (A) I had it in hand, (B) my stomach doesn't mind it, and (C) the ingredient list was goat's milk, cheese cultures, and salt -- as the ingredient list should be.  Grabbed an avocado and some bread, and went to work.

And they were fantastic.

That's the beauty of the blog world.  There are so many great things out there.  Sure, there are many that aren't going to suit your fancy, but there are some real gems.  I have tons of bloggers that I love following -- some for food, some for life, some for no real reason at all other than they share great/random/funny/deep things with me.

Today for the Blog Every Day in May Challenge, I am supposed to profess my love for a blogger, and I am having a hard time coming up with just one.  There are so many great blogs out there and even greater people behind these blogs.  Those of you who visit regularly (Cassandra / Ana / Lynna ), those who inspire me to strive for more in the kitchen ( Naturally Ella / A Couple Cooks / Happy Yolks ), and so many others...

But there is a group I would like to make a super shout out to: My Sundays with Joy girls.  Carrie over at Bakeaholic Mama started the group a little over a year ago, and I jumped in.  Little did I know that I would form true friendships from this group, with so many.  Not only do we bake together, but we share things from outside of our blogs together.  Engagements, moving, difficulties and loss... we have a group on Facebook that shares sweet treats and sweet moments.  And I love being a part of a group like that!  Wanna know something cool?  Joy the Baker is a part of our group (as it IS her book we are going through ;) ) and she takes the time to read what we write and encourage us along the way.  Let me tell you -- it means a lot to have one of the most well-known bloggers tell you that your photos are gorgeous. But it also means a lot when other 'small-time' bloggers such as myself offer words of encouragement and help along the way. What a great group to be a part of!!!  Thank you, ladies!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AVOCADO – CHIMICHURRI – GRILLED GOAT CHEESE SANDWICH
Recipe adapted from Naturally Ella

SERVES 4 •  PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES  •  TOTAL TIME: 20 MINUTES

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed parsley
• 3-4 large basil leaves
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ½ cup olive oil
• salt, to taste
• large avocado, sliced
• 4 oz. goat cheese (soft / creamy)
• 4 slices sourdough
• spreadable butter

directions

1.      Make chimichurri: In blender/food processor, blend parsley, basil, and garlic together.  Add vinegar and olive oil and blend again, until desired consistency. 

2.      Heat non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add a thin spread of butter on the outside of two pieces of bread.  On one slice (on the non-butter side) spread half of the goat cheese, layer half of the avocado, and spread chimichurri on top. Cover with other slice of bread and carefully put into skillet.

3.      Let cook until lightly golden on bottom and, using a large spatula, flip.  Cook remaining side until golden brown.  Remove from heat and cut in half.  Repeat to make second sandwich.

(You might have chimichurri left over.  Place in an airtight container and refrigerate, up to three days.)

 COST: $5.88           COST PER SANDWICH (2): $2.94

With Glittering Eyes

My favorite quote, you ask?  Right there, penned by the famous children's author Roald Dahl.

Watch with glittering eyes...

... and where did those hidden secrets appear?

In the hug of a stranger.  The laughter of children, the touch of a friend, in a sweet glance.  On an island or two in the middle of the Pacific, in the comfort of my living room...

Sometimes in a song when my heart is heavy.  Other times in a facial expression that is quickly masked.

All around, hidden but waiting to be found.


(Day Four of the challenge... click the button above to see what others have to share today.)

Things That Make Me Uncomfortable

Spiders in the same room as me make me very uncomfortable, as does the idea of getting a shot, noticing someone with their zipper down that I don't know well enough to say something to them, and merging onto crowded freeways.  I find these to be very uncomfortable moments.

I guess I am not that abnormal.

But there are some things in life that don't make me all that uncomfortable as they do with others.  Tripping and falling in front of others... it happens to run in my genes. I am used to it.  Walking in on someone sittin' on the pot.  Slightly uncomfortable, but I quickly get over it.  Poop talk.  Not uncomfortable at all, and I don't even have kids.  Getting up in front of a large crowd to speak -- generally not a problem. Getting up in front of a large crowd to sing solo -- very VERY uncomfortable.  However, I can control those opportunities by following the advice of D.A.R.E. advocates around the world -- Just Say NO!

I have no problem doing that.

I guess you can say it doesn't make me all that uncomfortable.


(Day Three of the Blog Every Day in May challenge.  Click the button above to join in!)

