Category Archives: Recipes

Delicious Mocha Torte

Happy 78th birthday, Dad!

 

My original post for yesterday was supposed to be the recipe for this awesome Mocha Torte that I made for my Dad’s 78th birthday.  However, I ended up sharing how to rescue what seemed to be a ruined cake because I under baked it and it sank in the middle. So, as promised here is one of my all time favourite cake recipes. My friend Kirsten passed this cherished family recipe on to me a few years ago and like her family, it’s now one of my go to recipes as well! This is easy to make, looks great and tastes decadent. I love that you can make it the night before and it keeps perfectly!

Kirsten’s Mocha Torte:

 Ingredients:

  • Duncan Hines Fudge Marble cake mix (I often bake a chocolate cake from scratch instead)
  • 1 cup margarine
  • 1 Tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water
  • 2 cups icing sugar + 1/4 cup icing sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa
  • 2 cups of whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Optional decorations (chocolate curls, slivered almonds, etc.)

 Method:

1. Bake cake mix in 2 round pans. Split into 4 layers by cutting each cake in half horizontally.

2. Mocha Filling: Put the softened margarine in a bowl. Add the coffee/water mixture, 2 cups of the icing sugar and cocoa. Beat until smooth.

3. Whip 2 cups of whipping cream. Add 1 t. vanilla and 1/4 c. icing sugar.

4. Assembly: Spread mocha filling on first layer, followed by whipped cream. Repeat 3 more times. Cover top and sides with whipped cream. Decorate as desired. Make one day ahead.

It wasn’t until I was typing out this recipe that I realized that I actually messed up when building my cake. That’s two major errors on the same cake. Yikes! (It has been a stressful week.) First I under baked the cakes and then I assembled it wrong. I actually never even thought about the assembly, as I was so consumed with salvaging the cake. I completely forgot to add a layer of whipping cream on top of the layers of mocha filling. I should have clued in when I went to complete the cake with the whipping cream on the top and sides. I generally feel there is not quite enough to do the sides nicely and end up giving the top a nice thick layer and then let it flow slightly over the edges, but with the sides and layers of the torte revealed. I was surprised when there was ample whipping cream to cover both the top and sides nicely – dah! Oh well, the flopped cake tasted great and no one knew the difference. (Including me, the gal that has made this exact recipe more times than I can remember!)

Here’s a shot of the finished cake.
This is how the torte looked with my blunders.

This is recipe is a sure hit! If you enjoy Mocha, you’ll love this.

How To Salvage a Flopped Cake

Last night, I got home from work and had to muster up every ounce of energy I had to whip up a cake and pop it in the oven. We are having my dad over for Easter dinner tonight (Good Friday) and I’m making birthday cake for dessert. April 19th will be my dad’s 78th birthday! I decided to make a Chocolate Layer Cake.  This is one of my favourite recipes, and it always works! Except for last night. What a perfect time for a cake to flop – it coincided perfectly with another rare and untimely event – I ran out of flour! Yep, I was so relieved when I scraped up just enough flour from the jar to make the recipe in the first place. I literally have no more than a few teaspoons of white flour in the house and its Good Friday, one of the only days in a year when stores are actually closed for the entire day. I’m famous for having to “re-do” things, but I simply didn’t have the time or energy to pull it off this time. Instead, I thought of a creative solution to my predicament.

Birthday Cake Disaster:

I had whipped up a double recipe of my favourite chocolate cake recipe and popped it in the oven.I knew that a single recipe was not big enough for two round pans, but the double was a bit too much. I should have taken some of the extra batter and made a few cupcakes, but I was honestly just too lazy. I knew the cakes would need additional time, because of the additional batter, so I wasn’t surprised when the cakes weren’t cooked in the suggested 30 minute bake time. I have always felt that my oven is a bit out of sync and that the actual temperature is a lower than the setting. I sometimes set the oven a few degrees higher to compensate, but I was too tired to think of this.

