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Disclaimer - I'm a slacker. Due to Hurricane Sandy I pushed the Game Day Recipe Swap back a week, giving participants three full weeks to make their assigned recipe and I still couldn't get it together. I don't have a good defense but thankfully I have a good friend named Jaida who writes the blog Sweet Beginnings. She graciously stepped in to make my recipe when I frantically texted her and asked for help. Thanks hon!

Below is her review and photo. I really need to find some time to make these - they sound amazing and SP loves Monte Cristo sandwiches.

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It’s no secret to any of my readers that I have a possibly unhealthy love for all things sandwich, so when Sarah asked me if I could step in and make this recipe, from The Jey of Cooking, for the swap, there was no hesitation is saying yes! In fact, I went to the store and got the ingredients that very day, and had them while watching football. Very fitting, since the theme for this round of the swap was Game Day Food!

I’m not usually big on frying anything (although I will go all out on the fried foods when I’m at a bar!), but these don’t taste fried or give that heavy, I just ate a ton of fried crap, feeling that sometimes happens. Nope, it was just pure, bite-sized deliciousness, dipped in pancake batter, pan-fried, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and dipped in raspberry jam. That’s right folks...raspberry jam. But, don't let the small size fool you...these little puppies will fill you up. I ate three and I was down for the count. Until later, when I had another. Then later another. You get the picture.

I texted Sarah immediately to tell her how delicious they were, accompanied by a picture. Obviously I was excited...and thankful she asked for my help! Now, football season is in full-force so you need to add these to your menu for the next game. Trust me…you, your friends, your boyfriend/husband/significant other, will be so glad you did!!

Mini Monte Cristos
As seen on The Jey of Cooking

6 slices bread
Mustard
6 slices ham, thinly sliced
6 slices turkey, thinly sliced
6 sliced Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
1 cup buttermilk pancake mix
2 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Vegetable oil, for frying
Raspberry jam, for serving
Powdered sugar, for topping

Trim the crust off each slice of bread and flatten with a rolling pin. Spread the tops with mustard. Top with 1 slice of ham, 1 slice of turkey and 1 slice of Swiss cheese, to fit.

Roll bread tightly into a log shape (you can use plastic wrap to assist in the rolling, if desired). Wrap very tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Mix the pancake mix and eggs together until well combined, then add the evaporated mil, salt and cinnamon. Mix well.

In a deep saucepan, heat 1 1/2 inches of oil over medium heat, to 375 degrees F. Unwrap each roll and secure with 3-4 toothpicks. Slice each roll into 3-4 pieces, leaving the toothpicks intact.

Dip each piece into the prepared batter, then place into the heated oil. (To test the temperature of your oil, drop a small amount of batter into the saucepan. Adjust the temperature as necessary so that your batter drop becomes golden brown within 20-30 seconds.) Fry 3-4 at a time, so you don't overcrowd the pot and drop the temp of the oil, for 1-2 minutes per side, turning once, until golden brown.

Remove the bites to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with raspberry jam, for dipping.

In the time I've been hosting the recipe swaps I've never missed a single swap. Until now. But, I have a very good reason. This past week we took Baby Girl to California to visit my dad and stepmom and she got her first taste of the magical world of Disney. We had a blast seeing her experience all the rides, characters and fun that makes up Disneyland. I can't wait to take her back - she's a total fanatic now.

I knew with the week leading up to our trip being hectic at work (isn't that always the way?) and then being out of town I wouldn't have a chance to participate in the swap. Check out what the other ladies made in the links below.

The theme for the latest recipe swap was breakfast, which happens to be one of my favorite meals to prepare. I generally prefer savory over sweet breakfast foods and I lucked out when I was assigned Panera Bread's Spinach Artichoke Baked Egg Souffle from Joanna. I love spinach and artichoke together, but add in eggs and a flaky crust and I'm in heaven.

I stuck pretty close to the original recipe, only subbing American for the Monterery Jack cheese and using Pecorino instead of Asiago since I had both on hand. I didn't realize how long these would take to prepare so instead of eating one hot out of the oven I allowed them all to cool, froze three and ate one for breakfast the next day. It was very easy to reheat (microwaved for a few minutes, then crisped up in the toaster oven).

