Cuban Sliders

Whenever I see Cuban sandwiches, I think of my sister.  She loves Cuban sandwiches!  A few weeks ago my Dad was in town and we found a great Cuban restaurant as we were driving around the city.  I got a little inspired and started looking up recipes.  I know this isn’t a traditional Cuban, but any sandwich in the form of a slider makes everything a little better.  This recipe is definitely a keeper and so easy.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Lemony Dijon Dressing

Cafeteria food, usually not something to be excited about but PepsiCo has a pretty nice cafeteria, including a great salad bar.  About a year ago I made a commitment to making sure I eat more greens, so, for the past year I have been making myself a salad for lunch every day.  Well, not every day.  Every other Wednesday is Sushi Day and it is a little crazy how much we look forward to that day (really good classics made in front of you).  After a year of eating salad, I have become a little tired of the same salad every day. 

Tomato Soup

It’s my first day back in Chicago after a great Christmas in Atlanta and I thought I would give a few of my new gifts a whirl – thanks for the pot utensil clip Mom and pot holders Michael and Libby! Even though we were one Klindt (well, now Schumacher) short this year, we had a lot of fun, eating, drinking, watching movies, and SLEEPING.  I am not sure about you, but when I have a chunk of time off, my body will shut down and go into hibernation mode for a while. 

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Noodles

It has been rather chilly in Chicago over the past week (and when I say rather, I am talking about 0 degrees when I wake up with negative wind chills). Thankfully, I made a large pot of chicken noodle soup while it was snowing last Sunday which lasted me a few days.   The old Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup commercial kept popping in my head as I made it…the one where the snowman comes into the house and the snow melts away until you see a little red headed kid.  Since I didn’t want to venture out into the snow that day, I decided to be a little creative and made my own egg noodles, and they turned out AWESOME!!!  Definitely a great way to add a special touch to soup.  They tasted like little dumpling strips in my soup...yummmmm!  While I was making the noodles I realized I don’t own a rolling pin, so my noodles are a bit thick, but if you own a rolling pin, I am sure you can roll them out much better than I could with my hands. Enjoy!

Wedding Soup

There are moments that can remind you what life is all about…sometimes big and sometimes small.  Last weekend was one of those bigger moments, my sister’s wedding.  The amount of love and joy surrounding the weekend was very special to be a part of.  Two families coming together to create a day that will always be remembered.  From the week of prep leading up to the festivities to the kick-off with rehearsal to the main event and reliving stories the next morning at breakfast, lots of great memories were made.  

Buttermilk Herb Vinaigrette

 Don’t you just love when you order a meal at a restaurant that hits the nail on the head?  A few weeks ago I transitioned to a new role at PepsiCo and a few of my new teammates took me out for lunch at a place called Sepia.  Being that this was the Monday after my sister’s bachelorette party I figured I should choose something in the salad section after a weekend of indulging.  My taste buds were so blown away it inspired me to try and replicate it at home.  A major aspect of it was the dressing, but another unique part of the salad was that it had shaved fennel on it.  I would definitely recommend adding it in for a subtle but unique twist. 

Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Panini with Balsamic Syrup

Did you get home late from work tonight and don’t feel like you have the energy to spend an hour cooking something?  If so, one of my favorite things to make is a hot sandwich because they are super easy, quick, warm, and hearty.  In my eyes there is a spectrum of hot sandwiches that range from the “everyday”end, like the grilled cheese I ate as a child, to the more “elegant” end of the spectrum with a Panini.