Farmers Market Friday: Rio de Janeiro

Rachel (of Rachel's Rantings in Rio) and I go way back... well, kind of.  See, before I even had this blog, back when I was a blog stalker and not a participator, I found Rachel's blog.  Writing in my private blog from the time, I shared these thoughts of her:  I am following a blog called "Rachel's Rantings in Rio", which as you might have guessed is a woman (American, married to a Brazilian) in Rio, ranting. Well, not always ranting, but sharing thoughts mostly. It is like an online, ever developing ethnography. She is witty, crass, sweet, brutally honest, and overall happy. I love it.  Enjoy Rachel's view of the feira, and if you are looking for an American's view of all things Rio (witty, crass, and sweet included), stop by her blog and say hello to her.  

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The vegetable guy and I had a wonderful relationship at first. I suppose it is normal for some relationships to not make the long haul, nonetheless it can make things awkward.

You see, I used to buy already selected baggies of veggies from my guy. I always went to him and he was always a great help. He would even separate out the best bags of my favorite vegetables and I would buy them. We’d chat. I even introduced him to my children.

But sadly, we couldn’t keep that level of feira love. He started asking too much from me, quite literally and in the form of money. His prices kept going up, the size of the veggies in the bag kept going down and the crap he put aside for me was just that, crap.

So I broke up with him. I broke up with my vegetable guy. Life is too short to spend it eating overpriced tiny green pepper!

Of course I am not afraid of a little confrontation so I talked to him about it. After all, relationships are all about communication. I told him that his stuff was getting too expensive and the quality was going way down. He blamed the rain, the feira, and the other vegetable men.

I’m sorry but this girl has standards when it comes to her relationships: Own up or ship out.

Initially it was quite awkward. He would call me over and I would say thanks, not today. Then he started noticing that I was carrying someone else’s vegetables. It wasn’t a good feeling for either of us. I felt like a vegetable whore and he felt rejected.

But not all feira relationships are meant to be forever. Now we are on good terms, still waving hello to each other each week. He has found other feira loves and I have 2 different vegetable men. I suppose I am a bit of a vegetable whore after all, and fruit... Don’t even ask about my loyalty when it comes to looking for mushrooms.

Of course there are some feira relationships that can go the distance. I’ve been seeing my fish guy for 7 years now. It’s getting quite serious.  

Find Rachel on the web:

BLOG // TWITTER // FACEBOOK

And then tell us, how are your farmers market relationships going these days?

(Words by Rachel, Photos by Tiffany.  I think we make a great team.)

My Story (in 250 words)

I was raised on Kraft and Girl Scout cookies.  My mom was a single mom and did the best she could do.  As long as we were fed, that’s all that really mattered.  But we didn’t mind; we loved that mac-n-cheese and Pasta Roni, so there were no complaints from us.

My teen years were spent being a vegetarian who didn’t eat vegetables, and I ate veggie-meat like it was going out of style.  This, however, was before veggie-meat was in style to begin with and had yet been ‘perfected’ to Morningstar Farms quality.  One year I even got a case of 24 large cans of Tuno (not Tuna) for Christmas, which I gladly accepted and promptly ate. 

I dropped the vegetarian thing about the same time I went to college. I moved abroad and then back, never needing to cook for myself, still relying on ready-made food. A close friend of mine joked that I shouldn’t worry about the fact my someday-children would be eating mac-n-cheese everyday… they would have a mommy who played with them, and that was much better. 

I laughed.  It was the truth.

Two years later, a combination of marrying a Brazilian who never ate boxed food in his life and watching Jamie Oliver start his Food Revolution, that something started to change in me. I wanted to cook, and I wanted to cook real food.

And that is precisely what I set out to do… still munching on Girl Scout cookies along the way.

(Yes, I jumped on the blog-everyday-in-May bandwagon.  I liked the idea, community behind it, and the challenge.  You can join if you want to.  Click the button above.  PS -- That post was EXACTLY 250 words ;) )

Potato Leek Soup

Let's talk about leeks, Baby. (Sung, of course, to the Salt-N-Pepa's melody, proving I spent a bulk of my formative years in the 90's -- which were great years to grow up in. We had enough technology to enjoy Mario on rainy days but not too much that we didn't pass up the chance to roller blade when we could.  And then we jammed to Can't Touch This on our Walkmans while organizing our Lisa Frank stickers... by the way, all you need to say is, "In West Philedelphia, born and raised," and I cannot help but finish the entire song. Don't believe me? Try it next time you bump into me...)

And back to leeks...

