Oh you delicious, crunchy, dripping, yummy sandwich you! This Italian artichoke panini using the Cuisinart Griddler is just another reason my Griddler can be found on my countertop just about every day of the week. I use it that much that rarely does it find its way back into the pantry. Because in just minutes I can have a restaurant-quality sandwich for a fraction of the cost. Hot off the press and perfect.
One Tasty Panini
I tend to put Italian-style meats on my paninis, though it’s not required. You can use your favorites. But I have found that Aldi makes this wonderful pack of Italian meats that also includes provolone cheese. It’s priced right and makes for fantastic sandwiches like this Italian artichoke panini using the Cuisinart Griddler. This isn’t rocket science, as they say. Just use good ingredients and you’ll have a great sandwich.
Just Leave It Be
After you place your sandwich on the hot griddle just leave it alone. Don’t go playing with it. Don’t turn it. Or flip it. Don’t open it to see what’s going on between the slices of bread. Just wait until the outsides get toasty crunchy brown. Then remove it. Then enjoy.
Pre-heat your Griddler with the dials set for high-heat panini griddles.
Set out the bread slices on a cutting board or counter top.
Top with the meats and cheese.
Top the sandwiches with the chopped artichoke hearts.
Add the top slices of bread to form the sandwiches.
Brush the outsides of the bread slices with the oil.
Transfer to the Griddler and close the lid. Cook until the bread is golden brown and crunchy.
Remove and let cool slightly before opening to add mayonnaise to inside of top pieces of bread.
Slice and serve.
Notes
Do not put a lot of pressure on the griddle lid while cooking as it will cause the meats and cheese to escape. Try to keep the lid level so that the tops of the sandwiches cook evenly.
These grilled chicken gyros are exactly why I love my outdoor griddle. Fantastic, tender, flavor-packed chicken. Warm, toasted pitas. A quick-and-easy Greek-inspired salad. And of course, tzatziki sauce. This was one great dish and one we’ll make again and again.
Happy And Happier
The chicken for these grilled chicken gyros using an outdoor griddle needs a bit of time to marinate. Go for 2 hours minimum. Twelve is even better. At most, go 24 hours. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs because they have the most flavor thanks to all that fat. If you’re leaning towards the healthier side you can certainly use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead. If they are particularly thick you may want to slice or butterfly them before marinating so they absorb maximum flavor.
The recipe for the tzatziki makes a lot. A big batch. So when it comes time to make your gyros, load up. Or serve some on the side for dipping pita chips!
I use this countertop shredder/grater to grate the cucumber. It does a fantastic job and boy, is it ever easy to clean. I won’t miss my old box grater after using this fun tool!
And like that, it was gone. This egg roll in a bowl (er… plate) didn’t last long at all in our house. It was understandable, really. We’re both egg-roll-aholics. These have the same flavors, they’re just easier to make. Yeah you can buy those frozen egg rolls. And some are actually decent. But they’re kinda small. I think the serving size is one egg roll. One egg roll? What? Nah, I’ll make this instead. Just as yummy and I get more!
Low Carb. Or Almost.
If you leave off the wonton strips this egg roll in a bowl is a low-carb dish. If you add just a few it’s not a crazy carby dish. If you go nuts with them, you’ve got carbs. It’s your call. I think it kinda needs a little crunch. Roasted peanuts would work too. I happen to like the flavor of wonton strips. And the crunch. So that’s what I used!
It was not boring hot dog day. But it also wasn’t fru-fru fancy overly-complicated hot dog day either. These blackened chili dogs hit the spot big time. And without a lot of trouble. A little seasoning on hot dogs before cooking them really amps up the flavor. You season hamburgers, right? Why not do the same with your dogs? One bite of these and my wife told me we’re not doing dogs any other way.
Roll, Roll, Roll Your Dogs
This isn’t some big huge complicated thing. Pour some seasoning out onto a plate or cutting board. Kinda spread it around evenly. Grab a hot dog and roll it around. Back and forth a few times. Get the seasoning all over. Don’t handle them rough, be gentle. You want maximum seasoning. Heck, stand them up and get the ends, too. We’re after flavor here!
Now just cook up your dogs. Grill. Air fryer. Oven. Whatever. Well, not whatever. Don’t boil them. That’d defeat the purpose. So don’t do that.
I used to be addicted to tater tots. I loved crispy crunchy potatoes. But then along came crispy crowns. Same wonderful potato flavor. But crunchier. They’re thinner. Crispier. They’re so addictive. But how to make them even better? Serve them with this dipping sauce. Creamy. And spicy. A hint of ketchup (kind of a nod to the old days when I just used ketchup). Crispy crowns love this dipping sauce and so do I!
