What I Made: June 16 & 17, 2012

Ah, the weekend.  I often try to take it a little easy on the weekends since I cook a lot during the week.  For some reason this weekend, I was incredibly motivated to cook and bake.

Okay, well I wasn't motivated ALL weekend.  Saturday morning was spent running errands and I wasn't in the mood to make lunch, so we picked something up.  I kicked it into high gear for dinner.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Portobello Mushroom Burgers

I got the recipe for Portobello Mushroom Burgers from All You.  Initially, I was looking for a Mushroom-Quinoa Burger I found in January's issue, but for some reason it was nowhere to be found on their website.  Since I recycle my magazines as soon as I've read them, the recipe has been lost (to me at least) forever.

What I Made: June 14, 2012

Yesterday was another busy day that started off right... with breakfast!

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Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

These Strawberry-Banana Smoothies from Food Network's April 2011 issue were fantastic.  The creamy Greek vanilla yogurt was healthy for us and tasted great!  

What I Made: June 7, 2012

I had a lot of things planned for June 7.  Then my body decided to not agree with me and I had a pain flare.  While my dogs enjoyed me sitting around and napping, I didn't get a lot of cooking/baking done.

That doesn't mean I didn't make ANYTHING.  It just stopped once I couldn't take it anymore.

My morning started off with a smoothie from my archives.  Good Housekeeping had this Jump-Start Smoothie in their September 2011 issue.

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Jump-Start Smoothies

Bacon and Tomato Grilled Cheese

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – April 26, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Bacon and Tomato Grilled Cheese recipe originally published by Food Network: 50 Grilled Cheeses insert – April 2012.

I get a lot of recipes that are salad and/or sandwich-like and very tasty looking.  I have a couple of issues… not with the recipes, but with my cooking schedule.  First, I think they are more appropriate for lunch and I find it hard to cook for just myself – even if the recipe is for a single serving.  Second, my husband has been working a later shift that extends past dinner into the evening and sandwiches often don’t keep well.  Last, I don’t feel these are dinner recipes.

That’s not to say they aren’t, I just happen to look for certain qualities in my dinner meals and sandwiches don’t necessarily pass my muster.  Again, not the recipe’s fault… just my neurosis.

Then life took a slightly unfortunate turn in terms of husband’s employment.  A situation now rectified, but it gave me an opportunity to start making lunch for us.  This was one of the first recipes I stumbled upon after he was home for lunch during the week.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Bacon and Tomato Grilled Cheese

I didn’t have a picture to compare my grilled cheese to since this was an insert in Food Network’s April issue.  They have some pictures, including a classic sandwich (as shown below), but nothing for me to compare mine against.  That being said…

This is probably the best looking grilled cheese I’ve ever made.  The bread is perfectly toasted.  The cheese is completely melted.  And I give full credit to the recipe writers.  Without following their instructions, I probably would have ended up with burnt bread or un-melted cheese.

Thank you Food Network for teaching me the best way to make a grilled cheese sandwich.  I honestly mean that.