Poor Man's Panini Maker (and a great panini recipe!)

While we were in Door County, we ate lots of delicious food. Obviously.

One night we ate at a restaurant called The Cookery. Part wine bar, part casual restaurant - it was awesome.

Being my typical self, I scoured the menu online before we left to check out the options. I had my heart set on a flatbread, but when we got there, it was not on the menu! (Turns out it was on the wine bar menu only, and we were dining in the restaurant.)

But... after a few minutes of sweet talking and schmoozing with the waiter, I was able to order it! (Okay, I basically just asked and he said yes.)

I ordered the Chicken & Cherry Flatbread--house made cherry chutney, roasted chicken, caramelized onions, and gorgonzola on wheat crust.

I wanted to take my plate home. It was really neat.

It was so delicious! The flavors all complimented each other so well. I knew I would have to repeat the same flavors at home.

And thus, the Chicken Cherry Panini was born!

Yes, it's on a Christmas tree plate. I hadn't intended on blogging about this so I didn't use my pretty plates. But it was too good not to blog about!

Ciabatta bread, piled high with roasted chicken, caramelized onions, dried cherries, swiss cheese, and a bit of barbecue sauce. Oh, and the basil. Can't forget the garden fresh basil.

I have a lot of kitchen gadgets and appliances, but one thing I don't have is a George Foreman or panini press. I know, it's tragic.

So we made do. We put the sandwiches in a large skillet over medium heat on the stove, and put another pot on top. The pot wasn't quite heavy enough, so we added a brick from the yard. It did the trick!

Just a few minutes on each side, and the paninis were nice and crisp on the outside, and warm and melty on the inside. Yum!

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In other news, it's Friday! Which doesn't mean a whole lot right now, but it will three weeks from now. I'm running a 5k here in the Bean Town tomorrow (hoping to break 20:00). So I've got these cookies in the oven to help me carb load. Because carb loading for a 5k is extremely necessary.

Happy Weekend!

Servings/Yield

As many as you make!

ciabatta bread, sliced
barbecue sauce
shredded chicken
caramelized onions
swiss cheese, sliced
dried cherries
fresh basil chiffonade

Method

Prepare sandwiches. Layer barbecue sauce, chicken, caramelized onions, cherries, basil, and swiss cheese in between two slices of ciabatta bread. Prepare in griddle pan or panini press until toasted on both sides.

Comments

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Livin' the Dream in Lima

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