Croque Monsieur and Madame, so not "complicated"

Pin It

The other night, my teenage boys had some friends over, platonic female friends...they wanted to watch an on demand pay movie..."It's Complicated"  Sure, go ahead..wondering what that is about, sounded familiar.  10 mins later, they get a text and all leave...paid movie just going to go to waste, as usual. lol.  So I looked it up to see what it was about...and my husband and I sat eating our salmon with roasted veggies dinner in front of the tv...we laughed, what a great movie (the kids never would have liked it, but had it not been for them, I never would have watched it.)
She made a cute french meal in the movie that looks delish and she said that she made it when she was low on funds.  It was a sort of grilled ham and cheese with cheese on top too, served with a salad.  Croque Monsieur.  I had to have one..its going to be my new thing to make myself when I want a quick meal. (let me tell ya, her pronunciation and the spelling of it were hard to put together to look up lol.
For the record, a Croque Madam is with egg on it.
Recipe follows movie trailer.










Pan down for another few versions...some are more "Complicated"  than others. But all seem pretty easy and fast to make.

Croque Monsieur Sandwich Recipe

Grilled cheese sandwiches can be temperamental. Get them too hot and you can scorch the bread. Not hot enough and the cheese doesn't fully melt.

Using clarified butter helps, because you can get the pan hotter. But even heating is as important as the temperature itself. So unless you have a griddle on your rangetop, it's best to cook one sandwich at a time, in a single pan.

Therefore, this recipe makes one sandwich. If you want to double the recipe and make two sandwiches at once, use two separate pans.

For this recipe you'll also need a small amount of béchamel, a basic white sauce.

Prep Time: 4 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 9 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 slices white bread
• 1 Tbsp clarified butter (or unsalted butter), soft
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup grated Gruyère cheese (Jarlsberg or Monterey Jack may be substituted. See variations below.)
• 2 Tbsp béchamel sauce
• 2 oz. sliced ham (1 slice)

Preparation:

1. Trim the crusts off of the bread, making the slices as square as possible.
   
2. Spread both slices of bread with butter, then flip them over and spread them lightly with Dijon mustard.
   
3. In a bowl, combine the cheese and béchamel sauce and mix until the cheese is fully coated.
   
4. Spoon the cheese mixture onto the bread, half on each slice, and spread it evenly. Lay the sliced ham atop one of the sandwich halves, then press both halves together. You should now have a sandwich that is buttered on the outside, with a slice of ham between two layers of the cheese mixture.
   
5. Spray a bit of cooking spray onto the surface of a nonstick pan. Heat the pan over a medium heat until the oil is hot and glistening but not quite smoking.
   
6. Place the sandwich into the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the bottom of the bread is a nice shade of golden-brown.
   
7. Use a nonstick spatula to flip the sandwich over. Lower the heat a bit and cover the pan. Cook for another minute or two, or until the second slice of bread is also golden brown and the cheese inside the sandwich is fully melted.
   
8. Slice diagonally and serve right away.

Variations:

• Muenster, Gouda, Fontina and Comté are good to use instead or in combination with the Gruyère.
• Substitute sliced cooked chicken breast for ham.
• Instead of white bread, use sourdough. Leave crusts on.
• Top finished sandwich with a fried egg to make a Croque Madame, possibly named because the egg resembles a ladies' hat.

source: http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/sandwiches/r/croquemonsieur.htm

Here is Nigella's version of it, in a one dish meal.
Croque Monsieur Bake
  And another version I found..
**************************************************************************

Croque Monsieur

{recipe via Epicurious}

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 bay leaf
4 slices firm white sandwich bread
4 ounces thinly sliced Black Forest ham
4 ounces sliced Gruyère cheese
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/4 cup grated Gruyère cheese
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Add nutmeg and bay leaf. Increase heat to medium-high and boil until sauce thickens, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat broiler. Place 2 bread slices on work surface. Top each with half of ham and sliced Gruyère. Top with remaining bread. Heat heavy large skillet over low heat. Brush sandwiches with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Add to skillet and cook until deep golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to small baking sheet. Spoon sauce, then grated cheese over sandwiches. Broil until cheese begins to brown, about 2 minutes.

 *************************************************************************

 Croque Madame
Okay,  this is the same, with a fried egg on top.  Serving this with baby greens is awesome, if you never had the runny egg yolk on baby greens, you must try it!!!
You can so carefully add an egg to the top of the Croque Monsieur and broil it until cooked to your liking..depending on the size of the bread, or even cut a small hole in it for putting the egg.  Serve it over the baby greens. YUM
You can also serve this at breakfast with home-fries or french fries at lunch, but with all of the cheese and egg, butter etc, the lettuce is a wiser and healthier choice. 

