Panini recipes

Grilled Sandwiches

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I love grilled sandwiches. There's something so comforting about melted cheese, meat, and veggies wrapped in a crisp yet tender crusted bread. They are very easy to make, and the only limit on the kinds of sandwiches you can make is your imagination!

These sammies are called "paninis" in Italy and "croque-monsieur" in France. In Mexico they're called quesadillas. And when filled with these, they're the classic grilled cheese sandwich!

However you make them, and whatever you call them, enjoy these wonderful sandwiches.

Panini Recipes

• Grilled Meatloaf Sandwich
  Ciabatta bread, also called 'slipper' bread because it looks like a slipper, is the base for this updated meatloaf sandwich.


• Brie Apple and Bacon Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
  This incredible sandwich is easy to make and has the perfect combination of flavors.


• Chicken Panini Sandwich
  Refrigerated pizza dough, havarti cheese, frozen spinach, and chicken make this delicious sandwich special.


• Flank Steak Sandwiches
  This excellent sandwich combines a marinated, grilled, thinly sliced steak with grilled cheese bread!


• Blue Cheese Pear Sandwiches
  Use your favorite cheese in this delicious and simple hot grilled sandwich.


• Grilled Creamy Roast Beef Sandwiches
  These excellent and rich sandwiches were the result of a fortuitous mistake in the kitchen. We have these often at our house!


• Grilled Ham Gruyere Sandwich
  Gruyere is a type of Swiss cheese; imported from France, it has a wonderful piquant flavor that pairs perfectly with salty and sweet ham.


• Italian Grilled Cheese
  These sandwiches are dipped in an egg and milk mixture before grilling for super crunch and a beautiful crust.

• Grilled Cheese and Slaw Sandwiches
  Melted rich cheese pairs with crunchy cole slaw in these easy and excellent sandwiches.


• Cuban Sandwiches
  Individual French or Italian rolls are used in this delicious pressed sandwich made with two kinds of meat and two kinds of cheese. This is a variation on the traditional Cuban sandwich; Fernando emailed me and said he "was introduced to the Cuban sandwich, in 1960 after Fidel took over, and it does not have turkey or provolone, it consists of French type bread, butter, mustard, Swiss cheese, pickles, honey cured sweet ham, and pork shoulder. A lot of Cubans came to Puerto Rico through Spain mainly because of the Spanish language. By the way, the cost was 0.35 cents." I love hearing from readers - I learn so much!


• Baked Grilled Cheese Pesto Sandwiches
  These sandwiches are so easy! Just assemble them and bake. They turn out surprisingly brown and crisp.


• Monte Cristo Sandwiches
  Traditionally, these sandwiches are fried in butter, but try them in a dual contact grill or panini maker. You can use any kinds of meat and cheese you'd like in this sandwich.

• My Favorite Grilled Cheese Sandwich
  Easy, yes. Simple, yes. Delicious? Yes!!


• Grilled Ham and Onion Sandwiches
  Red onions are wonderfully sweet even when they're not grilled. This sandwich is a classic.


• Grilled Salmon Sandwiches
  A creamy sandwich filling made from canned salmon, apples, cheese, and mayo is fabulous grilled on whole wheat or cracked wheat bread.


• Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich
  Sesame seeds, ginger root, and pineapple add wonderful interest and flavor to these super delicious sandwiches.


• Gourmet Grilled Cheese
  Two kinds of cheese and Dijon mustard make this crisp and melting sandwich very delicious.


• Grilled Vegetable Panini
  This recipe is a little more complicated to make; you can purchase grilled vegetables from the deli to use as the filling if you'd like.


• English Muffin Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
  The little crevices inside an English muffin fill with melted cheese in this spectacular yet super easy sandwich.


• Waffle Wiches
  Possibly the simplest sandwiches of all; kids love these crisp and melty sandwiches.

• Grilled Chicken and Apple Sandwiches
  My personal favorite, and one of the best last minute suppers on earth.


• Grilled Tuna Melts
  Tuna melts can be made as a closed sandwich too!

