Grilled Portabella Layered Nann

dinner last night was one of those wonderous miracles that come together quickly and effortlessly yet taste so good it's deemed company-worthy.

(molly was my kitchen supervisor - she did an excellent job:)

the idea came to me tuesday when i invited my momma over for dinner for thursday evening because my dad is away. she is so good about having me and the schmoops over for dinner when E is traveling for work so i wanted to return the favor. one of her favorite foods is portabella mushrooms.

i have recently tried trader joe's garlic naan and it was so garlicky and tasty that i thought my garlic-lovin mom would love it. put the two together and my dinner inspiration began to form.

(not our actual drinks - but they look just as good - picture courtesy of communities.canada.com)

we started out with mint jeulps in the spirit of the derby this weekend and just because you can never go wrong with whisky. (plus, my mint garden in thriving! i have a wonderful herb garden but i also have a seperate mint garden because it's so invasive and just takes over. it gets a garden all to itself where it can be free to roam and spread)

while we sipped our jeulps, i started the chimney on the grill. seriously, the only cooking required in the meal is grilling the mushrooms (4 minutes per side) and the garlic naan (1-2 minutes per side).

i did marinate the protabellas in some olive oil and balsamic vinegar before grilling. it ends up being kind of a deconstructed pizza if you will. we spread goat cheese (or any kind of cheese for that matter) on the naan, then layered the grilled portabellas and sliced heirloom tomatoes. at the last minute, E had a wonderful suggestion - throw in some extra crispy bacon that i had cooked eariler. wow, E is officially a genious! we all agreeed that the bacon made this dish! just a slice and a half per person was all it needed to add some great crunch and flavor. have i mentioned i love bacon?

the finished product!

i have received some feedback that i don't always give the recipes. i tend to just throw things together and don't see the need for a recipe. i do, however, recognize some need the structure of recipes. some people get very nervous without specific instructions and sentences like "add salt and pepper to taste" or "add a little chicken broth to thin sauce". for those of you out there, here is the recipe. but, don't be afraid to get creative, you could layer anything on naan really. just like pizza - throw your favorite toppings on and enjoy!

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Grilled Portabella Layered Naan
serves 4

4 large portabella mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 large heirloon tomatoes
6 slices cooked bacon
4 tbs goat cheese (shredded parm or mozzerella works here too if you are crazy and have an aversion to goat cheese)
4 pieces of garlic naan (prepared pizza crust works if you can't find naan)

combine olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a large ziploc bag or baking dish. add mushrooms and let sit for at least 30 minutes, turning often.

meanwhile, prepare grill to medium-high heat.

grill mushrooms 4 minutes of each side.

meanwhile, slice tomatoes.

grill naan 1-2 minutes per side just before serving.

to assemble, spread 1 tbs cheese on each piece on naan. layer bacon, then mushrooms, then tomatoes.

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one final note. after assembly, we all kind of looked at each other and said, "how do we eat this thing?" we each tried a different method and they all worked well. E, folded his in half and ate it like a taco, i cut mine into smaller pieces and ate it like pieces of pizza, and mom cut hers all into bite-sized pieces and ate it with a fork. all successful in their own way!

 for dessert, we had a slice of angel food cake with sliced strawberries on top. pure heaven!

A Diamond in the Rough

i like to say my love of cooking came from my three grandmothers. three??? you say? my mom's mother, julia (mommom), my dad's mother, ellen (grammy), and my best friend's grandmother, bea.

mommom started showing signs of alzheimer's when i was quite young and most of my memories, save a few blurry ones, are unfortunately of her sick. the disease finally took her right after i gratuated from college but she was gone long before that. i am lucky enough to see a bit of her in my own mother.

i knew grammy much better and have many fond memories of her chicken noodle soup and stocked pantry. she always could be counted on for a sweet hard candy in her purse. just like with mommom, i wish i could sit down with her today and pick her brain and hear her stories, but cancer took her when i was just 15.

i was also lucky enough to know and love bea from the time i was 13 until she passed away just a few years ago. my best friend, L, was kind enough to share her with me and she loved me like another grandchild. she was there for me to fill in when i no longer had my own grandmothers to spoil me.

so, like i said, i have been blessed with love, guidance, and influence from three wonderful women. all were excellent cooks and i like to think each are with me in the kitchen still today.

when going through some things at meadowvale, someone stumbled upon this

when i started to flip through it, i immediately thought of this too

i actually have no idea who wrote the first one, but it is incredible just to read it.

the date inside reads september 13, 1876.

there is a perfectly written index

seriously, check out that handwriting!

the recipes vary from cottage pudding to chicken salad, currant wine to caramel, and cucumber pickle to cream sauce. the recipes are all hand-written and include sentances like "add a tincup full of sugar to 4 eggs" and "mix 1/2 tumbler of sweet milk, 1 tumbler of sugar, and 2 tumblers of flour".

