Although I’m sure many of us enjoy the rich flavors of a 6-hour Bolognese sauce (the way nonna used to make it) or the flaky homemade texture of Baklava, there are just not enough hours in the day to indulge in these treats on a regular basis. Since I would never advocate resorting to fast food, there are always ways around this pickle. I knew I had to create a variety of dishes that I could rely on when time was breathing down my neck. College was the perfect place to develop this habit because it wipes your bank account clean and works you till the wee hours of the morning.
One of my favorite go-to dishes (and the one I decided to feature in today’s entry) is focaccia sandwiches. I make the focaccia at home using store-bought pizza dough and keep it in the fridge for easy access throughout the week. Also, the topping combinations for focaccia are as endless as the ingredients you can pair with it. A panini press is not required; but if you have been thinking about getting one lately, you definitely should (it’s probably one of my favorite toys in the kitchen!). Before I got mine I used toast the sandwich on a grill pan or in the toaster oven if I was feeling particularly lazy.
other go-to dishes of mine include:
– Pasta alla Zarina (Spinach Pesto Pasta)
– Chicken Piccata
– Low-fat Vanilla yogurt with frozen blueberries, cereal, almonds & flax seeds (my usual breakfast)
Tony, this is such an awesome video, I loved it!!! Of course, The Brady Bunch is from my “time” :-p What a great job!
I made panini for the first time this weekend for CFY. I used roasted zucchini, portabella slices, red peppers (seasoned with liquid aminos) and muenster cheese the were delish! I’m glad you have these recipes in your video so I can try them also!
Very cute video, I have enjoyed it very much! You are just a baby at 22!!! I am not too much older, but trust me, you are just a kid, enjoy it! Happy birthday, and congratulations on graduating!
Love your sandwiches, anything prosciutto for me! I would have to say my favorite go-to or to-go dishes is also sandwiches, and I make mine with Krakus ham (Polish), provolone, tomatoes, and whatever bread I can get, but I love ciabatta the best! Oh, and I just grill it in Foreman grilling machine 🙂
Those are some tasty sandwiches. Great video!
Hey Tony,
Thanks for dropping by my lil corner of the world… Great site you have here, I love the design.
I’ll be checking back to see your upcoming projects so that I can take part!
Tony what a great video, and a great blog you have, I had a nice visit with you! Thanks for stopping by my blog too!
Thanks for stopping by my blog today. It has allowed me to spend some time this afternoon enjoying yours. You are quite the busy and creative person!
Ironically, I just made a 5-hour bolognese. We love sandwiches, too, and when I get out my panini pan, there’s bound to be goat cheese and arugula somewhere in the mix.
Wow, I can’t wait to be eating those on my outdoor deck while sipping on some cocktails 🙂 Of course, I’ll oversee the cooking process.
I just discovered mouhamara the other day. So I went to youtube in order to see it being cooked by someone. So I see your video and then I go to your website. Then I figure out that you went to Cornell. I went there too and I am from Ithaca. It’s a small world. I like your website a lot though. Keep up the good work.
Love it! Very engaging (wow-that sounded so educator-like of me!) Go to for me is anything Caprese – tomato and mozzarella. However, I did make it with orange instead of tomato last summer and it was delish! I also made a Grilled Cheese with Fig Jam, Fontina, and Arugula that still makes my mouth water when I think about it…i guess all food is go-to for me. ha!
Heeee! LOVE the Brady Bunch twist on the video! And those paninis look freaking delicious…I especially loved the Chicken Caprese one…YUM! 🙂