toasted

Virginia Smoked Ham Sandwich

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Virginia Smoked Ham Sandwich!  The wonderful thing about baking a Virginia smoked ham is the assortment of menu options you glean from a three-pound ham purchase. And with picnic season upon us, this is a quick and easy meal to enjoy at the park. 

VIRGINIA SMOKED HAM SANDWICH 

Ingredients:

1/2 pound shaved precooked smoked Virginia ham pieces

4 slices sesame seed artisan bakery-fresh bread

2 tablespoons butter

2 slices Baby Swiss cheese

Mayonnaise or Mustard, optional to taste

Dill Pickle wedge for garnish

Instructions: 

Butter top sides of bread all the way to the edge. Put two slices into a heated skillet over medium-low heat. Assemble ham and Swiss cheese; top with remaining bread slices. Cook until golden brown on each side, turning once. Serve with the slightly tart taste of a dill pickle.  Add a tossed salad and sea salt Kettle chips for the perfect meal!

Croque Madame Magic

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Fabulous Fixings: Croque Madame Magic! For a late night snack or weekend brunch idea, make your own French favorite at home. You can cut corners by using the microwave to melt the cheese and warm the ham. Or instead, for added crunchiness, use an iron skillet to toast the bottom of the sourdough bread until golden brown. Don’t forget to brush both sides with butter. Same with the egg. Make it in the microwave or fry it in the skillet. Don’t you just love it when I give you a choice?

CROQUE MADAME MAGIC

Ingredients:

1 slice artisan sourdough bread, toasted

1 teaspoon sea salt butter

1 slice Canadian bacon

1 slice Gruyère cheese

1 cooked egg, over easy

Herbs de Provence, for garnish

Instructions:

To assemble the open-faced sandwich, place sourdough toasted bread on a plate. Slather with sea salt butter. Next layer Canadian bacon on toast. Cover meat with a slice of Gruyère cheese. Microwave on High setting for 20 seconds. Top with cooked egg. Sprinkle with Herbs de Provence spices. Serve immediately. 

Toasted Cheese Ravioli

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Country Casual Cravings: Toasted Cheese Ravioli! Crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside. Take a walk on the wild side by turning dumpling-style pasta dough into a flavorful, tart, and cheesy appetizer. Panko breadcrumbs provide a crunchier coating that taste more like a fried shell when baked. This is due to the fact that panko breadcrumbs are made from crustless bread, thereby making them have an airier texture. The results are amazing.

TOASTED CHEESE RAVIOLI

Ingredients:

8-ounces fresh cheese ravioli, found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 cup plain panko breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Marinara sauce, for dipping

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a wire rack with nonstick oil. Place rack on a baking sheet. Set aside. In a shallow dish, whisk together egg and milk until fully incorporated. In another shallow dish, combine panko breadcrumbs, grated parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and kosher salt. Mix well. Working one at a time, dip ravioli in egg mixture. Allow excess to drip off before generously coating both sides with breadcrumb mixture. Place ravioli on prepared wired rack. Leave spaces between ravioli to allow even browning. Spray tops of ravioli with nonstick oil. Bake 10 minutes until ravioli is golden brown. Turn ravioli over and bake 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately with marinara sauce for dipping.

Rollin’ in Lobstah

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Country Casual Cravings: Rollin’ in Lobstah! Ever wonder why lobster is so popular? I find the mildly sweet, delicate flavor irresistible. If you’re preparing it at home in a state that is landlocked, a lot of resources are at your fingertips. Did you know you can order it from Maine and have it delivered in 24 hours? That’s golden. There are numerous websites that offer delicious lobster choices to conveniently keep on hand in the freezer. I buy lobster meat and lobster tails only. Forget the labor-intensive task of twisting the head, legs, and claws apart from the tail. Then again, I’ve been called “high maintenance”. To each his own.

