Gourmet Grilled Cheese, Please. 

Honestly, who doesn't love a classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich? If you don't, you have other issues we need to address but we won't get into that right now. There is something about cheese oozing between two pieces of bread that make people go crazy. And of course, there are so many renditions you can do to make your own grilled cheese unique. 

For todays post, I am going to share my two different spins on grilled cheeses and let me tell you, they are quite different. They are two different tastes, so you are bound to at least like one of them... Or I hope so.. 

Here we go with Grilled Cheese #1

Turkey & Brie Grilled Cheese with Apple Slices and Arugula 

Yes, very overwhelming with many ingredients but the taste is out of this world. I was cooking for two this night so the recipe may be a little more than you want. Also, we each tried our own spreads to go along with it which gave it a different taste as well. 

Ingredients: 

4 pieces of wheat bread 

2-4 thin slices of turkey breast

thinly sliced brie (as much as your heart desires)

1 apple thinly sliced

1/2 cup of arugula 

Directions:

-Lightly butter one side of each slice of bread and stack all of the ingredients.

-Cook over medium heat until both sides are golden brown!

-ENJOY

In the sandwich above, I used a honey mustard glaze mixed with a little bit of more honey. It complimented the sandwich very nicely and gave it a little extra zing to it.

In Caroline Ryans sandwich, she used a raspberry jam. According to her, it was really good considering how well brie and jams go together. 

I know the salad looks tasty as well. Its so easy to make, you will eat it every night.

Ingredients:

-1 clove of garlic, minced

-1/2 teaspoon of dijon mustard

-1 tablespoon of lemon juice

-1/4 teaspoon of pepper

-1/8 teaspoon of black pepper

-3 tablespoon of olive oil

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and then toss in with a spinach and arugula mixture. I usually throw a little bit of parmesan cheese in there because why not. 

Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese

We all know everyone loves anything buffalo chicken, and this sandwich is no different. So lets get right down to business...

Ingredients:

-1 piece of COOKED grilled chicken (seasoned however you like it)

-1 1/2 tablespoon of franks hot buffalo sauce

-1/4 teaspoon of basil, dried

-1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

-1 tablespoon of cream cheese

-1 tablespoon of shredded cheddar cheese

-2 slices of provolone cheese

-2 slices of wheat bread

Directions: 

-In a small bowl mix everything together, except provolone cheese and bread (obviously)

-Lightly butter one side of each piece of bread.

-Layer the sandwich provolone, chicken mixture, provolone.

-Cook over medium heat and until both sides are golden brown

-Serve with a small salad so you can convince yourself you are being healthy, even though you are not!

I used Caesar dressing to dip my sandwich in because my house was out of ranch, but of course that would have been my go to.

I hope you enjoyed these sandwiches, they are really easy to make! If you ever try one of the recipes I would love to hear your feedback! Also, if you ever have any suggestions you want me to do, please feel free to share! 

Lastly, Cravings with Caroline now has its own instagram so be sure to follow for pics and new postings. Thanks so much for all the support and be on the look out for next weeks post!!

XOXO,

Caroline

(Follow on instagram: @cravingswithcaroline) 

Taking on The Big Easy with a Big 'Ole Bloody 

As most of you know from my previous post, I spent my weekend in the great city of New Orleans, LA. For those of you that have never been to NOLA- you are missing out on a city that can turn from cultural and festive to drunk and ratchet just like day to night. I was excited to go to New Orleans for my boyfriends last formal, but I was also very excited to try their delicious food! Of course we got there too late on Friday night, but no worries, I managed to get myself a Lucky Dog to fill my hunger after a night on Bourbon St.

Saturday was a tough start while walking around looking for Cafe du Monde and then finding how long the line was. We gave up our hope on trying the Beignets this year (Sorry Brooke!). What's worse then a group of hungover college kids, you ask? A group of hungover HANGRY college kids (Hangry= Hungry+Angry). After stumbling down Decatur Street, we found The Corner.

The Corner seemed like a great restaurant/bar to fill our hunger needs, and they didn't disappoint. I knew I was home when I read on the menu "Worlds Best Bloody Mary's!" I'm sure you all know the saying, "The best way to cure a hangover? Keep Drinking." So we did. Unfortunately, majority of my group ordered Mimosa's but shout out to Dave for getting a Bloody with me. When I tell you this place doesn't lie- they don't. All I wanted to do was stand up and cheer "You did it! Congratulations! Worlds Best Bloody Mary! Great job everybody, It's great to be here!" But then I thought, I am not Buddy the Elf and who knows if I would have gotten kicked out, but man, it was good. 

If that isn't the most beautiful sight you've ever seen, you're doing it wrong. Not only was the blend of tomato juice mix to vodka perfect, but the blend between seasonings and spices mixed in was absolutely incredible. This bloody came with a lime, olive, and pickled okra- I just kept the lime. Most people love other garnishes in their drink, and don't get me wrong, a pickle or a piece of bacon would have been lovely, but the drink was too good to even complain. Lastly, to top it all off, the bartender had an old bay seasoning mixture to coat the rim of the cup. When & If I get back to New Orleans, I know where I will be going to get my Bloody Mary. 

While most of you are probably thinking, where is the food component? Here ya go! Our table ordered a variety of appetizers. From crab & crawfish cakes, to fried oysters, to mozzarella sticks (you're welcome, Tommy), to Alligator bites... EVERYTHING WAS DELICIOUS! I'm not going to lie, I was on Team Crab Cake & I made sure we got them. 

