It’s Fall already?  Yikes!  What happened to the summer?  What happened to September?

Oh well, here we go again.  The leaves are turning, nights are colder so it must be THE season for apples.  I have a recipe on this blog for apple pie, but it is not made with Fresh apples.  I think fresh apples beat anything out of a can.

Some love to bake with apples.  Others love to make apple cider.  And there are even more who enjoy tasting all the apple treats made.

My apple pie dilemma  is forever constant.  I’d love to have a piece of apple pie, but don’t want to spend the time baking an entire pie.  Then I would convince myself to throw out the rest of the pie.  But I never do.

So having a Toas-Tite Apple Pie solves this problem.  I can have my slice of apple pie and there is no pie to throw out.  Plus, I can have any kind of apple pie I want.

Here’s a basic recipe to cook the apples before putting them in the Toas-Tite sandwich grill.  Yes, I know you have to do some extra work, but it’s worth it.

Apple Pie Filling 

In a medium pan over medium heat melt 1/2 tbsp of butter (margarine if you must).

Add 1 apple, peeled and sliced, 1 tbsp packed brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

Cook until the apples are tender – about 4-5 minutes.

That’s it.  Thanks for putting in the effort.  You won’t be sorry.

Remember to spray the insides of your Toas-Tite grill with cooking spray before cooking.      (See How to…101 for more information.)

Next, choose your bread.  Plain, white bread makes a very tasty pie crust.  Another great bread for this would be cinnamon.  I chose flour tortillas.  It’s totally up to you.

I spread a little cream cheese on the tortillas.  Other spreads could be a mild yellow cheese, or one of the many cream cheese spreads, or butter and cinnamon.  What ever you want, or nothing at all.

Close up the Toas-Tite grill, trim the outside edges and cook on medium heat.  I cook my pie about 2 minutes on each side,  You can check the edges of the pie any time when cooking.  The Toas-Tite sandwich maker seals the pie all the way around.  Nothing can leak out and all the goodness stays in.

Times up and here’s my apple pie.  As always, I waited a few minutes for the pie to cool before slicing.

It took minutes to make and no unwanted leftovers.

Enjoy!

The vegetable season is here!  Friends, neighbors, co-workers may bring you their summer successes.  Showing off the size of their zucchini or squash.  Their tomatoes display their ruby-red skin.  Just sitting there,  plump and juicy.  Nothing beats vegetables from a summer garden.

I’ve seen recipes for a Zucchini Grinder in magazines.  That made me think… why not a Toas-Tite  Zucchini Grinder sandwich?

Will it taste good?  Just vegetables in the Grinder?  No meat?

Yep.  This is truly a vegan sandwich.  A very tasty Zucchini Grinder Toas-Tite sandwich.

Ingredients

Fresh Zucchini

Ragu, spaghetti sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

Italian bread

Remember to spray the insides of your Toas-Tite grill with cooking spray before cooking.      (See Toas-Tite 101 for more information.)

I choose a hardy, Italian bread (like the kind you may get in a restaurant).  Because the slices of bread did not completely cover the 4″ diameter of the sandwich maker, I simply added more bread to cover each clamshell.

You see the sandwich maker will take the bread and create a sealed sandwich.  Once you close the Toas-Tite sandwich maker your sandwich is completely sealed.  No leaks, no mess.  All the yummy stuff stays inside.

After adding all the ingredients to the Toas-Tite sandwich, close the shell to seal in all the goodness.  Cook at medium heat for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side.  You can open the Toas-Tite any time to check its progress.

I really wasn’t sure if I would like this Toas-Tite sandwich, but IT WAS FANTASTIC.

Try it!  You’ll like it!

Do you know why I like an Italian Toas-Tite sandwich so much?  Because every time I make an Italian Toas-Tite it’s always different.  And, more important, the next Italian Toas-Tite is always better than the last.

Ingredients

Meat

Sauce

Cheese

Bread

And anything else you want

Remember to spray the insides of your Toas-Tite grill with cooking spray before cooking.      (See How to…101 for more information.)

I chose some spicy sausage stuffed with tomato and basil.  Any Italian sausage would be wonderful.  Or how about chicken?  Just remember the meat has to be cooked before adding it to the Toas-Tite sandwich.

