Hot Sandwiches For March!

Spring is here!

Although it might not feel like it, we know that it's here so like many of you I like to start changing my menu from the heavy winter 'comfort foods' to something a little lighter, but with our weather still being on the cool side...my family wants a warm meal on the table.  My solution  --  HOT SANDWICHES!

Today I wanted to share with you one of our family favorite recipes for a hot sandwich because in our house, nobody wants a cold sandwich or salad when the temps outside are chilly.  My kids love it because they get to help make the sandwich, it's super kid friendly, but the ingredients are 'adult' in nature and flavors so it's a win/win for everyone.   

You can even buy mini focaccia loaves and have everyone make their own sandwich...This is a great idea for a party!




Hot Chicken, Sun Dried Tomato & Spinach Sandwich
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:

• 1 loaf Focaccia bread, sliced crosswise
• ¼ - 1/3 cup sun dried tomato pesto
• 10 – 12 slices of Mozzarella cheese
• ½ pound deli sliced roasted chicken breast
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Open focaccia loaf, set top aside. Spread ½ of the sun dried tomato pesto on the bottom of the loaf.
3. Place a layer of Mozzarella cheese, about 5-6 slices, over the sun dried tomato pesto.
4. Layer the sliced roasted chicken breast over the cheese.
5. Spread out the fresh spinach over the sliced deli meat.
6. Layer the remaining sliced roasted chicken breast over the spinach.
7. Place the remaining cheese, about 5-6 slices, over the sliced deli meat.
8. Spread the remaining sun dried tomato pesto over the cheese and place the top of the loaf on the sandwich.
9. Wrap in tin foil to completely cover the sandwich & bake for 45 minutes or until heated through.
10. Cut into wedges before serving.  

We hope you like this as much as we do and the best part is you can create and make any kind of hot sandwich your family likes using deli meats & cheeses.  

There are so many great sauces out there too, olive spreads, mayo spreads the options are endless. 

For more ideas, check out this VIDEO HERE!  You can even see how easy this is to put together!

From my heart to yours,
Kirsten
www.dishinupsomelove.org
 

Sophia's African Adventure...In Minnesota Part 1

My daughter Sophia is an amazing little girl.  When she was 8 years old, back in 2010, she told me she wanted to have a lemonade stand to raise money for charity after hearing some friends of ours, The Prince Family, share at Wednesday night church about the move they were about to make to Swaziland, Africa to work with Children's Cup.

Now, it was the middle of winter.....in Minnesota....so I told her a hot cocoa stand would be a better choice, but that if she really wanted to do it, we needed to plan ahead and do it right.

So in January 2011, Sophia had her first hot cocoa stand, in our garage and we made delicious, milk based, made from scratch hot cocoa complete with lots and lots of marshmallows!   I sent out e-mails and posted the information for Sophia on my Facebook page and not knowing how it would go, we were blown away by how many people showed up.  One of the very special moments of the day is when the Prince family stop by to enjoy some of the cocoa and share some wonderful hugs on that cold January afternoon. 

 That day Sophia raised $300.00 for the Prince family to take with them to Swaziland.  Several months later Stephen and Krista sent me a message and shared some incredible photos with me of a house and a beautiful family in front of it.

With the photo they explained that this house was under construction, but that they were short on the funds needed to complete the house and that the $300.00 Sophia raised was put towards the completion of the house.

 I cannot tell you how much it meant for Sophia to see this photo.  She realized that her little idea to have a hot cocoa stand, the $300.00 she raised and was able to give to Stephen & Krista, meant that this family's house was able to be completed.

In our 'world' we tend to take things for granted and this photo for Sophia, made her realize that she's incredibly blessed and doesn't have to worry about not having a roof over her head.

In fact, it made such a difference in her life, that all year she'd say how blessed she is and would remember this family in Swaziland.

However, the biggest moment of 2011 for her was on a Saturday morning in November, right before Christmas.  Now I don't know about your kids, but when my kids wake up on a Saturday morning all they think about is cartoons.

Well on this particular Saturday morning, Sophia came down the stairs, tears flowing from her eyes, her chin was quivering and she said "Mom, I want an orphan for Christmas, we have so much and they don't have anything!"

My heart at that moment went out to her and I pulled her in my arms and just held her.  I explained that adoption is a big decision, one that is not to be taken lightly and not something we could just do in a few weeks time.

Instead I suggested that if she really wanted to help the orphans she could host another hot cocoa stand to help Children's Cup and the orphaned kids of Swaziland, Africa.  She agreed and we began planning the logistics of her 2nd Annual Hot Cocoa Stand for January 2012.

 
I'll share more about that next week, but for now, head on over to The Cocoa Girl on Facebook, like her page and share her story with your friends.

From my heart to yours,
Kirsten
www.dishinupsomelove.org

 



 

Back In The Saddle Again!

Hey everyone - 

It's been almost 2 whole years since I last published a blog post.  Why you might ask?!  Well, in May of 2011 I became a finalist in a contest called Real Women of Philadelphia and from there so many wonderful things happened.

At the end of June 2011 all of the finalists were flown to Savannah, GA, that was a huge prize in and of itself.  I spent a week with 15 other wonderful women being pampered, participating in a cook-off, going on tours and eating so much great food.  In addition to all of that, I had several opportunities to spend time with Ms. Paula Deen at a variety of dinners & luncheons.  

At the end of that wonderful week there was a "Live Event" where all of the finalists got all dolled up & were driven to the Lucas Theater for the revealing of the new hosts for the website.  Throughout the course of the night one women from each of the 4 categories: appetizer, side dish, entree & dessert, were crowned winners of their category.

As I walked on stage during the naming of the Entree Host winner, I just reminded myself that I was already a winner just being in Savannah.  Whatever happened in addition to that was icing on the cake.  Well, as Paula Deen pulled the name out of the envelope, I stood with 3 other amazing women and in seconds my life changed in an incredible way!

Paula Deen named me the Season 2 Entree Host, really!  I still tell people what an amazing honor that was because, who gets to do that?  Only 2 of us in the country will have had the honor of that title! I know how special that is!

The adventure I was about to embark on 6 months after that, well, that kept me busy and the time I had for other things, like this blog, got put on the back burner, no pun intended!  I'll share some of those fun things in the next few weeks so stay tuned.

Right now I just want to share my desire to start blogging again for many reasons, most of which is to share all of the exciting things going on in my life as it relates to food, my non-profit organization and how others around us are using food as a way to make a difference in the lives of others.


One of those people is my very own daughter Sophia.  I'll share with you what she's doing to make a difference in the lives of kids in Swaziland, Africa with a simple cup of hot cocoa! 

For now, I can tell you that she's started a Facebook page called The Cocoa Girl so go check it out and like her page.  I'll fill you in more next week!

From my heart to yours,
Kirsten
www.dishinupsomelove.org