Make sure to try different breads in your sandwiches. Everything from cracked wheat bread, flavored corn or flour tortillas, croissants, pita bread, ciabatta and other artisan breads, and even cracker bread and Boboli pizza crusts can be used to make imaginative sandwiches.

Slice meats and cheeses thinly so they heat through in the time the bread browns and crisps. If you are going to include vegetables in your sandwich, think about grilling or sauteeing them before adding them to the sandwich; that way they'll blend beautifully with the other ingredients. And remember, since these sandwiches are generally very simple, the quality of your ingredients must be top notch.

Sandwiches are found in just about every culture and cuisine.

Omelette recipe

Master the omelette with our simple recipe then add the filling of your choice – grated cheese, ham, fresh herbs, mushrooms and smoked salmon are favourites

Nutrition and extra info

Nutrition: Per serving

Ingredients

The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition, packed with protein and a…

Sunflower oil

A variety of oils can be used for baking. Sunflower is the one we use most often at Good Food as…

Butter

Butter is made when lactic-acid producing bacteria are added to cream and churned to make an…

Method

Season the beaten eggs well with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and butter in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-low heat until the butter has melted and is foaming.

Pour the eggs into the pan, tilt the pan ever so slightly from one side to another to allow the eggs to swirl and cover the surface of the pan completely. Let the mixture cook for about 20 seconds then scrape a line through the middle with a spatula.

Tilt the pan again to allow it to fill back up with the runny egg. Repeat once or twice more until the egg has just set.

At this point you can fill the omelette with whatever you like – some grated cheese, sliced ham, fresh herbs, sautéed mushrooms or smoked salmon all work well. Scatter the filling over the top of the omelette and fold gently in half with the spatula. Slide onto a plate to serve.

Mustard greens

Unlike many of their fellow cruciferous vegetables, mustard greens have not been the sole focus of many health-oriented research studies. However, mustard greens have sometimes been included in a longer list of cruciferous vegetables that have been studied as a group in relationship to their health benefits.

Antioxidant Benefits from Mustard Greens

Although you might not typically expect a very low-fat food like mustard greens—which contain only 2/3 gram of fat in one cooked cup—to be an excellent source of fat-soluble antioxidant vitamins, mustard greens are our 5th best source of vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids) and our 7th best source of vitamin E among all 100 of our WHFoods! (This reflects that a food is simply not required to contain a large amount of fat in order to provide ample amounts of fat-soluble vitamins.) And as our 16th best source of the antioxidant mineral manganese, as well as our 18th best source of the water-soluble antioxidant vitamin C, mustard greens are a truly excellent source of conventional antioxidant support.

This cruciferous vegetable also provides unusual amounts of numerous phenolic antioxidants. Caffeic acid and ferulic acid are two phenolic antioxidants provided in significant amounts by mustard greens as are numerous polyphenolic antioxidants. Included in this polyphenol category are the flavonoids isorhamnetin, quercetin, and kaempferol. In one study on consumption of antioxidant phenols by African-American adults living in the southeastern United States, mustard greens were singled out—along with collard greens, kale, and purslane—as the top sources of total dietary phenols.

Glucosinolate Benefits from Mustard Greens

Cruciferous vegetables are perhaps most famous as a group for their unusual sulfur content, and especially their sulfur-containing glucosinolates. Glucosinolates are unique substances that provide health benefits in and of themselves, although they are better studied as substances that can converted into closely-related molecules called isothiocyanates (ITCs). The potential for glucosinolates to get converted into ITCs is often referred to as "ITC yield," and glucosinolate-containing foods with a high ITC yield are generally regarded as being especially helpful in terms of their health benefits.

The potential health benefits from intake of ITCs are known to be wide ranging, and they include decreased risk of certain cardiovascular diseases; decreased risk of certain cancer types; and support of the digestive tract including the stomach and intestinal linings. Of special interest in research on ITCs and health is the ability of these substances to support detoxification activity in our cells. Detoxification of potentially hazardous substances is not only a key to our general health, but it is also important for lowering our risk of certain cancer types. By improving our detox capacity, we reduce our risk of problems when we are exposed to hazardous substances, including substances in our general environment as well as contaminant residues in our food. In general, strong yield of ITCs from glucosinolates in cruciferous vegetables is associated with improvement in detoxification.

