Muffuletta Sandwiches

Hello.  I love sandwiches.  I love them like Joey Tribbiani loves them, and yes, I had to google how to spell "Tribbiani."  I think if I had to pick, a good Italian sandwich would be my favorite.  I still dream at night about "The Godmother" from Bay Cities in Santa Monica.  It is literal PERFECTION. Do you have a favorite?  I also love a good turkey, mayo, lettuce and tomato on a soft roll stuffed with crunchy potato chips.  Should we talk about sandwiches for another hour?  No?  Ok.

Recently, I went to see Dave Matthews Band at Jones Beach on Long Island.  I know!  I did a cool thing!  I'm still fun!  We even rented a party bus and went early to tailgate, which is where these sandwiches come in.  I wanted to bring something that would be easy to eat yet robust - something to, you know, stand up to all the adult beverages we brought.  These.  Were.  Perfect.  

The "muffuletta" sandwich is usually served on ciabatta or focaccia and consists of various Italian meats, cheeses and a signature olive salad.  You could probably buy a store-bought version of the salad that would work, but for this recipe I made my own and it was totally worth it.  I only wish I had doubled it so I could have leftovers for dipping with crusty bread.  Since it's too hot and humid EVERYWHERE to cook, you should probably make these sandwiches and call it a day.  Joey Tribbiani would be all like this...   

  

{You can find the recipe HERE.}

I see you, Jimmy.  

You can't hide.  

Flattening the sandwiches.

Party bus ready!

Brazilian Cheese Bread

Have you ever been to a Brazilian restaurant and had these bad boys?  Do I sound really cool and hip when I say things like "bad boys"?  Anyhoo (there I go again), they are light and fluffy balls of goodness filled with ooey, gooey cheese.  Cheese Balls.  Best part?  They are gluten-free.  Way bester part (because I enjoy gluten)?  They are SO EASY TO MAKE.

I know what you're thinking.  How is baking your own cheese bread easy?  Just trust me.

I mean, look at the ingredients...

I count 6, and two of those 6 ingredients are cheese (Mozzarella and Parmesan).  No kneading, no rising, no effort at all.  Just a quick mix until a sticky dough is formed, a plop onto a baking sheet (wet your hands while you do this for less mess), and a perfect roll will form in your oven.  

They are best eaten warm, but you can easily reheat them later or the next day (or the next).  Please make them this weekend and then we can all be cheese ball experts!  

Recipe I followed HERE.   

Shredded Brussels Sprout and Ricotta Toast

Wait just one holly, jolly second.  How is it already December??  And not just December, December 5th??  A sixth of the way through the month.  That's correct, yes?  I like food, not math.  Anyway, I'm overwhelmed, but aren't we all.  It's that time of year when as much as we want to only feel joy and merriment, the stress of keeping up with shopping, holiday cards, parties, THE ELF ON THE SHELF, etc, etc, can often take over.  If only we could add 5 or so more hours to each day (or if only I could stay up past 9pm).  Alas, I'm trying to slow down as much as possible, especially this year, and remain more present.  In doing so, I'm capable of enjoying so much more.  And it probably won't surprise you, but what I love most about the holidays (other than family) is the FOOD.  

   My sister made these toasts as a Thanksgiving appetizer, and they were so good I couldn't wait to make them again.  Creamy ricotta is spread on crunchy bread and then topped with shredded brussels sprouts that are tossed in a bright, lemony, mustard dressing.  There are toasted pine nuts, yummy shallots and in the original recipe, golden raisins, however here I omitted those and added pomegranate seeds for color.  Aren't they perfect for a Christmas cocktail party?!  I think so.  

Alright, time to finish my holiday cards.  Or, in the spirit of slowing down, take a nap.    

Recipe HERE.

Mozzarella Panzanella

When is a celebrity going to name their kid Panzanella?  It's about time, right?  There is a human being named Reality Winner living amongst us, after all.  We could call her 'Zanella' for short.  Or him, I'm not trying to assume Panza would be a girl.    

What am I saying.  I'm so tired I don't even use question marks when I'm supposed to anymore.  I type nonsense about children being named after bread salads.  I blog once every 17 days (but don't worry, almost every day I have that moment when I'm not sure if I put on deodorant).

