So, last week I decided that we would have burgers, just not the sort made with beef; that seemed too mundane.  I wanted a sandwich that looked like a burger but had its own unique taste.  Ground chicken seemed like the perfect vehicle for this quest.  Unlike ground veal or pork, which some might confuse with beef, it was certain to be recognized as chicken both by look and taste.

Just like a grilled chicken breast is boring without the correct seasoning or marinade, so is ground chicken.  Of course, the addition of spices and herbs not only would make this chicken more flavorful, it would make our burger meal more interesting.  No plain old burgers were going to be served in our house last week!  Add a few fillings to the bun, and you have a great new burger creation.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Burgers

1 lb. ground chicken

1 Tb. Emeril’s Chicken Rub

1 Tb. Montreal steak seasoning

1 shallot, minced

3-4 thin slices baked ham

3-4 slices Swiss cheese

rolls

mayonnaise, dijon mustard

lettuce, tomato slices

Preheat grill.  Place all ingredients in a large bowl, and mix well.  (Using your hands works best.)  Divide mixture into 3 or 4 patties, depending on how big you like your burger.  Place patties on grill, and cook for 5 minutes.  Flip and grill for an additional 5 minutes.  Remove from grill.  (Make sure burgers are cooked completely.  Chicken burgers need to be served well done.)

To assemble burger, top bun with mayonnaise, mustard, or other desire condiment, lettuce, tomato, and ham.  Top with patty, slice of cheese, and top bun.  Enjoy!

Does that summarize winter in New England well enough?  I could write a lengthy paragraph about all of the annoying parts of winter here, but there’s really no need to exert that much effort.  I think my simple sentence conveys my thoughts well enough.

Most nights I try to erase the chilliness of winter with hot meals that consist of soups that have simmered on the stove all afternoon or a roast that braised in the oven all day long.  However, sometimes I take a different approach to try and make the season of ice and snow disappear– a little wishful thinking and cooking combined.

A couple weeks ago I took this approach and created It’s Not Winter Mango Chutney.  While the chutney could be used as an appetizer and served with cheese and crackers or as a topping for pita chips, I used it as a filling for chicken wraps.  The sweet and spicy chutney contrasted nicely with the bite from the goat cheese.  Additionally, I warmed the chutney before adding it to the wrap, which gave it more of a sauce-like consistency that worked perfectly in the wrap.

So, it’s cold.  Maybe a wrap with tropical fruit will help make you feel like warm days can’t be too far away.

Summer in a Wrap

1/2 cup mango chutney*

2 piece flatbread

3 oz. goat cheese

baby spinach

1 cup cooked chicken, diced

Place mango chutney in a microwaveable container, and heat for 30-60 seconds, or until warmed.  Spread half of goat cheese on center of each piece of flatbread.  Top each with half of the baby spinach and chicken.  Spoon chutney on top of chicken on both wraps.  Fold one side of wrap over toppings, and fold other side of wrap on top of the other. Enjoy!

*Click here for chutney recipe.

Last week, we had Pulled Coconut Chicken for dinner, and even with eight of us dining, we had a decent amount left.  With coconut chicken in mind, I headed to the grocery store to find other fillings for my wrap.  To compliment the coconut flavor, I purchased a mango to add even more tropical feel to this wrap.  Not wanting the wrap to be overly sweet, I bought some arugula and a red onion to give the wrap some bite.

While this would have made a delicious cold wrap, it has become chilly here in New Hampshire, so a warm wrap-panini was in order.  For me, if the sandwich is going to be served hot, it needs some cheese to deliver wonderful gooeyness.  Fresh mozzarella was the perfect fit for this sandwich.  The sandwich was completed with a thin layer of raspberry honey mustard, which has a nice combination of sweet and bite.

Eating this tropical wrap wasn’t quite the same as a trip to a warm destination, but it did make me think fondly of returning to Hawaii, frozen coconut drinks by the pool, and warm weather!

Tropical Wrap

1 piece of flatbread or lavash bread

2 tsp. raspberry honey mustard

1/4 cup arugula

1/2 cup pulled coconut chicken

2 Tb. red onion, diced

5 (or so) slices fresh mozzarella

1/2 mango, peeled and sliced

Preheat panini pan.  Reheat chicken in microwave to aid in cooking time and melting of cheese.  Spread mustard on center third of wrap.  Layer arugula, chicken, mozzarella, onion, and mango on top of mustard.  Fold one side of wrap over toppings, and fold other side of wrap on top of the other.  Place in panini pan, and cook until golden brown.  If necessary, flip sandwich, so that both sides are golden brown.

Eat immediately!

Of course, we eat apples right off the tree, but we enjoy finding new ways to serve them.  I have used apples for salsa, pies, wraps, and crisps.  The other week I decided to use the first apples of the season in an open-faced melt.

This sandwich had multiple inspirations.  First, Paula Red apples were being harvested at a local orchard.  Second, while shopping we found a terrific aged cheddar that was delightfully sharp.  Third, homemade oatmeal bread sounded like a delicious base for the sandwich (and a great treat with which to surprise my husband after a business trip).

