Tramontina Grilled Cheese Recipe Contest - Results

National Grilled Cheese Day is Friday, April 12^th. In the office here, we thought of another great Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe that I thought I would share with you.

Grilled Cheese Recipe

Ingredients: 2 Slices of Buttermilk bread, buttered. 2 Slices of Havarti Cheese, A couple slices of Smoked Turkey Breast, a couple of slices of bacon, and a couple slices of tomato.

Instructions: Heat grill pan to med heat. Add a slice of buttermilk bread with butter side down, place a slice of Havarti cheese, smoked turkey, bacon, the other slice of Havarti cheese and finally the last slice of buttermilk bread with buttered side up. Brown on both sides and cook until cheese is melted. Pull sandwich a part between turkey and bacon to add in tomatoes right before serving. Enjoy!

Recipe Contest Results

We received some great recipes from you all. You are all very creative! However, one of you stood out among the rest, and that person has won the Tramontina Grill pan w/press! 

Tramontina Series 1000 Cast Iron Grill Pan w/ Press, 11" SKU: 07-2225

Congratulations to Maria Manuel! We were going to award the prize to Cate, but it was brought to our attention that the recipe she posted was directly pasted from Cookin Canuck's blog. Although we didn't say it had to be completely original, the recipe needed to not be directly pasted from another person's blog without crediting them. Maria Manuel, your sandwich incorporated unique ingredients and sounds delicious! Thank you so much for sharing it with all of us! Let us all know how the Tramontina grill pan and press works out for you in your grill cheese sandwich creations.

Now to the rest of the contestants, we randomly chose eight of you to receive our other prize of the Bialetti Cup and Saucer set. Congratulations to Julie Lloyd-Atkinson, Shannon, Cory Hoover, Mindy Babbitt, Jane, bakewithease, Erik Peterson and Scott Anderson! 

Those that won prizes, please email me at Melissa@cheftools.com your mailing address by Friday, April 12^th.

Thank you all again for sharing with us your creative and delicious grilled cheese recipes. If you missed them here is a link to the post, check the comments for all of the great recipes that were submitted. I hope that you will be eating some Grilled cheese on Friday, April 12^th. I know I will!

Italian Grilled Cheese

Check back for future recipe contests, cooking tips and giveaways. Let me know if there is a cooking topic, you want me to cover or a product you want more information on in the comments below. We want to encourage you to keep cooking! 

A Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Photo courtesy of Heather "Moria"

I’ll be making a loaf of soda bread tonight, though it probably won’t last until St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday. If you’ve never made this bread before, give it a try. It’s easy and this stuff tastes great – enjoy it as a sweet treat with butter at breakfast or to scoop up savory dishes like lamb or beef stew. Here’s my first-generation Irish grandmother’s soda bread recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups of all-purpose flour (a pinch more for dusting)

2 cups pastry/cake flour

3-1/2 tablespoons of sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons of salt

2 tablespoons of butter

1-3/4 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon of white vinegar

1 cup of raisins

1) Preheat oven to 425
2) Sift together dry ingredients.

3) Mix dry ingredients and butter together in a ceramic bowl with a paring knife.  This is a key part of the recipe: you want to cut across all the ingredients until – somehow – they form a crumble.

4) Add the milk and vinegar. Knead only until smooth, about 15 times. I advise you to knead sparingly to avoid creating gluten. But, my grandmother would beat the bejesus out of it, so go with your gut.

5) Place the dough on parchment paper on a baking sheet or in a bread pan (if you want a loaf shape) and bake for 45 – 60 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 180 F.

Enjoy! And remember, you can buy all of the tools mentioned in this recipe at ChefTools.com - just follow the links!

Valentine's Day 2010

Cuisipro Red Hearts Cookie Cutters Set, 5-Piece

Valentine's Day is only a little over 5 weeks away, which goes by so quickly these days with our busy schedules. It is a special and unique kind of day where you can celebrate the love you have for your "Sweetheart" by making them a romantic dinner for two and baking something delicious and festive. Now is the perfect time to get ahead of the game and make sure you're ready for Valentine's Day by planning your meal which can include:    · researching recipes    · making a grocery list    · having the necessary tools & cookware We have created special departments at ChefTools.com to help make sure you are well prepared for your Valentine's Day. If you are in need of some new tools, gadgets, bakeware or more shop HERE. For your desserts and baked goods, shop our Valentine's edible decorations department HERE. Finally, if you are looking for some good recipes consider these options from various reputable sources. Chocolate Soufflé Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Valentine Candies Tiramisu

Can't Get Enough Pumpkin?

Listed as one of the Culinary Institute of America's "Quick Breads", this Pumpkin Bread recipe is an easy way to get more pumpkin into your diet. Quick breads bake up like cakes or muffins rather than traditional breads because of their lack of a yeast leavener, which is replaced by chemical leaveners (baking poweder and baking soda in this case). Nevertheless, with a delicious, warming combo of pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg this "bread" recipe is sure to please this holiday season.