Chicken Caesar Sandwich: 2 ways

These sandwiches are dang good and really simple. They take no time, like most sandwiches, and they are a perfect meal for the beautiful weather we're experiencing in California right now.


:Panini Style:

:Picnic Style:

:Ingredients:

Rotisserie Chicken
Avocado
Fresh Mozzarella
Spinach
Sun Dried Tomatoes
Bacon (if your heart desires it)
Creamy Caesar Dressing
Bread of your choice

Assemble your sandwiches with a bit of Caesar dressing on each slice of bread. Add avocado, spinach, mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, bacon and chicken. Enjoy a fast and delicious meal!

By the way, Kirk wanted me to get pictures of both of these sandwiches. Apparently the boy likes sandwiches (or, sammies as he fondly refers to them).

Couscous and veggies

Kirk has always told me he hates couscous but I bought some anyway and made it for dinner last week hoping to change his mind...and I did! The secret is to add some roasted veggies to it. So simple, so quick and so fabulous! Kirk thinks it's the texture of the vegetables and the couscous that makes this so good. He has already had me make this again (twice in one week) and even then he saved some to take for lunch he liked it so much.

:Couscous:

Cooking couscous is insanely easy. Boil a cup of water and a tablespoon of butter, toss in a cup of couscous. Take off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. You're good to go!

:Veggies:

Slice in half lengthwise a couple zucchini, yellow squash and your favorite tomatoes. Cut a bell pepper up into large pieces (about 1''x1''). Place these all on a wire rack in a cookie sheet. Spray with olive oil spray. Place in the oven under the broiler until everything starts to turn blackish.

Philly Cheese Steak...Cali style

I admit, it doesn't look as scrumptious in this picture.

I had an annoying habit of craving a Philly Cheese Steak for the first 7 months I was married. Every time Kirk asked me what I wanted to eat I would suddenly want a Philly Cheese Steak. I think it was because I'd watch The Food Network and it seemed like they were always making them on there. Finally, we went to the ghetto (not the ghetto down the street but the one in Rancho) and got our fix. It was a little Korean family that owned the hole in the wall restaurant and when the 15 year old boy made our sandwiches, I decided I could do it, too!

Last week I made the glorious sandwiches and it was simple!

:Ingredients:

1 tbls Vegetable Oil
1 lb Round Steak (have the butcher shred this for you)
1 Onion chopped
1 Green bell pepper chopped
4 Slices Provolone cheese
4 Hoagie rolls/ sandwich rolls

:Directions:

*If you didn't get your steak shredded, you can cut it into 1 inch strips and place in the freezer for about an hour. Don't let it freeze the whole way through. Shave the steak as thin as possible with a knife (or apparently you can do it with a certain attachment on a food processor).

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Cook the onions and peppers until translucent and fragrant.

2. Add the meat and cook until no longer pink.

3. Lay the slices of cheese over the top of the cooked meat and veggies. When the cheese is melted, fold it in!

4. Toast the rolls in the oven (I broiled them for a minute). Add the meant, cheese and veggies to the roll. If you like hot sauce or jalapenos, go ahead and add them!

Enjoy!


Kirk Quote:
"You make these almost as good as that little Korean boy!"

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Classic Italian, made easy!

:Marinara Sauce:

4 Ribs of celery chopped
4 Carrots chopped (or use a couple handfuls of baby carrots)
1 Large onion chopped
6 Cloves of garlic minced
1/2 Cup Olive oil
3 32 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes
1 tsp. Sugar
Salt
Pepper
3 Bay leaves

In a large pot, heat the oil until it begins to simmer but not smoke. Add the onion, carrots, celery (this is called a Mirepoix French but we're borrowing it for Italian food right now) and a bit of salt. Cook these until the onions are translucent and the carrots are soft. Add the garlic. Cook until the garlic is fragrant (this will take like 30 seconds). Add the crushed tomatoes. Stir and admire the beauty of the sauce. Add sugar to take the acidic edge off. Add dried bay leaves. Let the sauce simmer for an hour. Salt and pepper to taste.

I usually make a ton of this and freeze the majority in tupperware for quick dinners. If I am adding meatballs, I do that while it is simmering for an hour.


