Paninis and Sandwiches

Delicious and Simple Recipe for Pimento Cheese

August 24, 2022 By Joi Sigers

Pimento Cheese

Two of my favorite things in the world of food are cheese and mayonnaise (preferably Duke’s), so it’s only natural that I love Pimento Cheese like a sailor loves the sea. When I had to give up gluten/wheat (health reasons), I lost the world of pimento cheese sandwiches because, no matter what anyone may try to tell you, gluten-free bread simply is not the same. If you toast it, it is more than serviceable, but straight out of the bag… no thank you, I’d rather dance alone.

Fortunately, I’ve found that pimento cheese is just as delicious on chips, romaine lettuce, or gluten-free crackers.

If you’re able to eat bread, then by all means do so!

The following is my “go to” for pimento cheese – it’s simple and delicious, as well as very spreadable and dippable.

Delicious Idea: This particular approach to pimento cheese is pretty savory – if you want to add a bit of sweetness, add a little softened cream cheese along with the other ingredients…. OR, if some people in your family prefer savory and others prefer sweetness, do what I like to do: Make the savory version of the pimento cheese. When someone who prefers a little sweetness wants a sandwich, spread some cream cheese on the inside of one of the slices of bread (kind of like mayo with a sweet tooth). This is an especially delicious trick when you toast the bread.

Outside-In Bacon Cheeseburgers with Green Onion Mayo

July 20, 2021 By Joi Sigers

I have quite a few Rachael Ray Cookbooks in my cookbook collection. Okay, let’s be honest and have full disclosure here…. I have every single one except for the newest one, and that’s just a matter of time. She’s a favorite TV Personality and cookbook author, so if her name’s on it, I’m not just “in,” I’m “all in.”

The cookbook pictured here is just one of my favorites.

Guy Food: Rachael Ray’s Top 30 30-Minute Meals is filled with recipes you’ll use again and again – the Outside-In Bacon Cheeseburgers (with HEAVENLY Green Onion Mayo) is a classic example of why you need this cookbook.

Outside-In Bacon Cheeseburgers with Green Onion Mayo – by Rachael Ray

5 slices bacon, chopped
4 scallions, cleaned and trimmed
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1 1/3 pounds ground beef sirloin
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
1 tablespoon steak seasoning blend or coarse salt and black pepper
1/2 pound extra sharp white cheddar cheese, crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise or reduced fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
4 crusty Kaiser rolls, split (or wrap in the romaine if you have to eat gluten-free like me)
4 leaves crisp romaine lettuce

Preheat grill pan over high heat.

In a medium pan brown bacon over medium high heat and drain on paper towel lined plate.

Brush scallions with a little oil and grill on hot grill pan 2 or 3 minutes on each side. Remove from heat to cool.

Combine ground beef with Worcestershire and steak seasoning or salt and pepper. Divide meat into 4 equal parts. Combine cheese crumbles and cooked bacon. Take 1/4 of the meat in your hand and make a well in the center of it. Pile in cheese and bacon, then carefully form the burger around the cheese and bacon filling. Make sure the fillings are completely covered with meat. When all 4 patties are formed, drizzle burgers with oil and place on hot grill pan. Cook 2 minutes on each side over high heat, reduce heat to medium low and cook burgers 7 or 8 minutes longer, turning occasionally. Do not press down on burgers as they cook. Transfer burgers to a plate and let them rest 5 minutes before serving.

Green Onion Mayo: Chop cooled, grilled scallions and add to a food processor. Add mayonnaise and cumin to the food processor and pulse the onions and mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper, to your taste.

Pile burgers on crusty buns and top with crisp lettuce leaves and a slather of green onion mayonnaise. As you bite into the burgers, you will find a smoky, cheesy surprise at the center.

Below are just a few of the other recipes in this great little cookbook:

There’s a very manly chili recipe with some surprising ingredients that will be tried in this very kitchen this week!
Blackened Chicken Pizza
A recipe for Mahi-Mahi Fillets, grilled
Tenderloin Steaks with Gorgonzola and Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary
If you or your guy (or kids! – they always love them) have a thing for chicken tenders, there’s a recipe for pecan-crusted chicken tenders you’ll flip for
Cheddar and Chive Bread
Corn on the Cob with Chili and Lime
Grilled Halibut Tacos with Guacamole Sauce
A lot more!

