Chicken and Brie Panini with Apricot Jam

This isn't really a recipe; it's more of a guideline. The amount of ingredients you need depends on how hungry you are and how big your bread is. So, go crazy.

Chicken and Brie Panini with Apricot Jam
Serves: 1

2 slices multi-grain bread
Brie cheese (about 1 ounce), preferably at room temperature
Thinly sliced cooked chicken (about 3 ounces)
Freshly ground black pepper
Apricot jam (about 2 tablespoons)

Preheat your panini press.* Schmear the brie cheese onto one slice of bread. (If your cheese is at room temperature, this will be easy. If it's not at room temperature, then just put thin slices of cheese on your bread. Attempting to spread cold cheese =  torn bread. And, yes, I know from experience.) Layer chicken on top of the brie and sprinkle with pepper. Spread the apricot jam on the second slice of bread.

Close up your sandwich and grill in the hot panini press for about 5 minutes, until bread is toasted and cheese is melted.

*Don't have a panini press? Don't let that stop you from making this delicious sandwich. You can wrap your sandwich in foil and cook it at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. Another option is to heat it in a skillet like you're making a grilled cheese sandwich

Meet Danny

Sorry you haven't heard from me in a few days; I've been a bit distracted by a new man in my life. His name is Danny, and he's my son. 

 Richard Daniel ("Danny") was born on September 10 at 11:11 p.m., weighing in at 6 pounds 12.6 ounces. The husband and I are over the moon with happiness. 

P.S. Thanks for the onesie, Lucy!

Enjoy it while it lasts

This weekend was crisp and beautiful in Milwaukee, but it reminded me that summer is on its way out. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the fall. It's my all-time favorite season. But it's always a bit bitter-sweet when summer comes to a close.

Today I'm sharing a few of my favorite summertime recipes. Try them one more time before the season of farmer's markets, herbs growing on the back porch, and barbecue is over.

Goat Cheese and Tomato Sandwich

Quinoa with Corn and Black Beans

Grilled Peach Salad with Goat Cheese

Lamb Kabobs

 Therese's Corn and Tomato Salad

Beer Marinated Flank Steak

Herbed Quinoa

Pasta with Lemon Yogurt Sauce

Pudding Poke Cake

Strawberry and Blue Cheese Salad with Balsamic Glaze

Strawberry Peach Smoothie

Corn & Edamame Summer Salad

Just a couple weeks ago, I spotted it for the first time: Corn on the cob for sale at a side-of-the-road farm stand. Sweet mercy, I love corn. I always forget that corn season comes late in the summer, so when I see it for the first time, I'm tickled because I feel like I've been waiting forever.

I had to make a salad to bring to a barbecue recently, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to highlight summer's bounty. The recipe is simple, so the flavors of the corn and tomatoes really stand out. Adding sugar and a hearty pinch of salt really brought out the sweetness of the corn.

I think you'll really like this one, guys. Give it a whirl while the corn pickin' is good!

Corn & Edamame Summer Salad
Adapted from pipandebby.com
Serves: 8

4 large ears corn on the cob, husks removed*
2 cups frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Juice of 2 limes
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat 1" of water to boiling in a large skillet. Add corn, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes, until corn is tender, flipping the ears of corn halfway through cooking. Remove corn and set it aside to cool. Once it's cool enough to handle, use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off the cob.

In a large bowl, combine corn kernels, edamame, tomatoes, and cilantro. In a separate small bowl, whisk together vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, and olive oil. Stir dressing into vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

*If it's not corn season, you can substitute 2 cups of frozen corn kernels, thawed.

Iced Tea

I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day. Mine was particularly celebratory because I bid adieu to my twenties and turned the big 3-0. Yes, that's right...I'm thirty. 

I always thought that my thirtieth birthday would be traumatic and terrifying. But you know what's a million times scarier than turning thirty? Having a baby. Guess what I'm gonna do in, oh, a week. Have a baby. So the big birthday was nothin'. 

My fantastic husband hosted an end-of-summer/Labor Day/birthday/don't-have-a-baby-yet barbecue in our backyard in celebration of my special day. It was great. He planned everything so I could just enjoy myself. He even decorated with signs and balloons and a horse-shaped pinata.

Did I mention that I have the best husband ever? Yeah, I do.

Anyway, the husband ordered ribs and smoked pulled chicken sandwiches from my favorite BBQ restaurant. He bought my favorite cheesecake for dessert. But we were stumped when it came to a special birthday beverages for me. I'm off the hard stuff, so I let my friends enjoy the booze. Pop makes me too burpy, and no one wants that. So I decided to make iced tea. 

Lightly sweetened and refreshing, this iced tea was just what the birthday girl needed. 

Iced Tea

Adapted from Eating Well

12 tea bags (Use your favorite black tea. For decaf tea, I like Typhoo.)

4 cups boiling water

1/4 cup sugar

4-6 cups cold water

Lemon wedges, for serving

Steep tea in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. 

Remove the tea bags and pour tea into a large pitcher. Stir in sugar until it dissolves. Add 4 cups cold water and taste the tea to see if it's diluted enough. Add the extra 2 cups of water if necessary. (In case you were wondering, I steeped my tea for the full 5 minutes and used all 6 cups of water.) 

Refrigerate the iced tea until it's totally chilled, about 2 hours. Serve with lemon wedges.    

Super Simple Roast Potatoes

You probably saw these potatoes lurking in the background of my photo of Herb-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Zucchini. As the name implies, they are super simple, but super tasty. The outsides of the potatoes are crispy, but the insides are fluffy. It's the best that potatoes have to offer.

Sometimes I have a bone to pick with roasted potatoes because they take a long time to cook. Well, I should have thought of this earlier, but if you cut the potatoes into small pieces, they cook more quickly. Duh, Erin. So, I chopped these spuds into little 1/2" cubes for speedy roasting.

Give these a whirl next time you have potatoes on the menu. I think you'll enjoy them as much as we did.

Super Simple Roast Potatoes
Serves: 2

1 large baking potato, diced into 1/2" cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up. Place diced potatoes on the parchment, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Use your hands to toss everything together so the potatoes are evenly covered with oil and seasoning. Roast for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the potatoes are golden brown and tender.

Herb-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Zucchini

I wasn't sure about this recipe. When I originally read it, I thought it might be boring. Then I started worrying about the fresh herbs. If I put fresh herbs in a hot pan and then in a super hot oven, will they burn? But despite my concerns, I gave it a shot.

And I was glad that I did.

As we were enjoying our hot dinner, the husband looked up at me and said, "I feel like I'm eating at a restaurant! This pork is delicious!"

The pork wasn't boring at all; it was incredibly flavorful. The herbs didn't burn; they added freshness and pizzazz. The result? A restaurant-quality dinner at our dining room table.

Herb-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Zucchini
Serves:2-3

3/4 pound pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, divided
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 very small (or one medium) zucchini, halved and sliced 1/4" thick

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Meanwhile, rub pork tenderloin with 1 tablespoon parsley, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Heat oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium high. Add pork and cook until browned on all sides, about 8-10 minutes total, turning every couple minutes.

Meanwhile, toss the zucchini with the remaining 1 teaspoon parsley, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, salt, and pepper.

Once the pork is browned, add the zucchini to the skillet around the pork. Pop the skillet into the oven and cook for 5-10 minutes, until the pork is cooked to an internal temperature of 135-140 degrees. Set the pork aside, tent with foil, and allow it to rest until the internal temperature reaches 145-150 degrees.

While the pork rests, toss the zucchini in the skillet so it absorbs all the delicious drippings from the pan. Thinly slice the pork and serve with the zucchini.