{Recipe Share} That Fling...er...Sandwich I Told You About

For those of you who follow my Instagram you already got a sneak peak at the mouth watering sandwich I'm about to present.  Holy heaven it is good.  This is the kind of sandwich that actually has a recipe--in other words, a little prep time and cooking is involved before the actual "sandwiching" part.  I know, I know.  Some of you are thinking that this so called sandwich has now crossed the line.  It defies what as children we thought a sandwich should be--fast and easy with little prep and little clean up.  But let's face it, we've grown up.  Our sandwiches can now go beyond unscrewing a lid and wielding a butter knife.

And let me tell you, many a sandwich will ever only dream of being this good.  With just a little effort this baby makes the cut of amazing, high class sandwiches.  It's good enough to eat for dinner.

For the record, as a kid, by principle, I did not like sandwiches. "Don't mix my food" was my motto.  It wasn't until I worked at a restaurant that served beautiful sandwiches that I realized the potential of the various mixings between two slices of bread.  Especially when ciabatta and a griddle was involved.  I was introduced to some flavor combinations that just can't fail.  Spinach, artichoke, and cheese (preferably asiago) is one of those combinations.  When I stumbled on this sandwich I knew I had to try it.

I have now eaten this thing twice in less than 24 hours.

Notice the adorable dog?  He didn't get any...

I know, I know.  Enough talk.  Your mouth is drooling and I'm keeping you from your sandwich.  Here is the recipe.  Now go indulge.

Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese

Makes 2 sandwiches

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

Kosher salt

Fresh spinach – enough for about 3 cups chopped

Canned artichoke hearts – about 3 (around 6 ounces)

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 cup shredded cheese (I used a mozzarella and swiss blend, but I wish I'd had asiago on hand; monterray jack would also be good)

4 pieces bread

Butter or olive oil for your bread

Dice the 2 cloves garlic. Chop the artichokes. Wash and stem the spinach, then chop it coarsely.  (I used my food processor but I suggest not letting your spinach leaves get too fine, as the recipe suggests.)

Heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Then add the spinach and a pinch of kosher salt, and saute for a few minutes until just limp. Add the artichokes and saute for another minute or so, until heated through. Drain off any liquid from the pan. Stir in 2 tablespoons sour cream and another pinch of kosher salt.

Spread butter (or olive oil) on one side of each of the 4 bread pieces. Heat a panini griddle/griddle pan to medium high heat. Place 2 pieces of bread on the griddle, buttered side down. On each piece, spread some shredded cheese, the spinach artichoke filling, some more cheese (1/2 cup cheese per sandwich), and the other piece of bread.  Cook until the cheese is melted, flipping the sandwich if necessary..

(Follow this link to view the recipe source)

Bon Appetit!

A Fourth Cup of Pero, Please

On bitter cold days in Indiana that begin in the negatives and only with chimerical hope reach 8 degrees even in the sun, I ignore my afternoon plans to run errands and instead drink endless mugs of hot Pero or honey cinnamon tea while making homemade chili and cornbread and folding laundry to the background noise of a semi-final women's Australian Open tennis match replay, and rather than feeling holed-up I become quite contented with my cozy day, knowing that I braved the -25 degree wind chill at 6:30 a.m. to get to the gym and can now do whatever it is that I want.

Stay warm today, friends.

~K

{Dear Martha Anne} Worth Remembering

Dear Martha Anne,

The holidays of 2013 were a total dream.  We are back in the Midwest curled up in our cozy living room, our families over a thousand miles away.  I'm sad to see the season go.  Yet 2014 promises some great adventures that I welcome with an eager heart.

Before I jump into 2014, however, I need to linger just a moment longer on the wonderful month we spent with family and friends.  An abundance of food, games, music, blankets, caroling, parties, family, friends, and love carried the days away too swiftly.  We played too many games of Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride to number, had too many rounds of Mario Cart and Mario Party to count.  At Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, I had the pleasure of sharing my bench with a white dove most likely seeking shelter from the snowy night.  On New Year's Eve, I began the celebration crammed under a couch, the rest of my family spread out in other dark corners of the house, the note on the front door directing our expected guests to "seek us."  It became a night of loud laughter and silly games that kept us going long past the chime of midnight and a new year.

In the process of such memory making it became harder and harder for the husband and I to imagine returning to school and our faraway home, but in a moment of serendipity I found this note I wrote to myself a couple of months ago:

As hard as it is to leave our place of roots, I remember how much I believe in travel.  You learn things when you uproot and move.  As happy and comfortable as we were in Cedar City, I can't imagine staying that way now that I know the stretch it takes to "adventure"--to meet new people, expand your horizons, try out a new place and culture.  Once again, I get the feeling of what a big world it is and how much there is to be had and learned by exploring it.

I look forward to traveling this world even more, running its beauty through my fingers and saturating myself in its wonders.  Before I go bounding off, though, I want to leave a look of one of our last, most beautiful days home.

Happy New Year, Martha Anne.  We may not see you soon, but we know where home is.

Love,

K

Our Year in Review: 2013

Well hello, hello.  The husband, pooch, and I have been checked out for about a month and are getting ready to return home after a long vacation in Utah with family and friends.  Having taken a break from the blog for this whole stretch, I sincerely questioned whether I wanted to keep it up.  But it feels good to get back to documenting our life together and the adventures we're having; 2014 promises to present quite a few itself.

But until we are back home and exercising our routines, 2014 can wait, despite the calendar's urging.

For some reason, 2013 is more of a blur than years past.  I feel like the whole year happened between August and December.  But I know life had to have happened in those other months, too.

Here is the skinny on our 2013:

January -- We spent some valuable time with family, and plenty more time playing in the snow.

February -- With only work and no school on our plates, the husband and I had many nights of dinner, movies, games, and late-night chit chats.  It truly was a blessed, carefree time.

March -- I participated in my first (and, so far, only) triathlon, we sold my Jeep, and we spent a fun week in Mexico for spring break.

April -- The Boston Marathon tragedy occurred.  Preston and I decided on Purdue for graduate school.  We had a mini-vacation in Chicago that was delightful.

May -- Preston and I spent our anniversary exploring Seattle and the Oregon coast.  Preston still claims that Oregon is the most beautiful place on earth he has ever seen and can't wait to go back.

June -- I quit my job at the restaurant and started a job with the Utah Shakespeare Festival on the Communications team, and I absolutely loved my time with them.  I also replaced my Jeep with a car that I love.

July -- Preston and I hiked quite a bit, our most extensive effort in behalf of Zion National Park's Subway hike.  Preston moved from his place of residence of nearly 15 years.

August -- I followed Preston after finishing up my work with the Festival.  We adopted the most darling dog on the planet.

September -- We got our first tastes of Big 10 college sports.

October -- Preston and I visited Chicago for a weekend and I discovered the greatness that is Portillo's hot dogs.  We played in Indianapolis for my birthday.  And finally, we topped off the month with a crazy last minute trip to St. Louis for a World Series game.

November -- We nearly got hit by a tornado.  We traveled to Michigan to celebrate Thanksgiving with dear friends from our undergrad days.

December -- Preston made it through his first semester as an MBA student alive and mostly intact.  We flew to Utah to begin a great month of family and friends and holiday celebrating.  Oh, and I decided I no longer dislike the color pink.

I'm looking forward to 2014.  Though we are already a few days in, I am still considering my goals for this next year.  I hope you all find courage and hope in the new beginning that 2014 presents.

~K

PS-See our 2012 review (and my very first blog post) {here}.