Improvising

My husband was on vacation this week and we take "vacation" to mean  be as busy as possible instead of relaxing and catching up on sleep. Do you do this too?? Consequently, I haven't posted much in the past few days. I did take a lot of fun photos of the food we ate and the activities we did, which are now waiting for their turn to be previewed over the next week. *Drum roll for anticipation*

But today we have our first guest post! Jess and I (both pictured above) met a few years ago and clicked as friends right away. I've been blessed by her creative eye and desire for adventure in everyday life. You should check out her blog Food Lovers Anonymous and also be aware for updates from the pair of us as we consider venturing into event planning together. Her post today really hits the spot on making great food without needing a whole lot of stuff on hand. Thanks so much Jess for this addition!

To anyone else: if you have a recipe, a menu, a neat activity, or homeschooling insights feel free to contact me about guest posts. An African Proberb goes: "It takes a village to raise a child" and I would add that it also can take a village to add that extra spice to life be it through food suggestions, book lists, places to see, and homeschool encouragement.

And now.... Jessica's Post----    **** It looks DeLiCiOus****

Turkey, Cheddar and Pesto Panini

*Recipe from Jessica Showalter @ Food Lovers Anonymous*

I love going to home parties where they are selling all sorts of kitchen gadgets, and browsing through stores such as Williams-Sonoma... dreaming of the day when I can buy this fancy accessory or that kitchen appliance.  However, sometimes you don't need a fancy-shmacy tool to get the job done!  Case in point - my Turkey, Cheddar and Pesto Panini's!  I do not own a panini maker, a special panini pan, or a panini press... but I love making paninis!  To a true panini connoisseur, my recipe might not be a true panini, but for an easy, everyday lunch or snack, this does the trick!

Tools You Will Need To Make Your "Panini Press":

1 griddle pan

1 9x13" cake pan

2 or 3 large un-opened canned items (approx. 16-24 oz. size)

Ingredients:

Crusty Loaf of Bread, sliced

Roasted Turkey Deli Meat, sliced

Cheddar Cheese, sliced

Pesto Sauce

*****I like to make my own pesto, check out: Homemade Pesto Recipe

Butter

Cooking spray

Aluminum Foil

(I'm leaving the amounts of each ingredient vague, because you can make as many or as few sandwiches as you like!  If your husband is as hungry as mine is after working outside in the garden, you might want to make him two!)

1. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread, and place buttered side down, onto the griddle pan.   

2. Top bread with a generous spoonful of pesto sauce, followed by a slice of cheddar cheese, and a small pile of turkey.   

3. Top with the second slice of bread, buttered side up.  

4. Repeat with as many sandwiches as you wish to make.   

5. Once you have your sandwiches constructed, turn on your stovetop to medium heat.  You don't want the sandwiches to cook too fast, or the bread will be almost burnt before the cheese is melted and turkey is heated through.   

6. Tear off a piece of aluminum foil, large enough to cover the surface of your griddle.  Spray with cooking spray, and place the foil greased side down, on top of the sandwiches.   

7. Take your cake pan, and set it on top of the foil.  Place the cans into the cake pan, and press down on the cake pan, so that it presses down the sandwiches.

Improvised Panini Press

8. After 2 minutes or so, check the sandwiches to see if they are ready to be flipped.   

9. After flipping the sandwiches, place the foil, cake pan, and cans back onto the sandwiches, and press again.   

10. Once the sandwiches are done cooking, remove from the pan, slice in half, and they are ready to enjoy!