Now I need to get an ice cream maker and try to create that Lavender Honey Ice Cream she makes...sounds great..had lavender ice cream once with lavender chocolate cake...first bite was odd, but had to have a second and third bite..it really was good.

Some of you who have a baking stone, can make these in the oven, all at once. I like my Pampered Chef stone, avail on my website, but you can find them pretty reasonably priced on Amazon.



My need to gripe....And since Pampered Chef will not allow me to advertise the site that I pay them to have on my blog or anywhere, guess they lose out on the sales.  (as much as I love their products, I am very bitter to them)
If you wish to find my site, go to pamperedchef dot biz backslash margaritastewart  lol.  hehe. If they'd like to take my site away for putting my site on here that way, then so be it...and tootloo PC. Tying our hands on selling the products really ticks me off.

A Quickie Post: Graduation Treats

These adorable hats are from Bakerella's site! 

That's all folks lol. Visit her site by clicking the link above for directions on how to make them.
Her book is on Amazon, cute book! 
 

 

Free Pillsbury Cookbook

Okay, this cookbook IS free lol.  The Taste of Home people must have caught on.  

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/gm/springgettogether/#/0

Rachel Ray isn't the only one with a Meals in 30 mins or less cookbook!

Again with one of my favorite recipe author's and vegan recipe authors to boot!  She is amazing and her recipes will please even the most stubborn meat eater in your house!  Don't tell them its vegan!

Creamy Tortilla Soup

This silky rich soup is creamy with a refreshing note of lime. Choose from mild, medium or salsa to determine the heat intensity of the soup.

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup tomato salsa
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 ripe Haas avocados
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 to 4 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips (about 1/4-inch x 2-inch), for garnish

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.

2. Stir in 1 cup of the salsa and the broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

3. Halve and pit one of the avocados and place it in a blender or food processor. Add the reserved soup mixture and process until smooth. Transfer back to the pot, add the lime juice and parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm over low heat while you toast the tortillas.

4. Lightly brush the tortillas with oil and cut them into thin strips, about 1/4-inch thick by 2-inches long. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the tortilla strips and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes.

5. Just before serving, halve, pit, and dice the remaining avocado and stir half of it into the soup.

6. To serve, garnish the soup with the remaining diced avocado, remaining salsa, and the tortilla strips.

Serves 4

Tempeh with Coconut-Peanut Sauce

The sauce is so yummy you may want to eat it with a spoon, but save some for the tempeh. This is wonderful served over basmati or jasmine rice. The sauce is also good over tofu or vegetable patties or tossed with noodles.

• 1 (12-ounce) package tempeh, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger, fresh or bottled
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, for garnish
• 2 tablespoons minced cilantro, for garnish

1. Poach the tempeh in a skillet of simmering water for 7 minutes. Drain and blot dry.

2. Heat the oil in the same skillet over medium high heat Add tempeh and cook until browned on all sides, adding 1 tablespoon of the tamari for color and flavor. Set aside.

3. In a food processor, combine the peanut butter, scallions, ginger, garlic, coconut milk, lime juice, sugar, cayenne, and the remaining tablespoon of tamari. Process until smooth.

4. Stir the sauce into the skillet with the tempeh and simmer until hot, about 5 minutes. Serve garnished with peanuts and cilantro.

Serves 4

Chocolate Cherry Truffles

These rich-tasting truffles look adorable when presented in little foil or paper candy cups. Use a high-quality cocoa for best results. Dried cranberries or blueberries may be substituted for the cherries if desired.

• 1/4 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup almond butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Coating of choice: cocoa, crushed toasted almonds, toasted shredded coconut

1. Place the cherries in a heatproof bowl and cover with 1/4 cup boiling water to soften. Drain the cherries and transfer to a food processor and process until finely chopped.

2. Add the almond butter and process until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, and vanilla. Blend well, then transfer to a bowl.

3. Using your hands, roll a small amount of the mixture into a 1-inch ball. Repeat until the mixture is used up. Drop the truffles, 2 or 3 at a time, into a shallow plate containing either cocoa, coconut, or almonds, depending on your preference. Roll the truffles in the coating, covering completely and pressing the coating lightly onto the truffles. Transfer to a plate and refrigerate until firm. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

A quickie for my Vegan Friends

 I found these recipes today and they look awesome.

  Wanted to share them with my vegan friends and my part time vegan friends.  