Let's be serious, though, and less gross, and talk about how underrated bread salads are.  A leafy green usually takes the spotlight when it comes to salads but in this case a crusty, crunchy bread is paired with sweet, juicy tomatoes, crunchy peppers and onions and a tangy, garlicky dressing.  I added loads of creamy mozzarella and some diced avocado to mine, because I win at life.  I followed Her Highness Ina's recipe, however this is a really versatile salad that's easy to throw together with a number of things in your fridge.  You can use store-boght croutons or toast up a nice sliced bread or baguette you happen to have on hand.  My favorite part of this particular recipe are the salty capers and the fresh basil - it's really the perfect summer dish or future name for your child.         

Recipe HERE.

Pull Apart Pizza Bread

Over the weekend I made this ridiculous, absurd, out-of-this-world, cheesy, gooey, flavorful pull-apart pizza bread.  Should I even keep talking?  Writing?  Blogging?  Whatever it is I'm doing.  Basically, you should probably make this as soon as possible.  It requires a little effort, but it's not hard.  Added bonus?  Your children will totally want to help, and by "help" I mean they'll want to sprinkle flour all over their bodies and the floor like the fairies do.  The pizza bread dough only has to sit for an hour, so the whole thing comes together relatively quickly.  Once it's ready, you stuff little circles with a cheesy, saucy mixture (one you could add any of your favorite pizza toppings to!), and then you shove them all into a bread dish and bake.  Oh, and you top it with a buttery chive sauce because it's not sinful and delicious enough as is.  (Sarcasm)    

You can find the recipe HERE.  Enjoy!  

{Mozzarella, Parmesan, pizza sauce, sliced pepperoni, Italian seasoning}

{My little helpers, flour EVERYWHERE}

{Pockets stuffed, ready to bake...}

{Voila!  Topped with a chive butter sauce}

Also, Pull Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread!

Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons

It's a Thursday night as I write this, and I'm having one of those days that just needs to end.  I'm currently eating a bowl of this stuff, ignoring my children who are both on different devices even though I know we should be reading, feeling guilty about that, feeling guilty about a thousand other things as well, because I'm a mom, writing you people one giant, long, run-on sentence...

The funny thing is, I don't even know why I'm making love to a bowl of ice cream!  I think I just heard the word "mom" one too many times, or maybe could have used an extra hour (x7 years) of sleep last night.  All I know is, I'm excited to crawl into bed, watch more Olympics, read a little of this book, and dream about breakfast.  What, you don't dream about breakfast?

I guess I don't always dream about breakfast (sometimes I dream about tsunamis and plane crashes), but when I have leftovers like this Scalloped Tomato dish with Croutons, I can't help getting excited about heating it up in the morning with a fried egg.  How many times have I said in this blog that Ina is a God?  She is a God.  There, that's probably the 372nd time.  This recipe is definitely a reason why.  And because fresh, juicy tomatoes are in season right now, you should probably make this right away.  It's simple, especially if you have leftover bread lying around, and it's perfect any time of the day.  Just like this bowl of ice cream I'm eating.  

Recipe here

Creamy Mushroom Toast

Can I tell you guys something?  Haha, like you have a choice.  Anyway, the month of August is the only time I relax.  Like really, truly relax.  Every year, we go to a small town in Southern California for vacation.  We are surrounded by family (also known as BABYSITTERS) and my kids actually play, outside, all day long.  Device time is limited (sort of, thanks Pokemon Go) and they fall asleep every night with sun kissed faces and sand in their ears (don't judge, there is a drought, we sacrifice our cleanliness).  I read a book and go for bike rides with my husband.  I play golf!  We NAP.  

August is a lovely and glorious month.  

And because we are in a rental home, I cook pretty often.  I'm excited to share some beachy, summery foods in the next few weeks.  But for now, this Creamy Mushroom Toast is something I made before we left.  It's a great appetizer or even lunch, especially paired with a salad.  

And now if you'll excuse me, I have to go do nothing.  

(Follow me on Insta and Snap for more food-related posts this month.)

Creamy Mushroom Toast

Serves 8-10

Printable Recipe

1 lb. sliced mushrooms

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp red wine

2 Tbsp heavy cream

Salt and pepper

Sliced bread of choice, toasted

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat.  Add mushrooms, in batches if necessary (you don't want to crowd them).  Saute for roughly 10 minutes, until they begin to brown and caramelize.  Add the red wine, and sauté until wine cooks off, a few minutes.  Lower heat to medium-low, and add the cream.  Saute for another couple of minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Smother toast with mushrooms and enjoy!  (Would be great topped with parsley or chives as well.)

Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Bread

Buzzfeed cursed when they wrote about this recipe.  That sold me.  If you're passionate about something to the point of potty words (I'm a mother) than, well, there must be a reason.  And by the way, if I wasn't a mother, and if I wasn't a LADY, I would curse here too telling you about this HEAVENLY BANANA BREAD.  A cream cheese stuffing, that's almost frosting-like (without being overly sweet), and perfectly moist banana bread.  Gosh darnit it's good!!! 

Recipe here.

Everything Bagel Butter

I just died.  I'm in heaven now, and in case you're curious, heaven is a cloud of buttery, salty, flavorful bagel butter.  Sure, it's kind of greasy here in heaven, and everyone's hair looks horrible, but butter heaven exists, because I'm there.  Want to hear more?  Or are you weirded out by me? 

The other day a friend - a BRILLIANT FRIEND - sent me this recipe for a butter that's bursting with all those seasonings you love that stick to an Everything bagel: poppy seeds, sesame seeds and minced onion and garlic flakes.  Did I mention the butter is salted?  OMG.  

You just mix it all together, roll it in parchment, let it harden in the freezer, and you have the most delicious butter... perfect for spreading on crackers, melting on veggies or smothered over your favorite bagel.  I highly recommend you make this for the weekend!

Brown Butter Caramelized Banana Bread

I am a zombie.  Yesterday morning, Carson and I woke up, flew to LA, attended the Emmy's, and then flew home on a red-eye last night.  Essentially, we spent 12 hours in Los Angeles and another 12 hours on a plane in a 24-hour timespan.  I am a zombie.  BUT, it was allll worth it because The Voice won an Emmy!!!!  I was so proud of Carson and everyone that works so hard on the show, and it was very exciting to be there in person to cheer them on.  Tonight starts a new season, so tune in!!

Moving on to this ridiculously delicious banana bread that I made on Saturday morning in guilty preparation for leaving my children.  I think it worked, because they barely missed us and made us pretty cute "welcome home" signs.  Go, banana bread, go!  I tried out a couple of new techniques after seeing this recipe.  First, I caramelized the bananas by roasting them in the oven with a little honey and cinnamon.  Then, I browned the butter and let it cool slightly before adding it to the batter.    

By doing these two things, the banana bread tasted sinful.  Almost as if I had added rum or peanut butter.  It has a caramely, slightly nutty flavor, and it's perfectly moist and plain old delicious.  No need to bake this out of guilt, just bake this!  And watch The Voice tonight!  Ok, I'll take a nap now...

Brown Butter Caramelized Banana Bread

(Makes 1 loaf)

Printable Recipe

4 ripe bananas

Honey

Cinnamon

1 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

6 T unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Peel bananas, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Place in oven, and cook for 20 minutes, until bananas begin to caramelize.  Remove, and set aside to let cool.  Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.

While bananas are roasting, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, until it begins to brown and let off a nutty aroma.  Remove from heat, and set aside to let cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg). In a larger bowl, add the bananas and mash.  Stir in the butter, vanilla, sour cream, brown sugar and eggs, and combine until just smooth.  Add the dry ingredients, and stir to combine.  Pour batter into a greased bread pan, and bake for one hour.  

Roasted Cauliflower & Corn Salad

When I'm on vacation and in an unfamiliar kitchen without my own arsenal of kitchen ingredients, I love to make up recipes.  Oh, when you're on vacation you love to relax, shop, get facials?  You sound normal.  I sound not normal.  However, I gotta be, gotta be, gotta gotta be me (all I listen to is the Teen Beach 2 soundtrack).  I made up this salad the other day, and while it may not look very appetizing (I think it could use some chopped chives on top?), it really, really was.  Roasted vegetables, fluffy quinoa and crunchy garlic croutons... a perfect side dish for just about anything!     

Roasted Cauliflower & Corn Salad

(Serves 6-8)

Printable Recipe

1 head cauliflower

1/3 cup olive oil, plus more to make croutons with

1 tsp cumin

Zest of one lime, plus juice for salad

Salt and pepper

4 ears corn

1 box quinoa, cooked

4 pieces bread, chopped into small pieces 

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Break up cauliflower into florets and place on a baking sheet.  In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, cumin and lime zest.  Pour over florets and toss with hands.  Season with salt and pepper.  Wrap each ear of corn in foil.  Roast corn and cauliflower in oven for 30 minutes.  I use this time to make my croutons.  In a large skillet, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Add bread and garlic, and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until bread is golden and crispy.  Once veggies are roasted, place cauliflower in large bowl.  Let corn cool enough to handle, and then slice kernels off and add to bowl.  Add cooked quinoa and croutons to bowl, and toss.  Finally, add cotija cheese and squeeze some lime into bowl.  Season to taste with salt and pepper!   