I am not very adventurous when it comes to seafood and I really wish I was; however, I will never turn down delicious crab cakes or crab legs. What I found most interesting is that they had mixed in Crawfish to their crab mixture before forming them into cakes and cooking them. It was topped with a Remoulade Sauce. I never knew what a Remoulade Sauce was but after looking it up just now, it was invented in France and is used in many different countries. In the US, it is traditionally used in Louisiana cuisine. It is a mayonnaise base sauce mixed with Paprika, Creole Brown Mustard, some Ketchup, and Cayenne Pepper. Feeling brave, I didn't scrape it off and I actually tried it. It was absolutely amazing. Clearly, these Cajuns have got it going on and know how to do food.

Later on, the actual formal itself was a blast and the food there was great too! I always love going to New Orleans because of the culture they have there, it truly is a one of a kind place. I am glad that on this trip I got to try some unique dishes and drinks to share with you, but of course, I ended my night with getting a slice of pizza.

We felt the need to take a picture on a random street, with our pizza. Thanks for a great time, Tommy!

If you are ever in New Orleans, be sure to check out The Corner, I promise you will not be disappointed. 

Lastly, since I didn't share any new recipes in this post, I'll be posting one later on in the week that I am dying to try. Wonder what it is? Brie is the only hint I will give you. Thanks so much for reading everyone, I hope you enjoyed my Cajun experience!!

XOXO, 

Caroline 

The Post That Started It All...

Okay, I'm sure most of you follow me on Instagram (or maybe I'm just thinking I have a lot of followers and really don't #awkward) BUT anyway, I posted a delicious picture the other day and it hit me, I NEED TO BLOG. So i figured my first actual food blog would be dedicated to the post that made me realize I want to do something more than just post cool Instagrams!

Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken in a Honey Glaze with an Avocado Spinach Tomato Salad Mix!

For starters, I just want to put out there that for the chicken I took an idea from a Pinterest post and added my own twist and for the salad, I took one of my mom's friends dip recipes and basically made it into a salad!

CHICKEN:

Ingredients:

-1 Chicken Breast

-1 tsp of Honey

-1/2 Clove of Garlic, minced

-Red Pepper Flakes, Salt, & Pepper

-3 Slices of Prosciutto 

Directions:

-First you are going to want to preheat your oven to 400 degrees

-Take your chicken breast and salt and pepper to taste

-Next, in a small bowl mix 1 tsp of honey. (if you are into the sweetness, add 1 1/2tsp), add 1/2 clove of minced garlic, and sprinkle some red pepper flakes.

*so you are not cutting your fingers, just use the store bought pre-minced garlic, it is seriously a life savor!!*

-After mixing your glaze, lay out 3 pieces of prosciutto and wrap your chicken in it.

-Add any of the extra glaze on top of the prosciutto and then put it on a greased pan

-Bake for 35 minutes and ENJOY! 

*Make sure to check to see if your chicken is cooked all the way through before consuming*

SALAD:

-Mix all of the following ingredients together in a bowl

-half a bag of spinach/arugula mix

-1 chopped avocado

-1/2 a package of feta

-1/2 a package of cherry tomatoes sliced in half

-1 tablespoon of olive oil

-1/2 tablespoon of red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar (whichever you prefer!)

-1 clove of garlic, minced (you can use your store bought pre bought garlic for this too!)

-1/4 cup of chopped onion, preferably red onions

-1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano

Most of my recipes are going to be single serving but can easily be doubled or tripled! I will make sure to note if it is single serving or more. The recipe above for chicken is a single serving and the recipe for the salad could feed two but I was just really hungry so I obviously stuffed my face...

I know being in college and cooking can be tough, but one of the most important things to remember is to keep it cheap and simple but make sure your quality is A+! In due time, you will be mastering the basics of the kitchen!

Lastly, if any of y'all have any suggestions for recipes, please feel free to contact me because I would love to try new things and give you a shout out for providing me the recipe. I hope you enjoyed this delicious dish! I hope everyone has a great weekend and be on the look out for my next post all about New Orleans food and hot spots (I'm sure you can guess where I am going this weekend)

XOXO,

Caroline 

*PS- shout out to my proof reader Liv Crumbley- YOU DA BOMB (so if there are any grammatical errors or spelling errors, its not my fault....)

Greetings, my hungry friends!

Welcome to my new Cooking/Food Blog Cravings with Caroline. As most of you know, I absolutely love food! Don't worry, this blog is not about my obsession with McDonalds or Coca-Cola. It's about my obsession with the kitchen and all the creativity that goes along with it! I know I'm a newbie when it comes to the blogging world, so please don't be too harsh with my first few posts. I promise I will learn as I go. With this food blog, I vow to make sure you enjoy reading it ( but please excuse my dumb humor, because most of the time when I think I'm funny... I'm really not :\ ).  I will be posting new recipes I find or make up, different techniques, and all the great places to eat in the area. I will try to simplify it all- because let's be honest, I am not a professional gourmet chef {maybe one day}

With that being said, I need to give a HUGE shout out to my momma, Stephanie. Growing up with home cooked meals on the table each and every night was such a blessing. My mom is an amazing cook and I owe everything I know to her. She is the real reason why I love to cook so much. Hopefully I'll be able to share some of her very delicious recipes. Trust me, you can never go wrong with some of her homemade meatballs. So thanks Momma Mac, you are the true MVP.

So..... Continue to be checking in with me as these weeks go on and I start to learn more about the blogging world, as I am sharing with you the creative side of the cooking world. 

XOXO,

Caroline