Panini Happy

Bacon Breakfast Burritos

Kathy — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:56:02 +0000

I love the Panini Happy family. It’s not just me in my home office typing on a computer. There are a whole bunch of you out there who are grilling along with me, suggesting new combinations and bringing up interesting ideas and opportunities. Today’s Bacon Breakfast Burritos recipe was inspired by one reader’s comment…and it’s featured as a guest post for another reader.

My guest post for these burritos is over on Meal Planning Magic, a blog written by a longtime Panini Happy reader, Brenda. She launched a Breakfast Challenge for the month of March in an effort to “stop boring breakfasts” and encourage folks to exchange fun breakfast options. When Brenda invited me to create a breakfast recipe for the panini grill I recalled a recent comment from Andrew Davis in which he mentioned that he wanted to try making my Ham, Eggs & Cheddar Breakfast Crepes recipe with tortillas. I realized that I’ve never grilled a burrito on this blog. I’ve done a wrap and a quesadilla before, so it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch. Plus I always appreciate it when taquerias give the burritos a little toast on the flat top before serving. In my breakfast version I cook bacon in a skillet, sauté potatoes, onions and peppers and scramble eggs in some of the leftover bacon grease, roll it up with cheddar cheese inside a flour tortilla and grill the whole thing for those crispy, golden grill marks. With a little salsa and sour cream on the side, this is definitely a breakfast my family looks forward to.

Check out my guest post on Meal Planning Magic – many thanks, Brenda and Andrew!

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Duck Confit, Strawberries & Fried Goat Cheese Panini

Kathy — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:24:33 +0000

Last Saturday night a very rare event occurred – one that had eluded us for more than a year. My husband and I went out for dinner. By ourselves.

While our two little kiddies were home entertaining our fabulous, brand shiny new babysitter, we treated ourselves to a nice dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants, Savory. Like most parents who are ecstatic to finally have time alone, we spent most of it talking about the kids. We reminisced about the darndest things our daughter has said and the milestones our infant son has recently conquered (he’s smiling quite a bit now, by the way!). Still, it was such a pleasure to finally take those few hours out of the house to enjoy a great meal and catch up like old times.

Valentine’s Day was the next day and I wanted to have another special dinner, this time at home. After coming across a guest post on Simply Recipes last week on how to make an Easy Duck Confit I decided to recreate a goat cheese salad with duck confit I once ate at The 3rd Corner Wine Shop & Bistro up the road in Encinitas. True to its name, the duck was incredibly easy – took just a few hours rather than a whole day – and resulted in fall-off-the-bone tender meat and wonderfully crispy skin. To make the salad extra special I panko-breaded and fried the goat cheese and added in some fresh strawberries. The combination is sweet and salty, crunchy and tangy – just amazing.

As we were devouring the salad we realized that the components would translate really well into panini. My husband practically insisted that I make this one! A boon to those of you without a panini grill – this one actually works best if you don’t grill it.

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Ham, Egg & Cheddar Breakfast Crepes

Kathy — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:17:11 +0000

One of the perks of Valentine’s Day falling on a weekend this year is the opportunity to make a special breakfast for the three valentines in my life – my dear husband, delightful two-year old daughter and cuddly new 7-week old son. Well, that last one doesn’t really get to enjoy any, but it’s the thought that counts.

I’ve often wondered what crepes might be like on the panini grill (when you write a panini blog, these are the things that occupy your thoughts). Would they maintain their soft texture? Would the pancakes stay intact? I’m pleased to report the answers to those questions are “yes” and “yes”. This post on the Stone Spoon blog ultimately convinced me to give it a try. So this year I will be treating my valentines to Ham, Egg & Cheddar Breakfast Crepes: sliced ham, a one-egg omelet and cheddar cheese rolled in a savory crepe and grilled on the panini press. With a little sundried tomato purée heart on the side.

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Super Bowl(TM) Panini: Muffuletta

Kathy — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:24:29 +0000

While New Orleans Saints fans are overjoyed that their team is finally headed to the Super Bowl for the first time I’m just excited that the occasion has given me the kick in the pants to finally try a muffuletta. If you don’t already know, the muffuletta sandwich is a robust, flavorful New Orleans specialty, filled with Italian meats and cheeses and a zesty olive salad. It’s not traditionally a grilled sandwich but based on what I tasted coming off the panini grill, wow, maybe it should be.

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Super Bowl(TM) Panini: Breaded Pork Tenderloin

Kathy — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 05:03:21 +0000

It’s Super Bowl week which means it’s time for my annual team-themed panini – that is, sandwiches inspired by the two cities’ teams that are playing in the big game. First up: Indianapolis!

I’ve never been to Indy, but I’m pretty decent with the Google and it tells me that breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches are the local specialty in the home of the Colts. Pork tenderloin is pounded thin, breaded and deep fried, then placed on a bun with toppings such as onions, mustard and pickles. Believe it or not, there’s actually more than one food blog dedicated to these sandwiches: Des Loines and the Pork Tenderloin Sandwich Blog (considering what I blog about, I can believe it!). After browsing these mouthwatering sites I felt confident enough to give my panini-fied version a go.

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Celebrating 2 Years of Panini Happy-ness!