It is this context that makes a recent study on cruciferous vegetables especially interesting. Included in this study were eight out of the nine cruciferous vegetables that we profile on our website: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, and turnip greens. (The only missing WHF cruciferous vegetable in this study was bok choy.) The ITC yield from these eight vegetables was found to range widely, but in terms of total possible ITC yield and average ITC yield, mustard greens easily came out on top! This first place finish of mustard greens was impressive, since all of the eight cruciferous vegetables in the study were already known to be important sources of ITCs.

It's also worth noting that the best-studied glucosinolates in mustard greens to date are sinigrin, gluconasturtiian, and glucotropaeolin. The corresponding ITCs that are produced from these three glucosinolates are allyl-isothiocyanate (AITC), phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), and benzyl-isothiocyanate (BITC), respectively.

Other Health Benefits from Mustard Greens

When a food achieves 20 total rankings of "excellent," "very good," or "good" in our WHF rating system, it is not surprising to see research on health benefits branching out into many different body systems. We would like to highlight several of those body systems in this section, beginning with the cardiovascular system. Chronic unwanted low-level inflammation and chronic unwanted oxidative stress are well-established as risk factors for several cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, in which the inflammation and oxidative stress leave the blood vessel walls too susceptible to damage. The strong antioxidant support provided by mustard greens is a natural candidate for helping lower risk of atherosclerosis, and studies on overall intake of cruciferous vegetables—including mustard greens—support this finding. The glucosinolates in mustard greens have also been shown to provide help in the regulation of blood lipid levels, including levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol. Some of this regulation has been linked to the bile acid binding ability of fiber-related nutrients in mustard greens. Also worth noting in this context is the possibility that steamed mustard greens may provide more bile acid binding ability than raw mustard greens as observed in one recent study.

Digestive tract support also needs to be listed in this "other benefits" section on mustard greens. ITCs formed from the glucosinolates in mustard greens have been shown to support the health of cells that line both the stomach and the intestinal tract. In addition, the presence of glucosinolates from mustard greens and other cruciferous vegetables in the lower intestinal tract has been show to potentially shift the balance of bacterial populations in the lower digestive tract that may be helpful to overall gut health.

One final area of potential health benefits from mustard greens involves an area of study called "AGEs." "AGEs" is an acronym for Advanced Glycation End-Products. In the last five years along, several thousand new studies on AGEs have been published in research journals, and the potential role of AGEs in increasing the risk of chronic health problems now extends to virtually all body systems. Scientists now know that AGEs have their own unique communication/messaging system, which involves specialized cell receptors called RAGEs (Receptors for AGEs). Research has yet to uncover all of the connections between food, AGE formation, and health. But intake of cruciferous vegetables is high up on the list of dietary factors that might make excessive AGE formation less likely to occur. Recent studies on sinigrin—one of the glucosinolates provided by mustard greens—has shown the ability to interfere with AGE formation process, even though the exact mechanisms here are not yet clear. In this context, it is also interesting to note that mustard seeds have been receiving even more attention in this sinigrin-related research than the "greens" (i.e., leaves) of this cruciferous vegetable.

Description

All cruciferous vegetables provide integrated nourishment across a wide variety of nutritional categories and provide broad support across a wide variety of body systems as well. For more on cruciferous vegetables see:

• Eating Healthy with Cruciferous Vegetables


• Feeling Great with Cruciferous Vegetables

"Mustard greens" is a common name that is often used to describe a wide variety of different plants in the mustard family. You are no doubt already familiar with the mustard family of plants because the science name for this family is Brassicaceae— the brassica family. While Brassicaceae has become the most commonly used science name for this plant family, it was better known in earlier years as the Crucifereae family. As you can tell from this name, the Crucifereae family was the family of cruciferous plants. Put quite simply: the "mustard family" is the same family of plants as the brassica and cruciferous family. The multiple names for this family of plants is also why you may hear some greens and herbs being referred to as "mustards" even though they do not appear to be the same as the mustard greens that are commonly labeled that way in the produce section.