They come from this link below.

http://www.globalvegankitchen.com/SampleRecipes_VOTC.html

Penne-Wise Peanutty Pasta

Here’s a great way to get a delicious dinner on the table in a few minutes that the whole family will love. (Just omit the red pepper flakes if you have young children).

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 4 ounces silken tofu
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional or to taste)
• 1 1/2 cups soy milk
• 12 ounces penne pasta
• 2 carrots, cut into very thin coins
• 2 cups small broccoli florets
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley or cilantro
• 1/4 cup crushed peanuts

1. In a blender or food processor, combine the garlic, green onions, and ginger. Process until well minced. Add the tofu, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, ketchup, sugar, pepper flakes (if using), and soy milk. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

2. Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente, about 10 minutes. About halfway through, add the carrots and broccoli to the boiling pasta. Drain the pasta and vegetables well and return to the pot.

3. Pour the reserved sauce into the pot containing the pasta and vegetables. Toss to combine and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally to heat through, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot, sprinkled with parsley and peanuts.

Serves 4

Vegetable Crisp

Inspired by the delightful peach and apple crisps, this savory version also has a crunchy crumbly topping. You can vary the ingredients according to what’s in season or on sale. For example, if eggplant is expensive and zucchini is on sale, omit the eggplant and double up on the zucchini. If fresh basil is at a premium, use fresh parsley augmented by some dried basil. I prefer using a red bell pepper in this dish, but if they’re too expensive, you can use a green one.

The vegetables:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large red onion, halved lengthwise and cut into paper thin slices
• 1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 3 medium zucchini, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch slices
• 3 large Portobello mushroom caps, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices

The topping:

• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

1. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

2. Brush the oil and vinegar mixture onto both sides of the sliced vegetables. Place all the vegetables except the tomatoes on large baking sheets (they can overlap slightly, but keep each type of vegetable separate). Bake until softened, about 15 minutes.

3. In a bowl, combine the topping ingredients, stirring to mix well.

4. Lightly oil a 9-inch baking dish or medium gratin dish. When the vegetables come out of the oven, set aside until cool enough to handle. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

5. Arrange a layer of the eggplant slices on the bottom of the prepared baking dish; top with a layer of onion, followed by the mushrooms, zucchini, and tomatoes. Drizzle with any remaining oil and vinegar mixture and repeat the layering until all the vegetables are used. Sprinkle the reserved topping mixture over vegetables. Bake for 30 minutes.

Serves 4

Smokey Joes

I like to use seitan to make this spicy version of sloppy joes, but you can also use frozen crumbled tofu, grated tempeh, or cooked bulgur to good effect.

• 8 ounces seitan
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/2 cup minced green bell pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/4 cup water, or more
• 1 or 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon dark prepared mustard
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 burger rolls

1. Shred or finely chop the seitan and set it aside.

2. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper, cover, and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds longer. Stir in the reserved seitan and the soy sauce and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to lightly brown.

3. Stir in the ketchup, tomato paste, water, chipotle chile, mustard, chili powder, paprika, Liquid Smoke, salt, and pepper. Mix well, adding a little more water if the mixture is too dry. Simmer for 5 minutes to blend flavors.

4. When ready to serve, spoon the hot mixture onto rolls and serve hot.

Serves 4

Caramel Baked Apples

This home-style dessert is basically baked apples stuffed with bread pudding and topped with a luscious caramel sauce. A scoop of vanilla makes a great addition, in which case you may want to serve only one stuffed apple half per person instead of two.

For the apples:

• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped bread
• 1/4 cup finely chopped walnut pieces
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon melted vegan margarine
• 1/4 cup apple juice or soy milk
• 4 Granny Smith apples

For the sauce:

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup vegan margarine
• 1/3 cup soy milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a bowl, combine the bread, walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, melted margarine, and apple juice or soy milk. Stir until well blended. Set aside.

2. Grease a 9-inch baking dish and set aside. Halve and core the apples and arrange them, cut side up, in the prepared baking dish. Spoon an equal amount of the bread mixture onto each apple half and use your fingers to press the mixture firmly into each apple. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

3. For the sauce, combine the brown sugar and margarine in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and the margarine is melted. Stir in the soy milk and maple syrup and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

4. Spoon about half of the sauce mixture over the apples and set the remaining sauce aside. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the apples are tender, about 40 minutes, or longer, depending on the size of the apples.