After the first check at 30 minutes of baking time, I proceeded to set the timer in 5 minutes intervals to stay on top of things and not over bake the cake. I continued to bake and check regularly for what seemed like forever. I was totally exhausted and just wanted to go to bed. Finally,after what I am guessing was more than an hour of bake time, I tested the cakes and the poker came up clean – finally!  It was not until I went to remove them from the oven that I realized that the oven really didn’t seem that hot. Well, that’s because sometime between the original 30 minute timer and the time I removed them, I must have turned the oven “off” instead of the timer. Ugh! Within 10 minutes both cakes had sunk ~ one not so bad, as it must have had slightly less batter to begin with, but the other would have made a a great cake if the party theme was “sink holes”! I decided to cover them with a towel on the cooling rack and deal with it this morning. 

Steps to Recovering a Ruined Cake:

Starting over really was not an option as I had no flour in the house (like that has ever happened before!) I could have borrowed from a neighbour, but I feel like I have done that a few too many times already. It seems I am often over looking a necessary ingredient. So, I decided to proceed and see what the interior of the cakes looked like. My plan was to make a 4 layer cake by cutting the two round cakes in half. When I cut them open, I realized that one cake really was fine. It had only sunk slightly and was cooked all the way through. However, the second cake was basically a pile of mush in the middle with a ring of cooked cake around the outside. I came up with a plan. Here’s what I did:

  1. I used the bottom of the “good” cake as the base for the layer cake. I frosted this layer.
  2. I then took the “bad” cake and scooped out the center of both pieces.
  3. I took the cooked outer “ring” of cake and placed it on the bottom frosted layer. I frosted the top of the ring.
  4. I then took the other outer cooked ring of cake and broke it into pieces.
  5. I mixed the broken cake pieces with the remaining filling/frosting and filled the center of the ring.
  6. I then added the final layer which was the top of the “good” cake and completed the cake.

When all was said and done, I had to toss about 1/4 of the cake or the equivalent of one layer. My final cake is a 3 layer cake with this yummy filling in the middle. You can’t tell at all from the outside and no one would ever know this was not the original plan. (I don’t think my dad reads my blog, so I’m pretty safe.) So, Good Friday birthday dinner will take place after all!

Here is the cake with sink hole in the middle.
This is the bottom of mushy cake.
Here is the top with the mushy middle that I had to scoop out and toss.
The frosted bottom layer.
Here is the salvaged outer ring of cooked cake.
Mocha filling ~ yummy!
Other outer ring was broken into pieces and added to the remaining filling.
Mix cake with filling.
Frost ring and then fill inner ring with mixture.
Add final layer.
Here’s a shot of the finished cake.
bunny curls

This white chocolate bunny provided the chocolate curls needed for the finishing touches.

I had originally planned to post the recipe for this Mocha Cake and will eventually share it. It has a whipping cream frosting and I added white chocolate curls for a simple look. Just because things hadn’t gone so smoothly with this cake, I was sort of expecting to come up empty when I checked the crisper for white chocolate. I was only disappointed for a moment and then got a twinkle in my I remembered that my kids “smugly” informed me they no longer believe in the Easter Bunny. This ended up being a life saver! I didn’t even feel bad when I opened up the white chocolate bunny and sliced off the bottom of it for chocolate curls. I wonder if they’ll notice that the bottom of the bunny is missing and that the bag has been taped up?

 

Hot Oatmeal Breakfast Sundae

The kids are back to school, but I was lucky enough to have my day off land on the first day back, so I get one extra day all to myself. I decided to treat myself to something I don’t indulge in too often anymore ~ a Hot Oatmeal Sundae!

What is a Hot Oatmeal Sundae?

Well, oatmeal has been a breakfast favourite for decades, but I have to admit it was not one of mine. A few years ago, I pretty much forced myself to eat “porridge” as I had read about how good it was for you. I had to play around a bit to find a way that I could eat it without actually gagging. Honestly, the consistency did not agree with me. Eventually, I not only developed a love of hot oatmeal, but it actually became one of my favourite breakfasts.

Hot Oatmeal Breakfast Sundae:

Ingredients:

  • cooked oatmeal (I just use the Quick Oats and even opt for the microwave version if I don’t have the time to prepare it on the stove top. (In this case, 1/3 cup oats to 2/3 cup water with a pinch of salt for about 2 minutes)
  • a bit of milk to create a texture/creaminess that suits your tastes
  • Sundae toppings of your choice (walnuts, pecans, chopped dates, blueberries, apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, pure maple syrup, chia seeds, flax seeds, etc.)