If you love great food, and especially if you have a guy you love to cook for, you’ll want to grab a copy of Guy Food: Rachael Ray’s Top 30 30-Minute Meals right away. It’s just a little over $10 and these are recipes you’ll use all year long…. year after year.

150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Cookbook

October 14, 2018 By Joi Sigers

Is anyone even half as ready for autumn and winter as I am? Don’t get me wrong, I love a lot of things about summer – baseball, fresh produce, songbirds at my bird feeders that aren’t there in cold weather, grilling out, and so on. Summer’s awesome in every way… but, having said that, autumn and winter are super special.

As a foodie, the cooler months make me think of soup, stew, chili, casseroles, chai tea lattes, and (of course) Halloween goodies, Thanksgiving dishes, and Christmas baking… how could a foodie NOT love this time of year???

I may be one of the biggest soup fanatics in the world, which is one of the reasons I’m excited about a new cookbook I was sent to review: 150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

Naturally, grilled cheese sandwiches are perfect all year. We certainly eat them year-round in our house. In fact, we’ve been known to enjoy grilled cheese sandwiches at all times of the day and night. Talk about a delicious comfort food. Cheesy deliciousness that comes together pretty darn fast – sign me up.

150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches is a perfect guide to getting extra creative with this wonderful comfort food. Although the modern version of the grilled cheese sandwich dates back to 1920 (when it became popular during the great depression, for obvious reasons), these delicious and inexpensive delicacies are currently a popular trend in cooking. I think one of the reasons is the fact that they aren’t expensive to pull together. I think the popularity of food trucks has also helped revive this wonderful sandwich.

Some people are even calling the grilled cheese sandwich the “new burger.” The fact that so many people are eating less meat is another reason these sandwiches are so wildly popular.

From the Back Cover: A grilled cheese sandwich is classic comfort food and it’s enjoying an incredible resurgence in popularity. These fabulous recipes all begin with the grilled cheese we all know and love, and then from there, creative twists showcase just how incredibly versatile this sandwich can be. The recipes reflect an almost endless and delicious variety of choices that include simple and timeless as well as gourmet and artisanal. From breakfast to dessert, there’s something for everyone in this book.

Another reason grilled cheese sandwiches are so popular is, let’s face it, they’re fast and easy to make. You can have a warm, delicious, and comforting meal in a matter of minutes. This is one of the reasons they’re so popular with bachelors, college students, and beginner cooks.

Whether you enjoy your grilled cheese sandwiches with soup (one of my favorite meals), chips, or alone, nothing beats a great grilled cheese sandwich.

As I’ve probably mentioned on the food blog, when I had to totally give up wheat and gluten a number of years ago (health reasons), it threw my cooking persona into a tailspin. Imagine everything you are accustomed to cooking and baking for your family and yourself thrown out the door. Then finding yourself having to start over, pretty much, and discover a whole new way of both cooking and eating.

Stressful… and yet kind of mentally stimulating!

It’s a hideous predicament for anyone but for an avid cook and food blogger who was extra keen on homemade breads, cornbread, cakes from scratch, pies, etc.. it knocked me on my backside for a bit. However, I (honestly) found out that many aspects of gluten-free food are actually as good as their gluten-y counterparts and some are even better in many ways.

For example, for whatever reasons, gluten-free fried catfish is actually better. Don’t ask me why (please), but the combo of rice flour and yellow cornmeal makes the best fried catfish in the world. Trust me, this is a personal favorite and something I’ve been cooking since I was allowed to touch the stove.

Grilled cheese sandwiches have been another pleasant surprise (along with French Toast, for that matter). Gluten-Free bread, in my opinion, makes them even better. I think it’s because they’re denser and, sometimes, thicker, than regular bread. Then again, Texas Toast is a great way to go with grilled cheese sandwiches.

150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches includes so many creative, fun, and delicious recipes you won’t stop until you’ve made them all. The cheese combinations, along with the additions of complimentary ingredients will boggle your mind. I cook every single day (and have for years) and consider myself to be really creative in the kitchen, but even I found myself saying, “Ooooh, I would’ve never thought of that...” One of the combinations that was wildly new to me was the one given in the recipe below. I wouldn’t have ever invited Muenster Cheese to a grilled cheese party, but this recipe has me slapping myself for the oversight.

