Post 77! Pesto-licious Sandwich

8 days since I have blogged. Ouch. Long time for me... School is winding down. This last week was crazy and I have never been so happy to be approaching exams week. Well, I only have 3 days of exams... thank goodness! I have 4 exams, 2 papers, and 1 presentation standing between me and break. Blah. It is difficult to listen to Christmas music because I already want to be home. I would have normally had exam week this past week and be home now, but the school changed our semester schedule. That change pushed back starting school and made us go a week later. Not really liking the change... It's a good thing this is my last fall semester then, huh? Oh! My parents sent me an exam care package. It's actually pretty cool looking... see?

I got a lunchbox filled with goodies. I won't eat all of it, but the thought is still pretty sweet! Since I have been so crazy busy lately, I fell a bit behind in dishes... I was so behind in dishes, in fact, that on the day I washed them... my bed looked like this...

Crazy, huh? I have vowed to never ever do that again. Those dishes took 3 trips back and forth from my room to the bathroom. Not cool. I'm currently doing laundry and hoping that I will finish writing my Christmas cards tonight. They HAVE to be in the mail on Monday otherwise they have absolutely no chance of getting there before Christmas. Many of the addresses I am sending these cards to are international, so yea. Gotta get working on that, haha.

I am looking forward to going home. We're going to set up the Christmas decorations, bake oodles of cookies, and listen to lots of Christmas music. This might seem like a childish thing to like, but I can't go a Christmas without listening to the Disney Christmas CD. Call me crazy, but my inner child squeals with glee when that CD is on. I also adore listening to our Celtic Christmas CDs. They can be so soothing during this crazy time of the year. I know that when I went to Walmart today it was a zoo. So many people are shopping for Christmas gifts and seem to be stressed and just overall crazy. I take a simpler approach to Christmas. I have started realizing that Christmas is much more than a day full of stress and presents. In fact, I tried to get a minimal number of presents from the store. I want to bake some presents and spread the joy of the season to others. I see Christmas as a time for family, fun, baking, and mugs of hot chocolate. Yes, Christmas breakfast is a nice tradition, and I cannot deny that I love opening gifts, but it is much more worthwhile to give than to receive. I love seeking out opportunities to give to others, even if I don't get something in return. Do you feel the same way about Christmas? I feel Christmas has been butchered into a holiday full of stress, greed, and nasty people. What ever happened to good cheer, helping others, giving to charity, and being polite? It makes me think that if I ever have a family, that we should retreat to some deserted place just to enjoy Christmas the way it is supposed to be celebrated.

I have discovered lately that I have someone in my life who is very greedy. I don't think she realizes that she sounds greedy, but she does. I do understand that her family has to make ends meet a lot of times, but she also has little money sense. It makes me want to shake my head. Do you have one of these friends? I just don't really know how to deal with it. She can be such a good friend sometimes, but other times she is more sour than a lemon. Sigh. If only everyone could see the beauty in twinkling lights, the smell of pine trees, and the taste of candy canes like I do. I find Christmas time and the holidays just magical. I especially  enjoy the snow, even though it is cold! It just adds to the festivities. Well, I will spare you more of my ramblings about the holidays and jump right into the recipe for today. :)

Pesto, Ham, and Cheese Sandwich (think grilled cheese with yummy extras!)

Ingredients:

I added a little bit more pesto than I had intended. Oops!

• ham (preferably leftover cooked ham)
• pesto (I used my arugula, spinach, and basil pesto. It was fab!)
• mozzarella cheese 
• 2 slices of your favorite bread

Instructions:

1. If you would like to make this like a grilled cheese, butter the outside of the bread slices. If you are just microwaving the sandwich, don't worry about this step.
2. Put a thin layer of pesto on the inside of your bread, on both slices.
3. Put on the ham and mozzarella. 
4. Put the sandwich together and put it in the pan to cook or put it on a microwaveable plate. If you are microwaving, put a paper napkin on top of the sandwich. This will draw out some moisture and keep it "crisp" like a grilled cheese would be. 
5. If microwaving, you need to heat it in 45 second intervals, flipping each time. Make sure you put the napkin back on the top of the sandwich. Your sandwich should be ready in 1.5 minutes. If you are using the stovetop, just cook it like you would cook a grilled cheese!
6. If you would like to add an extra blob of pesto, feel free!
7. Cut the sandwich in half and serve. Enjoy!

This is a delicious spin on the grilled cheese. It's like ham and cheese meets grilled cheese meets Italian flair. Haha. I enjoyed it. What do you think? Does it look tasty? 

As always...

Bon appétit!