There really is no right or wrong way to make this, but my favourite consists of hot oatmeal with milk stirred in  and topped chopped dates, apple, chopped walnuts, cinnamon and a sprinkle of both chia and flax seeds. I generally don’t need any sweetener as the dates make it sweet enough. If you do opt to add sugar or syrup, do so sparingly. This is so yummy and a great way to serve oatmeal to kids. It is fun to set out a little of tray of toppings and let them build their own Breakfast Sundae. Enjoy! (I don’t think I need to actually say this, but I will. If you are thinking, “Oh, that’s just like those little flavoured packages you can buy!” Let me make this perfectly clear. It is nothing like those packages, this is a delicious way to incorporate a medley of fresh nutritious foods into your breakfast. I always add items that add extra protein because I believe it is very important to have ample protein with every meal.)

P.S. You may be wondering why I began the post by saying that I don’t eat this often…..Did you know that Lyn Genet-Recitas lists oatmeal as one of the 7 “devil foods” in her book. She includes it on the list because so many people believe that it is a healthy choice when it is actually reactive for  85% of the population. I am okay with it, but I know that it is not a completely friendly food for me, so it is a once in a while treat for me. Go figure? I force myself to eat it believing I should be and now have to limit my intake because it actually causes inflammation in my body. In her book, THE PLAN she states:

…inflammation is the underlying factor behind all disease and health issues.

Although oatmeal has been identified as a food that helps lower cholesterol, that is only true for those few people who do not have an inflammatory response to oatmeal consumption. That is really the trouble with nutrition these days, no one really knows what to eat anymore. Foods seem to bounce from the Superfoods list to the Devil Foods list and it is difficult to know what the best choices are. Again, I really think it is worth the time and energy to figure this out for yourself as everyone reacts to food differently.

Riced Cauliflower: Yay or Nay?

Riced CauliflowerI am not sure about you, but I grew up in a meat and potatoes family. My mom served meat, potatoes and a vegetable for dinner almost every night. It seemed like an unwritten rule that meals were served in three’s. Over the years, we have moved away from this, but I still often feel like something is missing when we only have two dishes instead of our traditional three. One of the things I like to do is serve Riced Cauliflower in lieu of potatoes or rice. We had it last night, but I was still in recovery mode with it only being my first day of holidays and I didn’t even think of taking a picture. This picture was borrowed from another blog with a great post on cauliflower rice that includes thorough instructions and some great cooking tips. Click on the image to visit the site.

Riced Cauliflower:

This really isn’t so much a recipe as an alternative cooking method.

  • Break the cauliflower into florets
  • Drop them in your blender or food processor and chop until the pieces are small and rice like.
  • Sauté in butter or oil. (I like coconut oil.)

What I love about this is that you can spice it up however you want or just serve it plain. We have eaten it with soy sauce just as you would rice or topped with a sauce from the meat, if applicable.  I also love to use it as a bed for a stir fry.

One of our favourites is to chop cabbage and an onion in the blender with the cauliflower. I season it with salt, pepper and lots of dill as it cooks. (I sometimes will add a drop or two of lemon juice, as well.) The finished dish is very much like Lazy Cabbage Rolls, but with cauliflower instead of the rice.

Cauliflower and The Plan:

Now, I can’t feel good about sharing this great idea for reducing the grains in your diet without also sharing that in Lyn-Genet Recitas book, The Plan, she identifies cauliflower as being highly reactive. So, if you are in the midst of trying to lose some weight and you think this is a fabulous alternative to rice, I don’t want to be the one to steer you wrong. In her book, she teaches you how to read your own body and know how your body reacts to different foods. She states how so many people who struggle with weight loss do so because they truly believe they are doing everything right. I have done several posts in which I have referenced her work and I believe it is the key. I don’t think there is any single diet or plan out there that works for everyone because we are all different and the ability to digest foods properly varies from person to person. So many of the foods that have been coined “super foods” or healthy choices do in fact provide the nutrients and benefits they claim, for certain people, but not everyone. So you may read this and say to yourself, “Riced cauliflower, what a great idea!” (like I did), without realizing that there is a good chance that you will fall into the category of those that find cauliflower “reactive” and cause weight gain. Through her practise, she has found that approximately 85% of the population react negatively to cauliflower.  According to Lyn, cauliflower is one of many goitrogenic foods. Foods containing goitrogens have been shown to interfere with thyroid function by blocking enzymes responsible for producing hormones. Although not all people with thyroid issues react to all foods with goitrogens, she does say that raw foods seem to be more problematic.

