wonderful world of paninis

Ever since an anniversary trip to Chicago a few years ago that left us wandering around the city, looking for a GF meal, I get a little pre-travel anxiety. Reconciling in my mind that I may not eat until we get to wherever we're going, or that another salad won't hurt me. There is this magic little pill my dr. told me about if I get in a bind and gluten-free is nowhere to be found. It works well, but I don't want to rely on it too much.


You can imagine the extreme surprise and delight when I showed up at our friends' house in Florida, and out on the counter was Udi's gluten-free bread and all the fixins' for paninis. Love at first bite! I had no idea you could pull Udi's bread from the freezer and turn it into grilled deliciousness in under 5 minutes. 
So, my parents came at the invite of their kazoo-playin'-grandson and a make-your-own-panini-party it was!

So far, we've made ham and cheese with fresh rosemary or oregano and breakfast paninis with bacon, egg and cheese.  
Here's some I look forward to trying:
chicken.bacon.ranch panini
caprese panini
eggplant parmesan panini
reuben panini
smoked turkey club panini
In case there's anyone left out there who doesn't have a panini maker, we found this one to be the best deal. My husband has wanted a panini maker for years, but I always thought they were just another unnecessary gadget for the kitchen.  Boy, was I wrong! This opens a huge realm of it's-nice-and-warm-and-mama-wants-to-be-outside-rather-than-in-the-kitchen possibilities. Or, pair it with a pot of soup and a salad for a dinner-panini-party!