From a science perspective, three basic groups of plants are found within the mustard family: white/yellow mustards (mostly belonging to the genus/species Sinapsis alba, also sometimes called Brassica alba), brown/Indian mustards (mostly belonging to the Brassica juncea genus/species), and black mustards (belonging to the Brassica nigra genus/species). Purple/red mustards are also typically members of the Brassica juncea genus/species. Because purple and red mustard leaves are becoming more popular in many grocery stores, don't be surprised to find mustard "greens" that are actually vibrant purple or purple/red in color. Red Giant, Ruby Streaks, Purple Osaka, Garnet Giant, Japanese Red, and Scarlet Frills are varieties that you might find in your local supermarket.

Sometimes confusing in descriptions of mustard are descriptions of the condiment that is made from mustard seeds. For example, you might hear descriptions like "Indian mustard, "Chinese mustard," or "German mustard." While these descriptions might refer to the genus/species of plant, they might also simply refer the way in which the condiment was made.

History

While many histories of mustard greens place their origins in parts of Europe, there is no universal agreement about the origins of this plant family, which fairly quickly became widely dispersed worldwide. The Brassica juncea genus/species of this plant is usually divided into three or four subspecies, which all have deep historical roots in parts of India and China. Today, it is common to find mustard greens throughout Europe, Northern Africa, India, and Asia, as well as North America.

Data on the production of mustard greens can be confusing since commercial cultivation of mustard plants has typically been focused more on seeds than on leaves. Canada, Nepal, Myanmar, Russia, the Ukraine, China, the United States, France, the Czech Republic and Germany were the Top 10 producers of mustard seeds in 2015.

Because mustard greens are a cool season crop, their production in the United States has usually focused on the northwest and upper Midwest regions of the country. States with a strong traditional involvement in mustard production include North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Compared with many other cruciferous vegetables, mustard greens do not enjoy a large number of planted acres. Some reports show the total planted acreage for this plant to be less than 25,000 per year. By comparison, total planted acreage for broccoli is typically over 125,000.

How to Select and Store

Purchase mustard greens that are unblemished and free from any yellowing or brown spots. They should look fresh and crisp and be a lively green color.

At WHFoods, we encourage the purchase of certified organically grown foods, and mustard greens are no exception. Repeated research studies on organic foods as a group show that your likelihood of exposure to contaminants such as pesticides and heavy metals can be greatly reduced through the purchased of certified organic foods, including mustard greens. In many cases, you may be able to find a local organic grower who sells mustard greens but has not applied for formal organic certification either through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) or through a state agency. (Examples of states offering state-certified organic foods include California, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.) However, if you are shopping in a large supermarket, your most reliable source of organically grown mustard greens is very likely to be mustard greens that display the USDA organic logo.

Place mustard greens in a plastic bag, removing as much of the air from the bag as possible. Store in the refrigerator where they should keep fresh for about three to four days.

Here is some background on why we recommend refrigerating mustard greens. Whenever food is stored, four basic factors affect its nutrient composition: exposure to air, exposure to light, exposure to heat, and length of time in storage. Vitamin C, vitamin B6, and carotenoids are good examples of nutrients highly susceptible to heat, and for this reason, their loss from food is very likely to be slowed down through refrigeration.

Tips for Preparing and Cooking

Tips for Preparing Mustard Greens

Rinse mustard greens under cold running water and cut into 1/2" slices for quick and even cooking.

The Nutrient-Rich Way of Cooking Mustard Greens

From all of the cooking methods we tried when cooking mustard greens, our favorite is Healthy Sauté. We think that it provides the greatest flavor.

Healthy SautéQuick Steaming—similar to Quick Boiling and Quick Steaming, our other recommended cooking methods—follows three basic cooking guidelines that are generally associated in food science research with improved nutrient retention. These three guidelines are: (1) minimal necessary heat exposure; (2) minimal necessary cooking duration; (3) minimal necessary food surface contact with cooking liquid.