The recipe below is from the cookbook and is outstanding. I love it alongside tomato soup or chili and have been known to have it simply with a large dill pickle and Funyons.

I know how to live, after all.

Classic Grilled Two Cheese

Author: Alison Lewis
Serves 4

8 slices white or whole-grain bread (1/2 inch/1 cm thick slices)
2 TBS butter or margarine, softened
4 oz Muenster cheese, thinly sliced
4 oz Cheddar cheese, thinly sliced

Instructions

Brush one side of each bread slice with butter.
Place on a work surface, buttered side down.
Top 4 bread slices equally with Muenster and Cheddar cheeses.
Cover with remaining bread slices, buttered side up, and press gently.
Place sandwiches on preheated panini grill or in a large skillet over medium heat and cook, turning once if using a skillet, for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown and cheese is melted.
Serve immediately.

When it comes to grilled cheese sandwiches, you have to really be careful with cheese combinations. Make the wrong move and the result will be thisclose to gross. You also have to be careful with what fillings you add and how you treat the bread. Again, the wrong move can leave your taste buds borderline depressed. In this wonderful and fun cookbook, Alison Lewis has done all of the hard work for us and taken all of the guess work out of our hands. We’re left with a ton of delicious recipes and combinations that’ll make us the Queen or King of Grilled Cheese. Whether you use a Panini or Sandwich Press or a favorite skillet, you WILL use these recipes again and again and again.

Below are just some of the recipes included in 150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches:

Roast Beef with Asiago and Watercress
Grilled Steak and Blue Cheese
Italian Tomato-Basil Bread
Hot Bacon Swiss Crostini
Havarti and Cucumber Sandwich
Grilled Spinach, Pepper Jack, and Bacon
Warm Peanut Butter Power Wrap
Italian Salami Panini
Sweet Pepper Relish
Hummus
The Pilgrim
And many, many, many more.

See 150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches for more information and to order your copy today… just in time for soup season!

Gluten Free Strombolis With Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix

September 15, 2015 By Joi Sigers

Gluten Free Stromboli (Delicious!)

Gluten Free Strombolis Recipe

1/2 lb Sweet Italian Sausage
1 Green Pepper, chopped
1 Sweet Onion, chopped
1 TBS minced garlic from a jar (optional)
Jar of Spaghetti Sauce (Meat Free)
1 Bay Leaf
Kosher Salt
4 Cups Mozzarella
Pizza Crust (see below)
Black Pepper

Pizza Crust: For these, I used one bag of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix (makes two strombolis). Follow the directions for pizza crust on the back of the bag. When it comes time to roll out the crusts, remember you want it pretty thin. Another tip, roll it out on parchment paper, then use it to “assist” you in rolling the stromboli up.

To make it even easier, you could use Pillsbury’s Ready Made Gluten Free Pizza Crust. IF you can find it. I have trouble finding it in most grocery stores anymore.

Pre-Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Brown the Italian Sausage. If you’d prefer Hot Italian Sausage, use it instead. After making these with the Sweet, I couldn’t help thinking that a mixture of sweet and hot would’ve been delicious.
Add the chopped peppers and onions to the sausage as it browns. Drain and return all to the pan.
If you’re adding garlic, do so now. Feel free to add more or less – depending upon your own level of garlic love.
Salt and pepper everything.
Add half the jar of sauce – save the rest for dipping your Strombolis.

Gluten Free Stromboli

For the Crust:

Roll each ball of pizza dough into a 10-by-16-inch rectangle. Carefully transfer to a baking sheet.
Divide the Italian sausage filling down the middle of each rectangle. Sprinkle 2 cups of mozzarella evenly on top of each filling.
Turn the pan horizontally, so you’re looking at the future strombolis lenghtwise. Starting at the bottom of each, carefully roll the dough on top of the filling about an inch to two inches. Roll in the two sides. Now roll “up” from the bottom (here’s where the parchment paper is a lot of help) and seal the edges – position the stroms with the seam on the bottom. Cut several diagonal slits into the crust (with a ridiculously sharp knife), if you’re feeling fancy.
Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Bob’s Red Mill Pizza Crust MixOptional Add Ins and “Hindsight” Ideas:

