Fun With Food

My favorite grocery store is remodeling.  They have been remodeling for WEEKS.  It's really making me crazy because every time I go in there, stuff is moved.  

The upside to this mess is that they have discontinued some things, which means that stuff I usually wouldn't buy is now at irresistible prices.  Stuff like a really cool Panini griddle that usually costs $40.  I would never ever spend that much on something as frivolous as a Panini griddle.  It's a one-shot wonder, right?  I don't like gadgets that only do one thing.

But this particular tool has peaked my interest for quite some time.  Now that it was marked down to $19.99 I took the plunge.

This one is really cool since it also opens flat so that it can be used as a griddle top.  

Along with the griddle I bought some bread.  I got some plain Bolillo rolls (sub sandwich type) from the bakery for $1.99 for 8 rolls.  So now that I'm spending money like I have some....I picked up some fresh mushrooms and cheese. 

Last night I grilled some chicken, onions, sauteed some mushrooms and put it all in a bun with cheese and made some yummy paninis.

But I could not leave it at that.  I just can not bring myself to use a kitchen toy tool for just a single purpose.

Today I made pizzas.

Starting with one of those same sub sandwich rolls, split it in half....and brushed it with olive oil.  (note: what I should have done is slice some garlic really thin and place it in some warmed olive oil to use for this step, but what the heck I'm trying to see what this machine can do and wasn't thinking clearly...there's always next time!).

So I put the bread into the handy machine and made pizza crust!

The bread flattened out and crisped up perfectly!  This gives you an idea of the thickness...

A little sauce (which is why I make half-pint jars of marinara when I can tomatoes), some cheese, leftover mushrooms and onions.......and 12 mins in the oven.

PIZZA!