If you love cauliflower and are looking for some new ideas on how to serve it – go for it. I love riced cauliflower. However, if you are careful about what you eat and/or trying to lose weight, just be aware and watch to see how your body reacts. I know that I sometimes will find a great “healthy” alternative and begin to incorporate it into my diet on a regular basis and it used to take me months to figure out what I was doing wrong. I love how Lyn’s plan taught me how to read my body and determine what foods agree with me and as well as those that don’t, as soon as the next morning. It may seem crazy to weigh yourself everyday, but even the slightest weight gain indicates that my body is reacting to either my sodium intake, my level of water consumption, lack of sleep or a specific food I have eaten. I can look back on the previous day and often determine the culprit right away! Her system really allows you to take control. You can eat what you want, whenever you want and then get right back on track with “friendly foods”.

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Grilled Cheese With a Twist

A while back I shared my all time favourite homemade grilled cheese sandwich recipe. Recently, I decided to try something completely different and it was very yummy as well. apple white cheddar grilled cheese

Apple Cheddar Grilled Cheese:

Ingredients:

aged white cheddar

  • Balderson’s aged white cheddar cheese (from Costco)
  • about 1/6 of an apple very thinly sliced
  • sliced red onion
  • hot peppers (I always have a jar of Bick’s Banana Pepper Rings in my fridge.)

Directions:

Place the ingredients inside the sandwich and grill as you would a regular grilled cheese sandwich with the outsides buttered. (I find that the cheese melts more effectively, if you cover it.) Once the bread has browned on the outside, and the cheese has melted, remove the sandwich from the pan and enjoy!

P.S. Just wanted to let you know the Chocolate Peanut Butter Trifle was a big hit. Well worth the calories and the recipe is definitely a keeper!

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Trifle

Despite my efforts to eat healthy, desserts are definitely my weakness. I came across this recipe on A Step in the Journey and was wanting to try something new, so thought I’d give this a whirl. I love trifles and figured anything that combines chocolate and peanut butter is almost guaranteed to be a hit.Chocolate Peanut Butter TrifleChocolate Peanut Butter Trifle:

Ingredients:

  • Brownies (either from scratch or a box). I made the Best of Bridge Fantastic Fudge Brownie recipe. I love their recipes and own many of their books, but managed to find it on-line as well. I omitted the walnuts and didn’t ice the brownies. I guess you could include the walnuts, if you wish, but I didn’t. This recipe is designed for a 9″ X 13″ pan, so if you use your own recipe and it only makes a square pan – double it!
  • Cool Whip – large size
  • Large box of Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding 
  • 3 cups of milk (used to make Jello) + 2 Tablespoons
  • Bag of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
  • 1 cup of Peanut Butter
  • 8 oz. package of cream cheese ~ at room temperature
  • 1 cup of powdered sugar (icing sugar)
  • Optional: Ahoy!Extras Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter chewy cookies (I bought this mini bag and added a few broken cookies along with the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Method:

  1. Prepare the brownies and let stand to cool.
  2. Mix up the Jello according to the package instructions. Cover and place in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the trifle.
  3. Chop the peanut butter cups with a food chopper or knife.
  4. Whip softened cream cheese. Fold in peanut butter. Once combined, add powdered sugar and the 2 Tablespoons of milk. Continue to whip until fluffy.
  5. Break the cooled brownies into small bite-sized pieces.
  6. You can divide your layer ingredients into halves or thirds depending on weather you want to have 2 or 3 layers. (You don’t have to physically divide them, but make a mental note and be sure to keep enough ingredients for each layer.
  7. LAYER the trifle:
    I ended up buying a mini package of Ahoy! Extras Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies to add as well.
  • 1/2 (or 1/3) of broken brownie bites
  • 1/2 (or 1/3) of peanut butter mixture
  • 1/2 (or 1/3) of chocolate pudding
  • 1/2 (or 1/3) of Cool Whip
  • 1/2 (or 1/3) of chopped Peanut Butter cups
  • Repeat to create either two or three layers of each ingredient. End with broken peanut butter cups to garnish. You can add a few chocolate curls as well, if you wish.