Heat 5 tablespoons of broth (vegetable or chicken) or water in a stainless steel skillet. Once bubbles begin to form add mustard greens, cover, and Healthy Sauté for 5 minutes. Toss with our Mediterranean Dressing which includes 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 medium clove garlic (pressed or chopped), 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper to taste. Top with your favorite optional ingredients. One additional note on Tips for Preparing and Cooking: over the broad course of research on cruciferous vegetables, there has been some amount of debate about the role that certain preparation methods might or might not play in potential health benefits. For more information in this area, please see our article, "Can Preparation Methods Impact the Benefits of Cruciferous Vegetables?"

How to Enjoy

A Few Quick Serving Ideas

• Young mustard greens make great additions to salads.


• Serve healthy sautéed mustard greens with walnuts.


• Adding chopped mustard greens to a pasta salad gives it a little kick. One of our favorite combinations is chopped tomatoes, pine nuts, goat cheese, pasta, and mustard greens tossed with a little olive oil.

WHFoods Recipes That Feature Mustard Greens

If you'd like even more recipes and ways to prepare mustard greens the Nutrient-Rich Way, you may want to explore The World's Healthiest Foods book.

Individual Concerns

Mustard Greens and Goitrogens

You may sometimes hear mustard greens being described as a food that contains "goitrogens," or as a food that is "goitrogenic." For helpful information in this area—including our WHFoods Recommendations—please see our article What is meant by the term "goitrogen" and what is the connection between goitrogens, food, and health?.

Nutritional Profile

Mustard greens are an excellent source of many vitamins including vitamin K, vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), vitamin C and vitamin E. They are also an excellent source of the minerals copper, manganese and calcium. They are a very good source of dietary fiber, phosphorus, vitamin B6, protein, vitamin B2 and iron as well as a good source of potassium, vitamin B1, magnesium, niacin, pantothenic acid and folate.

In the phytonutrient category, mustard greens are a valuable source of glucosinolates, including sinigrin, gluconasturtiian, and glucotropaeolin. They also provide the phenolic acids caffeic and ferulic acid, as well as the flavonoids isorhamnetin, quercetin, and kaempferol.

Moscow mule

Learn how to make a Moscow Mule with this classic 3-ingredient recipe. Plus, tips on how to purchase Moscow Mule mugs and how to customize your drinks.

Well, we couldn’t go a week talking all about summer cocktail recipes without giving a nod to the infamous cocktail that stole a new generation’s hearts and somehow managed to convince all of us that a shiny set of copper mugs in our bar carts was now essential…

…the delightful, perfectly-refreshing, always-a-crowd-fave…Moscow Mule.

I’ve been a fan of the Moscow Mule (and even moreso, it’s whiskey-with-a-splash-of-bitters cousin, the Horsefeather) for years and years now. But especially so in the summertime. When served up in a chilly mug, with a good spicy ginger beer, a solid splash of lime, and ideally a side of good friends all gathered around a patio table, this cocktail is my idea of a lovely way to cool down on a warm evening. And in my experience hosting, it’s also proven to always be a hit.

That said, there are endless ways to customize your own Moscow mule recipe. So if you happen to be looking for some new spins on the classic, or recommendations for a new set of copper mugs to purchase (totally not necessary for this cocktail, though!), or just a solid classic Moscow Mule recipe to bookmark, I’ve gotcha covered today.

So grab your favorite ginger beer, and let’s get to mixing!

The BEST Moscow Mule Recipe | 1-Minute V >

Moscow Mule Ingredients:

So what is in a Moscow Mule recipe? Three easy ingredients. And as with any cocktail with such a short ingredient list, the quality of each of those three ingredients will make a notable difference in your cocktail. So avoid the cheapest options at the liquor store, and do some taste-testing to learn which Moscow Mule ingredients you love best.

To make a homemade Moscow Mule cocktail, you will need (affiliate links are included here):

• Ginger Beer: Everyone has a different opinion about which brand makes the best ginger beer for Moscow Mules, so go with whichever one you love most! ♡ I prefer my ginger beer to be minimally sweetened and as spicy as possible, so some of my personal favorites include:
  
  
  • Q Ginger Beer (available in many stores and on Amazon)
  
  
  • Fever Tree Ginger Beer (available in most stores and on Amazon)
  
  
  • Thomas Henry (available in Europe)
  
  
  
  


• Vodka: Quality is also important here, so try to avoid the cheapest bottle in the store. I would recommend Tito’s or Absolut vodka.