Next time I'll leave out the red pepper because I felt it overwhelmed the other flavors. I'm hit or miss with peppers in general, though. I think leaving them out will allow the spinach and artichoke flavors to shine, which is what I wanted. These were still very tasty and I'll definitely make them again, being sure to plan ahead so I can enjoy one fresh from the oven.


Panera Bread's Spinach Artichoke Baked Egg Souffle
From Newlywed and Newly Cooking (as published by Good Morning America, 2008)

3 tablespoons frozen spinach, thawed
3 tablespoons minced artichoke hearts
2 teaspoons minced onion
1 teaspoon minced red bell pepper
5 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 8-ounce tube Pillsbury Crescent butter flake dough
Cooking spray
1/4 cup shredded Asiago cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine spinach, artichoke hearts, onion, and red bell pepper in a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of water, cover bowl with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in the plastic. Microwave on high for 3 minutes.

Beat 4 eggs. Mix in milk, cream, cheddar cheese, Jack cheese, Parmesan, and salt. Stir in spinach, artichoke, onion, and bell pepper. Microwave egg mixture for 30 seconds on high, and then stir it. Do this 4 to 5 more times or until you have a very runny scrambled egg mixture. This process will tighten up the eggs enough so that the dough won't sink into the eggs when it's folded over.

Unroll and separate the crescent dough into four rectangles. Don't tear the dough along the perforations that make triangles. Instead, pinch the dough together along those diagonal perforations so that you have four rectangles. Use some flour on the dough and roll across the width of the rectangle with a rolling pin so that each piece of dough stretches out into a square that is approximately 6 inches by 6 inches.

Spray four 4-inch baking dishes or ramekins with cooking spray. Line each ramekin with the dough, then spoon equal amounts of egg mixture into each ramekin. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of Asiago cheese on top of the egg mixture in each ramekin, and then gently fold the dough over the mixture. Beat the last egg in a small bowl, then brush beaten egg over the top of the dough in each ramekin.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until dough is brown. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the soufflés from each ramekin and serve hot.

As much as I enjoy the Blogger's Choice recipe swaps, they are definitely more difficult than the themed swaps. Having to actually pick a recipe is tough. For this installment of Blogger's Choice I was given Kim's blog, Feed Me Seymour. I love the name and had a tough time picking a recipe. I had it narrowed down to four choices and ultimately gave SP final say. It wasn't a shock when he chose Fried Green Tomato BLTs. The man loves a good BLT.


The sandwiches sounded delicious but I was concerned about my ability to find green tomatoes in the supermarket. I've never noticed them before and, as suspected, they didn't have any. I chose a firmer red tomato and hoped for the best.

These were absolutely delicious, if messy. The tomatoes held together pretty well during the frying process but didn't get crispy or golden brown like I hoped they would. I wonder if Panko would be a better choice, if not exactly authentic. The sweet basil mayo was positively addicting and I was sad that there wasn't more of it (the recipe below makes just enough for two sandwiches). I hope I can find green tomatoes at some point so I can make these properly.

As an aside, I wish I could take better pictures of sandwiches. I haven't been able to figure out how to get a good inside shot while still showing the whole sandwich.

Fried Green Tomato BLTs
As seen on Feed Me Seymour
Makes 2 sandwiches

Fried Green Tomatoes
1 large green tomato (or firm red tomato)
1 cup flour
1 cup breadcrumbs (or Panko)
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Slice the tomato into thick slices.

Put the flour on one plate. Put your eggs, beaten, in a shallow bowl. Combine chili powder, salt and pepper and breadcrumbs on a third plate. One at a time, dip the tomato slices in the flour to coat. Tap off the excess flour. Put them next in the egg, coating them, then in the breadcrumb mix and fully coat.

Heat a sauce pan with about an inch of oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, place the tomato slices in the pan. Cook them on one side until golden brown, about a minute. Gently flip them to the other side and cook until golden brown. Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel to drain. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Sweet Basil Mayo
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

In a food processor, combine basil, mayo, lemon juice and mustard. Pulse a few times until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sandwiches
4 slices thick sandwich bread, toasted
4 fried green tomatoes
Lettuce
8 to 12 slices crispy bacon
Sweet basil mayo

Slather one slice of bread with sweet basil mayo. Be generous. Layer on two fried green tomatoes. Next, add 4 slices bacon. Top with lettuce and the other slice of bread.