Of course, I will be sharing this dessert. Something this decadent would be way too dangerous to keep at home. I’ll let you know how everyone likes it!

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Baked Apple Cinnamon Pancake

Cook the sliced apples.
Place cooked apples in oven proof dish.
Cover with batter.
Bake until brown and puffy.
Invert on platter.
Cut in wedges and serve.

This is one of my favourite pancake recipes. It is a little more work as you need to peel, slice and cook the apples prior to baking the pancake, but the flip side is you don’t have to hover over a griddle flipping the entire batch. I got this recipe from an old church cook book and I’m not sure of the original source, but this is a great recipe and ideal for serving to company or at a brunch.

Baked Apple Cinnamon Pancake:

Apple Mixture Ingredients:

  • 4 Granny Smith apples:   peeled, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Apple Mixture Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Melt the butter. Add the apples to the pan and sprinkle them with the sugar and cinnamon. Cook for 10 minutes or until the apples are tender and the liquid has cooked off. Transfer cooked apples to an oven proof dish (9″ X 13″ or 3.5 litre) that has been prepared with cooking spray.

Batter Ingredients:

  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup milk
  •  3 Tablespoons sugar (I suggest 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar as it is quite sweet.)
  • 1/4 cup melted butter

Batter Instructions:

Beat the eggs. Add the balance of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour the batter over the cooked apples.  Bake in hot oven for 25 minutes or until browned and puffy. Invert onto a platter and cut into wedges. Sprinkle with icing sugar (Oops! I forgot to do this today!) and serve with maple syrup and/or a dollop of whipped cream.

*If you are serving these for a fancy brunch or company, you can cook an additional apple and serve the wedges of pancake with whipped cream, a spoonful of cooked apple and a sprinkle of cinnamon. These are absolutely delicious!

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Enchilada Quinoa Casserole

I found this recipe last winter when I was searching for kid friendly quinoa recipes. I can’t remember if it was passed on to me or if I found it on-line, but I can’t seem to find the original source…my apologies. I have modified it slightly from the original. This Mexican recipe is tasty and can easily be whipped up in under 30 minutes. My kids request it often and it is relatively healthy which scores big points in our house!

Enchilada Quinoa Casserole

Ingredients:

1 finely chopped onion
olive oil
1 cup of cooked quinoa
1 can of refried beans
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 Tablespoons quinoa flour (or flour of choice)
1 cup vegetable broth
1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 to 1 1/2 cups of chopped tomatoes
4 tortillas
1/2 to 1 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese
Sour cream, optional

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Sauté onion in olive oil until tender. Add cooked quinoa and cook for another few minutes.
  3. Melt butter in a separate sauce pan and add garlic. Cook for about a minute or until fragrant. Stir in flour until a paste is formed. Continue to whisk and add broth, taco seasoning, spices and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for about 2 minutes.
  4. Reserve 1/2 cup of the tomato mixture and add the remainder to the quinoa and onions.
  5. Spray the bottom of a quiche plate with cooking spray. Lay down one tortilla. Cover it with about 1/4 of a can of refried beans. Top with about 1/2 or a bit more of quinoa mixture and a small amount of cheese. Repeat the layers until all 4 tortillas have been added. Add the reserved 1/2 cup of the tomato mixture to the top of the casserole just before the final layer of cheese.
  6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese melts and it appears to be heated through.
  7. Cut into wedges and serve with a dollop of sour cream.

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Easy Chicken Fajitas

You can see in this picture that I didn’t have avocado on hand and didn’t add greens either…still delicious though!

This Chicken Fajita recipe is one of our family favourites and makes the menu at least twice a month.  This recipe was taken from a collection of Mini Canadian Living Cookbooks that I got “free with a fill” at a local gas station when I was in university. When I look back now, I realize how lucky I was to have managed to collect the whole set ~ LOL!  I tried to search for it on the Canadian Living archives, but couldn’t find it.