• Freshly-Squeezed Lime Juice: Key words: freshly-squeezed. Avoid the bottled lime juice and I promise you will taste the difference!

Also, you will need lots of ice per serving (crushed ice is traditional) plus garnishes, if you would like. I tend to just add my leftover lime wedge into the drink, plus maybe a sprig of mint if I happen to have some on hand.

Moscow Mule Mugs:

I’ve gotta say — I have been making Moscow Mules for a decade in normal (glass) cocktail glasses, and the drinks are just as delicious. But when we were stocking our new kitchen here in Barcelona, we decided to spring for a set of cute copper mugs for our Moscow Mules and Horsefeathers. And I will admit — they’ve made us ridiculously happy each time we’ve used them. They’re just so fun! And even though it’s been proven that the copper doesn’t really keep your drinks any cooler, those chilly handles and frosty mugs make a cold drink even more delightful in the summertime.

That said, there has been quite a bit of controversy this past year about the safety of 100% copper mugs. Some scientists have warned that lime and copper are a dangerous mixture, while others have said that “you’d have to drink from a copper cup every meal of every day for 25 years” to ingest a dangerous amount of copper. I opted for nickel-lined Moscow Mule mugs just in case. But if you would like to purchase nickel- or stainless-steel-lined Moscow Mule mugs of your own, here are a few specific options that I love:

How To Make A Moscow Mule:

It’s super easy to learn how to make a Moscow Mule cocktail. Simply…

1. Fill a glass or copper mug with ice. Crushed ice is traditional, but any kind will do.


2. Add vodka and lime juice. And feel free to toss the remaining squeezed lime into the glass/mug.


3. Add ginger beer. Fill to the top with ginger beer.


4. Stir and serve! Give your Moscow Mule drink a quick stir, and then serve!

Moscow Mule Variations:

Nowadays there are about a million cocktails that claim to be some variation of a “mule”. So feel free to get creative with your cocktails and see what you love best! Some ideas for variations could include:

• Changing the liquor:
  
  
  • Dark & Stormy : swap vodka for dark rum
  
  
  • Kentucky Mule : swap vodka for bourbon
  
  
  • Irish Mule : swap vodka for Irish whiskey
  
  
  • Glasgow/Scottish Mule : swap vodka for Scotch whiskey
  
  
  • Mexican Mule : swap vodka for tequila
  
  
  • Oaxacan Mule : swap vodka for mezcal
  
  
  • Gin Gin Mule : swap vodka for gin
  
  
  
  


• Adding fruit:
  
  
  • Muddling in juicy fruit, such as watermelon, berries, peaches, pineapple, apple, pear, cranberry, and/or grapefruit would be delicious.
  
  
  
  


• Adding veggies or herbs:
  
  
  • Muddling in veggies like cucumber, or herbs like basil, cilantro, sage or lavender would also be delicious.
  
  
  
  


• Adding heat:
  
  
  • I personally love adding a slice of jalapeño or serrano pepper to give my cocktails an extra kick.
  
  
  
  


• Adding bitters:
  
  
  • Bitters are not used in the classic Moscow Mule recipe, but I almost always add a few shakes to my own.
  
  
  
  


• Freeze it:
  
  
  • Joy The Baker has a tasty recipe for Frozen Moscow Mules that I’ve been wanting to try. Looks delicious.
  
  
  
  

More Classic Cocktail Recipes:

Looking for more summer cocktail recipe inspiration? Here are a few classics!

Mexican desserts

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Makes

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Ingredients

• 2 cups vanilla ice cream


• 1/2 cup frosted cornflakes, crushed


• 1/4 cup sugar


• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


• 1/4 cup honey

Directions

• Place four 1/2-cup scoops of ice cream on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Freeze for 1 hour or until firm.


• In a shallow bowl, combine the cornflake crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Roll ice cream in crumb mixture to coat. Freeze until serving. Drizzle each serving with 1 tablespoon honey.

