La Via Della Felicita: Grilled, Boiled and Baked

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."

- Virginia Woolf

Always hungry. . .so it came as no surprise when we dedicated the day solely to cooking.

On the Menu

Lunch: Grilled Asparagus and Mozzarella Sandwich

For two sandwiches
- 4 slices of whole wheat bread
- 6 asparagus stalks
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons of butter

1. Chop asparagus stalks and toss into boiling water for 4 minutes. Drain.
2. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread.
3. Place butter-side down on cooking surface (we used a George Foreman grill but a frying pan will work just the same).
4. Sprinkle mozzarella and asparagus on top and close sandwich
5. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown.
6. Enjoy!

Inspired by http://www.closetcooking.com/2010/06/asparagus-grilled-cheese-sandwich.html

Dinner: Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portabello with a side of Lemon Garlic Rice

For Stuffed Mushrooms:

- 2 tablespoons oil

- 6-8 medium sized portabello mushrooms, stems and gills removed

- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, drained and coarsely chopped

- 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

- 1/4 cup mayonnaise

- 1/4 cup mozzarella

- 1 clove garlic, chopped

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1 tablespoon oil

- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

- 1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated

1. Brush the mushrooms with oil and roast in a preheated 450F oven on a baking sheet with the inside facing up until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile mix the spinach, artichokes, cream cheese, mayo, mozzarella, garlic, salt and pepper.

3. Mix the oil, breadcrumbs and parmesan.

4. Divide the filling between the mushrooms and sprinkle on the bread crumbs.

5. Roast until the filling is hot and the breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Courtesy of http://www.closetcooking.com/2012/02/portabello-mushrooms-stuffed-with.html

For Lemon Garlic Rice:

- 1 cup white rice

- 1 cup water

- 1 stalk cilantro

- 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 teaspoon pepper

- 2 tablespoons lemon juice

- 2 tablespoons butter

1. Boil water in medium saucepan.

2. While water is coming to a boil, mix all ingredients together.

3. Stir rice mixture into boiling water.

4. Cover and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes.

5. Serve it while it's hot!

Created by A and R

Here is the final product! But. . . the Oriental burnt the rice and the Italian put too much garlic! We ended up eating crunchy rice and a pound of garlic. Oh my. How does that even happen?!?!

To make up for our failure we decided to do chocolate face masks and have some hot chocolate for dessert.

For the masks, we combined 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons honey and 1 tablespoon natural yogurt. Mix, mix, mix, mix!