Today was the last day of Christmas break for the kids … the last day for them to play with all their new toys unfettered. Their last day to ride bikes and build Lego houses with each other all day. Their last day to watch cartoons over lunch. So, I thought something warm, toasty and buttery was in order — it’s been a great break from school and heading back to our regimented schedule is kind of sad.

Hello, grilled cheese.

When I was a little girl, grilled cheese was one of my very favorite lunches. My grandmother would butter slices of perfectly square white bread and sandwich a slice or two of orange American cheese in the center, frying them to buttery, gooey cheesy goodness. I loved the texture variations of the sandwich — the smooth, warm cheese and the crisp toasted bread. I’d eat as much of the cheese as I could from the center before eating the bread.

I still love a good grilled cheese. But it’s definitely not the most lean of lunches — it can be though if you make a few small changes.

This version is of the classic grilled cheese has a few health-minded upgrades to make it a teensy bit healthier with more natural ingredients.

The white bread has been traded for more fiber-rich whole grain bread. It’s still buttered though … there is no substitute for butter in a grilled cheese. I’ve tried.

Instead of highly processed American cheese, this sandwich is made with a mix of shredded mozzarella cheese and provolone cheese. They have that same melt-factor that’s key to the sandwich.

And in the center? A little protein in the form of sliced meatballs.

The result is a delicious twist on the classic. It has a lot of the best qualities of classic grilled cheese, just stepped up a bit. And Will and Paige? They loved this, eating every last morsel and requesting more. They especially liked having meatballs in the center.

Two Cheese Meatball Grilled Cheese
yields 1 sandwich

2 slices whole grain bread
salted butter
2 tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 tbsp freshly grated provolone cheese, divided
2 mini meatballs in sauce, sliced

Lay out the slices of bread and butter on one side each. Meanwhile, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Place one slice of bread butter side down in the pan. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of mozzarella on top followed by 1/2 tablespoon provolone. Line the cheese with slices of meatballs. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of mozzarella and 1/2 tablespoon of provolone on top. Cover with the second slice of bread, butter side up.

Cook the sandwich 3-4 minutes, until golden on the side facing the pan. Flip carefully, press down slightly and then cover the pan. Cook for another 3-4 minutes until golden. The cheese should be all melty.

Remove from the pan and let cool for a few minutes before cutting.

Serve immediately.

But our dinners (and appetizers too) aren’t without some degree of restriction. To moderate our fat intake, we aim for more healthful versions of family favorites. So when I was asked to partake in the November 2011 SideCar Series, featuring Bush’s Beans, on Kitchen PLAY, I knew it was a good fit. Beans are good-for-you food.

My contribution is a Hot Spinach Artichoke White Bean Dip. Like many people, my family adores the traditional hot spinach artichoke dip. The cheese! The flavor! The dipping goodness! But it’s such a nutritional splurge that we almost never have it anymore.

Spinach Artichoke White Bean Dip waiting to be baked.

Now we can. I turned that creamy hot dip on its head, making it a way-less-guilt dip by trading cream cheese and other creamy (read: full-fat) ingredients for white cannellini beans pureed with garlic and vegetable stock.

The dip is still fabulously creamy with a mix of Romano and mozzarella cheese, chopped artichoke hearts and spinach. Oh, and the salt and pepper — which is a necessary addition to any savory recipe.

My family shared this dip at a recent family birthday dinner. I have to admit that as everyone went in for the first taste, I held my breath a little bit. Would they like it? Would they miss the decadent ingredients? Considering how fast the dip disappeared, it definitely didn’t disappoint.

Hot and bubbly from the oven ...

Hot Spinach Artichoke White Bean Dip
serves 8

1 15-oz can cannellini beans (recommended: Bush’s Beans)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1 9-oz box frozen chopped spinach, prepared according to package directions and strained
1 8.5-oz can artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or Italian cheese mix
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cannellini beans, garlic and vegetable stock. Transfer to a large bowl and stir together with the spinach, artichoke hearts, Romano cheese and mozzarella. Season well with salt and pepper.

Transfer the mixture to an 8×8-inch square baking dish and spread out to form one even layer.

Bake for 20 minutes, until bubbly at the edges.

Serve this dip with fresh cut veggies or crispy, thicker tortilla chips.

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Disclosure: I was compensated by Kitchen PLAY and Bush’s Beans for my time in creating this recipe and post. I was also provided with product to work with. Nonetheless, all opinions expressed are my own.

