The Pasta Panini Wrap

I call this the "Pasta Panini" because it combines my two favorite pasta things, pesto and tomatoes. This can be eaten "raw", pressed with a panini press/grill, or the good ol' clothes iron method.

-White or whole wheat tortilla, though I prefer white
-Roast beef
-Tomato
-Bocconcini or mozzarella
-Pesto
-Cooking spray for grilling

Preheat your grill... or iron. Spray the grill, don't spray the iron.   Spread a generous helping of pesto on one half of the tortilla. Slice or shred your cheese and place it down as a strip in the middle of the tortilla. Leave about a 2 inch space on either side, so the ends can be folded in. Place your roast beef and your tomatoes over the cheese. Take the side covered in pesto and fold it over your fillings and curl the edge under them. Fold the ends into the wrap, and roll the rest of the way. If you're using a panini press, throw it and let it do it's thing. If you're using your iron, wrap it in sprayed tinfoil and place on your ironing board, and rest the iron on it for about two minutes, flip, repeat, unwrap and eat!

Be careful that the pesto doesn't leak out and stain the white sleeve of your boyfriend's hoodie....

Savory Rosemary Crepes

This recipe was adapted from poorgirleatswell.com. I served this for my friend and I one night as a celebration for her getting accepted to college for the first time, and I actually loved them so much. She, being a chicken lover, devoured hers in a second.

Crepes:
-1/2 cup all purpose flour
-2 eggs
-3/4 cup low or no fat milk
-1 tbsp melted butter
-butter or oil spray (eg.PAM) for cooking

Cream sauce:
-Half and Half cream
-1 tbsp margarine
-3/4 tbsp fresh rosemary coarsely chopped
-1/2 tbsp cream cheese
-Salt and pepper for taste

Filling:
-4 to 8 chicken thighs, depending on the size
-thyme
-rosemary (fresh or dry, doesn't matter)
-2 cloves of garlic
-salt and pepper to taste
-oil


1. Chop the garlic and cut the chicken into small cubes (1 inch by 1 inch) while the oil heats in the pan at a medium heat. Throw the garlic into the pan first, allowing it to turn a golden brown colour. Throw the chicken in after it and season. Stir and mix and flip liberally to evenly distribute the seasoning. Don't be afraid of "over seasoning", unless it really is a ridiculous amount. A heaping teaspoon of everything will do the trick. Let the chicken simmer, stirring occasionally, until it's a nice dark brown.

2. Whisk all the crepe ingredients while your skillet pre-heats to a medium low temperature. Spray or butter the pan. Take about a half cup ladle-full and pour slowly into the center of your pan. Pouring too quickly will give you a weird looking crepe. After a minute or two, when the edges look cooked, flip it and allow it to cook for about a minute more before moving it to a plate. Repeat until all the batter is used.

3. Heat the butter in a sauce pan and quickly saute the rosemary. Add the cream cheese, and once that's melted, the rest of the ingredients. Make sure it's well combined. Let it simmer down to be a bit thicker, and then you're ready to eat!

Salmon Dinner

I GOOFED! I DIDN'T GET A PHOTO!!! I'M SO SO SORRY!!!! Also, this one isn't particularly cheap, but it's really yummy so if you have the extra cash, don't be afraid to spend it. This would be a really nice dinner if you happen to have someone coming and you want to impress them. I'll only be instructing on how to feed one, but just double the portions if it makes it easier for you.

-Salmon portion, fresh from the fish department is the very best.
-A big handful of asparagus. About 10-15 pieces.
-1 medium russet potato
-1 tbsp Butter or margarine
-1/2 tbsp Brown sugar
-1 tsp Garlic salt
-2/3 tsp Pepper
-Canola oil

1. Set the oven to 450(f).

2. Cover the salmon with brown sugar, garlic salt, and pepper. All the brown sugar may not be used, but there should be a generous coating on it.

3. Coat a cookie sheet with a bit of oil so the salmon doesn't stick. Let the flavors of the seasoning sink in while you wait for the oven to finish heating up and while you do other things. Just put it in the oven when it is heated. Set the timer for 10-15 minutes (longer if the fillet/portion is unusually huge). If you can't figure out how long it should go in for, cook it until it's solid and flaky.

4. To bake the potato quickly, rub it with oil, rub it again with just a very little bit of salt and pepper. Prick it with a fork a few times. Place in the microwave on a plate for 5 minutes. If a fork doesn't go through smoothly, put it in for another 3-5 minutes.

5. Cut the wood-y bottoms of the asparagus and place it in your steamer. If you don't have a steamer, you can put them in a microwave safe bowl with enough water to cover them and microwave them until they're soft enough to enjoy. When they're done, coat lightly with butter or margarine, and sprinkle sparingly with salt.

Everything should be done roughly the same time. If not, just keep it all warm until it's all finished. Don't forget to peel the skin off the salmon.

Banana French Toast

Now, since I am not yet in my dorm and still living at home, I still have access to my stove and frying pan. If you don't have a stove, you can try to rig your clothing iron to stay upside down and use aluminum foil as your pan, you can wrap your pieces of bread in tin foil and have squished french toast, or you can venture out into the scary common kitchen. I'll be instructing you on the scary-venturing-to-the-kitchen method.

For the toast
-2 pieces of brown bread
-2 eggs (If you're using your clothes iron you may want to use only 1.5 eggs to avoid mess)
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1 tbsp brown sugar

For the banana part
-1 banana
-1/2 tbsp brown sugar
-1 1/2 tbsp butter (I use becel olive oil margarine)
-1 tsp cinnamon

1. Set skillet to medium-low (3.5 out of 8) and place some butter in the pan to give it time to melt.
2. Combine eggs and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
3. Quickly soak each side of the bread in eggs, letting each side soak for about 1-2 seconds.
4. Place pieces of toast in the pan. If there is extra egg mixture in the bowl, don't get rid of it.
-while the first side toasts-
4.5 - drop butter, cinnamon and brown sugar into a bowl and throw it in the microwave for about 40 seconds.
       - slice up a banana, throw the slices in the melted butter and mix it around (oh my god use a spoon, it'll be way too hot)
       - now you can choose to either place the banana in the microwave for 50 seconds OR you can wait til the skillet is free and fry them up for about a minute. I fried mine, but microwaving has worked in the past too.

5. About a minute before you flip your toast, slowly pour the remaining egg mixture on the raw side. Try not to let any of it spill over the edge. I find moving it around slowly with a fork helps it sink in.
6. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top of the raw side, let it rest for a few seconds to sink in and flip!

Once your toast is done, throw it on a plate, put the bananas over it, and cover it with maple syrup if you so choose! This is a very sweet breakfast, no doubt, but it was soooo delicious.