the second book is very dear to my heart as it has hand-written recipes from mommom. the inside cover reads "Judy Jessop 1943" and has a bunch of printed recipes as well as space to write in your own favorites. herein lies the treasure - her recipes she used on a regular basis written by her hand. it doesn't take long to discover she liked to bake. the most popluated pages are in the breads, cakes, and desserts sections. the reason that immediately springs to mind is my grandfather's sweet tooth. my mommom dedicated her life to my poppop and tried to make him happy in every way she could. let's just say a clear path to his heart was baked goods.

this one book contains family favorites like buckwheat pancakes, butter thumbprint cookies, lemon merangue pie, and crab imperial. i feel like this has given me a little bit of mommom right in my kitchen. i can make a recipe of hers now and feel like she is here with me, savoring every bite and, of course, enjoying dessert with me afterwards.

although i haven't quite decided what i am going to do with my newfound treasures, i'm sure these two books will pop up here again. and, if you ever need an old recipe for tomato sauce using 1 peck of tomatoes or homemade cough syrup, you know who to ask:)

Creamy Goey Cheesy White Chicken Enchiladas

oh my cheesy goodness. wow, these are some tasty enchiladas. as you may have noticed, i love mexican food!

the recipe is adapted from the pioneer woman. this woman can do some down home cooking let me tell you. i simply took her recipe and made it a little healthier. i used whole milk instead of cream, 2% milk cheese, greek yogurt in place of sour cream and whole wheat flour tortillas instead of corn. i also used a rotisserie chicken which made this recipe a whole lot quicker. the original recipe is here. i highly recommend you check out her blog if you aren't one of the tens of thousands that already do. she is hilarious and has everything from recipes to awesome photography to home a garden tips. it's one of my daily blogs i peruse.

i served these fabulous enchiladas with a mexican salad (chopped romaine, cherry tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and 

here is the recipe as i made it - just a tad healthier.

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White Chicken Enchiladas
adapted from the pioneer woman

1½ cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 cup low sodium chicken broth, divided
4 whole wheat flour tortillas
1 tbs oil
1 small onion, diced
2 - 4oz cans diced green chilies, divided (i used fire roasted for a little extra flavor)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika, divided
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tbs butter
1 tbs whole wheat flour
1/2 cup 2% greek yogurt
1 cup shredded 2% milk mexican cheese blend
salt and pepper, to taste
cilantro, chopped


preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

heat oil in skillet over medium heat. add onions and saute for 2 minutes. add chicken, one can of green chilies, and 1/4 tsp paprika. add 1/4 cup chicken broth and stir well. sprinkle with a little salt and pepper to taste.

add milk and reduce heat to low. stir until well combined and remove from heat.

assemble enchiladas by spooning chicken mixture into the middle of a tortilla.

top with 2 tbs of shredded cheese.

roll tightly and place seam side down in greased baking dish.

repeat with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture.

melt butter in skillet over medium heat and sprinkle in flour.  cook for one minute, whisking constantly. add 3/4 cup chicken broth and continue to whisk for a minute. add remaining can of green chilies and stir to combine. sprinkle with a little salt and pepper to taste.

reduce heat to low and stir in yogurt, 1/4 tsp paprika, and 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

whisk until cheese has melted and pour over rolled tortillas.

bake for 20-25 minutes. switch oven to low broil and broil for 5 minutes until brown and bubbly.

remove from oven a let stand for 5 minutes. scoop onto plates and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

allow you mouth to water as you check out the bubbly cheesiness and then savor every last bite!

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the following is the recipes without the pictures so it's easy to cut and paste and print this recipe. trust me, you want to print this recipe. you'll want to buy the ingredients the next time you go to the store. you'll want to make this and devour it as soon as humanly possible. trust me.

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White Chicken Enchiladas
adapted from the pioneer woman

1½ cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 cup low sodium chicken broth, divided

4 whole wheat flour tortillas
1 tbs oil
1 small onion, diced
2 - 4oz cans diced green chilies, divided (i used fire roasted for a little extra flavor)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika, divided
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tbs butter
1 tbs whole wheat flour
1/2 cup 2% greek yogurt
1 cup shredded 2% milk mexican cheese blend
salt and pepper, to taste
cilantro, chopped


preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

heat oil in skillet over medium heat. add onions and saute for 2 minutes. add chicken, one can of green chilies, and 1/4 tsp paprika. add 1/4 cup chicken broth and stir well. sprinkle with a little salt and pepper to taste. add milk and reduce heat to low. stir until well combined and remove from heat.

assemble enchiladas by spooning chicken mixture into the middle of a tortilla. top with 2 tbs of shredded cheese. roll tightly and place seam side down in greased baking dish. repeat with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture.

melt butter in skillet over medium heat and sprinkle in flour.  cook for one minute, whisking constantly. add 3/4 cup chicken broth and continue to whisk for a minute. add remaining can of green chilies and stir to combine. sprinkle with a little salt and pepper to taste. reduce heat to low and stir in yogurt, 1/4 tsp paprika, and 1/2 cup shredded cheese. whisk until cheese has melted and pour over rolled tortillas.

bake for 20-25 minutes. switch oven to low broil and broil for 5 minutes until brown and bubbly.

remove from oven a let stand for 5 minutes. scoop onto plates and sprinkle with chopped cilantro