Today was a special day here. K & O’s teacher came for her home visit. In our Waldorf school the teacher visits each child at home just before the school year begins. In so many ways it is a really important day for the kids, their families, and the teacher too – just one of which is that it starts off the year building a bridge between the two ‘worlds’ of school and home. When planning the day and time for our teacher’s home visit this year, I went out on a limb and asked her if she’d like to plan it around lunchtime and join us for lunch. She took me up on the offer. And so it went. Today she came at 11:00, hung out with K & O for an hour, and then we all had lunch together. I made the lunch that we’ve been serving lunch-guests at our house all summer long: Panini’s! They were, once again, a huge, huge hit!
For Mother’s Day this past spring, Braydon and the bambinos gave me a Panini press. I had been wanting one for years, and was very excited about receiving it. It has lived up to every expectation I had of it and then some. It makes making a ‘special lunch’ so, so easy. And it makes ‘sandwiches for supper’ (a not-so-special back-up dinner around here) actually seem special. This summer the new Panini press has gotten quite a work-out and has already established itself as a beloved piece of kitchen equipment.
Our basic summer lunch-for-guests has been the most very simple Panini sandwich: sliced fresh farm-stand tomatoes, sharp cheddar cheese, and fresh-ground pepper, on hearty wheat bread. It never disappoints! With it we’ve been serving one or more of the following: Caesar salad (the boys’ favorite), potato chips, fresh fruit salad. Today we had Caesar salad and a fruit salad of fresh pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, and grapes with our Panini’s. The boys’ teacher loved it!
Two of our other simple Panini favorites are curried chicken salad and havarti, and BLTs (before we started experimenting with our own Panini press I thought that all Panini’s should have cheese, but now I know different—I swear, we make the best BLTs with our Panini press… and that says a lot since I consider myself to be a sort of BLT Connoisseur).
Anyway… If you don’t have one, I highly recommend getting a Panini press!
hi Heather,
what brand of sandwich maker do you have? do you add the lettuce after the sandwich is made?
thanks!
Jen
Hi Dr. Jen!
We have the Breville Panini Press from Williams Sonoma. Here’s the link:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/breville-panini-press/?pkey=x|4|1||4|panini||0&cm_src=SCH
Yes, we add the lettuce AFTER the sandwich is made/warmed/pressed (because, as I’m sure you know or guessed– the lettuce wilts too much if you put it in there before putting the sandwich in the panini press).
So happy to see your comment and to see that you’re still checking in here!
Hope you are well!!!
hugs, Heather
Only one teacher–does that mean that K&O are in a class together this year?
Also the word pannini is much classier than the australian word- toastie! Have you tried basil pesto, bocconcini cheese and tomato? Its an awesome combo!
Love panini sandwiches! I usually make mine with smoked turkey, provolone, tomato and spinach. I will have to try your BLT version sometime.
My little brother loves peanut butter and jelly panini sandwiches! If your kids haven’t had one of those yet, you must try it! It’s so yummy and kids love them!
Mmmmm…I’m in the midst of menu planning for this week. Thanks the meal idea! Check!
Just because I LOVE paninis so much, I thought I would share my fave sandwich. I eat it WAY too often:
sourdough bread
spread pesto on each slice (as I love it)
add: fresh mozarella
tomato
avocado (lots of that)
salt
*sometimes I drizzle w/balsimic vinegar, but with our without it is my current favorite!
You’ve inspired me. I think I NEED a panini press now!!
I’ve often wondered how much use we would get out of a panini press… clearly, I had no idea
Everything you mentioned (and the rest of the commenters) sounds A M A Z I N G!