These things are amazing. I have used them a couple of times before, and every single time I have a ridiculously tasty dish in front of me.  Leek & bacon baked eggs and a leek & asparagus quiche were my introduction to them, both packed with immense flavor, both needing very little 'other stuff' added to make that flavor so wonderful.

Actually, the first time I used them I had no idea what they were and I couldn't find them except in the frozen food section, so I broke my usual rule of relying on fresh produce to be the bulk of my purchases.  Wasn't the best combo for what I was using them for.  The next time I decided to get the fresh ones, but had no idea what I was looking for, until I asked the worker at the store.  He looked at me a little funny and then pointed right in front me, where a fairly prominent sign read: LEEKS.

Whatever.  It happens.

One important thing to know about these flavorful giants of the onion family -- you need to clean them very well as dirt can be trapped inside.  The easiest way to do this (or so I read and then did with successful results) is to chop first and then clean in a cold water bath.  Since you will probably just be using white and light green parts (unless you are making broth) don't cut up the dark green tops.  Just put the lighter colored parts in the water, use your hand to agitate any dirt off of them, pour out the water, and then repeat another time or two.  Takes about a minute and ensures that your leeks are ready for you to use.

Apparently, potato leek soup is a classic.  But like many foods that don't come stamped with a Kraft logo, I didn't know that.  For me, it is a new found treat.  I am a lover of soup, which you probably have gathered by reading my blog for any time, and this was one of the best I have ever had.  My husband declared it gold star quality -- and he isn't a fan of soup that much.  The ingredients are simple while the flavor is powerful.

One of my favorite parts? Except for the heavy cream and salt, every ingredient I used came from the Farmers' Market or my own herb garden (the chives).  And you KNOW how happy that makes me ;)

POTATO LEEK SOUP

SERVES 4 •  PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES  •  TOTAL TIME: 45 MINUTES

ingredients

• 2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced and cleaned (see above)
• 3 cups broth, either vegetable or chicken (You can make your own ahead of time or use canned/bullion/whatever suits you) + 1 ½ cups water
• 3 medium red potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• fresh snipped chives, to top

directions

1.      In a large pot, combine leeks, potatoes, broth, and salt.  Bring to a boil and then lower heat to medium.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, until vegetables are very soft (you can poke the potatoes with a fork to test).

2.      Working in batches of about 1/3 of the soup at a time, puree in blender.  Be careful to allow the heat to escape before closing the lid to the blender to avoid it exploding.  Transfer pureed soup to a new pot, and continue until all soup is pureed.

3.      Add heavy cream to soup, serve while hot, and top with fresh chives.

 COST: $5.10           COST PER BOWL (4): $1.28

Nutritional Information
calories 235   •    total fat 17.2g    •    fiber 1.8g    •    sugars 2.3g   •    protein 3.6g

Earl Grey Cupcakes (and some lost recipes...)

Joy the Baker.  She's a favorite of us all, right?  Right.  And Sundays with Joy are such a good part of my week (or -- now -- every other week).  I try a new recipe from her book and then we enjoy something that is pretty darn amazing.  If only I kept taking pictures to keep track of it all...

Like carrot cake pancakes.  Those were fabulous.  But other than my word, there is no proof I tried the recipe. There was supposed to be proof.  I put some in the fridge to save to take pictures as we ate them for dinner.  Carrot cake pancakes for dinner?  Shouldn't that be breakfast or dessert? One might think so.  No regrets.  Except the fact that those pancakes in the fridge waiting for the light of day got forgotten about until two weeks later, when they were no longer beautiful but fuzzy and green.

I did, however, remember to take pictures of the whole wheat honey and goat cheese drop biscuits.

It's just that I never got around to posting them.  Guess I was to busy eating them to post something.  That's because they were delicious in every way.  Not gritty like most whole wheat, not stinky like some goat cheese.  Just lightly sweet and fluffy and all around tasty.

This time I decided to make sure I did it all... Baked. Photo'd. Posted.  So what if I am a week behind the group's schedule with the posting part?  In the end the result is the same: a completely new treat that we enjoyed immensely.  And that's the whole point, right?

Joy's version was chamomile, but I like earl grey, so that's what we went with.  I followed Joy's recipe to a T (ha ha ha, I'm a knee slapper ;) ) except for the type of tea I used.  The rest however went just as she said, even down to 'share with lady friends over tea'.  Thank you for the suggestion, Joy.  I did, we all enjoyed, and now I have one more baking recipe I can file away in the 'I really can bake!' category.

To get the recipe for Joy the Baker's Chamomile Tea Cupcakes, visit her blog or go buy the book.  Either way, you will be happy.