It’s Wednesday, the week is half-way over, and you’re tired…but you gotta eat.  Instead of the same old casserole or (my boring yet loyal standby) baked chicken covered in some kind of Campbell’s soup, shake it up a bit!

This is one of my favorite recipe sites, Panini Happy, which is chock full of awesome ideas for grilled sandwiches. The nice thing about panini is that they’re super easy. You can use a panini maker or indoor grill, but you don’t need anything fancy.  I just use one of my big skillets, and a smaller, cast-iron skillet to smoosh the sandwich as it cooks.  You can also get a grill pan with a panini press super cheap at department stores like Macy’s. (Look for a One Day Sale!)

So, if you want a simple and delicious dinner, try one of these great sandwich combos. This twist on the classic Italian caprese salad is one of my all time favorites:  Tomato, Basil, & Mozzarella Panini 

French baguette, halved lengthwise
2-3 fresh basil leaves
1 heirloom tomato (or other tomato of your choice), sliced into 1/4″ slices
Lemon zest
2 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat pan or panini grill to medium-high heat. Drizzle olive oil inside both halves of the baguette. On the bottom half, layer basil leaves and tomatoes. Season tomatoes with salt, pepper and lemon zest. Add mozzarella and top half of baguette. Grill sandwich for 5-6 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve immediately and enjoy!

(My additon: drizzle tomatoes with a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar before assembling sandwich.)

photo by epSos.de