Happy Monday to you!  I first want to thank everyone for their kind words regarding Friday’s House update.  I greatly appreciate it.  How was your weekend?  Mine was a bit nutso as we have been trying to find a second vehicle and a Nintendo Wii.  We checked all over PEI for  Wii and came up empty so we took a trip to New Brunswick yesterday for a Wii and still came up dry.  We looked at a few vehicles as well but just couldn’t find the right one.

So here is a little challenge.  Can anyone find a Wii in their area and if so I will buy it and ship it to myself!  Sound like fun?  Looks like I may have to buy one online at this point or wait a little longer.

Ok I really have to share with you an amazing recipe today.  Do you ever feel like you want to impress your house guests or company with an over the top appetizer? If so, this is the one for you.  It is quite simple but the results are amazing.  I honestly just didn’t make the title up with having proof to back it up.  You have to try these cheese puffs.

Ingredients

• 6 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter ( softened )
• 1/2 Cup Milk
• 1/2 Cup Water
• 1/2 Tsp. Coarse Salt
• 1 Cup Flour
• 4 Large Eggs
• 3/4 Cup Grated gruyere cheese
• 1/4 Cup grated Asiago cheese

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F.
2. In a saucepan combine butter, water milk and salt.
3. Bring to a boil and then add flour; Remove from heat and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon.
4. Dough will dry out and pull from sides of sauce pan.
5. Put back on medium heat and beat a further 50 seconds to dry the dough even more
6. Transfer dough out of hot pan to a bowl and add eggs one at a time; beating vigorously with each egg.
7. After last egg add the Gruyere cheese and beat well.
8. Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper .
9. Drop dough from a teaspoon allowing room to expand.
10. Sprinkle tops with Asiago cheese and bake for 15 minutes at 400.
11. Then lower the temperature to 350 and bake another 15-20 minutes to dry the interior.
12. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for a few minutes
13. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Make sure to beat the mixture well after each egg addition and the thing to look out for here is to ensure the center of the puff is nice and dry and flaky.  Lowering the heat after the first 15 minutes is key to allow the inside to continue cooking but not brown the outside too much.

Zesty Around the Blogsphere

Before I go – you should check out a fun pancake recipe I feature on Picky Palate yesterday.  I think you might like it especially all the oatmeal lovers.  It is called Whole Grain Oatmeal Apple Pancakes.  Let me know what you think.

I hope you have an amazing Monday and I hope you have some luck finding a Nintendo Wii.  I better get going here and get ready for work.  The sunrise was amazing this morning from the dining room table and I think it gave me a little extra boost of energy.

Take care

zesty

I made a sandwich a little while ago and for some reason I forgot to post about it.  I really did like the outcome of the sandwich but it was nothing over the top.  I remember picking up some sour dough bread at the bakery which was used for a grilled sandwich with some melted cheese oozing out the ends.

Now when it comes to sandwiches, in the last 3-4 months I have made a large change when it comes to sauces on my sandwiches.  I don’t use any now!  I know it sounds a bit bizarre for some but I really enjoy it now.  I never was a big fan of mayonnaise so I used to revert to mustard.  But lately I put that all on hold and usually have been avoiding it all together.  I now tend to focus on cheese, vegetables and even fruit.

When it comes to the filling for this sandwich… it is super basic.  We always seem to have turkey deli meat around since the kids love it and it is a good source of protein and as for cheese – I just went with old cheddar.

Ingredients

• 2 Slices of Sour Dough Bread
• Handful of turkey meat
• 3 Slices of cheddar cheese
• Black pepper

Method

• Preheat sandwich maker or George foreman grill
• Slice the bread and top with turkey cheese and pepper
• Place the other piece of bread on top
• Add sandwich to the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes until cheese has melted and bread is golden brown
• ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: One tip when making grilled sandwiches is to make sure the filling ( meat in this case ) is fairly dry.  I find the deli meat can be quite moist and will make the bread soggy, so I tend to pat it dry with a paper towel before adding it to the sandwich.

So that is the sandwich. Nothing elaborate but a very good quick meal whether you are on the run, or just craving the crunch from a toasted sandwich.  I hope you have a great Tuesday and I am glad to see so many of you joining up for the free blogging tips newsletter over at my new consulting site.

Take care

zesty