As a result, I try hard to not have leftovers from dinner. I make just enough. But sometimes leftovers can’t be avoided. For instance, earlier this week I was working on a recipe for Tablespoon that called for using leftover roasted chicken. I ended up buying a whole roasted chicken at the grocery store but only used a portion of it to finish off the recipe. A little of the chicken became Paige’s lunch one day, but there was still a good amount left. I hated seeing it there, knowing that it would go to waste if I didn’t do something.

Of course, I didn’t want to just eat it. With chicken especially, I am much happier when it becomes part of a whole new meal. Putting it on a salad was an option. But I had nachos on the brain and I’ve been on a long quest to make chicken work on nachos. Often, I feel like when you pair chicken with traditional nacho toppings it ends up seeming out of place — like your Thanksgiving dinner got into an argument with fiesta night. The flavors is just so different.

But I had an epiphany recently. If the chicken’s flavor was more Tex-Mex then it would blend in better. It’s a matter of narrowing the gap between the flavors. So I tried it (what good is a theory if you don’t?). It worked. All it takes is shredding the chicken and mixing it with a little salsa to make it a perfect nacho topping. Sweet.

Making these nachos, which make a perfect easy dinner, is simple as can be. Tortilla chips are topped with the chicken mixture, a load of black beans and red peppers. Then it’s all baked with a blanket of cheddar. Serve it with salsa, sour cream, guacamole or whatever you love with your nachos.

Did I mention that it’s ready in a mere 15 minutes, start to finish? Go ahead. Try them tonight. You totally have time.

What do you do with your leftovers?

Shredded Chicken and Black Bean Nachos
serves 4

2 cups shredded cooked chicken (such as from a roasted chicken)
1/2 cup salsa (I use mild for the kids but prefer hot myself)
tortilla chips (roughly 4 cups)
1 15.5-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped fresh red bell pepper
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
salsa, sour cream, guacamole, etc as desired

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, stir together the chicken and salsa.

Arrange the tortilla chips in a 9×13 baking dish. Top with the chicken mixture and the black beans. Sprinkle with red peppers. Spread the cheddar all around.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until cheese is all melted.

Let cool for 2-3 minutes before serving.

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More Recipes for Leftover Chicken:

- Chicken, Avocado and Red Pepper Rice Bowl

- Greek Chicken Salad Sandwiches

- Lighter Chicken Enchiladas

Family dinners are important. Though my husband is rarely home for dinner, the kids and I eat dinner together five or more nights a week. We’re not alone. According to the results of the Family Meals Survey 2011 that I conducted earlier this year, 72.4 percent of those responded also eat together 5 or more times a week.

It’s heartening to know that so many people make eating together as a family a priority.

Still, it takes work and commitment to eat together nightly. And sometimes, I fail at that (do you?). Sometimes, dinnertime comes so fast that my head spins. And on those nights, I end up heating up leftovers for the kids or falling back on a few quick meals that I can whip up at the last minute.

I prefer when I have a plan — everything goes much smoother.

Last night I made the plan for tonight’s dinner. I’d been working on some behind-the-scenes work on my site when I found an old recipe that cried out for a little updating. Today was the perfect time for that.

This is a revamp of a pasta casserole that I wrote about years ago here on Sarah’s Cucina Bella. The original recipe was a favorite of Will’s, but I haven’t make it in years, so things have changed — both with the way I cook and the way I write recipes.

For the update, I’ve traded the original green beans for sweeter wax beans and added scallions to the mix, as well as switching up the method a little. The result is a cheesy casserole that the kids cleaned off their plates. Although the beans are sauteed and baked, they retain a sweet crunch that was a nice contrast to the meaty mushrooms and sharp cheddar.

After dinner, Will asked to take the leftovers for school lunch tomorrow. Score!

With about 10 minutes hands-on time, this recipe is easy enough to whip up on a school night. All in all, it goes from raw ingredients to dinner table in about 35 minutes.

While I was outside photographing this recipe, my neighbor’s dog Pippy (who I affectionately refer to as our third dog) came dashing over to play with my beagles. Try as I might to get a good clear shot of the dogs playing, I just couldn’t in the early evening light. Still, I smile every time I see this shot of Pippy and Snoopy in mid-stride. Snoopy doesn’t normally move this fast.

Mushroom, Wax Bean and Cheddar Pasta Bake
serves 4

8 oz fiori pasta, cooked
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 scallion, chopped
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
1 cup wax beans, ends trimmed and beans halved
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, scallion, mushrooms and beans. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, until the mushrooms shrink and turn brown.

