Meatless Monday - Cold

I know, I am so sorry...I am late.  But I have a really good excuse, albeit a crappy one...for me anyway.  

Yes.  

Those little demons that you all call kidney stones have monopolized my weekend. Bullshit.  That is what my weekend was...bullshit.  Hopefully they are just about done, but I don't think so...I think I might be looking at  a while longer with these jagged little lovelies.  Story of my life.

BUT...I am not going to complain all day today...because that's what we do Friday!  For now I will look at the positive (and not the fact that my house is trashed and I don't feel like cleaning it...)  my husband took excellent care of me..I didn't have to cook all weekend, he tried to make me as comfortable as possible and he took me to get a pedicure yesterday, OH, and he bought me a fluffy, warm, pink & red polka dotted robe.  What a man.  Good thing too, because oh my goodness, did it ever get COLD!  I mean, really cold. I'm not complaining, don't get me wrong...it is much easier to warm up than to cool off in my little opinion, and I had my robe to keep me warm!  The other good thing is that I got to spend watching many of the episodes of Weeds that I didn't get to watch all the years we didn't have Showtime!  It is my current obsession.  I think I have a little crush on Uncle Andy....always that bad boys.  Anyhow, I didn't even touch my computer all weekend, which means I didn't write anything until now.  Don't worry, because its for the best.  The quality of my writing would have been poor anyway.  Not that this is anything spectacular, but I just had a big fat ibuprofen, and am feeling kind of ok at the moment.

OH...and I'm excited because my new favorite NFL team (I gave up on the local one - the Detroit Lions - because they will always suck balls) the San Francisco 49ers will be in the Super Bowl in a couple of weeks.    So I can watch the game and actually have someone to root for...for, like the first time ever!!  WOOOOOT!

Now to find a 49ers Hello Kitty t-shirt....

OK, so how about some grilled cheese today?

Good.

Hot Chile Grilled Cheese

Ingredients
4 poblano peppers
1 14-ounce can pinto beans, preferably low-sodium
3 tablespoons prepared salsa
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack and/or Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons low-fat plain yogurt
3 scallions, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
8 slices sourdough bread

Directions
Place peppers in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on High until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Let stand, covered, until cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, combine beans, salsa and salt in a medium bowl. Mash the beans with a fork until they begin to form a paste (some can remain whole). Combine cheese, yogurt, scallions and cilantro in a small bowl.
When the peppers are cool enough to handle, slice each one in half lengthwise and remove the stem and seeds.
Heat a panini maker to high. (But Mel, I don't have a panini maker..its cool, I've got you covered...look below.)
Spread 1/3 cup of the bean mixture on each of 4 slices of bread. Top with a heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture. Place 2 pepper halves over the cheese. Cover with the remaining slices of bread.
Grill the sandwiches in the panini maker until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Cut in half and serve immediately.

But Mel, I don't have a panini maker...: Place four 15-ounce cans and a medium skillet (not nonstick) by the stove. Heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 2 sandwiches in the pan. Place the medium skillet on top of the sandwiches, then weight it down with the cans. Cook the sandwiches until golden on one side, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, flip the sandwiches, replace the top skillet and cans, and cook until the second side is golden, 1 to 3 minutes more. Repeat with another 1 teaspoon oil and the remaining 2 sandwiches.

Now, remember...Dark green poblano peppers, smaller than a bell pepper but larger than a jalapeño, can be super hot or kind of mild; there’s no way to tell until you taste them....so maybe get a few of them, just in case you want to make sure to make your mouth burn!

So, that's my story.  I'm gonna go find a soup recipe for you all so we are back on track for Tuesday!!

**********************************************

And don't even think I though about your moment of Zen...