If you go to Panera and order anything other than Broccoli Cheddar soup and the Frontega Chicken sandwich, you are doing it wrong. These two items with a baguette as your side are so yummy
A few years ago, I lived on Cherry Street in Tulsa and had a Panera across the street. I ate there way too often I’m sure. There was also a Chipotle not far from my doorstep, and I did some damage there too. I’m telling you, it is dangerous living that close to such convenient comfort food. 

I’ve tried to recreate the soup and sandwich in the past, and decided it just can’t be perfectly duplicated. The next best thing? Do my own version of combo.

The main differences in my version of the sandwich are :

1. I made roasted garlic mayo instead of chipotle mayo. Or aioli if you want to sound fancy

1. I added prosciutto, which is an Italian dry-cured ham… kind of like Italian bacon. Bacon would be great too. Duh.

1. I got my focaccia bread from Sprouts (my happy place) and they had a couple of loaves with tomato and parmesan baked in the crust… ummm YUM!! Definitely better than just plain old focaccia

1. I don’t have a panini press, so I used a George Foreman grill. If I had known it made paninis so well I would’ve been doing this a lot more. Don’t waste your money on a panini press if you have this gadget!! 

As for the soup, I don’t know what is different because I’m not entirely sure how Panera makes theirs. But I have to say, mine actually tastes better. Using fresh ingredients and blending part of it to make it smoother makes a HUGE difference in my opinion. I just kind of wish I had added some heavy cream. It would've really taken the creaminess to the next level. But I am at peace with my decision because I guess it was a little healthier without it.

Obviously, I still love Panera’s versions, but my Broccoli Cheddar soup and Chicken prosciutto panini are absolutely just as delicious.


Roasted Garlic Mayo:
Ingredients:
1 cup of mayo
1 head of garlic
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Chop top off garlic, wrap garlic in aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil, and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
2. After removing from oven, let garlic cool.
3. Squeeze out garlic from head, add to blender or food processor.
4. Add mayo, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.
5. Refrigerate until use.

Chicken and Prosciutto Paninis:
serves 4

Ingredients:
2 focaccia round loaves, cut into halves
Roasted garlic mayo4-6 tomato slices
4 basil leavesfresh mozzarella cut into slices
1 cup of cooked chicken cut into small pieces (a rotisserie chicken works great)
4 slices of prosciutto

1. Spread garlic mayo on inside of both pieces of bread
2. Place mozzarella, chicken, prosciutto, mozzarella, and basil leaf on each sandwich
3. Press in George Foreman Grill until cheese is melted and bread is crispy

The BEST Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients:
2 heads of broccoli chopped into small pieces
1/2 stick of salted butter
2 cups of half and half
1/4 cup of flour
3 cups of low sodium chicken stock
2 carrots, grated
16 oz of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 chopped onion
Salt and pepper

1. Steam broccoli
2. Sautee chopped onion and shredded carrots in 1 TBS of melted butter in a non stick skillet
3. When onions are softened, transfer to a stock pot
4. In the skillet, create a roux with the remaining butter and flour, making sure the heat is turned down so you do not burn it
5. Add half and half
6. Simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Add broccoli and simmer for 20 minutes
8. Salt and pepper to taste

Veggie Stir Fry

Confession: I haven't been to the grocery store in a week. So, it was slim pickens for dinner tonight. But I had some leftover veggies, soy sauce packets I saved from some Chinese take out a few weeks ago, and a ton of instant rice. The last time I sent Clint to the store to get rice, he didn't know how much, so he bought two massive boxes. I'm set for a while. Oh, and I have absolutely no kind of meat in the fridge to cook, so it's a great excuse to cook vegetarian and have a healthy meal.

I bought a ton of zucchini last week because I was going to make zucchini noodles, or "zoodles." But since I never got around to buying a spiralizer to make them, I have just been eating a lot of zucchini. Look, I even made a healthy little breakfast! It was scrambled egg whites and sautéed zucchini, onions, and peppers. Which is basically what is in my stir fry, minus the green beans, garlic, and the seasonings.

