Comments on: Dinner With My Family #25: Avocado-Spinach Panini

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:41:04 +0000

These meals are usually presented as affordable options… maybe it depends on where you live, but avocados and sun-dried tomatoes are not terribly cheap where I live.

By: joan

joan — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:04:04 +0000

Just to add fuel to the yogurt fire: 99% of people are so dense they shouldn’t breed, so it’s a given that there are probably a few lurkers out there who still can’t figure out how to stir yogurt (be it fruit-at-the-bottom or homemade), despite Trent’s clear instructions.

By: Kate

Kate — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 22:42:48 +0000

Des: although you and I took Ruth’s comment differently, I will take your advice. Thanks for the tail jerk. :o)

By: Des

Des — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 21:21:35 +0000

I agree with Ruth – the people complaining about Johanna are such a bummer. If you don’t like criticism, take your own advice and ignore it. Don’t you have anything better to do than complain, Kate?

I value the counterbalance of other intelligent opinions. Trent is not the master of all that is frugal, and doesn’t claim to be. Writers pay good money for the type of feedback Johanna (and some others) offer here freely. Trent is not a child and is fully capable of defending himself here if he felt the need to do so. He doesn’t, so why do you?

There is constructive positivity, and then there is cloying.

By: Kate

Kate — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 12:29:28 +0000

Agreed, Ruth: I take Trent’s writing for what it is…his personal journey and thoughts and it is free to a wide range of people on the road to frugal living. Many of those who are just beginning the journey didn’t grow up in frugal households so they need more guidance than others might realize. What might seem obvious to some might not be as obvious to others with less experience in that area.
I value the positive comments and the ideas of other readers and enjoy reading them. The negative comments and unasked for editing comments (which the writers all admit they don’t think will be read by Trent so why do they even do it?) aren’t helpful at all and drag down what could be a positive community (which, of course is their intent).

By: Emma

Emma — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 15:40:22 +0000

Great idea for making Paninis! I actually tried something similar once and ended up breaking the handle off the top frying pan because I was putting so much pressure on it – next time I’ll try some heavy cans instead. Thanks!

By: Ruth

Ruth — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 15:16:05 +0000

I can’t help but think that most of the people who have negative comments just have nothing better to do.

On that note. I adore Panini style sandwhiches and like the others above have started using my george forman to make the sandwiches (my fave is Cooper cheese, turkey, pesto and a little sprinkle of bacon crumble, served with a salad on the side)

And as a frugal type person I’ve discovered that you can actually get a george forman grill (or a knock off) pretty cheap from craigslist most days. And in this crappy hot weather, we’ve been using the george forman more than anything else to cook!

Just a thought! Hugs

By: Johanna

Johanna — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 14:12:08 +0000

@Kate: Good grief. By that standard, what does it mean that you were so offended by *my* comment that you felt compelled to respond with a comment at least three times as long as mine (I couldn’t be arsed to count the spaces, sorry)?

Trent has a tendency in his writing to over-explain things in detail that readers either know already or can easily figure out. It makes me, as a reader, feel like I’m being talked down to, and other commenters have said they feel the same way. For example, in this case, if he’d just said, “On the side, we served homemade yogurt mixed with a spoonful of strawberry jelly,” would anyone be left wondering how the yogurt acquired its pink hue?

I’m far from the only (or the nastiest) person to comment on Trent’s writing style here. It’s constructive criticism – or at least, it would be if Trent ever read the comments.

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 14:07:22 +0000

Like Teresa, I use my waffle iron/griddle that has reversible plates. It’s heavy enough to use without the extra weights.

By: Teresa

Teresa — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 14:01:28 +0000

I use a knock-off type Forman grill to make grilled cheese sandwiches all the time. The one I have has an expandable hinge on the back. It works well with regular bread and like someone said, it leaves the grill marks on the bread.

By: littlepitcher

littlepitcher — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 13:43:48 +0000

Thanks for the suggestion on the yogurt. I’m accustomed to mixing plain yogurt with a variety of salsas for garnish, or making raitas. This sounds like a nice variation.

I would have tossed all of this into a pita to keep from heating up the house, or folded it into a foccacia–not a fan of ciabatta at all.

By: Kate

Kate — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 13:17:35 +0000

Johanna: I’m trying to understand why one sentence, 40 words, 157 characters (no spaces), 196 characters (with spaces) offended you so much that you felt compelled to respond with one sentence, 22 words, 129 characters (no spaces), 141 characters (with spaces). Believe it or not, there are people who might be reading this who may not realize they could eliminate additional calories, additives, and recycling by following Trent’s suggestion for the yogurt.

By: Gretchen

Gretchen — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 13:15:39 +0000

I actually think this would be better with no cooking.

Perhaps I’m biased by the 100+ degree weather right now.

Will a thick sandwich fit inside a Forman grill? Guess it depends on how thick.

By: moom

moom — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 12:26:47 +0000

Trent always seems to have sweet dishes “on the side” together with savory dishes? Is this a Mid-Western thing? Just curious. Seems odd to me.

By: rosa rugosa

rosa rugosa — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 11:31:54 +0000

Johanna, I have to agree with Kathleen above. The yogurt comment isn’t at all constructive and just sounds nasty.

By: Peggy

Peggy — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 09:36:50 +0000

What a brilliant idea to use two pans to heat the sandwiches! I’ve been tempted to purchase a panini press, but hated the idea of another appliance cluttering the kitchen. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Thanks for sharing, Trent. Now if only I could find avocados where I live!

By: deRuiter

deRuiter — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 09:26:21 +0000

Sounds good. Bet a bit of crisp bacon wouldn’t hurt this a bit! Slicing vegetables goes pretty quick. I’d never prep them the night before for such a small project. All that does is expose more areas of the surfaces of the vegetables to the possibility of picking up contaminants. If you insist on slicing avacado in advance (not a good idea for a soft food) you can dip it in lemon juice to keep the avocado cut surfaces from browning. I prefer to cut up the food when it’s needed for health and freshness reasons.

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 07:17:45 +0000

Johanna, you seem to be a very hostile person. Are you lonely? Dissatisfied with your life? Why the constant nitpicking? FYI, if you do that to people in real life they’ll pretty much hate you.

By: valleycat1

valleycat1 — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 23:01:59 +0000

I always thought to use two pans, you heat both up (empty) & then use them together to toast both sides at once, using wooden spoons or something similar to apply pressure on the top one. Or just use the weight of the top pan.

By: Julia

Julia — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 22:24:26 +0000

Can’t you use a Foreman Grill as a panini press?
It’ll have grill marks on it, but that’s ok.