BLT in Five

I bought myself a cookbook after Christmas - Michael Symon's 5 in 5 - where he lists recipes with five ingredients that can be made in five minutes!

Here's one we tried tonite, and it's a keeper.  I adjusted a few things, depending on what I had:

Bacon (smoky), fried and drained
Brioche buns (I just used bread that I had)
Dijon Mustard
Hot Sauce
Avocado slices
Sliced Tomato
Torn basil leaves
S&P

Fry the bacon, drain on paper towels.  In a small bowl mix Dijon Mustard with a little hot sauce (I used salsa that I had).  Spread this on your toasted bread.  Top with the avocado (salted and peppered), then the bacon and lastly the tomato and basil.  Cut and serve.

Simple ingredients, but the mustard and the S&P on the avocado, along with the basil, put this sandwich on my favorites list!

Hidden Blog

Did you know...World Market has hints under each section on it's online website?  They're really cool and helpful!  You just hover over a section like Outdoor, for example, and then click on Features.  You can do the same in any category.  It's all in World Market's blog with tips!

Here are a few things on there today I learned from hovering over...

Jewelry - 9 ways to tie a scarf! 

Decor and Pillows - 3 hacks for hanging art!

Outdoor - How to Build a Campfire!

So when you're shopping at World Market on line, look at all of the fun tips and ideas - I love them all!

Hot Mortadella Sandwiches

These hot sandwiches are easy and so delicious!!  We served them with sweet potato fries!  This recipe makes two large sandwiches.

You'll need:

sliced mortadella (you can get it in the meat section - sliced thin) - 8 slices
sliced provolone - about 6 slices
giardiniera (1 cup)
sliced green olives (1/4 cup)
butter
sourdough bread

Lightly butter one side of four slices of bread.  Heat a large skillet and place the bread butter side down, with a heavy pan on top to press it down, and cook until browned, about 4 minutes.

Meanwhile in a small food processor, place the giardiniera and green olives and pulse until finely chopped.

Remove the four slices and on the crispy side of two slices, spread the olive mixture.

Place four slices of mortadella in the same skillet and cook about 2 minutes per side.   Do the same again with four more slices.  Layer atop the mixture on the bread the mortadella and cheese, twice. Top with the other slices of bread crispy side down, and heat butter again in same skillet and place the sandwiches so that you're now cooking the other sides of the bread.  Press down with heavy pan and cook until crisp and brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes each.

Slice and enjoy...

Herb Scissors

I got these herb scissors for Christmas as a gift and just used them yesterday.  They're nice because all I had to do was tear off a bunch of cilantro and use the scissors right over the bowl in which I wanted the herb to fall. No chopping, no cutting board, no mess.

These are found at Crate and Barrel and online at Amazon, and they come with a plastic storage sheath that can also be used to clean the scissors from herbs caught between the blades.

I think I'm going to like using these!

Smasher Trio

These "smashers" are so good to make, and so tasty atop toast  - for a picnic dinner!

Chickpea smasher - in a microwave safe bowl, mix together one can of drained and rinsed chickpeas with 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 T fresh lime juice, 1 tsp each of ground cumin and coriander, and 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 small grated clove of garlic, and a pinch of cayenne.  Microwave for 1 minute, then smash with a fork or potato smasher.  Season with S&P.  Serve with cilantro leaves on top.

Avocado smasher - in a bowl smash two avocados with 1 T lemon juice and 1 small grated clove of garlic.  Smash, then season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle more pepper on top.

White bean smasher - in a microwave safe bowl, mix one can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans with 2 T olive oil and 1 T chopped fresh rosemary. Microwave for 1 minute, then smash and season with S&P.  Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top and sprinkle crushed red peppers.

Serve these atop toast or dip with pita chips - and enjoy!

Hearts of Fire

This book Hearts of Fire is a hard read. I have to stop for days between each chapter.  It's the true stories of women who are part of the underground church and experiencing life under severe persecution, all because they follow Christ.  The stories tell of amazing strength and resolve that comes when these women know Him, His word, and they  have nothing to cling to but that...

Initials for the Tree

These cute initial ornaments from Anthropologie are only $4 right now, and they're great for tree-trimming next year for each member of your family....so cute, wrapped with yarn in bright colors, with little jingle bells too!