It sounds unconventional, but Panini Press Brownies are an awesome idea! I saw this recipe on Panini Happy and flipped, because it gives me a reason for the homemade blueberry syrup I wrote about earlier, too! Panini Happy’s picture alone makes my mouth water.

Panini Happy’s Directions:

Brownies:

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat panini grill to 300 degrees.

Try, Cuisinart Griddler Panini Maker

Cook sugar, butter and water in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils.  Remove from heat.  Immediately stir in chocolate chips, stirring until melted.  Stir in egg and vanilla until blended.  Combine flour and baking soda; add to chocolate mixture.

Spoon brownie batter onto the panini grill in 8 equal portions (depending on the size of your grill, you may need to do this in batches).  Close the lid of the grill, leaving about 1/4″ of space between the brownies and the upper grates.  Grill for 5 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a brownie comes out clean.  Carefully remove brownies from the grill (they will be a bit soft).

To assemble each sundae sandwich: Scoop frozen yogurt on top of one brownie.  Sprinkle nuts on top of the frozen yogurt.  Close sandwich with another brownie.  Drizzle blueberry balsamic syrup over the top and finish with a dollop of whipped cream.

Here’s one of my favorite recipes with tomatoes. Hopefully, this will inspire you to rekindle your relationship with tomatoes. You will need:

• couple of ripe, juicy tomatoes
• your favorite sliced bread
• cheddar cheese, grated or sliced
• fresh basil
• Dijon mustard
• shallots – if you like, it takes the sammy to new heights
• butter, if your waste line can take it. You can substitute olive oil or skip it all together.

Wash and slice the tomatoes. Butter the bread on one side of each slice. On the other side spread some mustard. Make a sandwich, buttered sides of bread out, with the cheese, tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and thinly sliced shallots if you like. You can grill these traditionally in a pan but what really takes the sandwich from good to a-freakin-mazing is popping those puppies in a sandwich griller. Mmmm! I’ve just seen my future… I’m going back to the farm in Indiana next month where homegrown tomatoes and basil abound. I bought my parents a sandwich maker for Christmas last year. We haven’t whipped that bad boy out in a while. I think the time is ripe!