Pepperoni Slices would be delicious in these strombolis. One bite it, it occurred to me! Why it didn’t occur to me while I was at the store is beyond me.
You could easily make vegetarian strombolis by replacing the meat with extra peppers, mushrooms, and even jalapenos.
Instead of using the spaghetti sauce method, even though it was delicious, the next time I make these I want to try this approach: Brown the sausage/drain. Saute onions and green pepper. After rolling out the pizza crust, “brush” on my favorite pizza sauce (which happens to be Classico), evenly spread the filling ingredients down the middle, add the cheese, roll up, and bake. Like I said, the spaghetti sauce is fantastic, but I think pizza sauce would be pretty amazing too.
The stroms shown here are my first attempt and I, obviously, didn’t go too heavy on the filling. I wanted to make sure my dough closed around the ingredients and didn’t bust at the seams. Use common sense when putting your stroms together – it’s honestly better to go “light” than to have them pop open in the oven.
Strombolis don’t have to have to include the traditional ingredients. These would also be delicious with cheddar cheese, onions, and ham. I guess just about any luncheon meat would be delicious. Hmmm, I think I’ll try sliced roast beef and Swiss cheese sometime…
When it comes to favorite gluten free mixes (such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pie Crust Mix), I order in bulk off of Amazon. I’m afraid I can’t always count on my grocery store to have just the mix or mixes I need, but I can always count on Amazon. Come to think of it, it’s time to order another box of each of these mixes.
Store-bought pizza dough (whether you go the gluten free route or not) would be easier to work with, but when you make your own, the taste is just out of this world. They may not be quite as photogenic as a store bought crust would be, but since when do photos taste good?!
When I served the stroms, I sliced and positioned them on the plate among plenty of Ruffles Potato Chips (you just cannot have stroms without Ruffles!). I served little bowls of Marinara Sauce for dipping, but pizza sauce would also be great. Add a dill pickle and you’re golden.
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust is a 10 out of 10. Excellent in every single way and it has never let me down. I highly recommend it for pizzas and strombolis.

Strombolis without Ruffles? I Don’t Think So!

Best Egg Salad Recipe in the History of Forever

June 24, 2015 By Joi Sigers

Hard-Cooked Eggs, All Dressed Up for the Egg Salad Party

I’m an egg fanatic. I can’t in any way, shape, or form explain it, but after I had to begin eating gluten free, my love of eggs (and potatoes as well, for that matter) grew from a loving relationship to an almost embarrassing obsession.

Foods rarely find themselves in the special mental penthouse I reserve for chocolate, cheese, Chai tea lattes, and sweet tea – but eggs and potatoes moved right in, unpacked and took up residence.

I’ve always been a huge fan of egg salad, but I recently added a special ingredient (something else I’ve become obsessed with) and kicked my egg salad up to a whole new level.

What’s this magical ingredient? Whole grain mustard. About a year ago, I began experimenting with whole grain mustard in my potato salad and deviled egg recipes. I fell in love with both the looks and the flavor whole grain mustard gave to these dishes, so I started putting it in as many things as I thought I could get away with.

Egg salad just made perfect sense.

While I’m confessing obsessions and fixations, I have something else I’d like to confess…

I absolutely, positively, one hundred and twenty percent HATE making hard boiled eggs. It’s not the actual cooking I mind – heck, I live for cooking – it’s the peeling process that shreds my nerves.

I detest it.

I get entirely too picky about the process and if a chunk is torn from the egg, it crushes my soul.

Eggland’s Best has come to my rescue – and to the rescue of anyone else who finds this chore to be a form or torture. Their bags of Hard Cooked Peeled Eggs are the very thing my poor shredded nerves have needed for years. Open the bag, roll out the perfect eggs…. done.

They are more than worth the money – whatever it is they cost… honestly, I just throw them into the cart because I can’t put a price on my sanity.

The Best Egg Salad You’ll Ever Eat

12 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1 very large sweet onion, finely chopped or grated
1/2 cup Hellman’s (or Duke’s) Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
plenty of salt and freshly ground pepper
Optional: 1 tsp diced pickled jalapeno peppers

As you can see from the picture at the top, before I even chop my hard-cooked eggs, I salt and pepper them (I usually use good old-fashioned black peppercorns but this particular time it was a 3 pepper blend). Whenever I’m pulling something together in the kitchen, I like for each component to be flavorful – so they all come together with their A game. I’m also kind of convinced that chopping the seasonings “into” the eggs makes a little extra magic happen.

