Ham, Swiss, Caramelized Onion, and Sautéed Tomato Open Faced Sandwich

by Pam on September 19, 2012

I made this for lunch and I am telling you, it was SERIOUSLY delicious! I loved the sweet tomatoes and caramelized onion on top of the toasted artisan bread topped with the salty ham and the creamy Swiss cheese. The combination of flavors and textures was superb and definitely worth the time it took to make it. I have a feeling I’ll be making this one again soon.

Place the 2 teaspoons of oil into a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring often, for 20 minutes, or until caramelized and golden brown. Season with sea salt, to taste. Side Note: If the skillet gets dry, add a tablespoon of water or two. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil.

While the oven is preheating, heat the same skillet over medium heat and coat with cooking spray. Add the tomatoes and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes or until the tomatoes are softened and starting to burst. Remove from heat.

Spread the mayonnaise and Dijon mustard on each piece of artisan bread. Layer the bread with the caramelized onions, tomatoes, ham, and Swiss cheese. Place on the baking sheet and place into the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Enjoy.

Print^[1]

Ham, Swiss, Caramelized Onion, and Sautéed Tomato Open Faced Sandwich

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 10 min.

Cook Time: 30 min.

Total Time: 40 min.

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, sliced
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Handful of grape tomatoes
2 thin slices of artisan bread
Mayonnaise, to taste
Dijon mustard, to taste
Ham, to taste
1 slice of Swiss cheese, cut in half

Directions:

Place the 2 teaspoons of oil into a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring often, for 20 minutes, or until caramelized and golden brown. Season with sea salt, to taste. Side Note: If the skillet gets dry, add a tablespoon of water or two. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil.

While the oven is preheating, heat the same skillet over medium heat and coat with cooking spray. Add the tomatoes and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes or until the tomatoes are softened and starting to burst. Remove from heat.

Spread the mayonnaise and Dijon mustard on each piece of artisan bread. Layer the bread with the caramelized onions, tomatoes, ham, and Swiss cheese. Place on the baking sheet and place into the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Enjoy.

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

References

^{^} Print Recipe (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)

Oatmeal Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Bars with Chocolate Chips

by Pam on September 18, 2012

I wanted to make a special treat for the kids today but I didn’t want to go to the store. I finally found this recipe on Andrea Meyers^[1] site that wasn’t filled with sugar and butter and used whole wheat flour and oatmeal to make these bars tasty and sweet while being a little bit healthier. They were fun and easy to make and they put a huge smile on both of my kids faces.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray.

Cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together with a mixer until creamy and smooth. Add the egg, peanut butter, and vanilla and beat until creamy and well combined.

Combine the oatmeal, whole wheat flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Add the oatmeal mixture to the butter mixture and mix well. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish. The filling will be sticky so wet your hands to pat the dough down into the pan.

Place into the oven to bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown.

While the cookie base is baking combine the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and milk together until well combined. Place the mixture into a small ziplock bag and seal.

Remove the cookie base from the oven and pour the chocolate chips on top while it’s still hot so the chocolate chips will melt and ooze all over the cookie base. Cut a small piece out of the corner of the bag filled with the glaze then drizzle the peanut butter glaze on top of the chocolate chips. Allow to cool before cutting into bars and serving. Enjoy.

Print^[2]

Oatmeal Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Bars with Chocolate Chips

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 10 min.

Cook Time: 15-17 min.

Total Time: 25-27 min.

Ingredients:

Cookie Base:

4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 small egg, slightly beaten
2 1/2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
6 oz semisweet mini chocolate chips

GLAZE:

1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
1-2 tbsp milk (depending on how thick you want the glaze)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray.

Cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together with a mixer until creamy and smooth. Add the egg, peanut butter, and vanilla and beat until creamy and well combined.
Combine the oatmeal, whole wheat flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Add the oatmeal mixture to the butter mixture and mix well. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish. The filling will be sticky so wet your hands to pat the dough down into the pan.

Place into the oven to bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown.

While the cookie base is baking combine the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and milk together until well combined. Place the mixture into a small ziplock bag and seal.

Remove the cookie base from the oven and pour the chocolate chips on top while it’s still hot so the chocolate chips will melt and ooze all over the cookie base. Cut a small piece out of the corner of the bag filled with the glaze then drizzle the peanut butter glaze on top of the chocolate chips. Allow to cool before cutting into bars and serving. Enjoy.

Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net
Original recipe by Andrea Meyers

References

^{^} Andrea Meyers (andreasrecipes.com)
^{^} Print Recipe (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)

Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops – Great Recipe, No Bones About It

This shining example of what a few well-placed ingredients
can do to a plain piece of meat reminded me of a couple very important things.
By the way, if you’re new to cooking, being reminded of stuff is one of the
best parts.

First of all, it had me recalling the old, “if it doesn’t
have a bone in it, it’s really not a chop.” Of course, search engines being
what they are, we were forced to use the oxymoronic “boneless, center-cut pork
chops” instead of the traffic stunting “pork medallions.” Not a big deal, but
worth mentioning in case you’re ever backed into a corner during a heated,
butchery-related water cooler debate.

Secondly, I remembered I need to redo that demo I did for
another website many years ago, on how to cut your own boneless, center-cut
pork chops, thereby saving some cash. It’s a quick and simple trick, and one
I’m sure many of you will remind me I forgot about in a few weeks.

Anyway, the glossy glaze is really easy, and while there’s
no starch or extra butter involved, it reduces quickly to a thick, rich,
sweet-tart apple syrup. The rosemary and pepper flakes were the perfect accents
for me, but this is a technique that begs for your own personal touches. I hope
you give this simple and very tasty pork “chop” recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 chops:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp butter

6 boneless center-cut pork chops (6-8 oz each)

salt and pepper to taste

3 cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 cups apple cider

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp minced rosemary

pinch of red chili flakes