Hello everyone. I am here to introduce you to Nathan’s best friend, the panini.

You can put just about anything on a panini. I saw Giada de laCleavage put pears + honey on one the other day — but Nathan would call that sacrilege. If I’m cooking for Nathan, I always start with some sort of meat. I am using thin-sliced pancetta, because I had some leftover from a recipe. Put it in a hot skillet and let it cook up just like bacon. (It pretty much IS bacon.) Lay it on some paper towels to drain.

Pour the grease out of the pan into a little jar. My dad has always done this, so I do, too. The difference is, he actually uses it at some point.

Slice up an onion.

Throw the slices in the pan + don’t let them out until they are soft, brown, and super sweet. Like my sister Molly.

Take the pan off the heat + throw some spinach on there just until it’s wilted.

Mix it with the onions and set them aside to wait their turn.

Slice up some cheese (I like fresh mozzarella for its meltability). Cheese is very important. You can leave pretty much anything off a panini except the bread and the cheese.

By now your baby is probably upset that you haven’t helped him do the macarena (his new favorite thing) in at least 15 minutes, so go ahead and put him down for a nap.

Lastly, get out something special, like fresh basil, sun-dried tomatoes, or, in my case, marinated artichoke hearts. Nathan loves these for some reason. Slice ‘em up real nice.

Now for the secret ingredient …. BREAD. I think this is the best way to slice it for maximum crispiness:

Assemble yourself a panini! Pretend you work at Subway.


Sometimes sliced artichokes look like tiny squids. Don’t let that put you off. They don’t taste even remotely seafoodish.

Now it’s time to grill it. But first, if you are feeling particularly naughty (and let’s be honest, I usually am), slather both sides with butter.

Get your heating implement ready. This is where the young sandwich turns into a full-grown panini.
Hello, George.

Open wide!

(Please try to refrain from licking your computer.)

Serve it up with a simple salad and voila! A panini by Jax.*

*Not to be confused with Buttons by Brite.