:Turkey Meatballs:
(Shout out to Giada for these meatballs...imagine her obnoxious accent while you read this)

1/4 Cup bread crumbs
1/4 chopped flat leaf parsley
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbls milk
3/4 Parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 pound turkey
1/4 cup olive oil

Stir together first 7 ingredients. Add the turkey and mix until just blended. Shape quarter sized balls of the meat mixture and place on a plate.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working with about 6-8 balls o' meat at a time, cook in the skillet about 3 minutes each side. The meatballs should be browned all over. Set these meatballs aside on another plate. Continue working one batch at a time until the meatballs are all cooked. Add the meatballs to the marinara sauce. Heat until warm!

Add the meatball marinara to your favorite pasta. Kirk and I like whole wheat pasta, typically angel hair with the meatballs. I used to not like whole wheat pasta as much but I found that cooking it a bit longer works well for us.

Enjoy!

Cookies for Kevin...

Kirk's brother, Kevin, returned from his mission on Thursday and I made him some cookies.
fit for a homecoming.

Can you read the "name tags"? Yeah, me neither. Go ahead and guess how long it took for me to write those out in Dutch. Definitely worth the time! We're glad to have you back, Kevin :)

Minestrone Soup...because nothing beats soup when it's raining outside

Sorry no pictures, I took them but I lost them!

I got this recipe from a truly amazing cookbook...America's Test Kitchen (see link on the side of the blog). I recommend it to you all. I get a lot of ideas and tips from this book and have learned a lot about cooking from it. It's my go to when I don't know how to cook something. I know their recipes are supposed to be the best because they've tried out everything, but I always change them and make them my own. Also, I hate measuring. I usually just eyeball everything.

Without further ado...

Minestrone Soup

:Ingredients :
2 Tbls Olive Oil
1 Chopped onion
3-4 Chopped ribs of celery
3 Chopped carrots (I used a couple handfuls of baby carrots because I hate peeling carrots)
3-5 Minced cloves of garlic
Salt
5-6 Cups of low sodium vegetable broth
16-19 Ounce can of white beans (Cannellini/Kidney)
1 Can of diced tomatoes
1 Cup of frozen peas, defrosted
Pepper
Pesto
Parmesan cheese

:Instructions:

Heat the oil over med-high heat in a large pot. Add onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Add the salt and cover (stir occasionally) until the vegetables are soft.

Stir in all the canned goodness: broth, beans, tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Continue stirring and smelling the deliciousness. Add pepper to your heart's desire.

Turn off the heat and add the peas. Serve the soup with big dollops of pesto and copious amounts of parmesan cheese in each individual bowl.

Gracefully accept all the compliments you're showered with.


Crostini

Dip this in your soup if you want to set it over the top.

Slice a baguette into 1/2 inch sections. Place these on a cookie sheet and place in a 350 degree oven. Flip the slices in about 5 minutes. Bake 5 minutes longer until you have perfect little baguette toasts.

Rub a clove of garlic over one side of each slice and brush with a bit of olive oil.

Enjoy!



Molly quote:
"I thought I'd like it but wouldn't love it. But I love it!"

You may be asking, "Why?"

Why am I doing a food blog?
I am doing this for my kid sis, Molly. She stops by my house during her breaks at school and eats my food and naps on my couch and told me I should. She is the type that enjoys a good meal as long as someone else makes it for her...she's a funny girl! She said she wants my mom to make some of my recipes (as if my mom needs help in the kitchen...she's my inspiration after all) and when I told my mom that she said, "Yeah or MOLLY could make it!" Now that's something I would like to see :) I'm just grateful for a kid sis that comes by and eats my leftovers and raves about it like it's something worth while.

Why is the address/title of the blog the Barefoot Contester?
I got the name from my adorable, lovable, hilarious little niece Abby. She is always offering up pearls of little kid wisdom such as the name of my blog. The story of the name, told by her mother:
The other day I baked some cookies & when Abby finished eating one she said "Oh mom, that was so tender!" I thought that it was a funny thing for her to say, as I never use the word "tender." I asked her who taught it to her & she said "the barefoot contester."


So there you have it! I hope you all enjoy my little food blog.