A quick and easy weeknight supper.  This will make 4 large sandwiches.  You could use any combination of meats, cheeses, condiments, and bread, but my family found this combination of flavors particularly complimentary.

You will need:

1 loaf of Lucky Cat Bakery Focaccia Bread

1/4 lb Boar's Head Hot Capocollo Ham

1/4 lb Boar's Head Sandwich Pepperoni

1/4 lb Boar's Head Hard Salami

1/4 lb Boar's Head Maple Glazed Honey Ham

1/4 lb Boar's Head Provolone Cheese

1 8 oz Belgioioso Fresh Mozzarella, sliced

DeLallo Hot Pepper Rings

DeLallo Roasted Red Peppers in Water, sliced into strips

Good Quality Olive Oil

Directions:

Slice Focaccia Bread into 4 equal pieces, then slice each piece in half lengthwise.  Brush the outsides of bread with olive oil

Preheat a panini grill to 375 degrees, or heat a cast iron skillet or grill pan to medium high.

Assemble sandwich filling in layers in this order:  provolone, red pepper strips, capocollo, salami, fresh mozzarella, ham, pepperoni, hot pepper rings, provolone.

Place a piece of focaccia, oiled side down onto panini press or pan.  Add the layered filling onto the bread slice, then top with the other piece of focaccia, oiled side up.  If using a panini grill, close grill and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until bread is golden and cheeses are melted.  If using a pan, top the sandwich with a second heavy skillet and cook for about 2 minutes.  Use a wide spatula to carefully flip the sandwich, re-cover with heavy skillet, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.  Repeat this process for additional sandwiches.

Let sandwiches rest on cutting board for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes on this recipe:  I used a Cuisinart Grill/Griddle Combo to make these.  This handy gadget has a hinged lid, which makes it great for thick paninis like this.  It also has a decent sized cooking area, so I was able to cook two sandwiches at once.  Be sure to ask our deli crew for thin slices of your Boar's Head Meats and Cheese.  I enjoyed my panini with a glass of Cantine d'Ora 'Amicone' Corvina.

If your leftover Christmas Ham stares you in the face every time you open the fridge, use it up with this quick and easy recipe made with things you may already have in your pantry.

You will need:

2 cups cooked ham, chopped

1 pound DeLallo Shells No. 91 (or Fusilli, or Penne)

1 Tbsp Butter

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 8 oz container Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock

1/2 pint Smith's Heavy Cream

Pinch of Garlic Powder

Pinch of Onion Powder

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 cup Tillamook Reserve Cheddar Cheese, shredded

1 cup Yoder's Fancy Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

10 oz bag Organic Frozen Peas

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Be sure to only cook to al dente.  Add peas to pasta with one minute cooking time remaining.

Meanwhile, heat butter and olive oil at medium high heat in a high-sided 3 quart sautee pan.  Add ham and cook until it starts to brown.

Add stock to pan and scrape up any brown bits at the bottom of the pan.  Add heavy cream, garlic and onion powders, and salt and pepper.  Turn down heat to medium and bring to a simmer.  Add cheeses and stir until melted.  Turn heat to low and let simmer slowly while pasta finishes cooking.

Drain pasta and peas, reserving a bit of the cooking water, and immediately add to the sauce in the saute pan.  Toss for about a minute to allow sauce to completely coat pasta.  If sauce seems thick, add some reserved pasta cooking water, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches desired consistency.

Serve immediately, garnished with a turn of the pepper mill and a touch of grated parmesan.

Notes:

A short cut of pasta will work best for this dish.  I served this with Pepperidge Farm Garlic Texas Toast, which heats up quickly and is great for soaking up extra sauce.  My family and I gobbled this up so quickly that I didn't have a chance to take a picture.  I enjoyed a glass of AIX Provence Rose 2017 with this dish.

We've got a thing for Spring. And nothing says "Spring is here" like fiddlehead ferns. (Or morels. Or ramps. Or rhubarb. Or asparagus. Or strawberries.) Okay. So there are dozens of signs of Spring, and we love 'em all. We've sourced a delicious recipe from The Kitchn for a lovely Spring treat. Enjoy. 

serves 4 to 6

1 1/2 cups fiddlehead ferns
1 1/2 cups asparagus tips
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, washed well, and diced.
2 scallions, white parts only, washed and minced.
1 clove garlic minced
2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice (also called risotto rice)
1/2 cup dry white wine
approximately 5 1/2 cups hot vegetable or chicken stock
zest of 1 large lemon
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Start by preparing the vegetables. Boil a medium sized pot of water, and have ready a large bowl of ice water. Thoroughly wash the fiddlehead ferns, then rub them in a kitchen towel to remove any of the brown paper-like chaff. Cut off any brown tips or blemishes. Rinse again if necessary. Click here to view the rest.

4 beets, peeled, cut into thick wedges
6 thick-cut slices of Hills Own House-Smoked Bacon, chopped
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dark beer (such as Great Lakes Brewing's Edmund Fitzgerald)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon (packed) dark brown sugar
2 small heads of Ohio bibb lettuce, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup raisins

Cook beets in boiling salted water until tender, about 12 minutes; drain.

Meanwhile, sauté bacon in large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 3 1/2 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add onion to skillet; sauté 3 minutes. Mix in next 4 ingredients, then beets. Simmer until dressing coats beets, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Arrange lettuce on platter. Top with beets; sprinkle with bacon and raisins.

One medium sized pumpkin
Salt
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut open the pumpkin and use a strong metal spoon to scoop out the insides. Separate the seeds from the stringy core. Rinse the seeds.   

In a small saucepan, add the seeds to water, about 2 cups of water to every half cup of seeds. Add a half tablespoon of salt for every cup of water (more if you like your seeds saltier). Bring to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.

Spread about a tablespoon of olive oil over the bottom of a roasting pan. Spread the seeds out over the roasting pan, all in one layer. Bake on the top rack until the seeds begin to brown, 10-20 minutes. When browned to your satisfaction, remove from the oven and let the pan cool on a rack. Let the seeds cool all the way down before eating. Either crack to remove the inner seed (a lot of work and in my opinion, unnecessary) or eat whole.