Cooking for Your Family

If you are like me, you have crazy family members (I'm looking at you mom and dad!) who let you experiment on them as you make new recipes and try out funky combinations. When most people cook for others, I'm pretty sure the normal smart thing to do is to make a dish that you know tastes good and that you have made before. Enter, your favorite pasta sauce and that awesome salad you've brought to potlucks numerous times. 

But if you are anything like me, (not sure if there are many of us out there ;) ) you make popped amaranth for a snack, make your own ketchup (be on the lookout for a recipe coming soon!) and you serve your parents a panini stuffed with tangerines and cheddar. 

Wait! Don't leave just yet; Check out the recipes and pictures that I took with my mom's DSLR (gasp! good quality photos on Carly Turns Cajun)

I made three types of paninis and some sweet potato fries. I'll post the panini recipes on this post and you can find the technique for making the fries here. (it's super easy if you have a spiralizer, they are kind of pricey, so if you don't you can always just make regular sweet potato fries. This is my favorite way to make regular ones.)<--click the link

Panini #1 Based off this Avo-Dilla Bagel

1 Everything Bagel Thin (any type of bagel really)
~1/2 Avocado, sliced into wedges
Sprinkle of Cheddar Daiya (you could use real cheese, this was just what I had on hand)
Mandarin Orange Segments, drained if using canned

Panini #2 Turkey and Goat Cheese Panini

2 slices of Ezekiel Sprouted Bread
Goat Cheese
Smoked Turkey Breast Deli Meat
Roasted Red Cabbage
Arugula

Panini #3 Apple and Pepper Jack Melt


2 pieces of Cinnamon Raisin Bread
~1/3 Apple, thinly sliced into "sheets"


1 slice of Pepperjack Yogurt Cheese (or any cheese, this is just what I had on hand)

Sautéed Mushrooms and Red Onion

METHOD
Carefully assemble the ingredients and stack them on the sliced bread/bagel. Using a Panini Press (or you could use a stovetop grill pan and flip the sandwiches; it just might get a little messy :P) that has been preheated on high and lightly greased (with cooking spray or oil), place the sandwiches and close the machine until the cheesy becomes melted and you can see grill marks on the sandwiches. 

You can customize these sandwiches by using whatever you have on hand or to your liking. Any of the cheese and bread can be swapped out and these recipes can be used simply for inspiration :) I do recommend that you make the sweet potato fries to accompany your sandwiches however, only because they are simply amazing. And while you are at it, serve those with homemade ketchup (guess you'll have to wait til I post that recipe eh?). I'm so mean ;)

If you made it this far thanks for reading! I hope to have a more detailed post on my triathlon up soon (before I forget the details haha) and I didn't forget about that frozen dessert mess tutorial I swear!!

Loves(:

P.S. I don't know how or why my font keeps changing fonts halfway through my posts (arghh). If you have any ideas PLEASE let me know.