Ask Nana Jorj Morgan is the author of 5 books whose subjects range from entertaining to cooking and most recently to health and wellness. Jorj’s books include Gorgeous: The Sum of all Your Glorious Parts, Fresh Traditions: Classic Dishes for a Contemporary Lifestyle, and At Home in the Kitchen. Most importantly Jorj is a mom and new grandmom. Learn more on her website From Nana's Kitchen Make Your Own Panini Bar Q: Dear Nana, I babysit my grandchildren after school several days a week until their mom and dad get home from work. I try to have a good dinner ready for everyone, so that they can relax and enjoy a meal together as a family. I’m looking for some fun meal ideas that I can share with my grandchildren, and that my adult children can enjoy after a hectic day. Any ideas? Babysitting in Boston, MA A: Dear Babysitting in Boston, My number-one strategy for weekday night dinners is my panini and soup bar. Remember the comfort your favorite grilled cheese and tomato soup combo brought you as a kid? Well, I’d like to think my panini and soup bar recaptures that mood and, as is the case with almost everything, there’s history here! A panino is an Italian sandwich prepared from a small loaf of bread, typically a ciabatta. The loaf is cut horizontally and stuffed with salami, ham, cheese, and mortadella (think Italian bologna) and is sometimes served hot. A toasted panino, called "toast" by Italians, is a sandwich made from two slices of bread and filled with cold cuts, most often prosciutto, and a few of slices of processed cheese. It’s then grilled in a sandwich press. The plural of the word panino is panini! (More is better…) Today, we Americans use the word panini in a singular sense, as in, “I’ll have a panini, please!” My “Make Your Own Panini Bar” approach to casual entertaining works well for every night. Diverse veggie ingredients – like roasted peppers, grilled zucchini, and caramelized onion – enhance roasted chicken or seared flank steak. Add fresh, peppery arugula, slices of artisanal cheese, and a garlicky, rich sauce like aioli, and that singular panino may just turn into plural panini right before your eyes! I lay out all of the ingredients and invite guests to create their own sandwich. A panini grill works well for this meal, but it’s not mandatory; an electric griddle or a grill pan on the stove top will do a fine job of melting the ingredients together. What goes better with a kicked-up grilled cheese sandwich? Why, a warm, tummy-filling soup, of course! Keeping the soup warm in a slow cooker, or in a soup pot over a low flame, while your guests settle in is easy – but preparing the soup in advance is the most brilliant of hostessing solutions. Show me a veggie, legume, fresh herb, or pasta noodle, and I’ll show you at least three versions of luscious soup that can be prepared from each one. Check out my recipe for Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Shallot Garnish to see what I’m talking about. —Nana Send your Ask Nana questions to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it