When the onion takes its turn on the chopping block, the magic continues.

Don’t even try to confuse me with logic, I will never believe that this arrangement isn’t the greatest thing since gluten free bread.

Chop the eggs.
Finely chop the onion. If you’d prefer to mince the onion – have at it. Personally, I like for the onions to provide a little bit of crunch, so I go with more of a fine chop than an actual mincing. But as always, I encourage you to follow your own preferences. Your kitchen, your rules.
Stir in the mayonnaise and whole grain mustard.
Taste and add more salt and pepper.
Place in the refrigerator to chill.

A word about adding extras: Sometimes I add a little diced jalapeno peppers or (as the bag of Eggland’s suggests) a little dill. However, I firmly believe that the absolute best approach is the one given above – eggs, onion, mayo, salt, pepper, and whole-grain mustard. Each of these work together in such a way that’s just beautiful.

A few more words:

Needless to say, half the recipe if you’d like. For our house, we need 12 eggs in the recipe, but you may not have as many egg fanatics under your roof as I do.
I use Hellman’s, but feel free to use the mayo of your choice. I simply only use products that say “Gluten Free” on them and Hellman’s is such a product – and it’s perfectly delicious to boot.
If you have to eat to, choose to, or get to (pick one, pick all) eat gluten free, you can, of course, use gluten free bread or gluten free English Muffins as your sandwich vehicle. You could also make sure you chop the eggs into larger chunks and simply eat the egg salad as that… a salad! Add some cherry tomatoes and a little lettuce and you’ve got a delicious summer salad. You’ll never miss the bread.

It’s the best egg salad of all time, in my egg-loving opinion – and the sweet onion and whole-grain mustard make it all happen.

Just look at the picture below…. gorgeous! I am completely in love with what whole-grain mustard does for the appearance and flavor of just about everything – but especially egg and potato dishes. Try it, you’ll become totally smitten, too.

Sweet Italian Sausage Pretzel Sliders

October 2, 2013 By Joi Sigers

This recipe was written before I had to give up wheat/gluten for health reasons and before the blog and I both went gluten-free! It is not, obviously, at all a gluten-free recipe BUT can certainly be adapted to gluten-free cooking with substitutions.

Sometimes the simplest things can be the most delicious things. I made a pot of Tortellini soup yesterday and wanted something a little different than garlic bread to accompany it. I had a package of DELICIOUS Sister Schubert’s Soft Pretzel Rolls in the freezer and a package of Sweet Italian Sausage in the refrigerator. As for cheese, I ALWAYS have a great variety of cheeses on hand because I’m something of a cheese fanatic.

I baked the rolls according to the directions on the package, crumbled up and fried the Italian Sausage (hot Italian Sausage would also be delicious – if you can handle the heat), and put the two together with a shredded Italian cheese blend.

They were phenomenal, disappeared quickly, and left us all wishing I’d doubled the recipe.

These little cuties would be great for tailgating or gameday snacks. If you were to drizzle little thin lines with sour cream, mayo, or even a thin icing you could even make passable footballs (see what I did there?).

++++ You’ll have left over sausage, even if you PACK the sliders like I did. We just threw the leftover crumbles into our soup. Refrigerating leftover Italian sausage and throwing it into omelets or scrambled eggs the next morning is also a delicious option.

Cooking for Isaiah Has Recipes That’ll Astonish PLUS a Tailgating Recipe for Proof

August 23, 2010 By Joi Sigers

I was recently sent a new cookbook to review that I’m very excited about. Excited to tell you about and excited to cook each and every recipe in the 223 page book! You know how, sometimes, as you’re thumbing through a cookbook you’ll go, “I might make that… I’ll try that one… nah… nah… There’s one I might try…. nah…” With this cookbook, I thumbed through the entire book and each recipe was met with a, “I can’t wait to make that one!”

Not a single nah.

Cooking for Isaiah was written by Silvana Nardone, founding editor in Chief of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine. Rachael Ray, herself, wrote the foreword. Silvana is also a columnist for Every Day with Rachael Ray with the “No-Recipe Zone” and “Sweet Spot” columns.

