Panini Ideas + Giveaway!

Have you had a panini lately? No?

Let’s change that! How about I give one of you a Panini Press?

There is a reason why these are among the top street foods Italians eat – they’re easy, delicious, and versatile. Plus they are an amazing way to combine flavors. Some of my families favorites are:

Pear and Brie

There is something amazing about brie melted (think all those holiday puff pastry-wrapped circles of brie, with cranberry sauce or raspberry jam.) Here, the pear gets to shine as it’s sweetness mingles with the melty brie. So surprisingly good.

Strawberry + Nutella

This is my kids favorite combo! So simple, they are so excited when I make these for an after school snack.

Turkey, Apple, Cheddar and Bacon

The apple and cheddar alone are great but I love sliced turkey panini with gooey cheese. This one hits so many taste buds in your mouth – sweet from the apple, salty + smokey from the bacon, sharp from the cheddar. I was in Heaven after my first bite.

These are just a few of our favorites. But other ideas I love include:

// Prosciutto, Fig Jam and Blue Cheese or Brie

// Turkey + Pepper Jack with Chipotle Mayo, Lettuce + Tomato

//Chicken with Pesto Mayo, Mozzarella and Tomato

//Turkey with Smoked Gouda and Bacon

//Pulled Pork or Chicken with American Cheese

// Ham + Peach with Fontina Cheese and Dijon

//Turkey with Asiago, Artichokes, Arugala, Sun Dried Tomatoes

 

But you need a panini press to really get the end result that is warm and gooey on the inside, and crispy and buttery on the outside.

If you don’t have one (and don’t win this giveaway), you can use an indoor grill pan with another pan on top and something to weight it down (like soup cans) to press all the ingredients together. But a panini press makes it so easy!

To enter, just leave a comment below. You can enter twice by commenting on my new Instagram account for this blog and tagging a friend.

Hope you find some inspiration and even better some new kitchen hardware.

Happy Eating! xoxo Katie