Get On The Potato Mayo Wagon
My hope in life is that everyone try dipping potatoes in a mayonnaise-based sauce at least once in life. Ok, it’s not really my hope. But I really wish people would try it more because it’s a great combo. Much better than ketchup I believe. This dipping sauce for crispy crowns will make a believer out of you if you are on the fence.
PS: I used to serve my tater tots with butter. I’d say try it, you’ll like it, but this dipping sauce is much better!
Oh boy. You’re right, I didn’t need something else to come along that is so good that I can’t stop eating it. I have a long list of things I make that fit that description. But, add another. This smoked Everything Bagel cream cheese is really hard to stop eating. It’s the perfect appetizer. Easy. Creamy. Flavorful.
Cook’s Treats
One of the greatest things about being a cook is ‘cook’s treats’. Those are the things I make that I get to try first. Usually when no one is looking. Like when I’m out at the smoker by myself. I can take a bite, let the flavors sink in, and smile and be happy with the results. This smoked Everything Bagel cream cheese is the perfect Cook’s Treat. That’s why I put more than one on the smoker. Some for me, some for everyone else. Seems fair enough!
A Blank Canvas
I used Everything Bagel seasoning, but you can smoke cream cheese using just about anything to season it. You can even go with the sweet route, with a combination of sugar and cinnamon. It’s also a great way to use up some of your favorite seasonings in your pantry. Grab that BBQ rub. That rotisserie chicken flavoring. Whatever you like on other foods will be great on smoked cheese. Be adventurous!
Fire up your smoker for 225 F. Use whatever wood you prefer, but I recommend a lighter wood (such as apple) since the cheese will easily absorb the smoke.
Unwrap the cream cheese but leave it on the foil.
Place into the freezer for 10 minutes to harden slightly.
Use a knife to cut diagonal slits across the top of the cheese. Cut about 1/4" deep.
Sprinkle the cheese liberally with the seasoning. Press it down gently to get into the slits you just cut.
Place the cheese (on the foil) onto your smoker and smoke 1 1/2-2 hours depending on how smoky you want your cheese. The cheese should soften slightly but not melt.
Remove and serve with crackers.
Notes
I place my cream cheese on a foil-wrapped cedar plank. I found that it makes it easier to get the cheese on/off the smoker. As the cheese softens it slides off the foil easily onto my serving platter.Leftover cheese can be served cold or warmed in an air fryer, oven or microwave.
The messier it is, the better the burger. I’ve always lived by that motto. I was happy when I made these smash burgers with sweet chili special sauce. They were messy. The kind of messy where the sauce runs down the back of your arm when you pick them up for that big bite. The sauce is the star here and it shines big. It’s what that other ‘special’ burger sauce wishes it were: fantastic!
Heat, Too!
The sweet chili special sauce on these smash burgers has a nice little ‘kick’ to it. Not enough that you’ll be screaming ‘it burns! it burns!’ but it’s there and it adds a lot of flavor to the sauce. If you’re afraid of the heat, leave it out and you’ll still get to enjoy a great burger sauce. Or add more and wake up your burgers even more!
The sauce does get better the longer it ‘rests’ in the fridge. So, if you have the time, make it the day before you’re going to use it. Just give it a good stir before using it on your burgers.
Combine all of the sauce ingredients except for the lettuce in a small bowl.
Add in 1/4 cup of the shredded lettuce and stir to coat.
Reserve until ready to use.
For the burgers
Preheat a griddle on your grill on high for 10 minutes.
Form the beef into 4 4-ounce balls.
Place the balls onto the griddle and let cook for 30 seconds then flatten them out until then using a spatula or grill press. Season well with the salt and pepper.
After 3 minutes flip the patties and season. Continue cooking until almost done to your preference.
Add the cheese and cook another minute until melted and the burgers are done.
While the burgers are cooking toast the buns.
Remove burgers from the griddle and place onto the bun bottoms. Top with the lettuce, plenty of the sauce mixture, and onion slices.
I can sprinkle cheddar cheese seasoning on my popcorn all day long. And I’d be happy. Or I can take a extra few seconds and make smoky nacho cheese popcorn seasoning and take my cheesy popcorn addiction to a new level. I’ve been ditching potato chips as my go-to lunch snack because I cannot be trusted with them. Well, I can’t be trusted with seasoned popcorn either but it is at least a little better for me!
You Won’t Need Much!
You can ‘dust’ your popcorn with smoky nacho cheese ranch popcorn seasoning. Kinda sprinkle it a bit then gently shake or stir it. Or you can just go for it. Pour it on there. Use your hands to get it all over the popcorn. And your fingers. It’s gonna happen anyway. You’re gonna want to get maximum smoky cheesy heat yumminess. Don’t worry, it’s really not that spicy.
