2nd Recipe: Vapiano's Inspired

When I was home for Christmas Break my mom made this amazing panini and I just had to share it with you!

It doesn't really have a name so I named it the Pear and Turkey Panini. It's so easy to make and perfect for lunch or dinner along side some warm, rich soup. It takes 10 minutes or less to make and you can make as many as you want.

For this recipe you will need:

- Fresh Bread (I used French)
- Turkey
- Swiss Cheese
- Bartlett Pears
- Fresh Spinach
- Stone Ground Mustard and Sweet and Hot Mustard


First you want to slice your bread if it's not already sliced. Once you do that butter each side of the bread for your sandwiches.

After that you want to put the stone ground mustard on one slice of bread and the sweet and hot mustard on the other slice of bread.

Place the cheese on top of the mustard so it melts better when you grill the sandwiches.

Add everything else to the sandwich. You want to wait until the pears are a little soft but if you don't have time to wait they will taste just fine. Cut the pears super thin and you can put as much as you want of the cheese, turkey and spinach.

Put the sandwiches together and then grill then on a skillet, Forman Grill or anything you have that will get the grilling done!

Finished Product! It is so delicious and super easy to make. The sandwich has just the right amount of sweetness and a spicy kick from the mustard that creates a party in your mouth! It's perfect for dinner parties or just a night with the girls (or your husband).

1st Recipe: Malawi Inspired

I choose to do pasta this week because of the pasta dish I ordered at Malawi's. Their pasta was simple but elegant and that is what I wanted to try to create this week.

This week the recipe we decided to try was called Pasta with Zucchini, Bacon and Parmesan. I found it on the Food Network website which is where I usually get all my new food recipes from.

It is a very simple recipe but it is packed with flavor and will make you go back for seconds and thirds. As you will see in the pictures I also made a soup. This soup is called Roasted Pear- Butternut Soup with Crumbled Stilton and you can find it on the Food Network website.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/eating-well/roasted-pear-butternut-soup-with-crumbled-stilton-recipe/index.html

This pasta recipe takes 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook. It will serve 6 people.

For this recipe you will need:

-1 pound penne rigate pasta
-4 ounces bacon, sliced into 1/2 pieces
-2 large zucchini, diced
-1 cup reserved pasta water
-3/4 cup very loosely packed, finely grated Parmesan cheese
-salt and pepper

Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water to al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot and set aside.

In a large saute pan, add the bacon and cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy. Add the zucchini and cook until it starts to soften. 

Place the cooked pasta over low heat. Add the reserved pasta water, cooked bacon, zucchini and the grated cheese. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately.

This is a very simple recipe and it only takes 30 minutes and pasta is great for next day leftovers.

These next couple pictures are of the soup I made and the finished product.

Something I did to make the presentation a little more exciting is put my soup in dessert shooters. This makes the soup a fun appetizer but you still save room for the main course. 

This recipe is fantastic and would recommend it to anyone who was looking for a good pasta dish! When my husband and I make this again I think I we'll try adding garlic or onions to it to really play with the flavor.  It's already delicious but I really want to add my own spin.  I can't wait to continue trying new recipes with my husband.