Tuna Avocado Toast + Bertolli Contest

Want to know something?  I love olive oil.  Some women collect shoes, or handbags, or jewelry... and I collect olive oils.  One of my favorite brands, Bertolli, is celebrating their 150th anniversary and they sent me that beautiful anniversary bottle above.  It's so pretty!  I want to carry it around like a handbag or wear it on my feet!  I'm very normal!  Anyway, to celebrate, Bertolli is having a recipe contest in which you could win a trip to Tuscany (as well as other prizes) just by submitting a dish using Bertolli oils.  Check it out here and enter soon, the deadline is July 31st!

The other night, using Bertolli olive oil (duh), I tried to recreate a dish we recently had at the Manhattan Beach, CA restaurant Love and Salt.  If you follow me on Instagram, then you know I pretty much fell in love with this restaurant right away.  We ate insanely crispy yet juicy roast chicken, and pasta with bone marrow (yup), and a salad with crispy garbanzo beans... all while sipping spicy margaritas.  And we began the meal with an albacore tuna and avocado toast.  This toast was something magical... every bite so full of bright texture and flavor.  I could have made love to the toast alone... perfectly crispy and probably soaked in delicious olive oil.  Creamy avocado, with a hint of lemon, topped with fresh, chunky tuna that melted in your mouth, and sprinkled with some sort of olive (caper?) mixture and a sliver of onion.  Am I still talking about this toast??

I thought it would be the perfect appetizer to make with my fancy olive oil, see what I did below...      

I had ciabatta bread leftover from our local pizza joint, so I used that, however you could use sourdough or french bread.  Just slice, and sauté on the stove in a splash of olive oil over medium heat until both sides are golden.  Take a can of solid white albacore tuna (soaked in water), drain and place in a bowl.  Scoop out an avocado into another bowl and mash with a fork.  Take the juice of half a lemon, and sprinkle over both bowls.  Drizzle both bowls with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  To assemble toasts, spread avocado first, then tuna and then top with some chopped kalamata olives (or use an olive tapenade).  Serve and enjoy!  

Chocolate & Coconut Bread

I find June to be a crazy, crazy time.  The school year is ending, summer is lingering around the corner and children are restless.  There are parties and graduations and there is me, trying to keep my head on straight enough to remember when lacrosse ends and swimming begins.  And teacher gifts!  This was much easier when I had one kid and he had one teacher.  Now, my kids are not only in school but involved in many activities and oh, yeah, there are three of them.  So yes, this is a crazy time, however I love showing the wonderful people who take such good care of my children how much they mean to us in baked goods form.  Is there any other way?  (Um, $$$) 

I've baked a lot of goodies from this "no knead" cookbook (seen here, here and here), and I've had this Chocolate & Coconut Bread bookmarked forever.  You have to prepare a bit for the recipe, because the bread needs a 12-18 hour rising period, but otherwise it's simple!  Which is what I love about the no-kneading formula: it's foolproof.  That is, if you don't burn the bread like I did.  I found the high temperature to be overkill with the chocolate chunks protruding from the bread (just asking to be charred) so next time, I'll turn it down a bit.  Otherwise, success!  Nothing can go terribly wrong when chocolate and coconut are involved.    

You can find the recipe HERE.

Pumpkin Bread (with Chocolate Chips)

Why do I put chocolate chips in everything?  Why?  WHY?  It's a reflex at this point.  I don't think my brain consciously decides to anymore.  My arm just goes for the chocolate chips, my fingers rip open the bag, and I pour.  It's a sickness, really.  You should feel bad for me, and pray.  Why can't my robot arms reach for nuts, or raisins (yuck)?  How long am I going to talk about this today?

Moving on... a friend sent me this recipe for pumpkin bread, claiming it one of her favorites because of its moistness and simplicity.  It is simple and IT IS DELICIOUS.  Even though somehow chocolate chips ended up in my bread.  No idea how (help).