Remove from heat and stir in the cooked pasta. Add the vegetable broth and stir vigorously to pull up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the cheese along with salt, to taste.

Transfer the pasta mixture to a 2 1/2 quart oven-safe dish. Bake for 20 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Every so often, a new ingredient gains popularity and you wonder why no one was cooking with it sooner. That’s how I feel about pea shoots. They have that fresh, just-picked flavor and pleasant cool crunch — similar to bean sprouts. When I saw a package of them in Trader Joe’s I couldn’t wait to try them out.

I wasn’t disappointed. As a longtime fan of sprouts of all kinds, these are pea shoots are just up my alley. I think they would be awesome in sandwiches too. But, my first experiment with them was to make Grilled Quesadillas with Pea Shoots.

Grilling quesadillas is easy to do. You start with a hot grill. It should be well-preheated (I made mine after grilling chicken, so it had been on and heated for awhile). Then you toss the tortillas on, cover them with cheese and other toppings and close with another tortilla.Then, they just cook on the grill in about 5 minutes or so (yes, you have to flip them once).

It’s super easy, and since there is no butter or oil on the tortillas, they are a little better for you than the traditional pan-made ones.  Serve them as an appetizer or side dish with dinner.

One more really fun idea for this: A grilled quesadilla party. Invite a bunch of friends over and offer a variety of fillings and cheeses. Everyone can design their own and grill it up in a few minutes. It would be a great summer gathering, and you could totally celebrate summer’s freshest bounty by offering a bunch of farmers market veggies to stuff the quesadillas with.

Have you had pea shoots? Did you like them?

Grilled Quesadillas with Pea Shoots
serves 4

4 flour tortillas (medium sized)
Mexican cheese blend (I bought mine at Trader Joe’s)
Pea shoots

Preheat your grill on its medium setting or prepare charcoals for grilling.

Once the grill is hot, lay out two of the tortillas on the grates and cover generously with cheese. Top with a layer of pea shoots (I like to use a lot) and the remaining tortillas.

Close the grill lid and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until lightly browned and slightly puffed. The quesadillas will unpuff as they cool.

Serve with your favorite salsa.

More delicious quesadilla recipes:

• Black Bean, Avocado and Red Pepper Quesadilla
• Bacon and Bell Pepper Breakfast Quesadilla

Last week, I asked on the Sarah’s Cucina Bella Facebook page if anyone would be interested in my ultra-fast recipe for homemade macaroni and cheese that takes about 15 minutes to make. The answer was a swift and resounding “Yes!”

I loved the response. I loved knowing that this is something that people want to hear about. And I love sharing it because it is so freakin’ easy.

This recipe is something I have worked on and honed over the last few months. I started making it one snowy night when Shawn and I were trying to decide what to make as a side dish for dinner. We were out of the boxed mac and cheese, but it seemed like the perfect accompaniment for the chicken he was making. So, I tossed together a quick roux (that’s just a fancy word for a butter and flour mixture), added whatever milk and cream I could find in the fridge and tossed in cheese.

It worked. In fact, it worked so well that I made it again shortly after. It’s become a staple for us because it’s fast (10 minutes of active cooking!) and made from ingredients that I always have on hand: butter, flour, milk, cheddar, dry mustard and salt.

A note on the dry mustard: I hate mustard. But this spice (it’s a powder, found in the seasonings aisle at the grocery store) is absolutely essential to a great cheese sauce. It really brings out the flavor of the cheddar cheese.

The recipe is below, but I wanted to give you three really clear steps on how to do this so it takes 10 minutes to cook (Note: total time is slightly longer if you add in the 5-10 minutes it takes to get the water to boil).

Step 1: Fill up the pot of water and get it going on the stove. It’s going to take a little while to start boiling, so do this first.

Step 2: Gather and measure the ingredients. I cannot stress how important this is. Once you start making the sauce, you need to move fast so having everything measured and ready to go is essential. Do this while you are waiting for the water to boil. Also, you will need a wire whisk and a rubber spatula or a spoon with a long handle.

Step 3: Cook everything.
Alright, this is crunch time. But if your ingredients are all ready, it’s a cinch. Toss the pasta in the water, then start cooking the sauce. But make sure you time it so that the pasta and sauce are done at about the same time. How?

