Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party and Giveaway

Happy Friday friends!  Welcome to another wonderful party!  We had a great turnout last week, and I sure hope you are bringing some more amazing recipes today.  

First off, let's take a look at this week's amazing giveaway for three lucky randomly selected links!  Bazor Designs is giving three lucky winners this adorable hand-screened lemon kitchen towel!  This award is limited to U.S. and Canada residents only.  I would LOVE one of these in my kitchen!

Sweet Onion and Pickle Panini

OK.  I admit it.  I first made this recipe last summer when I was pregnant with my youngest daughter.  It just sounds like one of those weird pregnancy cravings, doesn't it?  Well that is how it started, but this recipe is a keeper!  The combination of sharp cheddar cheese, sweet onion, and juicy pickle is amazing.  I sometimes add Havarti cheese to the mix because I love it in combination with the cheddar.  This makes for a quick and easy meal when you are pressed for time, and a nice alternative to plain grilled cheese.  

Ingredients
crusty white bread ( I use a french miche)
2-3 slices of sharp cheddar cheese
1 sweet onion, chopped
pickle slices
butter

Directions

1. Heat your panini press to medium-high.
2. Butter the outside of the bottom piece of bread.  Put a single layer of cheese, topped with a layer of pickles on top.  Layer the diced onions and top with another layer of cheddar.  Butter the outside of the top piece of bread.
3. Place inside the panini press and cook until golden brown.  Let sit for about 2 mintes before cutting in half to serve.  

Food Fun: Color-Themed Dinners

I am starting a new feature on the blog called Food Fun where I will share some of the ways I make food entertaining for my kids.  Let's face it, if kids are having fun, they are more likely to try new things.  By making healthy foods more of an activity, they will hopefully become adventurous eaters who are open to a wide variety of tastes, colors, textures, and experiences.  

This week I wanted to share with you my color-themed meal.  Occasionally, I will pick a color (with the help of the girls) and plan a meal consisting entirely (as best as I can) of that one color.  It is so much fun for the kids!  For this dinner, we went with an orange theme.  The meal included tomato soup, roasted carrots, grilled cheese panini, and cantaloupe for dessert.  This is a wonderful way to get your kids involved in meal planning.  

Crispy Pesto Gnocchi

So I had been seeing this idea for crispy gnocchi all over the place and finally decided to try it.  I have to admit, I was never a huge gnocchi fan because of the texture, so I was excited to try this new version in the hope that I would like it.  And do you know what?  I DID!  :)  I have never had any sort of crispy pasta, so this was such a novelty for me.  My daughter loved it.  The gnocchi were just the right size for her to eat.  This was a wonderful, easy meal for the entire family.  

Ingredients

1 pound gnocchi, boiled according to package directions

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 C pesto

parmesan cheese

Directions

1. While the gnocchi is cooking in boiling water, heat the olive oil in a large fry pan over medium-high heat. 
2. Drain the gnocchi very well.
3. Add gnocchi to pan and spread them out to a single layer.  Let them cook undisturbed until crispy on one side, about 3-5 minutes.  Flip the gnocchi over and repeat on the other side.
4. Transfer to a bowl.  Stir in the pesto and add some freshly grated parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately.

Weekly Menu

I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend!  We spent it taking care of sick kids.  I guess it was a preview of the year to come with my oldest about to start school.  It was tough, but I still made it to the farm in order to get our fresh veggies for the week!  We picked up some basil, cantaloupe, tomatoes, carrots, sweet Maui onion, corn, and chinese broccoli (a veggie I have never cooked before!).  With that selection, we will be making the following meals:

• "Everything Orange!" Dinner featuring Grilled Cheese with Pickles and Sweet Onion, Tomato Soup, Roasted Carrots, and Cantaloupe
• using the sweet Maui onion, carrots, and cantaloupe

• Crispy Pesto Gnocchi with Sweet Corn Salad
• using the basil, corn, and tomatoes

• Gardein Orange Chicken with Chinese Broccoli
• using the chinese broccoli