Creamy Dill Cucumber Toasties

     For the second consecutive year, we watched the Superbowl by ourselves. We miss throwing the big party like in years past. But with everyone getting older, married, and having kids it makes it hard to get together. Since we weren't having anyone over, I wasn't about to make a ton of food but I thought it would be nice to make an afternoon snack/appetizer. At some point over the years, I saved a recipe to my recipe box on Allrecipes.com for Creamy Dill Cucumber Toasties. Instead of cutting up a whole baguette for the two of us, we opted to put the spread on sea salt flavored Melba snack crackers. The crackers look and taste like toasted bread. The recipe says to put slices of cucumber on top of the spread but I decided to use my vegetable peeler to make ribbons of cucumber for a nicer presentation.

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 French baguette, cut into 1/2 inch thick circles

1 cucumber, sliced

2 teaspoons dried dill weed

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, dressing mix and mayonnaise.
2. Spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture on a slice of bread, and top with a slice of cucumber. Sprinkle with dill. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

     The simple combination of cream cheese, mayo, and dry Italian dressing mix makes a really good spread that can be used in a variety of ways. You could use it on a sandwich or as a vegetable dip. The crackers added a great texture that wouldn't have been achieved by using baguette slices. However, with a few tweaks to the recipe, it would make great cucumber tea sandwiches. The spread combined with the crunchy crackers and the crisp cucumber with dill on top are a light and tasty treat that I kept coming back to for more. I like the way they look and think they would be great to bring to a party.

Rating: Delectable – Simple but wonderful

Meatball Subs

     While grocery shopping this weekend we came across some very appetizing sub rolls with cheese baked in and on top of them. Christine said they looked perfect for meatball subs, I agreed. Once we got home I looked up a recipe for meatballs. I have a pretty good recipe that I normally use but for the sake of the blog, I wanted to try something new. I found this meatball  recipe on Allrecipes.com, one of my favorite websites for finding new things to try.

     I followed the recipe exactly as listed even though I prefer to caramelize the onions before adding them to the meatball mixture. After putting the meatballs in the oven, I warmed up some left over pizza sauce because I didn't have any homemade sauce in the freezer. Once the meatballs were done cooking, I cut open the rolls and put them under the broiler for a few minutes to toast them a bit to prevent the sauce from making them soggy. Next, I spread some sauce on each roll, put three meatballs on each one, topped with more sauce and some Italian blend cheese. You could start eating them at this point but I put them back under the broiled until the cheese bubbled and browned a little.

1 pound extra lean ground beef

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 small onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 dash hot pepper sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup skim milk

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Place the beef into a mixing bowl, and season with salt, onion, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, oregano, red pepper flakes, hot pepper sauce, and Worcestershire sauce; mix well. Add the milk, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs. Mix until evenly blended, then form into 1 1/2-inch meatballs, and place onto a baking sheet.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes

     These came out really good but I think the meatballs need a little work. For one, there was way too much onion. If the amount of onion was cut in half or if they were cooked down, I think they would have been better. I put the leftover meatballs in the freezer for later use. The left over pizza sauce I used was good but homemade sauce would have taken these to the next level. The star of the show was definitely the roll. I’ve never come across a loaf of bread or a roll that has cheese baked into it that wasn’t good. The ones we bought came four to a package and we liked them so much that we ate the other two toasted with butter and garlic salt.

Rating: Yummy – Meatballs need work but a decent recipe

Portobello Mushrooms & Garlic Rolls

     Friday is a toss up when it comes to what I’m going to cook or if I’m even going to cook. Since we went out a few times last week I thought it would be best to stay in and cook. I made up two recipes, Marinated Portobello mushroom caps and buttery-garlic rolls, and served some French fries on the side. Portobello mushroom caps are very meaty and are often a substitute when making burgers. Normally I would make the mushrooms caps into sandwiches but they tend to make the bread mushy with all of their juices so I took a different approach while still including a roll. Before I get too far, here are the recipes for both:

Buttery-garlic Rolls

2 rolls, split

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon olive oil

½ teaspoon garlic salt

Marinated Portobello Mushroom Caps

2 Portobello Mushroom Caps

½ Bottle Italian Dressing

¼ cup mozzarella cheese

     I marinated the mushrooms for about 10 hours in the Italian dressing. Using Italian dressing for a marinade is convenient because we always have it in the house for salads. Using a fork, I pierced the mushroom in the center because the outsides are too soft from the marinade and will rip if you try. Using my indoor grill, I cooked the mushrooms on high until they shrank about a half in size. While the mushrooms cooked, the fries were near completion so I could get the rolls ready. Once I split the rolls, insides facing up, I brushed the mixture of butter, olive oil, and garlic salt liberally on each one. I put these on a pan along with the mushroom caps. As soon as the fries were done, I turned the oven off and turned the broiler onto high. Just before putting the pan under the broiler, I split the ¼ cup of mozzarella between each mushroom cap. When using a broiler, you should turn the oven light on and keep an eye on whatever you have in there so it doesn’t burn. The second the cheese started to bubble and brown, I pulled the pan out. The rolls got a little dark because of this but they didn’t burn.

     I won’t comment on the fries because they came frozen and I didn’t do anything to them. The mushroom caps were very juicy and tender. The tanginess of the dressing and the creaminess of the melted cheese contrasted nicely against one another. The mushrooms shrank during the cooking process and I wished I had bought two more of them but we ended up making more rolls so maybe next time. Christine and I really liked the rolls so I went back into the kitchen when we had finished eating what we had on our plates to make two more. They kind of tasted like garlic bread but had a more buttery taste. I think next time I will use more garlic salt and perhaps parsley for some color.

Rating: Yummy – Not bad for two easy recipes I just made up.

Fluffy French Toast

Click Here For The Recipe

     I have made this recipe quite a few times but I keep finding ways to make it better so I have decided to share. First off, the most important ingredient in this recipe is the bread. You can use sandwich bread but it will not be as good as it can be. I have found that using a soft Italian bread with a golden crust has turned out the best results. Do not use a bread with a floury crust because it will absorb too much of the liquid you dip it in. I suggest buying a loaf that is not pre-sliced and cutting it yourself at home so you can cut the slices thick.

     When preparing the mixture follow the recipe exactly as stated. The first step is very important. You must whisk the flour and milk first until well mixed. If you just put all the ingredients in the bowl, the flour will not mix in correctly. The only changes I made to the recipe are for personal preference. I add one additional egg yolk because I like the toast to look a bit more yellow. Also, I add about a quarter to a half a teaspoon more cinnamon for taste.

     I use a large 13" skillet so I can make four slices at a time. That way you aren't waiting for the other slices to cook while the ones you have already made get cold.

Rating: Delectable - This is the only french toast recipe I will use.