The sauce I chose was a spaghetti Sauce.  I always have a jar or two in my cabinet.   When you choose a sauce you might what to try a sauce that isn’t tomato based.  Maybe an alfredo sauce?  Or a pesto?

Is there a cheese that wouldn’t be great in the Toas-Tite sandwich?  (Okay, maybe a few.)  Asiago, mozzarella, provolone, parmesan and romano would each give different flavors, but all will be very tasty!

I chose a Parmesan Focaccia bread for something completely different.  Italian bread is also excellent.  In the future I will be experimenting with pizza dough.  Stay tuned.

Here’s something very helpful.  I bought a 4.5″ biscuit cutter.  It makes the perfect size bread for a Toas-Tite sandwich.  So if you choose bread that requires some serious cutting, problem solved.

Is there anything else that would make this a better Toas-Tite sandwich?  Maybe add a little pepperoni?

After the Italian Toas-Tite cools why not add some veggies like tomato and green pepper?

There are so many fresh fruits available in the summer.  So take advantage of it and enjoy the deliciousness of fresh fruit pies.  Not your standard BIG pie.  That pie can last around your home way too long (or worse… not last at all).  That’s why I love small, simple, delicious Toas-Tite summer pies.

Whatever kind of Toas-Tite pie you want, the recipe can always be different, and the cooking is always the same.

Ingredients

Fresh fruit

Bread

And whatever else you want to add

Remember to spray the insides of your Toas-Tite grill with cooking spray before cooking.      (See How to…101 for more information.)

You choose the type of bread you want.  White, Italian and Challah breads are all very good.  If you are more adventurous, try using pie crust dough.

Pick a fruit.  Apple, blueberry, strawberry, banana, they would all be so yummy.  Maybe pick more than one.

Another idea is to add a creamy filling, such as Nutella or peanut butter, with some bananas.

Check out the pictures for more ideas.

Strawberry/Blueberry Pie made with Cinnabon cinnamon bread.

This grilled, Toas-Tite fruit pie is made with blueberries, strawberries, banana and Nutella spread.  All that in some Challah bread.   If I added vanilla ice cream this would be like a banana split!

Are you a blue cheese lover?  Are you looking for a grilled sandwich filled with some zing and calmed with a little blue cheese?

As I was  preparing this sandwich the blue cheese flavor gave me a moment to pause and wondered if this was such a good idea.  I wasn’t sure if I would love this grilled, “Turkey Blues”  Toas-Tite sandwich.  It only took a few minutes to find out the answer.

I started with Italian bread .  You can choose any bread you want.  Check out the variety of breads, and rolls in your local grocery store.

I like a little spice in my Toas-Tite sandwich so I decided on a slice of Pepper Jack cheese instead of swiss cheese.   Choose a different cheese if you like.

Remember to spray the insides of your Toas-Tite grill with cooking spray before cooking.      (See Toas-Tite 101 for more information.)

Ingredients

2 slices of turkey

2 slices of swiss cheese

2 Tbs. blue cheese

2 slices of bread

Wow!!  I was very, very pleasantly surprised by the fantastic combination of tastes.

You can always add condiments once your grilled Toas-Tite is cooked.

I added tomatoes.

And then some avocado.

Voila!  Enjoy!

S’mores Toas-Tite Treats

On a cool, summer evening there is nothing better than sitting around a campfire and making S’mores.  Unfortunately, we live in homes, townhouses or apartments and campfires are frowned upon.

But wait!  No problem.    You can make S’mores in your kitchen.

Remember to spray the insides of your Toas-Tite grill with cooking spray before cooking.      (See Toas-Tite 101 for more information.)

Ingredients

Chocolate of your choice.  There’s a variety of Nestle’ chocolate chips such as white,  semi-sweet, or milk chocolate.  They come in all shapes and sizes.  Another choice could be the chocolate candy bar.  Have any Nutella around?

Marshmallows of your choice – large or mini or maybe some marshmallow Fluff?

Cinnamon bread – Cinnabon bread, with cinnamon bursts, is great.  It has no raisins.  Pepperidge Farms also make a cinnamon bread with out raisins; however, you may have to roll it out a little to get that good Toas-Tite seal on your sandwich.

A S’mores Toas-Tite is one of my personal favorites.  That’s because it is so personal.  I choose the chocolate.  My favorite is to use one of the Toll House chocolate chips.  They have so many varieties to choose from.  You can use chocolate chips or the traditional Hershey bar.  It’s up to you.