It’s easy. The sauce takes about 10 minutes to make. So, depending on how long it takes to cook your pasta to al dente (these small shells took 10 minutes), you may start making it at the same time as the pasta goes in the water or you may wait a few minutes.

Making the sauce will be an intense 10 minutes. You really need to stay there, stirring a lot. But once the cheese sauce is done, the whole dish is done. You toss the sauce with the pasta and voila! You’ve made macaroni and cheese, no package of powdered cheese required.

That’s it.

See also Slow-Cooker Macaroni and Cheese.

Easy Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
serves 4

1/2 lb pasta such as small shells, macaroni or rotini
1 tbsp good quality unsalted butter
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup low-fat milk
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (Recommended: Cabot’s Seriously Sharp)
1/4 tsp dry ground mustard
kosher salt, to taste

Fill a pot with water and set it on a burner on high heat. Bring to a boil and add the pasta. Stir, and reduce heat to medium.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s completely melted, add the flour. Whisk well to combine, using a rubber spatula or a spoon to scrape the sides, as needed. Continue, whisking constantly, until the flour is fully combined with the butter and turns a light amber color.

Whisk in the milk and continue whisking until the roux (flour/butter mixture) is fully incorporated. Continue cooking, whisking two or three times, for two minutes.

Add the cheddar cheese and dry ground mustard. Whisk well to combine. Remove the pan from the burner.

Taste the sauce and season, as necessary, with salt.

By now, the pasta should be done cooking (be sure to drain it immediately to keep it al dente). Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and stir well to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir again, and then serve immediately.

Turns out that the schools “great” system of alerting parents at our school of delays, closings and emergencies is a bit of a pain. I mean, at first glance, it’s great. Instead of having to endure the forever-long list of district closings being read on the radio, they call us. And text. And email. At once. So, I never have to worry about missing the message.

Except, school has been closed four times this month … and that means four (!) phone calls at 4:50 a.m.-ish to let us know.

I hate getting calls at 4:50 a.m.

So, I am starting to resent the whole system. Never mind that the weather sucks (today, it’s been a mix of snow, ice and rain. Joys.), they are disturbing my sleep. The obvious answer would be to change the phone number to one of our cell phones or turn down the call service … of course, then I would have to wake up at 6:30 a.m. and Will’s alarm would go off, so he woudn’t be going back to sleep.

I just want the snow days to end. Now.

Yes, the kids were home from school today and a little cabin fever-ish. Can you blame them? Thank goodness for little spates of pace-changing … like lunch time, when they happily sit still at the table to eat. And, it’s time for me to make myself a little something special too … since, you know, a Starbucks run is out of the question.

So, while the kids munched on turkey sandwiches and bowls of chicken noodle soup  for lunch, I whipped up this little panini. It’s a nice mix of salty and creamy, which a hint of crunch. If you like more crunch, add a little bacon. And on good, soft, toasted multigrain bread, it’s perfect.

Nothing like a happy little sandwich for lunch …

P.S. The trick with making paninis is to have all the ingredients ready to go before you lay a thing in the pan. That way you can slap it together and cook it fast — without one side getting overdone.

Ham, Swiss, Avocado and Spinach Panini
serves 1

2 slices whole grain bread (I used Pepperidge Farms 15 Grain)
2 oz ham, thinly sliced (deli meat)
1 oz Swiss cheese slice
1/2 Hass avocado, sliced
1/4 cup baby spinach

Preheat your panini pan and press (or a George Foreman grill or a panini grill).

Spray one side of each of the slices of bread with olive oil spray. Once the panini pan/grill is hot, lay a slice of bread on the pan (olive oil side down) and quickly top with ham, Swiss, avocado and spinach. Top with the second slice of bread, with the olive oil facing up. Press with the panini press or close the grill lid.

Cook until lightly browned all over — 3-4 minutes.

Serve immediately.

When I order a breakfast sandwich, I want it to be messy. Back when I worked for a big publisher, the chef who did breakfast in the office cafeteria would always crack the egg yolk with the side of his spatula when cooking my ham, egg and cheese. It drove me bonkers. I like the yolk runny so that it bursts into your mouth, perhaps leaving a little drip on your chin (pass the napkin, please!). Finally, I just asked one day if there was a reason he did that — was it a safety issue? Nope, just that most people don’t like their yolks dripping out of the sandwich.

I do.

So after that, I learned to remind him never to break my yolk. About 50 percent of the time he’d remember when he started cooking seconds later. Eh, 50 percent is better than nothing.