Nutrition Facts

Recommended Video

Reviews

Your suppose to deep fry for a few seconds. And you scoop ice cream then you freeze until really hard then deep fry for a few seconds and pull out with slotted spoon. Drizzle with honey and cover with whipped cream. Yum

Easy, fun and delicious! Served to a crowd of about 25 with ice cream toppings and whipped cream and it was a hit for our Mexican dinner!

I was expecting to find my favorite Mexican dessert but was disappointed that you left out the final step of deep frying it before the honey drizzle.

We loved this at my house! Everyone is always so shocked when they start eating it!

Fun idea for dessert. Everyone loved it from kids to adults! I did use 1/4 of cinnamon sugar already mixed and it was perfect.

So Good! This is an awesome recipe when you don't have time to bake. Perfect weekday dessert and for entertaining. I used 'no sugar added' vanilla ice cream and Truvia instead of sugar. Also, because I had no cornflakes, I crushed up some Frosted Cheerios. excellent! Thanks!!

I served this with sweetened sliced strawberries.

so easy and delicious

This has become a family favorite! It is super easy to make, and does taste exactly like what we get at our local Mexican restaurant. I also use smaller scoops, mainly because the topping is so good that we like to have a little bit in every bite! Kids request this often!

Taste just like the restaurant's version. I added a fried tortilla dipped in cinnamon and sugar placed underneath the ice-cream ball. Also added whipped cream and chocolate syrup. A very simple and delicious dessert. Thanks.

London broil marinade

A truly tender and juicy (and inexpensive!) grilled steak. The best london broil marinade.

Serving Size: 6

I hope this doesn’t piss off the London Broil Council (there is a council for everything, did you know that?), but up until now I have never understood why london broil was such a popular cut of meat. Rumor was that it was great grilled or broiled (really, as it should be, right?) or seared, but most of the time when making it I ended up with a tough steak, one that my family chewed politely for way too long. And sometimes not that politely.

But I wasn’t giving up, not when there were stacks of london broils in the market, and so attractively priced. The answer turned out to be a combo of tenderizing and marinating, and now I get it. And while the words “cheap steak” aren’t the ones I would ever use to describe this meal to my guests, I can have the pleasure of knowing that I saved some serious cash while making a big old steak dinner for family and friends.

How to Marinate London Broil:

Tenderizing the Meat:

A couple of things will help make london broil, an often tough cut of steak, more tender. You can use a traditional mallet-style meat tenderizer and give the steak a good pounding. Or you can try this funky little bladed meat tenderizer press (below) to get the meat ready for marinating, which makes hundreds of tiny cuts in the meat to soften the meat fibers and also allow the marinade to get right in there. So, not only does the process of tenderizing the meat do just that, but it also allows the flavors of the marinade to penetrate more deeply.

London Broil Marinade:

The acid in the marinade, in this case lemon juice and balsamic vinegar, also help to break down the tough fibers and make the steak more tender. The small amount of honey provides a touch of sweetness, and helps it caramelize on the grill, the soy sauce offers up savory, salty umami-ness, and the garlic provides…well garlickiness.

Marinating London Broil:

Place the meat in a container with the marinade and marinate the meat for about 6 hours in the fridge (you can marinate it for up to a day).

How to Grill London Broil:

How you cook this cut of meat is key. You want to keep your london broil rare for best results – overcooking it will result in a tough steak. Grill it over high heat for just 4 to 5 minutes per side, presuming it’s about 1 1/4 inches thick. That amount of time gets you to medium-rare, which is really how this steak should be cooked to achieve maximum tenderness. 125°F is the internal temperature you are looking for (make a small investment in a meat thermometer – you’ll be so glad you did!).

Let the Meat Rest:

Let the steak sit for 5 minutes to reabsorb juices and finished “cooking” off the fire – this post-heat resting stage is important for all meat, especially ones that need help in the tenderness department. Letting the steak rest for at least 5 minutes will absolutely affect the difference between a tough and a tender london broil.

Slice the Steak Against the Grain:

Unless you are shredding meat, you almost always want to cut it against the grain for maximum tenderness and juiciness, and it’s definitely true for london broil.

This is now definitely part of the regular summer rotation, and a very economical way to offer a grilled steak fest for a crowd.