Okay y'all, this is such an easy recipe. I almost didn't even post it. But if you have some fresh veggies in the fridge, this is so delicious and healthy. Just keep the rice to a minimum or you could substitute quinoa or even just leave it out.

Veggie Stir Fry
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 Zucchini chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/2 onion sliced into 1 inch pieces
Green beans
2 cloves of garlic chopped
Olive oil
3 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tsp crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper
White rice

1. Blanch the green beans. Put into boiling water for 2-3 minutes and then immediately put into an ice water bath.

2. Prepare white rice according to package instructions. Cover with lid to keep warm while you cook the rest of the ingredients.

3. Heat olive oil in a 10 inch skillet and add all veggies except garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

4. When veggies begin to soften, add the garlic and soy sauce. Cook for about 5-7 more minutes.

5. Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Spicy Jalapeño Sauce

I'm a firm believer that you can never have enough cilantro. I LOVE the stuff!! My fiancé does not feel so strongly about it though. So, the other night when Clint was at a business dinner, I took the opportunity to go all out and make a cilantro-packed dinner for one.

 cilantro...

 CILANTRO...

C I L A N T R O!!!!! :) :)

I'll cut to the chase and post the recipe. :) Keep in mind, the recipe makes a ton of the spicy jalapeño sauce, but you can use the extra on salads, sandwiches, as a dip (it's basically a fun twist on guacamole), or just eat it with a spoon if you want to get crazy with it.

Cast of characters:

1 chicken breast
4 limes
1 bunch of cilantro
1 jalapeno
1 Pack of ranch seasoning
olive oil
White rice
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 avocado
1 Green bell pepper
salt and pepper
Crushed red pepper
4 cloves of garlic

1. Make the marinade:
In a ziplock bag, add 1/2 cup of olive oil, juice of 2 limes and the limes cut into fourths, 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro (or more if you want, just save some for the sauce) , 2 chopped cloves of garlic, and a teaspoon of salt and teaspoon of pepper.

2. Rinse chicken, add to bag, and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.

3. While chicken is marinating make the sauce. Sauté 2 chopped cloves of garlic, 1/2 of a green pepper, and 1 chopped jalapeño (Unseeded) in olive oil until softened.

4. In a blender, add juice of 2 limes, a generous amount of cilantro, 1/2 cup of sour cream, the cooked garlic, green bell pepper, and jalapeño, 1/2 pack of ranch seasoning, 1 peeled avocado, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, Wait until the end to add the salt and pepper, and season to taste to avoid over seasoning. The ranch seasoning goes a long way. Blend until smooth and creamy. You should still see flecks of green.

5. Prepare your rice according to package instructions and cook chicken in olive oil according to thickness until done.

6. Serve chicken on bed of rice with spicy jalapeño sauce over the top. Garnish with cilantro.

Shrimp Brochette and Jalapeno Grits with Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Bacon

About three years ago, my old roommate, Lindsey, and I were having a girls night out at a little place in Broken Arrow called Main Street Tavern. We sat at the bar, ordered a couple of appetizers and drinks and we were probably discussing my most recent disaster date, when a handsome blonde guy parked himself into the barstool next to mine.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He literally asked as the bartender handed me a drink I had just ordered.

After some flirty bantering back and forth, age guessing, Avril Lavigne comparisons (it was cute in retrospect, but I wasn't excited about it back then...) he asked for my number. I flashed him a smile and grabbed his phone to enter it myself.

The rest is history. :)

Fast forward 3 years, and we have a four month old son, just bought our first home together, and are getting married next year! All because we both ended up at the same place that night. So CUTE!

We spend our anniversaries and some birthdays there and always try to sit in the same spot that we met. I just love our little story. I also LOVE that they have such amazing food.