Kathy — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:38:43 +0000

Two years and almost 80 panini ago I started this blog as a way to motivate myself to put my newly-received panini maker to good use. Beyond making panini I’ve also made a great number of friends among Panini Happy readers and other food bloggers. It always makes my day when I receive e-mails or tweets from you all that you’ve enjoyed my recipes or that the blog has inspired you to create new panini ideas of your own. Heading into my third year, I look forward to bringing you even more new recipes, (hopefully) an updated blog design and other features that will make Panini Happy an even more fun and engaging place to visit.

I had contemplated commemorating Panini Happy’s 2nd birthday with a giveaway, but in light of recent events I’ve decided to instead make a donation to the Red Cross to help in the Haiti earthquake relief efforts and I hope you’ll join me. My family has a personal connection to Haiti – my parents helped to found a nonprofit called the Center of Hope (Haiti), Inc a few years ago, which has been building an orphanage for 100 children and a school for 200 in Hinche, Haiti. To date, they have not had any word from people in Hinche as to their well being or the status of the buildings. UPDATE from Center of Hope (Haiti) – 1/17/10: We received great news this morning from our construction manager. He is alive and well in Port Au Prince and is in the process of helping others. Our people on the ground in Hinche are all well. Our orphanage complex is intact with no known damage. The road between hinche and Port Au Prince is open, but is heavily burdened with people going in both directions. Thanks to everyone for their prayers and expressions of support.

If you pray, please pray for the millions who have been impacted by this devastating earthquake and for the relief workers. And if you have the means to make a financial donation to the Red Cross please do so on their website (click on the big red “Donate Now” button) or by texting “HAITI” to 90999 and $10 will be sent to the Red Cross, charged to your cell phone bill.

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Southwestern Chili Panini

Kathy — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 05:40:06 +0000

[tweetmeme] Suffice it to say Southwestern Chili Panini aren’t likely to win any sandwich beauty pageants. But while they might not be much of a feast for the eyes, let me assure you that your mouth will be very happy you decided to make them.

With the colder temperatures and football championships upon us, it’s chili-making season. I just tried a new-to-me chili recipe (posted on my other blog, Cooking On the Side) earlier this week and it was so flavorful and satisfying I knew the leftovers would make a terrific sandwich filling. I added in other favorite chili toppings – shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and red onions – and piled it all onto a hollowed-out sourdough roll. I could have stopped here and enjoyed a great sandwich, but taking the final step of grilling it allowed the bread to crisp on the outside and remain soft and piping hot on the inside. Sloppy, delicious heaven.

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Download Your “10 Best Panini” Mini Cookbook!

Kathy — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:03:13 +0000

[tweetmeme] I’ve been working on this little holiday gift for Panini Happy readers for months now and I’m excited to finally share it with you – my 10 Best Panini Mini Cookbook! It’s available for a limited time – from now until January 31, 2010. [THIS OFFER HAS ENDED]

So what’s inside this 16-page labor of love?

Recipes and photos of the 10 best panini I grilled this year, based on reader popularity and my tastebuds
Helpful grilling tips, excerpted from my Panini 101 series

3 Easy Ways to Download the 10 Best Panini for FREE: [THIS OFFER HAS ENDED]

Become a Panini Happy Fan on Facebook.
Visit the Panini Happy Fan Page on Facebook and click on the “10 Best Panini Mini Cookbook” tab at the top of the page. While you’re there, why not become a fan? Already a Fan? Awesome! Visit the Fan Page and download away!

Subscribe to Panini Happy via E-mail.
Don’t miss a recipe! Get Panini Happy delivered straight to your e-mail for free – click here to sign up for e-mails. You’ll find the link to the 10 Best Panini download in your confirmation message (the one with the subject line: “Activate your Email Subscription to Panini Happy”). Already a Panini Happy e-mail subscriber? A link to the download should appear in the footer of the message you’re reading right now!

Subscribe to Panini Happy via RSS.
Add Panini Happy’s feed to your RSS reader and you’ll see a link to the 10 Best Panini download at the bottom of each post. Click here to subscribe via RSS. Already an RSS subscriber? A link to the download should appear in the feed footer right now!

(NOTE: You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open the minibook file – if you don’t have it, you can download it here.)

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Congrats to the Panini Express Winner!

Kathy — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:33:45 +0000

Congratulations to Teri (aka Comment #2) – she won the Panini Express Cookbook Giveaway!

Since the book celebrates “from scratch” ingredients, including recipes for delicious breads and condiments, I asked you to tell me about food items you prefer to make from scratch in your entries. Teri responded that she enjoys making her own Parmesan pita crisps. Sounds fantastic to me!

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway! And stay tuned…I’ve got another “gift” for you coming up tomorrow

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Caesar Shrimp & Arugula Panini (+ Panini Express Cookbook Giveaway!)

Kathy — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:53:38 +0000

I was doing a little holiday shopping in Williams-Sonoma last week and couldn’t help but take a looksie over at their panini-related offerings (got to keep up with what’s out there!). They were promoting a cookbook called Panini Express: 70 Delicious Recipes Hot Off the Press. I picked it up, and as I leafed through the gorgeously-photographed pages I knew I wanted to review this book and give away a copy on Panini Happy. [THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED]

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