Time for another Recipe Swap Roundup. This was another Blogger's Choice Swap and it was another huge hit. Check out the dishes everyone chose below. A big thanks to Jaida from Sweet Beginnings for putting this together for me. 

Coleen from Does Not Cook Well With Others took these Baked Cheeseburger Egg Rolls to a party she was invited to, and they were a big hit!

When I received Jessica's blog for the Blogger's Choice swap I knew I was in trouble. There are just way too many delicious recipes to make. How was I going to choose? We are going on vacation soon and after last year we realized the area where we're staying isn't exactly good in the breakfast department. This year I thought I'd make some breakfast foods at home (muffins and breakfast burritos) and freeze them so we could eat breakfast at the condo instead. I decided to pick one of her many delicious-looking muffin recipes to make and freeze and after much deliberation I settled on Blackberry and Lemon Muffins, subbing blueberries for blackberries simply because we like them better and they're easier to find.


These were incredibly easy to make - mix dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another then combine. Easy peasy. I ate one before freezing the rest and it was yummy. I wished it was a tad bit sweeter (UPDATE - after eating more than my fair share of muffins while on vacation I've decided the mild sweetness is perfect) but otherwise they were delicious. I'm planning to toast them for breakfast a few times while we're away and serve with plenty of butter (what, we'll be on vacation).

Blueberry and Lemon Muffins
Slightly adapted from Sunny Side Up in San Diego

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Grated zest of 1 small lemon, about a heaping tablespoon
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
8 tablespoons warm melted butter (1 stick)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups (about 6 oz) chopped fresh or frozen blueberries, if frozen defrost and drain liquid

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare 2 muffin tins with 18 liners.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. Set aside

In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, sugar, lemon juice, butter and vanilla.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and, using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, mix together just until evenly combined. Add the blueberries and gently fold into the batter. Careful not to over mix, that can cause tough muffins.

Divide the batter into the muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for just a few minutes, until the muffins are cool enough to handle and transfer to a wire rack.

To freeze - Cool muffins completely. Wrap each muffin in a piece of plastic wrap. Place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month.

This was one of my favorite swaps. I want to make pretty much all the recipes highlighted below. If you're suffering from record high temps as summer winds down, check out these delicious recipes.

Big thanks to Jaida from Sweet Beginnings for putting this roundup together for me. Things have been hectic lately and I realized I had never done the roundup. Jaida stepped in and got it done. Thank you!!

Colleen from Does Not Cook Well with Others made these delicious Korean-Style Short Ribs.

Melissa from I Was Born to Cook really enjoyed her Caprese Sliders with Pesto Mayo during her weekend at the Shore.


Lisa from Tastetastic Voyage was reminded of fond childhood memories with by recipe for Barley Chickpea Salad.


Christine from Christine’s Kitchen Chronicles joined many of her fellow bloggers who have fallen in love with these Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches.


Kate from Kate’s Recipe Box was pleasantly surprised how much she liked her BLT Hot Dogs.


Jenna from Jenna’s Cooking Journey discovered a new trick while making these Turkey Burgers with Cheddar and Cumin Aioli.


Mary Ellen from Mary Ellen’s Cooking Creations was hesitant at first, but really enjoyed her Autumn Salad.


Stef from Kickin it in the Kitch really enjoyed her Chili Lime Shrimp Salad.


Alison from Sparks from the Kitchen was very pleased with her Creamy Shrimp Rolls.


Christina from Tales from the Mad Men Kitchen enjoyed her Berry and Kiwi Salad with Sweet Balsamic Dressing as a lunch entrée.


Nichole from The Cookaholic Wife was excited to be able to use her Griddler for these Shrimp Po’ Boy Sandwiches.


Dawn from Simple Gourmet Cooking loved the versatility in selecting ingredients for her Pinwheels.


Ashley from Cheese Curd in Paradise really enjoyed her Italian Panini, even though she forgot one of her favorite ingredients at the store!














Jen from Becoming Pigzilla liked how easy her Sloppy Joes were to make in the crockpot.