This brings me to our favorite dish that they serve, shrimp and grits. So, for my first recipe, I did my own version of shrimp and grits! And it's wrapped in bacon (duh!). Shrimp Brochette is also something you can find at a place called Pappasitos. We don't have them in Oklahoma and we should. It's the BEST! As a Texan/Okie hybrid, I love me some Tex-Mex, and Pappasitos is definitely up there with some of my favorite Mexican restaurants! 

My version of shrimp and grits is packed with flavor and definitely a recipe I created as I went. I didn't do a lot of measuring, but I did a lot of tasting to get things where I wanted them. I have learned how easy it is to over-salt things the hard way. Anyway, here it is! Oh yeah, if you use a cast iron skillet to cook your shrimp, remember that you should never grab the handle without a pot holder.... it's hot.. like super hot. I may have burnt my fingerprints off. :/

Ingredients:

1 cup Grits

4 cups chicken stock

1 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup shredded Pepper Jack Cheese

1 clove garlic 

2 jalapeños

12 jumbo shrimp, deveined and butterflied

14 slices of thin bacon

Monterrey jack cheese

Salt and pepper

Brussel Sprouts

Garlic powder

Seasoning Salt

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Cut 12 one inch, thin slices of Monterrey jack cheese

3. Cut 1 jalapeño into 12 thin strips

4. Place 1 piece of cheese and one strip of jalapeño into the shrimp, wrap with bacon and secure with toothpicks. Refrigerate the completed brochettes while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

5. Cook 2 pieces of bacon until crispy. Remove and place paper towel to dry. When cooled, crumble into bits and set aside.

6. Chop one jalapeño and garlic clove into small squares, cook in the bacon grease for 2-3 minutes, drain on paper towel.

7. Cut brussel sprouts in half, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, garlic powder, and seasoning salt and bake for 30 minutes. Top with crumbled bacon when done.

8. Cook grits according to packaged instructions, replacing water with chicken stock.

8. When grits are done, add pepper jack cheese, sharp cheddar, cooked jalapeño and garlic clove.

9. Either grill Shrimp Brochettes until crispy, pan fry, or bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes and broil for 5 at the end. (I used a cast iron skilled, but it wasn't necessary. I'd definitely recommend grilling if you can. Or just baking. Or maybe I'm just scared of my cast iron skillet since I almost burnt my hand off.)

10. ENJOY!!! :)

I'm obsessed with trying new recipes and finding creative ways to feed my fiancé and myself. I always give Clint the prettier plate of food when I'm serving up a meal, but he isn't allowed to dig in until I've gotten my perfect pic! Lighting and a good filter can make a normal week night meal look absolutely delectable. (Gotta love that Mayfair filter!) So, since I have been posting tons of pictures on Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, I decided to start a blog to share my adventures in the kitchen as I try my hand at being a domestic goddess (I have a ways to go before I come close to Giada or Ree... but a girl can try). Other than bragging about my masterpieces in the kitchen, I kind of just want to start keeping a catalogue of my favorite dishes.

I'm also a new mommy to the happiest baby in the world, Bodie Luke. Although he can't try my culinary creations just yet, I'm sure I'll be whipping up some smooshed veggies and fruits for him in the next few months. Smooshed is a word... get over it.

So what kind of food do I like to make? A little bit of everything. Mostly healthy meals, but I can be bad too. I mean bacon literally makes everything better. I grew up on chicken fingers and biscuits and gravy, but unfortunately my metabolism is almost 30 years old... which makes me sad... and makes me eat more kale than I would have 15 years ago. Low calorie meals can be yummy too though! It's all about balance!

So thanks for reading, and I hope you love my recipes. Some are original and some are semi-original. When I decide what I want to make, I like to look up about 10 recipes, pick the best parts, add them together, take out what I don't like, and tweak them until it's perfect! (Or until I can justify leaving out ingredients that I don't have in my kitchen... or adding bacon. Did I mention I love bacon?) The most important part is that it's delicious, but it's ALWAYS nice to have a pretty plate.