5. To serve, arrange 1 or 2 apple halves in a shallow dessert bowl and drizzle with some of the remaining sauce. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Serves 4 to 8

Herb Markers and the wonders of Paint Pens

I love my Rosemary Marker but have looked high and low for matching one's for my Basil, Parsley, etc to no avail.  Until I find them (and I will lol) my sister-in-law recommended that I paint my river rocks that I have all over the herb garden with the herb name!  Brilliant idea Cheryl!!!

I took some paint pens I bought and here they are!!!  (by the way, the paint pens are awesome, if you can write, you can make signs)

My awesome mom gave me some of her bee balm about three weeks ago. 

Karen Cleary gave me these onions last year in the background there. I love how they are full of air..they are so fun.  I am just going to let them go for another year to get more.

Too early for my basil to come out and play.  I have it growing and will have a huge supply of it soon in my herb garden, but it is too tall  for me to worry about covering so my stone is ready for when it comes out.

My lovely mother in law, Susie gave me some of her Lemon Balm last year...wow, this smells awesome!  It's perennial and I am happy it came back.  Survival of the fittest in my yard.

My neighbor, Amoceita (a very cute woman who hails from Haiti) gave me some of her scallions.  This lady was the first in the neighborhood to come and welcome us to the neighborhood when we moved in 11 years ago.  She is so sweet and I love her accent. She shares the same address as us.  We get her mail and she gets ours all of the time..post office goof..she has the same house  number and street name address as us, but her's ends in court and ours ends in road. Dumb I know, but it keeps us close lol.

My sage is coming back.  It was planted a few years ago in a pot, and I finally put it in the ground.

Hubby put this little patio in for me off my herb garden.  That's my summer kitchen in the background, I really gotta get on making curtains for that window, it looks atrocious. You can also see my plant covers on the side of the building..I use clear plastic containers for a quick on and off for frosty nights...hoping there will be no more of those now.

My mom was getting rid of this cute bear so I made it a sign to hold, again with my paint pen!  These things are awesome!

My hostas, I swore I was going to seperate this time around, and didn't.  I am glad I didn't. I love how ginormous they get!  I have them all over the place on my property.  They are my favorite plants, you don't have to do anything to them...they just grow and grow. 

I won't bore you with all of the pics of them.  They just always amaze me.  They grow to about three feet around and hog up my flower beds, but I love it!  It's only May 1 so they will get bigger and bigger. 

And that bush...ugh, my neighbor wanted it gone, so hubby took some of her bushes and saved them..little did I realize how big it was going to get.  I am going to have to move it and hate to do it because I am afraid it will go into shock, but its getting too big for that spot.

Some old blog posts of my property if you want to see my past gardens.
My ginormous garden...won't be this big ever again...what a mess it become in the fall!

My other neglected blog, which was actually my first blog.  Pics of my yard I posted before.

A "Now and Later" Meal

Pin It

A Now and Later Meal.

Eat one now, save one for later.

Here's a cool recipe I found, that you make one for now and freeze one for later.  

Pasta Crab Casserole

serves 4

8 oz uncooked Penne or any similar sized pasta

2 large onions

½ pound fresh sliced mushrooms

½ cup green pepper, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

½ cup butter

16 oz crab meat (can sub chopped immitation, yuk)

½ cup sour cream

2 tsp salt

1½ tsp dried basil

1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.  In a saute pan, saute onions, green pepper, garlic and mushrooms in butter until tender but still slightly crisp. Remove from heat. Drain pasta, add to the saute pan.  Stir in the crab, sour cream, basil and salt.  

Pour into two greased 8 inch square baking dishes.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Cover and freeze one for up to 30 days.  

Cover and bake the other casserole @ 350° for 20 minutes.  Uncover and bake 5 minutes longer, or until heated through.  If you would like, you can add some *panko bread crumbs to the top for the final 5 min baking.

To Cook Frozen Casserole:  Thaw in the frige for 24 hours. Remove from frige 30 mins before baking.  Cover and bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes, or until heated through.  Again for a crispy top, add *panko bread crumbs to top for final 5 mins of baking.  

Serve with garlic bread and a salad.

*I like to mix my panko bread crumbs with a bit of olive oil  or melted butter and some Parmesan cheese to add to top of this. I also double this, because I have a hubby and two teenage sons, so our serves four, serves two so I make it in a lasagna size baking dish, and freeze the same size dish. The cooking time extends slighly, but not too much. 

If you don't want to leave your baking dish in the freezer, put foil or plastic on the bottom of the baking dish you are going to freeze.  After its frozen, you can remove it from the baking dish, and when you take it out to refrigerate, remove the foil/plastic wrap and put back into baking dish to thaw in the refrigerator. 

Also, you can sub chicken or any meat in this.