there is no denying that this time of year is very hectic. and i know that i'm not alone when i say that sometimes during the holidays i often end up filling up on sweets instead of actual food. 

suddenly the office is exploding with cookies, candies and even fruit cakes. treats are literally surrounding you. it doesn't help that your already full schedule is now packed with holiday parties and office shindigs. 

basically, now more than ever you need a simple, but satisfying meal you can make quickly and eat on the go if necessary. 

enter a childhood favorite with some adult twists. no, there is no booze. there will be plenty of that at your office holiday party. and let me just tell you from personal experience, do NOT over indulge. you WILL regret it.

grilled cheese has become one of my go to lunches and it even makes visits to my dinner table when i'm really in a pinch. and the best part is that you really can sub anything you want or have on hand in the house. no onions? no problem, you can caramelize shallots or sub something else salty like bacon or ham. no apples? no problem. any fruit or jam will do. white cheddar can be subbed for your favorite melty cheese or a combo of a few. i could go on, but i'm pretty sure you get the point. 

grown up grilled cheese
serves: 1 sandwich
prep time: 30 minutes (note that almost all of the prep time is spent caramelizing onions. if you make some in advance to have on hand or sub another salty ingredient your time will be greatly reduced.)
cook time: 10 minutes
total time: 40 minutes
ingredients: 2 slices of your favorite bread (i used a whole wheat sourdough). .5 cup white cheddar cheese. 4 thin apple slices. 2 tbs arugula roughly chopped. 2 tbs caramelized onions (1 yellow or sweet onion, halved and sliced. 2 tbs olive oil. .5 tsp salt. .25 tsp pepper.) 2 tbs butter, divided. 

tart by caramelizing your onions. combine your onions, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large pan. cook over medium low heat until medium brown and caramelized. stirring ever few minutes. this will take 20-30 minutes. 

while the onions cook, grate your cheese and slice your apples. lightly butter the outsides of both pieces of bread with 1 tbs of butter. reserve the other tbs butter for the pan. 

when your onions are caramelized, start to layer your sandwich. on top of one slice of bread, lay down your cheese, followed by onions, apples and arugula. top with second piece of bread. 

wipe out the pan you cooked the onions in. turn the heat to medium and add the remaining butter. grill your cheese until the bread is toasty and the cheese is melty. about 5 minutes a side. 

when your cheese is melty, remove from the heat, slice and serve. 

xo, a

grown up grilled cheese
serves: 1 sandwich
prep time: 30 minutes (note that almost all of the prep time is spent caramelizing onions. if you make some in advance to have on hand or sub another salty ingredient your time will be greatly reduced.)
cook time: 10 minutes
total time: 40 minutes
ingredients: 2 slices of your favorite bread (i used a whole wheat sourdough). .5 cup white cheddar cheese. 4 thin apple slices. 2 tbs arugula roughly chopped. 2 tbs caramelized onions (1 yellow or sweet onion, halved and sliced. 2 tbs olive oil. .5 tsp salt. .25 tsp pepper.) 2 tbs butter, divided.
start by caramelizing your onions. combine your onions, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large pan. cook over medium low heat until medium brown and caramelized. stirring ever few minutes. this will take 20-30 minutes.
while the onions cook, grate your cheese and slice your apples. lightly butter the outsides of both pieces of bread with 1 tbs of butter. reserve the other tbs butter for the pan.
when your onions are caramelized, start to layer your sandwich. on top of one slice of bread, lay down your cheese, followed by onions, apples and arugula. top with second piece of bread.
wipe out the pan you cooked the onions in. turn the heat to medium and add the remaining butter. grill your cheese until the bread is toasty and the cheese is melty. about 5 minutes a side.
when your cheese is melty, remove from the heat, slice and serve. 

saturday, wes and i catered our biggest event to date. and let me tell you, prepping and cooking for fifty people is no joke. i'm not sure my kitchen stove will ever be the same. 

we celebrated my uncle's seventieth birthday in fiesta style. complete with salsa bar, homemade mole sauce and of course a piñata. 

every party has been a wonderful learning experience. wes and i get more comfortable and confident as every custom menu is completed. and our self trained asses are learning a ton of tricks with every party in the books. 

