Roast Beef Panini with Herbed Butter

Don't you love meals that create leftovers for later meals in the week? This sandwich is perfect to use the meat remaining from the roast dinner we posted a while back using grass-fed beef from Jones Creek Beef.

Locally owned, Jones Creek Beef raises grass-fed beef and cooks up perfectly.

We are using more ingredients from some local companies to make this butter perfect: Onera and Gossner's Muenster cheese.

Parmesan Basil Butter

1 stick of butter, unsalted, room temperature
1 Tablespoon Parmesan Cheese
2 tsp. dried basil
3/4 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. Onera

Blend all of the ingredients together. Spread some butter lightly on the top of a piece of bread. Lay buttered side down on pan. Top with roast beef, sprinkled with salt, and Gossner's Muenster cheese. Lay a second piece of bread on top. Spread butter on top of that piece. Once browned, flip until that side is brown as well. The cheese should be melted and the beef should be warmed.

Enjoy this quick meal on a hot summer day!

Quick Crepes

I'm all for a quick meal. This one comes together pretty quickly. I have to say we rarely have this for breakfast. It's one of our quick, go-to meal for busy weeknights. The best thing is that is pleases all appetites. Of course, with our family we usually have to make two batches.

The best thing is that I dump all of the ingredients into my Blendtecand we are set.

Quick Crepes

2 c. milk

1 ½ c. flour

2 eggs

2 T butter, melted,

1 T sugar

½ tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

Starting with milk, measure it into the blender. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix until smooth. Cook over medium heat until light brown. I butter the pans before the first crepe, but after the first one, I have found you don't have to butter in between the rest.

This batter can be left in the refrigerator overnight to use the next day.

One thing I found fun was I quickly rinsed out my Blendtecand poured in some cream and pulsed it for 15 seconds at a time and scraped it down a few times and I was left with some pretty thick whipped cream. Pour it into a bowl and fold in some powdered sugar and you are left with some effortless whipped cream! How exciting is that? Talk about a one-bowl meal!

Cut up some strawberries and get to eating. My mouth is watering now. 

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Oat Energy Bites

Everyone knows peanut butter and chocolate go together. And when you throw them with some healthy ingredients, then you just HAVE to have them.
I love these little nuggets right out of the freezer. The texture of the flax seeds are my favorite. Keep these stashed in your freezer for a quick, on-the-go, healthy snack. It's deceivingly fulfilling and quite tasty. Plus, just google the benefits of flax seed and you might just be motivated enough to make them. Add a bag of flax seed next time you're on Amazon.

PB Energy Bites

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup coconut
2 T honey

Place all ingredients in a bowl together and mix until combined. Place bowl in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to aid in ease of rolling.
Roll into 12 balls and place in a freezer bag or container and put in the freezer until ready to eat.

Grab and go!

Let me know what you think or what you might add.

Cold Sassy Tree

Cold Sassy Tree has been on my to-read list for a while. I'd love to know what you think of it. If it's on your  to-read list, you may want to pick this up ASAP. Right now, it's on sale at Amazonfor only $2.99. Perfect timing to take on your summer trips.

Let me know what you think and if you've already read it.

Enjoy your full week of school activities! I know mine is booked full.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Do any of you remember that Friends episode where Phoebe makes an amazing chocolate chip cookie? Monica spends countless hours trying to recreate it. Then, Phoebe remembers she thought it was from an aunt or someone named, 'Nestle Tollhouse' pronouncing it with a horrible French accent, revealing she just baked the recipe on the chocolate chip cookie package?
Well, that's about how these cookies are. They are amazing, and they are indeed printed on the back of the Reese's peanut butter cookie package. But, hey! I love them.

I grew up loving them because I don't like chocolate chip cookies. This was my mom's attempt in appeasing me since I was "weird" in most kids' eyes for not liking America's favorite cookie.

Apparently, my son loves these, too. He was the only one who seemed excited to see these on the counter after school. He pled for me to let him have them all. That's typical of my growing 14 year-old.

Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2/3 cups Cocoa
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 pkg. Reese's Peanut Butter Chips

Cream butter or margarine, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixtures. Stir in peanut butter chips. Chill until firm enough to handle.

Shape small amounts of dough into 1-inch thick balls. Place on uncreased baking sheet and flatten slightly with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cook 1 minute before removing from cookie sheet onto wire rack. Makes about 6 dozen 2 1/2-inch cookies.

Butter Cookies for a Cookie Press

I recently bought a cookie press. So, of course the hunt ensued for a good, basic butter cookie to try out. Who knew such a basic recipe could be so yummy. It was fun to experiment with the shapes. I'm pretty sure you have the ingredients on hand. This recipe is unique in that I have never had to boil en egg for the batter before. Try it out. See what you think. 

Norweigian Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Hard boil the eggs and separate the yolks. Cream the butter and hard boiled egg yolks. Beat in the sugar and add the flour vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly. Put through a cookie press or arrange by teaspoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned.

adapted from Allrecipes.com  

Fish Tacos

You won't believe how easily these fish tacos whip up, thanks to good old Costco frozen Talapia.

Recently my friend told me about a fish taco recipe at Breanna's Recipe Box. But, she also suggested instead of making the fish, just using this frozen fish from Costco. And wow. It didn't disappoint. The sauce is amazing! 

While cooking the frozen fish in the oven as directed, make this zippy white sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 lime, juiced

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 teaspoon minced capers

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed

1/2-1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Once the fish is done, while cooling, heat up some corn tortillas on a grill, crumble your fish in the center of a tortilla, add some shredded cabbage and top with the tangy sauce. You've just made yourself a tasty fish taco!