Ultimate Grilled Cheese

The Barefoot Bloggers were given a bonus recipe this month from Ina's new cookbook - How Easy Is That due out mid October. This grilled cheese panini was fabulous! The mixture of cheese was soo good, and grating the cheese made everything melt perfectly. It made a great dinner after a busy day.
Ultimate Grilled Cheese

Spread each bread slice lightly with butter.

Flip the slices and spread each on generously with the mayonnaise mixture.

Distribute the bacon evenly on half the slices of bread. Pile 1/3 cup grated cheese mixture evenly on top of the bacon and top with the remaining bread slice.
Heat an electric panini press. Cook the sandwiches for 3 to 5 minutes.
serves 6
12 slices thick-cut bacon, such as Nodine’s applewood smoked

1 cup good mayonnaise

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 white pullman loaf or sourdough bread, sliced 1/2 inch thick (12 slices)

6 tbsp salted butter, at room temperature

6 oz aged Gruyere or Comte cheese

6 oz extra-sharp Cheddar, such as Cabot or Shelburne Farms

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Arrange the bacon on a baking rack set over a sheet pan in a single layer and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, until nicely browned. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels and cut in 1-inch pieces.

Meanwhile, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, Parmesan, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

Lay 12 slices of bread on a board and spread each one lightly with butter.

Flip the slices and spread each one generously with the mayonnaise mixture. Don’t neglect the corners!
Grate the cheeses in a food processor fitted with the largest grating disk and combine. Distribute the bacon evenly on half the slices of bread.

Pile 1/3 cup grated cheese evenly on top of the bacon and top with the remaining bread slices, sauce side down.
Heat an electric panini press. When the press is hot, cook the sandwiches for 3 to 5 minutes in batches until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted. Allow to cool for 2 minutes. Cut in half and serve warm.

Thanks Rebecca of Ezra Pound Cake for choosing the bonus recipe!!

Oven-Fried Chicken

The Barefoot Bloggers are cooking Oven-Fried Chicken this month!! It's funny that I think I have made so many of Ina's recipes, but when the Barefoot Bloggers post the new recipe, it's a new one to me! Love It!! Well, this recipe is amazing...Ina thinks Jeffery loves chicken, well I am here to tell you Jerry loves Fried Chicken!!!
Start the night before and place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over them. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (I think this is the real secret -- soaking in buttermilk -- makes the chicken very tender!)

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Take the chicken out of the buttermilk and coat each piece thoroughly with the flour mixture. Pour the oil into large heavy-bottomed stockpot to a depth of 1-inch and heat to 360 degrees F on a thermometer.

Working in batches, carefully place several pieces of chicken in the oil and fry for about 3 minutes on each side until the coating is a light golden brown (it will continue to brown in the oven). Don't crowd the pieces. Remove the chicken from the oil and place each piece on a metal baking rack set on a sheet pan. Allow the oil to return to 360 degrees F before frying the next batch. When all the chicken is fried, bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Serve Hot.
ENJOY!

Ingredients:

2 chickens (3 pounds each), cut in 8 serving pieces ( I had 1 large chicken (5 pounds cut into 8 pieces and then I cut the breast portions in half to make 10 pieces)

1 quart buttermilk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground back pepper

Vegetable oil or vegetable shortening

Thank you Vicki of http://myfarelady.org/ for choosing this great dish!!

I am also sharing this with Foodie Friday Friends at http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/

Polenta Fries with Spicy Tomato Dipping Sauce

This recipe is from the inspiration after visiting Tabor Hill Winery while vacationing last week.

My parent's live in Hobart, Indiana and I have a sister that lives in Valparaiso, Indiana. We decided to take a trip to the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Country! What a fun day! First on the stop was Tabor Hill Winery & Restaurant. We all enjoyed a wine tasting, and then lunch! Almost felt like we were in the California Wine Country...it was so beautiful!!
After enjoying Polenta Fries with dipping sauces, I couldn't wait to get home and try my own version....a real foodie I am!!

Here is what I came up with....and we LOVED them!!

Polenta Fries with Spicy Tomato Dipping Sauce

POLENTA
1 cup polenta

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a 3-quart pan over high heat, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Reduce heat to a low boil.

1. Stirring constantly, pour in polenta in a slow, thin stream, pausing occasionally to break up any lumps. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt.


2. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until polenta is thick and creamy to bite and pulls away slightly from sides of pan when stirred, 20 to 40 minutes.


3. Stir cheese into hot polenta. Add salt and pepper to taste. Scrape mixture into a buttered 8-9 inch square baking pan, spread level, 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Chill until very firm, at least 1 1/2 hours and up to 1 day.


4. Run a knife around edges of pan to loosen polenta, invert onto a board, and lift off pan. Cut polenta in half to form two equal rectangles (wipe knife with a wet paper towel as needed to prevent sticking), then cut each half into strips 1/2 wide and 3 to 4 inches long to produce thick fries (or cut strips in half through wider side to produce thin, square-cut fries). Trim away uneven edges. Spread about 1/2 cup flour on a rimmed plate and roll each polenta strip lightly in flour.


5. Pour enough oil into a 10 by 15 inch nonstick baking pan to coat well (use two pans for thin-cut fries); roll strips in oil to coat, then spread them out in pan. Bake in a 450 oven, turning fries occasionally, until crisp and browned, 35 to 45 minutes.


6. Sprinkle fries with salt and serve with spicy tomato dipping sauce.

Spicy Tomato Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 can (14 oz.) whole tomatoes

1/2 cup lightly packed rinsed fresh basil leaves

1 dried bay leaf

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon cayenne

In a 10 -12 inch frying pan over medium low heat, frequently stir onion in olive oil until very limp, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil leaves, and bay leaf to pan. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have disintegrated and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes. Let cool about 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf. In a blender whirl tomato mixture, sherry vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, and cayenne until smooth. Use or chill airtight up to 2 days.

I also enjoyed a Fried Green Tomato Salad, I hope to show you all how to make this salad soon!

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

What do you make when you have lots of basil in the garden? No, not pesto...Tomato Basil Soup!!! Even in the hot summer days, this soup is wonderful! You can serve it hot or cold; I prefer hot in a cool air conditioned house!! The wonderful flavors of summer come out in this soup!


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.

In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the the liquid on the baking sheet.

Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.

Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade. Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold.
Bon Appetite!

Ingredients

• 3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (28 ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice
• 4 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 quart chicken stock