Pizza Paninis

I needed another quick and easy dinner last week and these Pizza Paninis looked great.


I had some pizza sauce in the freezer from when I was doing Pizza Fridays, so all I had to do was heat it up before serving. I added sliced black olives and used shredded Mexican cheese just because we always have it on hand. These were so good I either need to make a more substantial side dish to go with them or budget two sandwiches per person. And like Cassie said, the filling possibilities are endless.

Pizza Panini
Cassie Craves

Frozen garlic Texas toast
Deli-sliced pepperoni
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Pizza sauce

Prepare garlic toast according to package directions. To assemble sandwiches, top a slice of garlic toast with pepperoni and a sprinkling of cheese, then another piece of garlic toast. Cook in a panini press until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Chicken with Pesto Mushroom Cream Sauce

I need to keep dinner simple right now because of my big work conference next week so I was browsing Cassie's blog looking for inspiration. Cassie and I are very similar in our cooking styles and I knew she wouldn't steer me wrong. I did a search for mushrooms, since I had some in the fridge from last week, and came across this gem - Chicken with Pesto Mushroom Cream Sauce.


I modified it slightly, cutting up the chicken to make it easier and faster to cook, but that's the only change I made...well, besides doubling the sauce so I could serve it over spaghetti. SP loved it and he isn't a big pesto fan. Thanks Cassie. I knew I could count on you.

Chicken with Pesto Mushroom Cream Sauce
Very slightly modified from Cassie Craves

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups heavy cream (or half & half)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup prepared basil pesto
4 tablespoons lemon juice
Pasta of your choice

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Cut chicken into bite size pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cooking chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.

Add 2 tablespoons butter to skillet and cook mushrooms until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cream, broth and chicken to skillet, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 5 minutes.

Add cooked and drained pasta to the skillet and toss with the sauce. Off heat, stir in pesto and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Roasted Asparagus

No real recipe for this, just a photo of delicious roasted asparagus we had recently.


I was going to grill these but our gas grill ran out of propane and SP didn't feel like setting up the charcoal grill, so I roasted them in our toaster oven. Drizzled with oil, salt and pepper and finished with a shower of grated Pecorino cheese.

Recipe Swap Roundup - Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. It also marks the unofficial start of summer and many of us use the long weekend to get together with friends and family for a cookout. I thought a Memorial Day theme for the cooking board recipe swap would be a great way to switch up the dishes we usually see at cookouts.

Kate really enjoyed my recipe for Grilled Corn Salad, which is one of my all-time favorite side dishes when corn is in season:


Mary Ellen loves experimenting with different pasta salads so she was thrilled to get Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad for the swap:


Melissa loved all the flavors in her recipe for Mediterranean Layer Dip:


Christine loved that the veggies in her Sweet Beginnings' Summer Pasta Salad really shown through:


The Cookaholic Wife had another take on a Mediterranean Layer Dip:


Melissa was thrilled for an excuse to make panzanella, also known as Grilled Ciabatta Bread Salad:


Jaida's recipe for Fruit Kabobs wasn't exactly a recipe but it fit perfectly with her detox diet:


Jey really enjoyed her recipe for Grilled Corn with Garlic Butter, Lime and Parmesan:


My recipe for Avocado and Tahini Salad was a nice change from our usual salads:


Jenny, a newcomer to the recipe swaps, made a Marinated Carrot Salad:


The Cooking Nurse had a delicious dessert recipe, S’more Brownies:


Tyler made a refreshing Orzo Salad with Watermelon and Feta:

Recipe Swap - Avocado and Tahini Salad with Chickpeas

Want to see what other Memorial Day recipes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Memorial Day Recipe Swap Roundup

This week's cooking board recipe swap theme was something you'd bring to a cookout. I got this recipe for Avocado & Tahini Salad with Chickpeas from Jill over at JBean Cuisine.


The salad was good and like Jill's husband, we found the dressing to be almost like a dip. Unfortunately we didn't have any cookouts to attend this year so it was just the two of us eating this, but it was a welcome change from our usual sides.

I found the dressing to be a little thick, even with the addition of the yogurt, so I added some cold water to the food processor to thin it out. I left out the carrots since I'm not a fan of raw carrots, and I didn't specify baby spinach on the shopping list so I left that out as well, but I'm leaving Jill's original recipe below. You can add whatever salad ingredients you like or have on hand.

Avocado and Tahini Salad with Chickpeas
JBean Cuisine

1 avocado, cut in half and flesh removed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, grated
3 tablespoons tahini
1/3 cup plain yogurt (or Greek yogurt)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
cold water, as needed
1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped finely
1 can of chickpeas, drained and well rinsed
1/4 red pepper, chopped
1/4 green pepper, chopped
6 mushrooms, sliced
10 baby carrots, chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 medium cucumber, chopped

Using your food processor combine all of the dressing ingredients. Give it a whirl until well incorporated.

Prepare and chop all of your salad ingredients. Place salad ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.