However, in this particular interest, I’m certain she carries a much simpler name – one worn closer to the heart. When you get down to it, this cookbook was written by “Isaiah’s Mom.”

Cooking for Isaiah is a labor of love. Silvana Nardone was challenged to create delicious meals for her beautiful young son, Isaiah, after he was diagnosed with food intolerances to gluten and dairy.

Description: “The cornbread was flavorful, moist and light with a deliciously tender crumb. My only hope with this recipe was that Isaiah would love it… And then Isaiah took a bite. The look on his face was pure heaven.”
Cooking for Isaiah is a love story of Silvana Nardone’s journey to develop great-tasting meals for her son, Isaiah, after he was diagnosed with food intolerances to gluten and dairy. The results of her efforts are found in the pages of this book, through 135 recipes that are not only easy to make, but taste and look delicious.
From “S’mores Pancakes with Marshmallow Sauce” to “Double-Decker Toasted Cornbread and Spicy Greens Stack,” and “Chicken and Waffles with Maple Bacon Gravy” to “Chocolate Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Frosting,” all of the recipes in Cooking for Isaiah are entirely free of gluten and dairy. Crafted with a variety of cooks in mind, an ingredient substitution chart shows you what to swap if, for example, you need to cook without gluten, but dairy is okay. You’ll also find Silvana’s tried-and-tested all-purpose flour and pancake mix recipes, sure to make gluten-free cooking and baking accessible to all. Written by Silvana Nardone, Editor in Chief of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine, this charming, personal cookbook belongs on every cook’s shelf.

The cookbook is a labor of love. Silvana Nardone was challenged to develop delicious (so delicious even a child would love them, without feeling like he was being robbed of a normal childhood filled with the kinds of foods kids love) meals for her son, Isaiah, after he was diagnosed with food-intolerances to gluten and dairy.

Remarkably, symptoms that had been plaguing young Isaiah cleared up almost immediately after his mom removed gluten and dairy from his diet.

While this cookbook would seem like a gift straight from Heaven for people of all ages who avoid gluten and/or dairy, I want to make one thing perfectly clear: Cooking for Isaiah is an outstanding cookbook for anyone – even those of us who are bedfellows with gluten and dairy.

There are two groups of people who will want to RUSH over to Amazon and buy this cookbook the very minute they finish reading this cookbook review:

Anyone who is gluten and/or dairy-intolerant – or loves someone who is. These highly-original and creative recipes and meal ideas will knock your socks off. The recipes will open up a whole new culinary world in which you’ll delight in exploring. It’ll make eating fun and exciting again.
Everyone else! Even those of you who aren’t the least bit intolerant of gluten or dairy will fall instantly in love with this cookbook. There is a wonderful chart on the inside back cover (as well as on page 17) that gives you substitutions to use if you want to… well… gluten-ize and dairy-ize the recipes. Basically, it’s as simple as using your everyday flour, cow’s milk, pancake mix, and cornbread where the author has used her own gluten-free recipe for flour and pancake mix, or where she has substituted with Rice Milk (although I’m such a fanatic for Rice Milk, I wouldn’t dream of substituting for it… LOVE the stuff!).

The creativity the mom-author shows in these recipes boggles the mind while it leaves you drooling over the pictures (the ones in the book as well as the ones in your own mind).

About the Author, Silvana Nardone
Silvana Nardone is the founding Editor in Chief of Every Day with Rachael Ray, where she has been honored with the magazine industry’s top awards since its launch in 2005. She is the magazine’s “No-Recipe Zone” and “Sweet Spot” columnist. A writer, editor, cooking instructor, and food consultant, she is the coauthor of Saveur Cooks Authentic Italian, has been featured in many publications including the New York Times, and has appeared on NBC Weekend Today, WCBS News This Morning, WABC Eyewitness News This Morning, E! Entertainment True Hollywood Story, Fox News Fox & Friends, and the Food Network’s Roker on the Road. She was profiled by Big Apple Parent and About.com for her focus on gluten-free and dairy- free cooking. Silvana owned an Italian bakery, Fanciulla, when Rachael Ray hired her to launch her magazine. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband Stephen and two children, Isaiah and Chiara. Visit her blog at DishTowelDiaries.com.