As I was making this sandwich this morning, I couldn’t help but think how it was a little messy. The threat of errant water from the egg … the runny yolk. Yep. Messy. And I like it that way.

Ham, Cheddar and Poached Egg Pita
serves 1

1 pita bread
1 slice cooked ham (such as from a spiral ham)
1 oz slice sharp cheddar
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350.

Place one pita bread on a baking sheet (a square of foil below helps contain mess). Layer the ham and the cheddar on top. Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a small saucepan of water to boiling. Reduce to a simmer and remove from the burner for a minute. Crack the egg into a small bowl, careful not to break the yolk. Once the water stops having big bubbles, slip the egg into the pot. Return to the burner and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the white is firm and the yolk remains runny.

Remove the pita from the oven and top with a (well drained) egg.

Serve. To eat, fold the pita in half and enjoy.

Whenever I start to talk about my kids’ eating habits, I pause to admit how blessed I am. They aren’t picky. Heck, they eat almost everything and will try anything once. I know I am lucky — and I know that other parents aren’t so lucky.

And why do I know that? Of course, I have heard the stories from others. The kids who eat only white foods or only peanut butter or whatever. But that’s not all. I was a bit of a picky eater myself when I was a kid. While I eat almost everything now, back then I was anti-veggies. Frankly, I really wasn’t particularly fond of broccoli. Or cauliflower. Or green beans, peas, lima beans, corn … you get the idea.

But my uncle Hugo? He was a wonderful cook and wanted me to learn to love my veggies. So, instead of just accepting that I probably would only take a nibble or two of any given vegetable at family dinners, he devised a plan: Lure me into eating my broccoli and cauliflower with the addition of a creamy cheese sauce.

It worked. I ate copious amounts of veggies just to have more of that fabulous sauce. And eventually, I just liked the veggies themselves too.

This recipe reminds me of the veggies Hugo used to make for my benefit. The cheddar melts all over the cauliflower, lending a wonderful, sharp but creaminess to the tender pieces. It’s delicious, and what kid can resist this much cheese?

Easy Roasted Cheddar-y Cauliflower
serves 4

1 head cauliflower, rinsed
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil.

Cut the florets from the cauliflower head and arrange on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Slide the cauliflower into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until tender. Be sure to stir once about halfway through.

Once the cauliflower is tender, pull it out of the oven and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Forgive me, I don’t have a great photo of this recipe. Sigh.

For Christmas, my husband got me something that I’ve been wanting for a long, long time: a point and shoot camera. I love my big Canon with its lenses and power and sharpness. But I wanted something that I could tote around everywhere and capture impromptu shots of the kids anywhere.

The only problem? I am completely inept when it comes to taking pictures with this camera. I can’t seem to get the hang of it to get brilliant, clear, in-focus shots … The photo below? Taken with the point and shoot (and thank goodness, since I hadn’t taken many shots of this dip!). Figures, I can handle a camera with about a billion settings, but the point and shoot eludes me. Am I the only one with this problem?

Okay, onto the dip. I love spinach artichoke dip, and have since my very first bite of it years and years ago. The combination of cheese, spinach and artichoke is just delightful — and perfect for a party. Last week, when I wrote about it for Tablespoon, I also decided that it would be great to make for Super Bowl Sunday. This healthier version was a huge hit — Paige, my two year old, couldn’t get enough of it (seriously, she kept asking for more … and licking it off the bread).

With ingredients that are a little lighter (reduced fat cheese, milk, etc), and a hearty dose of spinach and artichokes, this recipe is a little friendlier on your waist than some others … as long as you don’t eat it all yourself.

Looking for an appetizer for a crowd? This is fast, easy and won’t disappoint.

Healthified Spinach Dip with Artichokes
recipe adapted very slightly from Tablespoon

1 8 oz package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), softened
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
4 tablespoons freshly grated Romano cheese, divided
1/4 cup reduced fat milk
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp fresh chopped basil leaves
1 9 oz box frozen chopped spinach, fully thawed and drained (press to remove excess water)
1 14 oz can artichoke heart quarters, drained and lightly chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8×8 glass baking dish with cooking oil spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until it’s smooth. Add the mayonnaise, 3 tbsp of the Romano, milk, garlic and basil and beat until well blended. Add the spinach and artichokes to the bowl and beat well.

Pour the spinach mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of Romano cheese.

Place the dish into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until ever-so-slightly browned on the edges and warm throughout. Serve with bread, crackers, tortilla chips or vegetables.