I promise I’m not crazy, please don’t judge me on this one! I am a firm believer of the phrase “don’t knock it til ya try it”…..that’s my credo (“we’re the millers”, anyone?)

ANYWAY – if you like pickles, I bet you’ll LOOOVE this sandwich. The saltiness of the pickles, pesto and the feta + warm, melted mozzarella + crispy buttery bread = big flavors for your taste buds. trust me on this one…

PS, I created this masterpiece while I was in college, ballin’ on a budget.

makes 2 sandwiches

4 slices of bread (I used sourdough, it’s what I had on hand)
8 pickles
1/2 cup pesto (store-bought works just fine!)
1/3 cup feta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
salt & pepper
butter

1. Set the pickles on a paper towel and pat dry – you don’t want a soggy sandwich!
2. Butter one side of each piece of bread, season well with salt & pepper
3. Heat skillet over medium-high heat, place bread butter side down and add mozzarella cheese, pickles (vertically), feta, and spoonfuls of pesto last.
4. Top with other slice of bread (butter side up) let cook for about 2 minutes and then flip and cook another 2 minutes (or until cheese has melted and bread is lightly browned)
5. Eat yo sammich

Side note look at my cutie patootie assistant helping me stage my food!

You can’t say I didn’t warn you about my pumpkin obsession, because I totally did in my last post! Take a look at this ooey gooey goodness…

makes 2 sandwiches

for the sammies:
4 slices of sourdough bread
2/3 cup-ish canned pumpkin
gruyere cheese, shredded
butter
salt and pepper

for the jam:
4 oz blackberries
1 plum, peeled and rough chopped
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 of a jalapeno, minced
4 slices of bacon, cooked (I used turkey bacon)

1. Place all of the jam ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Mash everything together to resemble a chunky, jam-like consistency. Let cook for about 5-7 minutes
2. Transfer the jam to a bowl and place in fridge to chill while you prepare the sandwich
3. Generously (and I mean GENEROUSLY) butter one side of a slice of the bread and season with salt & pepper
4. Place bread butter side down in a skillet over medium-high heat and add several spoonfuls of pumpkin, season well with salt & pepper and then add cheese (the more the better!)
5. Butter another slice of bread, season with salt & pepper, and add on top of sandwich
6. Grill until lightly browned and cheese is melted, probably about 2 minutes on each side
7. Serve with blackberry bacon jam on side

While the above picture may not be the best picture in the world…my precious, sweet, very OBEDIENT beagle was halfway on the kitchen table at this point. It’s not a great excuse, I know. But I had to give her an honorable mention. She always makes me laugh. Love that girl.

Remember if you don’t have all the ingredients listed in my recipes, it’s OK! Always use your “crumbs” or whatever leftovers are in your fridge to create something different.

Happy October 1st! I can officially post all the pumpkin things & get away with it now, right?

Side note – I stay and keep company with the sweetest little old lady named Hazel aka “Nana” as a part-time job. So last night, I introduced Nana to Nutella and boy, oh boy…

We (me, with Nana’s approval!) decided to combine 3 of the best ingredients ever and make this bread! Now this is a little personal, but I like my baked goods waaaaay gooey and underdone. So some of you might think this bread looks gummy and raw but sorry, not sorry. It was off the chain.

2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 can of pumpkin
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1 heaping cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
good pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 jar of Nutella

1. Combine the first 6 ingredients (bananas – sugar)
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & cinnamon
3. Slowly add the dry ingredients (from step 2) to the wet ingredients (from step 1) and stir until just combined. Careful, do not over mix!
4. Spray a loaf pan and pour the batter into pan
5. Microwave a jar of Nutella for about 10-15 seconds to loosen it up. Place spoonfuls of Nutella on top of the bread batter and swirl with knife. You should use about half the jar, but no judgement if you use more ;)
5. Bake at 350 degrees for around 50-55 minutes

PS, it goes reeeeaally well with a hot cup of black coffee ;)

This is a real thing. Trader Joe’s (I might as well be their spokesperson) is currently selling an apple pie cheddar cheese…I’m not kidding. And it’s goooooooooood. Like sooooooo good! Go get you a block of it for $5.

So I decided to buy a block of this stuff and the plan was to let it sit in the fridge until I could think of something fun to do with it. So last night, that happened! And the best part, all the other ingredients were already in my pantry/fridge. No random, extra trips to Harris Teeter. Woop!

4 hamburger buns (I used whole wheat), toasted if desired
4 boneless, skinless marinaded chicken breasts
Trader Joe’s apple pie cheddar cheese
1/2 of a yellow onion, sliced
1/2 cup crumbled pancetta
a couple handfuls of fresh spinach
Honey
3 tablespoons EVOO

Marinade for chicken (side note, this is my go-to marinade and it’s very versatile!):
1 cup EVOO
a good, healthy squeeze of honey (add more/less depending on how sweet you want it)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper

1. Prepare marinade! Mix all the ingredients to combine and add chicken. Let the chicken hang out in the marinade for at least 30 minutes.
2. Grill chicken until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add (as much!) apple pie cheddar cheese as you like and let it melt on top of the chicken
2. Heat EVOO in a skillet over medium high heat, add sliced onions & cook until caramelized (about 10 minutes or so), add pancetta and cook until light brown
3. Assemble sandwiches with cooked chicken (covered in cheese), grilled onions & crumbled pancetta, spinach and drizzle with honey

Remember! Not all of these ingredients are necessarily “on hand” for everyone. It’s just what I had and decided to throw together. Don’t have pancetta? Use crumbled bacon. Don’t feel like buying Trader Joe’s apple pie cheddar cheese? Use cheddar, white cheddar or Gouda. No spinach? Use whatever lettuce you have or whatever’s on sale! Make it your own – turn your crumbs into creations ;)

Wanna know my favorite place to be? Trader Joe’s. Literally, text me anytime and I will always go. My favorite time of year to shop there is fall because well, pumpkin. They have this insanely delicious pasta sauce called Autumnal Harvest. It is a combination of pumpkin, butternut squash and carrots but it’s not over powering. AKA, if you aren’t crazy about pumpkin (why are we friends? just kidding, but really…) GIVE THIS A TRY! Or at least try it in my recipe below!