The first recipe I made from this outstanding cookbook was the Toasted Ham-and-Tomato Cornbread Sandwiches with Jalapeno Mayonnaise. I simply used my favorite Buttermilk Cornbread Recipe instead of the “Double Corn Cornbread” called for. The Double Corn Cornbread recipe is found in the book on page 75 and sounds awesome. In fact, I plan to give it a try – but I simply had the ingredients on hand for Buttermilk Cornbread, so I went with it.

Besides, I adore buttermilk cornbread and I knew there’d be enough left over for breakfast the next morning. I love to split cornbread in half, butter it, and toast it lightly on the griddle, right beside eggs as they fry. Then I top off the cornbread with a layer of Pepper Jelly and place the fried egg right up on top. SO GOOD. Then again, the cornbread with pepper jelly is a special experience, with or without the egg.

Toasted Ham-and-Tomato Cornbread Sandwiches with Jalapeno Mayonnaise

1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro or parsley leaves (I used cilantro)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
salt
4 (4-inch) squares Double Corn Cornbread (page 75) or store-bought cornbread – split and toasted
shredded lettuce (about 2 cups) for topping
1 pound deli-sliced smoked ham
4 tomato slices, for topping

1. In a food processor, combine the mayonnaise, jalapenos, cilantro, lime juice, honey, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Process until smooth. (This jalapeno mayonnaise is so good you’ll want to eat it straight from the food processor bowl – trust me on this one. Your’s truly spread some on a Ritz cracker and had a fine time.)
2. Spread about 1 tablespoon of the jalapeno mayonnaise on each cornbread bottom; top each with shredded lettuce, ham, and a tomato slice. Spread the remaining jalapeno mayonnaise on each cornbread top and set in place. To serve, cut diagonally.

I actually cooked my cornbread in a large round pan, so my sandwiches were triangular. They were all kinds of cute and even more delicious than I can tell you – however, next time (and there will be many, many next times) I’ll go the square route because it’d be easier to maneuver the tomatoes and lettuce on a wider playing field.

The jalapeno mayonnaise would be incredible on…

BLTs
Homemade Vegetarian Subway Sandwiches
Turkey Paninis
Chicken Paninis,
Egg sandwiches
Ritz Crackers…

The Toasted Ham-and-Tomato Cornbread Sandwiches with Jalapeno Mayonnaise would be an excellent recipe for tailgating. You’d surely rack up points for creativity AND taste.

Recipes such as this one keep your family on their toes. The reason I love creative, original recipes is this: They show your family that you love them enough to make their meals extra-special. Who wants to come home to the same meal every night? Keep things interesting and unexpected!

Other Recipes in Cooking for Isaiah:

Penne with Walnut Cream Sauce
Tomato Live Black Bean Soup with Avocado Cream
Chicken Potpie Soup
Hash Brown Belgian Waffles with Apple Sausage and Fried Eggs (You should see the picture!)
Chocolate-Dipped Chocolate Doughnuts
Bacon-Apple Cornbread Stuffing
Creamed Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
Grilled BBQ Onion-Smothered Double Bacon Burgers (I don’t think a teenager would even breath between bites.)
Raspberry-Lemon Meringue Layer Cake
Chocolate Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Frosting
Super Fudge Brownies
Rocky Road Rice Crispy Treats
Grilled Vegetable Pesto Pizza
Chocolate Chip-Banana Split Belgian Waffles with Wet Walnuts and Hot Fudge Sauce
Grilled Corn Cakes with Strawberry Syrup
Isaiah’s Pumpkin Muffins with Crumble Topping
Asparagus Risotto Casserole
Creamy Corn Chowder
Isaiah’s Whipped Hot Cocoaccino (I’m enjoying one right this minute!!! This is so delicious – it calls for rice milk, which I always have on hand. Amazing – you’d know how amazing if you could see me licking my lips like crazy.)

Do yourself a huge favor and order a copy of Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy Delicious Meals right now. You will not find recipes like these anywhere else.

As for me, my oldest daughter will be home on her lunch break in a few minutes, and I plan on meeting her in the kitchen with a mug of Isaiah’s Whipped Hot Cocoaccino. She’s kind of under the weather and I KNOW this will set her world right again.

Delicious and Simple Recipe for Pimento Cheese

Outside-In Bacon Cheeseburgers with Green Onion Mayo

Outside-In Bacon Cheeseburgers with Green Onion Mayo – by Rachael Ray