ROLLIN’ IN LOBSTAH

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked lobster meat, cut into chunks

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

4 split-top brioche hot dog buns

4 tablespoons butter, melted and divided

1 tablespoon chives, thinly sliced for garnish

Fresh lemon wedges, for garnish

Instructions:

In a bowl, combine lobster meat, mayonnaise, lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper. Gently toss to coat. Spread butter on the outer sides of each bun. Place the buns on a griddle over medium heat. Cook 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. Divide the lobster mixture among the buns. Garnish with fresh chives and lemon wedges. Serve immediately with remaining butter.

Zinfandel Pairings

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Here Come the Holidays: Zinfandel Pairings! Just when I thought I’d seen it all, there in the produce department perched on the bottom shelf below its green and red cousins, was a small bin of larger-than-life black seedless grapes. Immediately I was intrigued. The hand-scribbled sign boasted sweet and tart beyond your wildest dreams. That’s it. Nothing more than “Product of USA” on the package. It didn’t matter. It was love-at-first-sight. I knew immediately that a Zinfandel wine and tangy cheese would join the impromptu Date Night that was forming in my mind. Later on, after I got home, I read all kinds of powerful benefits these precious little gems do for the body, mind, and soul. What a perfect prologue for guilt-free delicacies.

ZINFANDEL PAIRINGS

Ingredients:

1 pound black seedless grapes

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

4 ounces feta cheese, block

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 cup honeycomb

Multigrain French Bread slices, lightly toasted

Raw Honey, for drizzling

Lemon Thyme, for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. In a small dish, combine olive oil, sugar, kosher salt, and black pepper. Wash cluster of black grapes; pat dry. Place grapes on the prepared baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, generously coat the grapes with the olive oil mixture. Roast for 30 minutes. Grapes will release juice and begin to wrinkle. Remove pan from oven to cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 375°. Break the feta cheese into rough chunks. Transfer to a baking dish sprayed with nonstick oil. Sprinkle with olive oil and lemon zest. Drizzle with raw honey. Bake for 15 minutes until softened. Broil until slightly golden. Watch carefully. To serve, spread warm cheese on toasted baguette slices. Top with a piece of honeycomb. Place a roasted grape over the cheese. Drizzle with raw honey. Garnish with lemon thyme. Serve with a slightly chilled glass of red Zinfandel.

Diablo Pepper Poppers

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? All the Buzz: Diablo Pepper Poppers! Sometimes you need an appetizer that doesn’t come across as a flame thrower sending your guests to the nearest source of water to put out the fire. I have discovered mini sweet peppers are a great stand-in for their high intensity cousin, the jalapeño. These little jewels are a colorful sight and taste even better than they look, which is pretty appealing. The green, orange, red, and yellow “pops” of color are bursting with flavor as well. No fire extinguisher needed.

DIABLO PEPPER POPPERS

Ingredients:

12 mini sweet peppers

2 tablespoons garlic olive oil

1/8 teaspoon garlic and herb seasoning

1/8 teaspoon seasoning salt

3 green onions, snipped

7 Pepper Jack string cheese sticks

3 ounces prosciutto, deli sliced

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray a wire rack with nonstick spray and place on the pan. Set aside. Wash the sweet peppers. Pat dry. Slice the top of each pepper vertically, removing a small portion to create a well. Remove any seeds. Brush each pepper with the garlic olive oil. Sprinkle on seasonings. Place peppers on the wire rack with cut side down. Bake 10 minutes; then set the broiler to High and broil for 2-3 minutes until the peppers are slightly charred. Remove from oven. Cool slightly. Using a tongs, flip them over. Divide the green onion snips into the bottom of each pepper well. Using a kitchen shears, cut the string cheese to fit each pepper. Take each deli portion of prosciutto and slice it in half lengthwise. Carefully wrap the prosciutto around each filled sweet pepper and place upright on wire rack. Broil on High another 2-3 minutes or until the prosciutto gets crispy. Remove pan from oven and let cool slightly. Taking a cake tester, pierce each pepper from one side to another to make an opening. Insert a wooden pick in the opening. Now you have a finger food appetizer. Serve with herbed yogurt for dipping.