Making this sandwich can be done quickly, if you purchase the oatmeal bread at a bakery or grocery store.  A little slicing and toasting and your meal is ready.  However, if you have the time to make the bread, it makes the sandwich even more delicious.

Apple & Cheddar Melt

2 slices oatmeal bread

1 Paula Red, cored and sliced

2 oz. cheddar cheese, sliced

Preheat broiler.  Place bread under broiler for 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove from oven.  Turn bread over, and place apple slices on bread in single layer.  Top apple with cheese slices.  Return to broiler for 1-2 minutes, or until cheese is melted and slightly golden.

*For a heartier sandwich, a layer of chicken breast can be added before the apple slices.

While some may complain that it’s too hot and sticky, I enjoy this weather.  It’s the sort of weather that makes you appreciate an ice cold drink and a light dinner.  Much like I look forward to a snowstorm in winter for baking homemade bread and slowly simmering a pot of soup, so do I anticipate the heat and its corresponding meals.

The meals that I like to make for hot and humid days are the opposite of my winter meals.  I prefer to make dishes that are lighter or are served cold.  The meal becomes the antithesis of the weather.

On a recent steamy day, I decided to try a different version of chicken salad for our dinner.  Instead of using mayonnaise as the main ingredient in the dressing, I used sweet chili sauce, which gave the wrap a sweet taste with a hint of spice.  As the chicken was marinating, I received a package from FoodBuzz that contained different food items from Emeril’s product line.  As there’s no time like the present, I decided to incorporate some of his Chicken Rub into the salad, which gave some extra flavor to our wraps.

Thai Chicken Wrap

2 chicken breasts, diced

1/2 cup sweet chili sauce, divided

1 Tb. white vinegar

1 tsp. Emeril’s Chicken Rub

4 cremini mushrooms, sliced

3 pieces flatbread or wraps

shredded lettuce

4 scallions, diced

1/4 cup water chestnuts, diced

Place chicken in a gallon-sized resealable bag.  Add 3 tablespoons chili sauce and white vinegar.  Seal bag, and shake to mix ingredients.  Refrigerate chicken for at least 2 hours.

Heat large nonstick frying pan over medium heat.  Remove chicken pieces from bag, and place in frying pan.  Sprinkle with chicken rub, and cook thoroughly.  Add mushrooms, and cook for another minute or two.  Place chicken and mushrooms in a small bowl.  Add remaining chili sauce, mix well, cover, and refrigerate for several hours.

Place desired amount of shredded lettuce in center of wrap.  Spoon chicken/mushroom mixture onto lettuce.  Top with scallions and water chestnuts, if desired.  Fold wrap as if preparing a burrito, and enjoy.

After starting a Saturday morning watching food television, we were ready to do some cooking of our own.  Having seen a feature on Greek food, we both were craving lamb and feta.  The simple answer to this craving was to make gyros.  We had lamb in our freezer and tzatziki sauce in our refrigerator.  We just needed to purchase some feta and pita bread.

I dabbled with the idea of making my own pita bread.  I decided to see what was available at the Greek market we visited.  Unfortunately, we chose a market that had a great selection of feta cheese but no homemade pita bread.  I found a great recipe online, which made the softest pita bread I ever have eaten.

My husband created his own interesting marinade for the lamb.  Although the ingredients sounded kind of (or maybe very) unique, together they created a flavorful, tender filling for our gyros.  Layered with tzatziki sauce, feta, and red onion, it was a wonderful dinner.

Gyros

2 Tb. flour

1 tsp. mint

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. garlic salt

3 1-pound lamb shanks

1 Tb. olive oil

1 onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, peeled

1 bay leaf

1 cup cola

1 cup coconut milk

4 pita rounds

tzatziki sauce

red onion, diced

feta cheese, crumbled

Preheat grill.  In a small bowl, combine flour, mint, Italian seasoning, and garlic salt.  Dredge lamb shanks in flour mixture, and place on grill.  Cook for 1-2 minutes per side to sear.  Remove shanks from grill.

Pour olive oil into medium pot, and place over medium heat.  Add onions, garlic, and bay leaf.  Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until onion is translucent.  Add cola and coconut milk, and mix to combine.  Place shanks in pot, cover, and simmer for 3 hours.  Remove lamb meat from bones and shred.

Spread a tablespoon or two of tzatziki sauce on each pita round.  Top with lamb, red onions, and feta.

Since then, our entire family has used it for various lunches and dinners.  However, I am not a big fan of sandwiches made with bread, as they tend to be heavy and filling.  I prefer to make wraps.  But just because I like wraps doesn’t mean that I want a cold sandwich.

My challenging requests for a sandwich led me to my creation of a wrap-panini.  Using flatbread, I could have a lighter outside for my sandwich, while cooking it with the panini pan produced a warm, gooey sandwich.  Plus, the wrap gets a light amount of crunch, which is a pleasing addition of texture.

Although the kids still prefer to make paninis with bread, I have converted my husband to the wrap-panini concept.  Many days of the week, he can be found one for his lunch.