Below, Gary and the Tramp. Or Cooper as he’s better known.

Marinated and grilled londoin broil is absolutely great served up with this Vegetable and Brown Rice Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing. Also, should you want to make this under the broiler, in a grill pan, or even in a panini press, it will work beautifully.

Marinated and Grilled London Broil

• Method: Grilling


• Prep Time: 15 minutes


• Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Print

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar


• 1 tablespoon soy sauce


• 1 tablespoon honey


• 1 tablespoon lemon juice


• 1 tablespoon olive oil


• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced


• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste


• 1 pound London broil ( at least 1 inch thick, preferably 1 ½ inches thick)

1. In a container, combine the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, honey, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper (go lightly on the salt because of the soy sauce).

2. Tenderize the meat if possible (this is where I used the cool OXO gadget; if you wanted to pound it a bit or score it with a knife, or use another method of tenderizing please do).

3. Poured the marinade over the meat. Cover, and marinate the meat for 6 to 24 hours in the fridge.

4. Preheat a grill to high. Grill the steak for 4 to 5 minutes per side, basting it with the marinade left in the bowl or container.

5. Let it sit for 5 minutes to reabsorb the juices.

6. Slice on the diagonal and understand how London Broil can taste so good.

Or ask my dog. Gary and Cooper had their little Lady and the Tramp moment. I know; this is ridiculous. Sometimes we just need to be ridiculous.

Linguine with clam sauce

Linguine with fresh clams in a garlic white wine sauce (authentically known as linguine vongole) is one of those dinners that sounds totally chic and fancy but is actually one of the easiest and budget-friendly Italian pasta recipes you can make.

I was recently sent the new Fred’s at Barney’s New York Cookbook by Barney’s New York’s chef Mark Strausman who teaches us how to make some of the famous dishes beloved for years by celebrities and chic shoppers in the fashion store’s Fred’s restaurant.

Flipping through the cookbook there were tons of recipes that looked divine, but when I found this recipe for Mark’s Baby Clams and Spaghetti, fresh clams went directly on my shopping list.

Clams and spaghetti at Fred’s became clams and linguine at my house, and now no matter which pasta you choose to prepare, this recipe is on it’s way to yours.

Preparing Clams for Pasta

Best clams for pasta: Like every clam I eat, I like the small clams the best, preferably New Zealand cockles, Manila clams, or little neck clams. They’re sweeter than larger varieties. And while you can make surely it with canned clams, fresh baby clams in the shell are the way to go.

How to clean clams for pasta: There’s plenty of theories out there for cleaning clams with flour, baking soda, or cornmeal. But in my experience, really all you need is about 20 minutes and 3 or 4 rounds of fresh water, tossing the clams in the water after they sit for a few minutes to expel the sand if there is any.

Fresh clams that are both open and closed can be used for the sauce, but if the shells don’t open, toss them! They’re dead.

How to Make White Clam Sauce

This sauce couldn’t be easier to make for any level of cook. In fact, it’s pretty much a perfect starter for the beginning chef.

Use a good white wine for this recipe, Chef Mark suggests a dry white wine like sauvignon blanc or a trebbiano and make sure it’s of good enough quality to drink.

Thinly sliced garlic and crushed red pepper give this pasta it’s signature flavor. Feel free to add more or less of the crushed red pepper depending on how much heat you can handle. Chef Mark calls for 1 teaspoon but I cut it down to 3/4 teaspoon and while I like spice, it was just the right for me.

One twist to this recipe you won’t find in many other linguine and clams is Mark’s addition of crushed tomato to it.

Chef Mark calls for canned crushed tomato, but I found one medium fresh tomato worked just great and I didn’t have to open an entire 15-ounce can to fulfill his 1/4 cup requirement.

The clams will slowly open a they cook, releasing flavor and their flavorful juice as they cook. The recipe calls for jarred clam juice to give an even more beautifully briny bite to this dish.

Be sure you cook your pasta just ’til al dente. Adding the pasta to the clam sauce as they cook infuses the sauce’s flavor into the pasta for an extra special bite.

Add These Recipes to Your Menu and Turn this Dinner Into a Meal

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.