I also like the mini-marshmallows.  However, large marshmallows or fluff are great too.

Because I have not found a Graham cracker bread, I chose to use cinnamon bread.  Cinnabon makes a great cinnamon bread without the raisins.  It makes this treat absolutely awesome.

If anyone can offer a different type of bread I’d like to hear about it.

In the meantime…enjoy that S’mores Toas-Tite treat.

Cinnamon bread makes an awesome shell.                                                                          Yummy!

 

Related articles

• S’Mores Without The Campfire (neatorama.com)

Blueberry Pie

It’s summertime!  Everything is in bloom.  That includes a large variety of fruit trees.  So many beautiful, juicy fruits.  Apples, peaches, strawberries and blueberries.

One of my favorites is blueberry.  I love blueberry pie.

Are you ever in the mood for a slice of blueberry pie but didn’t want to bake a whole pie?  Baking a pie not only heats up the kitchen when it’s already 80 degrees..inside!!   Baking a pie will destroy any will power I may have.  I can’t let a pie go to waste!  And for me, it takes an hour to bake and by then I have already found something else and settled for second best.

Blueberry Toas-Tite to the rescue!

The original 1940’s recipe was made with white bread and blueberry pie filling.  Today there are so many options available.   Even a healthier pie is possible.   By choosing fresh fruits instead of canned pie filling, a lot of excess sugar is left out of the pie.  Another recommendation is to eliminate half, to all, of the syrup in the canned fruit pie filling before adding to the pie. 

Lastly, choose bread that is low in sugar or high in fiber.  Breads have changed a lot.  You can choose from healthier whole grain, or sandwich “Thins” for something completely different.

I chose an uncooked pie crust for my bread.  The pie crust gives me a different taste and texture.

Remember to spray the insides of your Toas-Tite grill with cooking spray before cooking.      (See Toas-Tite 101 for more information.)

Ingredients

Blueberry Pie filling*

Pie crust**

*Don’t hesitate to try so many other fillings.  Apple, cherry, peach are some of my favorites.  REALLY DON’T FORGET ABOUT adding fresh fruit.  Peaches, strawberries, raspberries would be awesome.

**Pie crusts are found in the dairy case.  Each pie shell will make 2 grilled Toas-Tite  sandwiches.  There are 2 pie shells in a box.

Set the range temperature to med-low.  Cook each side for 3 mins.  Make sure the dough is fully cooked.  The crust color should be a golden brown.

Once done pop the pie on a plate to cool.

Voila!  I love blueberry pie!                                                                           And I love whipped cream too!

“Toas-Tite-da”

A Tostada, Toas-Tite sandwich

What a fantastic way to kick off the new blog.   

My hope is to bring you new and exciting grilled Toas-Tite  recipes.   And I have a great one!

When the summer temperature gets so hot, who wants to turn on the oven?  Not me!

Here is a creative recipe for a Mexican tostada.

“Toas-Tite-da” Ingredients

Chicken Strips

Chopped Red Pepper

Cheese

Remember to spray the insides of your Toas-Tite grill with cooking spray before cooking.      (See Toas-Tite 101 for more information.)

I like to use Tyson’s Southwest chicken strips.  They are cut, spiced and ready to go.  You can also use last night’s leftovers.  A few pieces of chopped chicken will do the trick.  Remember, this is just an idea for a mexican tostada.  You can create your own “Toas-Tite-da”.  There are so many more options you can include: onions, jalepeños, chicken, beef, beans, different cheeses, vegetables….. you get the idea.

One of the twists in this recipes, compared to the original 1940’s Toas-Tite sandwiches, is the choice of bread.  Today there are some many varieties of  bread types and sizes!  Check out your bread and dairy sections in your grocery store for great ideas.

For my “Toas-Tite-da” I didn’t even use bread.  I chose the traditional soft, corn tortilla shell.

I sprayed the inside of the sandwich maker shells with oil.  After 2 to 2 1/2 minutes of grilling on each side at med-low heat, I enjoyed an incredibly delicious Toas-Tite sandwich.

Adding any liquids and/or sauces to the sandwich before grilling can change the cooking results. I included salsa and sour cream for dipping sauces. This is also a great way to keep your sauces cool and your “Toas-Tite-da” hot!

That’s it. Can it get easier than that?                                     Yummy!