one of the things that i learned over the weekend is that this salsa is a wonderful and versatile dish that is PERFECT for a party. because the only real instructions are chop, smash or grill, it is not super time consuming, but you can make a ton at one time. ideal for your next fiesta, or your upcoming labor day/end of summer parties. 

i also learned that wes and i are pretty darn good at this food thing and you should probably hire us for your next party. then i can just make this salsa for you. wink. wink. 

fire roasted tomato salsa
serves: 8 cups (this recipe yields a lot of salsa as it is meant for big parties. if you are making it at home, you could easily half or quarter the recipe with out issue)
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes
total cook time: 40 minutes
ingredients: 2 lbs roma tomatoes, sliced thick. 2 yellow onions, sliced thick. 1 red onion, sliced thick. 5 garlic cloves, smashed. 1 large jalapeño. 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped. 1 tsp fresh oregano, roughly chopped. 1 tbs brown sugar. 1 tsp cumin. .25 c olive oil. 2 cups chicken stock. 1 tbs salt. .5 tsp pepper. your favorite chips for dipping.

start by heating your grill to a medium high heat. 

in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, both types of onions and the jalapeño. drizzle everything with the olive oil and season with almost all the salt and pepper, the cumin and the brown sugar. toss everything well to coat. 

head out to your grill. working in batches so that you do not over crowd your grill, place the contents of your bowl onto the grill. place the onions and jalapeño on the hottest part of the grill with your tomatoes on the cooler areas. grill until everything has good grill marks and the onions are cooked. about 4 minutes a side for the tomatoes and about 8 minutes a side for onions and pepper.

when your fruits and veggies (tomatoes are fruits not vegetables) have been grilled, return them to the bowl and take them back to the kitchen. remove the stem and chop up your jalapeño and return it to the bowl. toss your grilled produce with the garlic, oregano and cilantro and add them to a large, heavy pot. 

place the pot on the stove and bring the burner to a medium high heat. start to sauté your ingredients until the contents of the pot begins to sizzle. stir in the remaining salt and pepper and chicken stock. 

bring the liquid to a boil, allow to simmer 5 minutes and remove the pot from the heat. allow the salsa to cool slightly.

when the salsa has cooled a bit, blend everything together with a hand emersion blender or in your blender.

serve at room temperature with your favorite chips or over a delicious enchilada or taco.

xo
a

fire roasted tomato salsa
serves: 8 cups (this recipe yields a lot of salsa as it is meant for big parties. if you are making it at home, you could easily half or quarter the recipe with out issue)
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes
total cook time: 40 minutes
ingredients: 2 lbs roma tomatoes, sliced thick. 2 yellow onions, sliced thick. 1 red onion, sliced thick. 5 garlic cloves, smashed. 1 large jalapeño. 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped. 1 tsp fresh oregano, roughly chopped. 1 tbs brown sugar. 1 tsp cumin. .25 c olive oil. 2 cups chicken stock. 1 tbs salt. .5 tsp pepper. your favorite chips for dipping.
start by heating your grill to a medium high heat.
in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, both types of onions and the jalapeño. drizzle everything with the olive oil and season with almost all the salt and pepper, the cumin and the brown sugar. toss everything well to coat.
head out to your grill. working in batches so that you do not over crowd your grill, place the contents of your bowl onto the grill. place the onions and jalapeño on the hottest part of the grill with your tomatoes on the cooler areas. grill until everything has good grill marks and the onions are cooked. about 4 minutes a side for the tomatoes and about 8 minutes a side for onions and pepper.
when your fruits and veggies (tomatoes are fruits not vegetables) have been grilled, return them to the bowl and take them back to the kitchen. remove the stem and chop up your jalapeño and return it to the bowl. toss your grilled produce with the garlic, oregano and cilantro and add them to a large, heavy pot.
place the pot on the stove and bring the burner to a medium high heat. start to sauté your ingredients until the contents of the pot begins to sizzle. stir in the remaining salt and pepper and chicken stock.
bring the liquid to a boil, allow to simmer 5 minutes and remove the pot from the heat. allow the salsa to cool slightly.
when the salsa has cooled a bit, blend everything together with a hand emersion blender or in your blender.
serve at room temperature with your favorite chips or over a delicious enchilada or taco.