Trio Wrap-Panini

1 whole wheat lavash bread (or flavor of your choice)

1/2 tsp. mayonnaise

1/2 chicken breast, cooked and sliced

1/2 Granny Smith apple, cored and thinly sliced

smoked Gouda

Preheat panini pan over medium heat.  Spread mayonnaise down center third of wrap.  Top with layers of chicken, apple, and cheese.  Fold one side of bread over cheese, then other side on top.  Place wrap, folded side down in pan, and cover with press.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until golden.  Flip wrap, cover with press, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

I know, I live in New Hampshire; we are supposed to have cold temperatures and snow-covered yards.  If I were to live somewhere tropical, I would miss watching snowflakes glide to the ground and seeing light shimmering on an icicle.  However, sometimes it is nice to visualize a warmer climate for a little while.

Last week I decided to bring a tropical feel to our house via dinner.  Having bought a pineapple during a grocery store trip, it seemed like a good starting point to make our home feel more like Hawaii and less like an arctic region. While I could have made a stirfry with the pineapple, I was seeking something that was more reflective of a warm summer day.

Thinking about Hawaiian food products that would please all family members, I decided to incorporate macadamia nuts.  From there, my dinner plan progressed.  Add some chicken, create a dressing, serve it in wraps or lettuce leaves, and we would have a fun dinner that might conjure images of palm trees.

When dinnertime arrived, everyone chose lettuce leaves for their wraps.  Served with a side of coconut rice, this dinner satisfied both our hunger and weather cravings.

Taste of Hawaii Chicken Salad

2 cups chicken breast, cooked and diced

2 cups fresh pineapple, diced

1/2 cup celery, diced

1/2 cup macadamia nuts, diced

1/4 cup red onion, diced

2 Tb. sour cream

2 Tb. mayonnaise

salt and pepper

3/4 cup oranges, diced

In a large bowl, combine chicken, pineapple, celery, macadamia nuts, and red onion, and toss.  In a small bowl, mix sour cream, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.  Pour dressing onto chicken mixture, and combine well.  Cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour.  Top with orange slices, if desired.

Can be served as wraps using Bibb lettuce leaves or flatbread or as a topping to a mixed green salad.

Cooking for a family, I like to expose our children to new dishes to broaden their dining horizons also.  However, I know that if I jump into new foods too quickly, it can result in displeasure.  Therefore, I have different strategies that I use when presenting a new dish.  Sometimes it is the reward of a favorite side dish, such as honey cornbread, or a dipping sauce to accent the entree.

Last night I made fish tacos for dinner.  Our ten year old is a little hesitant when it comes to any new dish.  However, she also adores dipping her foods in dressings.  To make this meal more appealing, I created a sauce/spread that could be used in the fish tacos.  The spread was creamy yet had a small bite of spiciness, making it enjoyable for all members of our dining party.

I found its flavor to be tastier by making the sauce early in the afternoon, allowing the seasonings to mingle before serving it at dinner.  Although I served it with fish tacos, it would work well as a dip for vegetables or chicken fingers and a spread for subs.

Slightly Spicy Spread

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1 Tb. lime juice

1 Tb. chipotle chile powder

1 tsp. dried cilantro

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients, and mix well.  Chill for several hours before serving.

Typically, a sandwich conjures thoughts of two pieces of bread with a little bit of filling.  Well. . .that isn’t quite what we had in mind.  As we didn’t go to the grocery store until 11, our feeling of not being hungry was far gone.  And being foodies, we had specific ideas in mind, such as caramelizing onions and roasting a turkey breast instead of buying turkey from the deli.

I will admit that I did cut one corner in making this sandwich.  I bought canned whole berry cranberry sauce.  I would have preferred homemade, but to allow it to cool and set would have taken hours, and I was quite hungry by then!

With all of our ingredients, we headed for home and started our cooking.  My husband seasoned the turkey and placed it in our rotisserie.  I sliced the onions and began the process of caramelizing.  Once these items were nearly ready, we diced and sliced vegies and cheese.  The product of my work was an amazing turkey sandwich.  My husband’s, on the other hand, was a monstrous club with layers of many ingredients.  However, I believe they were similar, in that both sandwiches were the ultimate sandwich for each of us.

Michele’s Ultimate Turkey Sandwich

2 slices whole wheat bread

mayonnaise

1-2 lettuce leaves, preferably Romaine or Butter

1 cooked turkey cutlet*, sliced

Sharp cheddar cheese slices

Whole berry cranberry sauce

Preheat broiler.  Put a thin layer of mayonnaise on one slice of bread.  Top with lettuce, then turkey.  Use enough cheddar to cover turkey layer.  Place sandwich under broiler briefly. (Just long enough to melt cheese, but not long enough to make bread toasted.)  Top with cranberry sauce and second piece of bread.  Slice in half, and enjoy.

*To prepare turkey cutlet:  Coat cutlet with a mixture of salt, pepper, and sage.  Cook in rotisserie according to manufacturer’s recommendations.