Gourmet Girl Cooks: Super Saturday Odds n' Ends

Well it is Saturday and it is hot here today -- 91 degrees....yuck! This past week was such a busy week and I am so glad to have a long weekend ahead to recuperate. I received several items this week that I ordered and am excited to share. I finally bought a new set of pots and pans....I have hemmed and hawed for years and just couldn't justify paying a couple thousand dollars for the set I really wanted (All-Clad's Copper Core). But I did find another set that I really liked made by Calphalon. It is their tri-ply stainless steel line. I am looking forward to unpacking them and trying them out this weekend. Another item I bought was a Calphalon panini pan that you use on the stove (not the kind that is its own appliance). I tried my panini pan out Thursday night. I made hubby a reuben panini and myself a chicken-philly panini. Unfortunately I didn't take any pics...I wish I had. What I learned was that you shouldn't over stuff your sandwiches when you make paninis...because it sort of oozes and spills out when weighted with the heavy panini press. While my first paninis may not have won any beauty contests...they definitely would have won a taste contest! It made the most crisp sandwich crust ever and since they are lightly brushed with olive oil before cooking it and the bottom of the panini pan is ridged, it is not greasy like a grilled cheese sandwich can sometimes get. You could also use this pan as a grill pan too. I snapped a pic of my new panini pan below. I look forward to making simple sandwiches a bit fancier by converting them into paninis. You can check out my new Calphalon panini pan below. Even though you can't tell by looking at the picture, the panini press is heavy!!!