July 31, 2008

Jen's Caprese Panini with Prosciutto

I had something completely different planned for dinner today, but I changed my mind. I have a good excuse. I am weary.

I went to Trader Joe's this morning with my friend Claire and our boys. All was well, until my son decided it was time to start acting up in the store. He pulled out all the stops. I am telling you...he used every dirty, low down, toddler trick outlined in The Big Picture Book of Bad Toddler Behavior: Tips, Tricks, and Techniques To Drive Your Mother To Drink (no...that is not really a book). To put it mildly, he pretty much misbehaved all day; until he fell asleep about an hour ago.
Anyway, we shopped and then ate lunch with the boys at a restaurant...big mistake. Again, my son's behavior was atrocious. We were in public, so my discipline choices were limited...by that point I was worn out...so I just opted to sound like a broken record.

"Stop jumping. Stop jumping. Eat your lunch. Stop
jumping. Sit down. Stop jumping. Stop jumping. Don't
touch. Stop kicking. Stop jumping. Be quiet. Eat your
lunch. Stop jumping. Sit down. Sit down. Stop
jumping."
You get the picture...

So what does all that have to do with dinner, you ask???? Well, due to the above description of events...I am weary. I am not going to cook what I had originally planned, because I don't feel like it. I will probably make that recipe tomorrow. Tonight, it is all about quick and easy. So, we are having sandwiches. More accurately...paninis (grilled, pressed Italian sandwiches). I use an indoor grill pan and my panini press. The whole process takes about 10 minutes, and there is nothing to thaw. Furthermore, there is not a recipe...just sandwich construction and cooking.

Ahhh...easy, quick panini. Yum.

Jen's Caprese Panini with Prosciutto

Ingredients:
ciabiatta bread or rolls
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
minced garlic
balsamic vinegar
prosciutto de Parma
fresh tomato slices
fresh basil leaves
slices of fresh mozzarella

Tools:
grill pan
cooking spray
panini press or heavy bottomed skillet

Method:
Cut bread in half and top as you would a normal sandwich, with ingredients listed above. Coat indoor grill pan and press/skillet bottom with cooking spray. Heat indoor grill pan and panini press/skillet bottom until very hot. Place assembled panini on grill and top with press/bottom of skillet (sandwich is smashed between the two pans). Let cook about 4 minutes; until cheese is melty, sandwich is warm throughout, and grill marks are noticeable. Serve immediately.

1 comment:

Claire said...

John thinks you and I should co-write that book. He thinks it would be a big seller.

Will wasn't any better than Connor. At least you can drink if you need to!