Ham and Pineapple Quesadilla with Roasted Red Pepper Spread

Another ham post? Yes. Yes it is. And there will be more after this one. I can't help it that I love it so much! I currently have three in my freezer. (I may have forgotten that I had two in there when I bought two more, but I just can't pass up sales that have them for $.70/lb!) You can just do so much with leftovers that I will bake up a ham whenever the craving strikes because, well, I guess I consider it a pantry staple.

Stir-Fry Veggie Pita Melt

I sometimes get in a 'spur-of-the-moment' type of mood when it comes to food. I see something sitting around (in this case it was a pita) and it just spins into a quick dish. Today I saw that pita and immediately thought: veggie pita. This idea took me back to the days when I used to work at a fast food restaurant where one of the menu items was a veggie pita melt. I considered doing a take on that, but I didn't have all the ingredients needed and if I'm going to duplicate, then it must be spot on. It was one of my favorite things and I just can't do a 'fake' version.

Anyways, that thought sparked another similar pita idea. I did a quick veggie stir-fry with some teriyaki sauce and then I was in pita melt heaven.

Grown Up Grilled Cheese: A Meaty Brie

I had a little fascination with Brie not too long ago. I felt the need to broaden my love for cheese so I thought I'd grab some at the grocery store and make whatever my mind could create. What did I come up with? Grilled cheese, of course! Well, also a quesadilla but that's another story... Anyways, if you've been following my posts, you know that I like to make 'grown up' grilled cheese sandwiches every now and then that aren't part of the normal 'american cheese' variety. It's a little ongoing project of mine...

Homemade Sloppy Joes

I have no idea why, but I had a taste for Sloppy Joes a couple weeks ago. This has never happened before. I've never even liked Sloppy Joes! But, for some reason, I just needed to make them. Maybe it was because I ran into my husband's cousin's wife (my cousin-in-law?) at the grocery store a few weeks ago and she said the store's brand of Sloppy Joe mix was really good. Did that somehow make it's way into my subconscious and put the meat mixture into my brain's 'food idea' area?

Grown Up Grilled Cheese - Italian-Style Chicken

Did you know that April is grilled cheese month? I never knew until the Food Network posted it on Facebook a couple days ago. I'm a big fan of grilled cheese creations (as you may have seen from previous posts) so this is pretty cool news to me!

I made a new one last week so it seems like the perfect time to post about it. I usually make my 'Grown Up' grilled cheese concoctions using simple ingredients because great tastes can be created using everyday things. This latest grilled cheese was no exception. Coming up with new and interesting combinations can be as simple as looking in the fridge (or pantry) and using a little imagination. Instead of spending a small fortune at the store or making special trips, I've become a big fan of using what you already have. I always have a selection of veggies and usually a pretty standard cheese on hand. Yes, I know that there are so many awesome cheeses out there, but they can be pretty costly. I had the basics and that's all I needed. Every once in awhile I'll splurge, but for most of my 'everyday sandwiches', I'm perfectly content using what I have to make something that tastes pretty awesome.

Super Simple Chicken Salad

I'm a big fan of chicken salad. I mean, a really big fan. It's just so good! It's creamy, it's full of so many different flavors and it can be made in so many different ways. I always hope that there's leftovers when I make dinner so I can chop it up the next day for a quick, yummy sandwich. If there isn't any, I'll just cook up a couple boneless, skinless chicken breasts to get my fix.

Ham Salad

Have you had your fill of ham from the holidays? We sure have! There were plenty of leftovers though (and you can only reheat it so many times) so I was struck with the idea of making some ham salad. I whipped up this ham salad with my sister in mind. I know, that sounds strange...but she was my inspiration because she loves the stuff. I like it, but not nearly as much as she does so I'll be giving her the rest of this batch. I tried to make it similar to the store-bought variety she normally buys but I think it turned out even better! I'm pretty sure she'll like it.

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese: Red Pepper, Onion and Spinach with Spicy Garlic Mayo

The latest in my grilled cheese series is a trio of veggies that are layered with tangy cheese and a spicy mayo. This one was so gooey and good that it seemed almost sinful! I cooked the onion and red pepper for awhile to caramelize them and bring out their natural sugars, but you can just cook them until they're soft.

This sandwich can also be loaded up with a medley of other veggies, too. Give it a try with some mushrooms cooked with the onion and peppers or add a few ribbons of zucchini. Just make sure to cook the vegetables enough to bring out their maximum flavors.

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese: Cuban Style

Our visit to Fair Oaks Farms a couple weeks ago inspired this Cuban Grilled Cheese sandwich. They have a Cuban sandwich that is sub-par as well as a grilled cheese that is far from living up to my standards. I thought I could combine both ideas into one and come up with something super tasty that is actually not too bad for you. 

Grown Up Grilled Cheese: Tangy and Tart Turkey

I'm always on my quest for new and interesting grilled cheese sandwiches. This one isn't some crazy concoction made of weird ingredients, but it is really good. I took some regular lunchmeat and topped it off with some Swiss cheese and some tart cranberry sauce. The saltiness of the cheese complimented the sweetness of the cranberries so perfectly that I think I might just have to make it again with upcoming Thanksgiving leftovers.

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese: Avocado, Tomato and Bacon

I might be developing an avocado obsession. There's nothing wrong with that, right?

In searching the fridge for something for dinner, cheese stood out. I'm not sure why, but a grilled cheese sandwich just sounded so good. I still have some avocados left so I was trying to come up with a way to combine that with a grilled cheese sandwich. The classic with american cheese wouldn't do so I jazzed it up a bit with some mozzarella. It was still missing something though. It needed a little color so I thought tomatoes would be the perfect addition. And why not add some bacon? The salty, crunchiness would be a nice compliment to the smooth avocado. I threw it all on some multi-grain bread and grilled it up. End result = yum.

One of Life's Simple, Cheesy Pleasures

Grilled Cheese Sandwich - it's the perfect comfort food. It's subtle, buttery flavor brings you back to those childhood times of your mom making you lunch. It was an added bonus to get the tomato soup with it. That is one of my favorite meals of all time and I still eat it for lunch (or dinner) to this day. I do tend to jazz it up a bit these days when I'm in the mood though. Today was one of those days.

Grilled cheese sandwiches can be made with pretty much anything to make it your own or to add a bit of flair. I prefer to call these creations 'Grown-Up Grilled Cheese' because not many kids would eat them any other way but the classic. I've been known to make them with tomato and spinach with a touch of balsamic vinegar, loaded up with veggies, or with just a hint of another flavor like I did today. The added ingredient: apricot butter. I know you're probably thinking that sounds a little weird, but it adds a bit of sweetness that makes it a definite treat. And it's just so simple to put together! I'm always on the hunt for new and unusual food combinations that taste good and I'm happy to have found another one.

Apricot-Laced Grilled Cheese


2 slices wheat bread
1 slice american cheese
1 slice mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp apricot butter


1. Spread a thin layer of apricot butter on one slice of bread.
2. Layer on the cheeses and top with the other slice.
3. Cook in a pan sprayed with non-stick spray until cheese is melted and bread is toasty and golden.