I’m not going to say that all slow cooker pulled pork dishes are boring. They aren’t. But some, well, they lacked depth shall we say. The sauce was all one note. Not bad, just not exciting. And not something I’d dream about at night. Then along came this slow cooker Appalachian Pulled Pork with Sweet and Sour Coleslaw. Nothing boring here. The sauce is complex, flavorful. Different. Piled high, it makes for a great (and messy) sandwich. It’s even better with a horseradish-packed slaw that’ll make your face pucker up. The combination is great.
Get Saucy
This recipe for some good ole slow cooker Appalachian Pulled Pork with Sweet and Sour coleslaw makes a good bit of sauce. I even scaled it back from the original recipe which I got from Sweet Baby Ray’s website. So no worrying about having boring, dry, un-sauced pulled pork here. When you dish it up, grab plenty of sauce. Between that and the yummy tangy creamy slaw, you’re in for a (messy) treat!
I made a big batch of my homemade pastrami the other day. Sure that meant plenty of Reuben sandwiches. And pastrami and mustard sandwiches. And a pastrami smash burger. This is a meat-lovers extravaganza. There’s no shortage of flavor that’s for sure. Sharp and tangy kraut. Smoky pastrami. And delicious, juicy meat patties. All topped with Swiss cheese and plenty of dressing. Grab the napkins, you’re in for a messy tasty treat!
A Lot Of Flavor.
Once you’ve made a smash burger or two you’ll find them to be as easy to make as the non-smash ones. Before long you’ll be a master at it, making great burgers like a pastrami burger. I like to pile the pastrami and kraut high. And I’ll take plenty of dressing, too. These aren’t supposed to be dainty burgers. The messier, the better.
You don’t have to make your own pastrami to enjoy this burger. Just picked some up at your local deli and enjoy!
Here’s the equipment I use. You can get by using two cast iron skillets. Use a larger skillet for cooking the burgers, and a smaller one to smash the burgers and keep them flat. Since I’m a cooking gadget collector, I prefer to use a few more tools.
The griddle
First, a griddle. You can buy griddles that sit on top of your grill grates or ones that replace them. Just about every grill I have has a griddle on it. I use them for a lot of things, not just smash burgers. You want one that can be placed over the hottest part of your grill so it gets screaming hot.
Next, you need a burger press. You can use a heavy cast iron skillet, like I mentioned. Or get a burger press. For easy cleanup I wrap mine in foil first. When I’m done, just peel off the foil and toss. Super easy. Get a press that’s at least big enough to cover two burgers. You only smash one at a time, but if you want to keep them flat, you want to rest the press on top so bigger (and heavier) is better. Plus I’ve found that a bigger, heavier press tends to stay on the burgers whereas a smaller, lighter one is hard to keep centered on the burgers, specially if you have a bunch of them cooking at once.
Next up, a dome. While not 100% required, it does speed the time it takes to melt the cheese and it does it in a nice even fashion. In my opinion you don’t really need one if you’re using a super melty cheese, such as American, but for thicker slices like say a deli pepper jack, you want the cheese to melt before you over-cook the burger and that’s where a dome comes in handy.
Lastly, you need something to clean your griddle. I like to clean mine when I’m done cooking, but you can do it at the start instead. I use one of these pad holders with a griddle cleaning pad. Then I add a bit of water to my griddle then use the pad (connected to the holder) to scrub off any big chunks and get up some of the grease. I don’t go crazy with it, I always heat the heck out of my griddle before cooking, but I get the worst. The long arm on the pad holder makes it perfect for scrubbing a hot griddle, too.
Fire up your grill for medium-high heat. Place a griddle or a large cast iron pan over the highest heat.
Season the ground beef with salt and pepper, mix and form into four 4 ounce balls (not patties!).
Place the balls of beef on the griddle and let cook for one minute. Just let them cook, don’t mess with them.
Take your press and flatten out the patties. I like to use the point of the press and work my way around the ball first, doing a little section at a time and then finally I press down on the entire patty to flatten it out. You can also just flatten out the ball all at once. At this point I also like to season the patties some more.
Let the patties cook until you start to notice a little char along the edges. Flip, season again if desired, and continue cooking another minute or so until the other side is charred. The burgers are thin so they will cook very quickly so watch out.
Top patties with cheese and let cook another 30 seconds to melt the cheese.
While the patties continue cooking add the pastrami and kraut to the griddle to heat.
Toast the buns. Remove and slather with dressing.
Add patties to bottom buns. Top with pastrami and kraut and serve.
Notes
If you can find them, rye burger buns make these some of the best hamburgers you can have. They’re hard to find and regular buns work just fine!
