Bless Her Heart

Favorite Things: Antonelli's Cheese Shop

After the Farmers' Market on Saturday, The Girl, Auntie and I took a trip over to Antonelli's Cheese Shop.  I had a gift card that had been burning a hole in my pocket since Christmas, and we were in need of some treats.  I had heard good things from some of my foodie friends, and I knew the second we walked through the door that we wouldn't be disappointed.  We were greeted with a smile and friendly conversation by the cheese mongers behind the counter.  John, partial owner of Antonelli's and our personal cheese monger for the visit asked the girl about her favorite kinds of cheeses and deftly gave us samples of what he thought she might like.  She was sold...and we purchased cuts of both.  John and the rest of the people behind the counter are knowledgable and obviously love to share all they know about cheese.  They share information without being stuffy or overbearing about it, making their space a comfortable place to linger and shop...even with kids.  We enjoyed perusing all of the locally sourced condiments and treats and added handmade marshmallows by Delysia and grapefruit marmalade by Confituras to our basket.  We had just about finished up when John remarked that his favorite grilled cheese sandwich was of the Mascarpone/Nutella variety. Curious, we added those two necessary ingredients and locally baked ciabatta bread to our basket and high-tailed it out of there before we got ourselves in real trouble.  I am not exaggerating when I say this little sandwich is deadly incredible.  Super simple and very decadent. Check out the recipe below.

By Suggestion...Antonelli's Sweet Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Mascarpone, Nutella and Banana on Grilled Ciabatta Bread

Crave Brothers Mascarpone

Nutella

Banana, sliced thin

Barrie Cullinan Ciabatta Bread

Slice the ciabatta open so that you have two halves.  Spread the mascarpone on one half and Nutella on the other.  Layer the banana slices on top of the Nutella and then put both sides together.  Grill in a panini press or a cast iron skillet for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown and mascarpone is warm and melty.

Black Bean Nachos...

Nachos get a bad rap, often being categorized as a junk food in the company of hot dogs, pizza, popcorn and the like, but when I was a kid, black bean nachos were my mama's go-to meal when we needed something quick and protein-y on a busy school night.  We're pretty spoiled here in Central Texas in that we have several brands of quality tortilla chips to choose from.  Most have 0 trans fats and are low in sodium, so it's not like you're just piling goodness on top of a layer of junk food.  I'm not going to lie, a good black bean nacho plate ranks up there as one of my favorite foods, and my mama-friends will tell you that I'm not ashamed to order them for breakfast when I have the opportunity.  When I make a big sheet of nachos for dinner, the great thing is that I can pick and choose where to add various toppings. Everyone has the same base layer: chips, black beans, cheese but then...scallions only on the right side (for mama,papa and the teenager), chopped tomatoes and jalapenos only on a quarter(mama), black olives on another quarter (the girl). Boom, everyone's happy, but it's all on one tray...you just serve out the individual helpings after it bakes.  I try and keep an extra avocado and a jar of good salsa around for just such a meal. If you cook beans from scratch, this is an excellent meal to utilize any leftover beans, black or otherwise.

Black Bean Nachos

This recipe serves 2, double it to serve 4

Preheat the broiler of your oven

Ingredients:

2 Handfuls of quality tortilla chips

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

3/4 cup shredded cheese

Assorted toppings to bake on the nachos such as:

jalapenos

chopped scallions

diced fresh tomatoes

black olives

sauteed mushrooms/onions

golden corn

Assorted toppings to add after the nachos are removed from the oven:

avocado, salsa, sour cream, chopped cilantro

Using an 8" cast iron skillet or comparable broiler safe baking dish:

Create a single layer of tortilla chips across the bottom of your baking dish. Distribute the beans evenly across the chips, add the shredded cheese.  Add whatever toppings you would like to bake along with your nachos. I love scallions, jalapenos and tomatoes.  Super simple, super yummy and colorful to boot.

Place your skillet in the broiler, checking frequently to make sure you don't burn the cheese on top (probably 5 minutes max).  Remove from heat, serve while hot and add your favorite cold toppings.  

 

 

Wordless Wednesday: Laugh till it hurts...

Music for your Monday: Mary J. Blige, U2

 

A bit of sunshine...

Is it grey and rainy where you are?  Sheesh, it's been so dreary and cold around here the last week or so. I wanted to share with you these nesting glasses that I got last week while The Girl was home sick.  I swooped them up at Thom's Market on a stop for fluids/sick-day provisions.  They cut right through the grey and made her smile even when she was in the most exhausting part of her virus. The best part?  They're called Babushkups.  :)

 

*30 Days with a Grateful Heart - Day 30

Day 30: The love is big y'all...

This morning I am appreciating the opportunities we have as humans on this earth to reflect and work for renewal within ourselves.  I'm not talking about once a year resolutions here...of which I make plenty. I'm talking about the little things we do to take care of ourselves: the warm cup of tea when no one else is stirring in the house, the morning run, the journaling, the painting and stitching, the walking, the deep breaths...the solitary things that we do as meditations.  I'm talking about the life-long, daily work of carving out time and sitting with our own thoughts...as a way of surviving the overwhelming stresses in our lives, but also as a kind of soul-seeking, upward mobility of the spirit.  This introspection is such a uniquely human thing.  So then, take this concept and multiply it by all of the people who participated in this "30 Days with a Grateful Heart" exercise or project or whatever you want to call it.  

Reading through all of these gratitude posts over the last month has been so incredibly rewarding...more than I could have ever imagined.  This exercise in finding gratitude in the little things turned into so much more. More laughter, more admiration of people that I know and love, more kinship with folks I've never even met before. I'm gonna go ahead and say that you people, who shared your gratitudes over this last month have changed my life.  Before you roll your eyes, know that I KNOW that I take myself too seriously...and that I KNOW that I feel too deeply, that I am a weep-easy. That being said, these public declarations of love for your families and other people that are sacred to you in this world...well they have moved me to tears.  I applaud your stories of perseverance. I cheer for your victories...the hard earned academic accolades, the long fought triumphs over injury, illness or loss.   My heart swells when I read through your stories of enduring love...love for this life and the people in it. I don't think I can possibly thank all of you individually...so please know that I have so much gratitude for you.  Mad love to you for sharing yourself. Moving us. Inspiring us.  

Love begets love and for this I thank you.