Chicken Fajitas

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 Tablespoons lime juice (preferably freshly squeezed)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 – 8 flour tortillas (depending on how much you stuff each)
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 small sweet red pepper, cut in thin strips
1 hot banana pepper, cut in thin strips
salt

Garnish:

Salsa
Chopped tomatoes
Sour Cream
Avocado
Lettuce (optional)

Instructions:

  • Slice chicken crosswise into strips.  In a bowl, combine the stock, lime juice, garlic, cumin, coriander and pepper. Add chicken and stir to coat; set aside. (The recipe doesn’t really indicate how long to marinate, but I like to let mine sit a minimum of 10 minutes, but up to an hour).
  • The recipe suggests warming the tortillas by wrapping them in foil and placing them in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until heated through. (I always skip this step.)
  • Heat 1 Tablespoon of the oil in a skillet over high heat. Drain the chicken, reserving the marinade. Pat the chicken dry (I often skip this as well) and add it to the hot skillet. Stir-fry for 4 to 5 minutes or until it is no longer pink inside. Remove the chicken and set it aside.
  • Add the remaining oil to skillet.  Stir-fry onion, red peppers and banana peppers for 1 minute. Pour in reserved marinade; cook, stirring for about 30 seconds or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Return the chicken to skillet and heat through.  Season with salt to taste.
  • Garnish: Spoon salsa and tomatoes over the tortilla. Top with the chicken mixture, sliced avocado and a dollop of sour cream.  Fold and serve.

This recipe has great flavour and is a pretty healthy meal. It is often included in our weekly menu plan because it is easy to make and liked by the whole family. Enjoy!

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Spicy Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I grew-up on a very limited menu. My mom was a good cook and a great baker, but we always seemed to have the same things.  Some of you 70’s kids might have had a similar menu:

Lunches often consisted of:

  • soup from a can or box ~ the choices included chicken noodle, mushroom or tomato soup with crackers
  • sandwiches ~ one slice of processed meat and butter, peanut butter and honey or jam, cheese whiz or egg salad
  • hot dogs
  • grilled cheese sandwiches ~ with processed cheese slices, of course
  • “black” buns ~ this was actually one of my favourites…open faced buns with Cheese Whiz smeared on top and then broiled until they turned all black and bubbly on top
  • Kraft Dinner
  •  Alphaghetti (and toast)

I won’t go into our dinner menu, but I am sure many of you also ate things such as liver and onions, fried bologna and pork chops that were cooked in such a manner that you had to use a chain saw to cut through the suckers!

Although I don’t consume a ton of grains, I do still like the odd burger or sandwich. I stick with whole wheat bread as it seems to agree with my body the best. Generally speaking, I stick to one or two slices of bread per day. Over the past year, I have been doing lots of experimenting with food. I discovered many of my “friendly” foods by following a book called The Plan. However, in doing so, I eventually found that I became bored with some of the foods I was eating on a regular basis and was looking for alternative ways to consume them. One day, I decided to combine a few of my very favourite foods to make my own version of a grilled cheese sandwich.

Spicy Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich:

  • 2 slices of bread, buttered on the outside for grilling
  • hot peppers (from a jar ~ I always have a jar of Bick’s Banana Pepper Rings in my fridge.)
  • cheese of your choice
  • 1/2 an avocado, mashed with a fork
  • Bacon (optional)
Yummy avocado grilled cheese.
Mashed avocado.
Melted cheese and peppers, opened up and ready for the avocado.

Place the cheese and peppers inside the sandwich and grill as you would a regular grilled cheese sandwich. (I find that the cheese melts more effectively, if you cover it.) Once the bread has browned on the outside, and the cheese has melted, remove the sandwich from the pan.  Open the sandwich and add the mashed avocado. Close the sandwich back-up. You can either eat it right away or return it to the pan on low heat to heat the avocado slightly. Either way, it is super delicious. This is hands-down one of my absolute favourite sandwiches.  Although I rarely have the time or energy to cook up bacon to go with this sandwich, I have tried it and it is a fabulous addition.

If you have a chance to give this a try, please let me know if you like it as much as my husband and I do. (My children have never tried it as they will only eat “Fake Grilled Cheese Sandwiches” and yes that is exactly how they request them….”Fake cheese, please!”  (They aren’t fans of avocado either…..at least not yet!)

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