** The giveaway is now closed. Click here to see who won! **
It’s GIVEAWAY time!! Run, tell all your panini-loving friends!!
From the time I started this blog, I have wanted to give away a panini grill. You all know how I love my Breville and have grilled everything from chicken to peaches to brownies in record time on it. Having made almost 50 different panini on this grill, I can attest that it’s incredibly easy to use and it produces excellent results. It was one of Oprah’s Favorite Things in 2007 and one of mine in 2008! Well now, thanks to the wonderful folks at Breville USA, I’m pleased and excited to give away the Breville Panini Grill ($99.95 value) to THREE lucky readers!
TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post, describing the best sandwich you have ever had (grilled or otherwise). What was in it? What did you love about it? Where did you have it? Be sure to enter your e-mail address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you’re one of the winners. The giveaway closes on Monday, September 1 at 12 PM PDT. The random.org integer generator will select three winners! One entry per person – apologies to my international readers, we can only ship the grills within the U.S.
Subscribe to Panini Happy – stay posted on future giveaways, panini recipes and tips!
>Ready to buy a panini press? Check out my Panini Press Buying Guide for the features to look for.
>Want more panini recipes? See my Recipe Index for a list of all recipes on Panini Happy.
>Traveling to a new city soon? Browse Panini Happy’s Great American Sandwich Guide to find the best sandwiches across the country!
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Panini Happy is more than just a sandwich blog. Here, you'll find more than 200 of my original 
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My favorite is mozzarella, tomatoes, oregano and basil! Thank you for the giveaway!
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I’m somewhat new to panini, but I haven’t had one yet that I didn’t like. My current favorite is a roast beef French dip panini with an au just dipping sauce. This has some sliced roast beef, Vidalia onions and fontina or provolone cheese – absolutely delicious!
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Wow – what a fantastic giveaway!
I recently made a roast beef, grilled pepper, onion, provolone and garlic concoction. I think I could eat it each and every day!
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My favorite sandwich, can’t recall where I had it, was a grilled portebello mushroom with grilled onions, fresh mozzerella cheese, tomato, balsamic vinegar, on a french baguette. I also love Champagne Bakery’s Hot Chicken Pesto sandwich…mmmmm.
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I was 19 years old, on a college biology field trip to Florida. After the wilds of central Fla. (very very interesting, btw and I hope it’s still as pristinely wild ) , we drove to Key West (more laid-back at that time, but still jumpin’ and full of variety!) for the sub-tropical sea life.
My Mom never, ever made a great sandwich, as my Dad prefers ‘square meals’, so the Cuban Sandwich I was told to try was the best thing, literally, since sliced bread! Wonderful tastes happenin’ in a sandwich! Mojo; no mayo; no sandwich press.
I remember the face of the man who made that sandwich, and he returned my happy surprised smile. I was not aware that a “mere” sandwich could be so fulfilling, not just filling. This is still my absolute favorite sandwich.
I knew then that Cuban Moms and Dads LOVE their families, by that first entree to Cuban food. I learned as much about the world of people on that trip as I did about trees and sharks.
(written by a Scottish-heritage, Presbyterian-raised, now much better-traveled, now older and wiser, woman_whose kitchen is very small yet very big, where she bakes all kinds of yummy bread)
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This is a tough question, but all my favorite sandwiches are in Chicago. There’s nothing better than a pulled pork sandwich at a summer street fair! (Mmmm, I’d love to see what you do with pulled pork on PaniniHappy. Or have you done that?)
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Best sandwhich ever was from THE CHEESE SHOP in Williamsburg Virginia. Roastbeef with havarti cheese on a baguette with house dressing. Not sure what the magical house dressing was. Mayo, horseradish and I’m not sure what else.
Idea for a panini – how about a tuna melt panini? Tuna melt is our house favorite (also known as dinner in 20 minutes from a can)
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Oh gosh I’ve had so many good sandwiches over the years, but my favorite right now is a mock egg salad. I use firm tofu, drained and crumbled, mixed with a little mayonnaise, salt, pepper and curry powder. Then I slather that mixture on toasted rye bread with fresh tomato and avocado slices. So good!
Maybe I’ll have to make one for lunch now
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My fave panini is pretty simple. A fresh, hearty country bread spread with olive oil on the outside; a little mayon on the inside, then layered with fresh, juicy tomato slices, fresh basil leaves, some lovely goat cheese (also fresh!), a sprinkling of kosher salt & some black pepper, then grilled until golden brown. It doesn’t get better than that in my book!
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My favorite sandwich is the simple bacon and tomato sandwich when the tomatoes are perfectly field ripened. I have been enjoying them a lot lately.
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I made a sandwich one day with leftover chicken, bruschetta and fresh mozzarella. Oh, and leftover bread. It was a leftover sandwich and there might have been some pesto on it. FABULOUS.
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My favorite is a chunk of sourdough bread, cut in half, then put your favorite italian dressing on each side of bread. Then ham, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles. Grill open-faced under the broiler, til the cheese is gooey. YUM!
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THE GARDEN PRESS! from MUNCH in Asbury Park NJ….
Roasted eggplant, zucchini, roasted red peppers, fresh mozzerella, and pesto sauce. All on a Pitta then pressed!!!
I am addicted to this sandwich! The ridges and pesto the fresh mozzarella….
Simple simple goodness!!
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My favorite sandwich is a reuben from a local coffee shop called The Ugly Mug. It is your typical reuben (spelled roobin) panini but it has a spicy sauce on it that is different than the thousand island you usually see with a reuben. I have tried to duplicate it at home but fail every time.
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My favorite is a grilled steak sandwich with cheese adn green and red pepper.. im addicted!!!
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My favorite panini is a turkey panini with red onions and a thyme mayo with a wonderful cheese. All grilled to perfection when the cheese oozes, and the mayo thyme mix seeps out when I bite into the sandwich. So yummy! My friend up at West Point made this for me.
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The best sandwich I have ever had was a MASSIVE Muffuletta down in Jackson Square in New Orleans. Despite the size of this thing, I simply could not stop eating it even though I was full. The meat on it was from heaven and the olives must have been prepared by greek gods. I live my life trying to find something that compares or attempt to recreate this sandwich….typically I fall short in both categories.
sweets&sweats.wordpress.com
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My favorite panini would definitely have to be very very thinly slied turkey, coleslaw, provalone cheese, monterey jack, and tomato, its amazing!!! I get it at Gracie’s diner
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My favorite panini is tri-tip, smoked cheddar and carmelized onions on ciabatta……yummy!
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This spring I began my first garden in my first home. I don’t know if it was the TLC I gave my growing tomato’s and basil or the fresh mozzarella and warmed ciabatta bread, but that Caprese panini was heavenly!
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I love a chicken parmesan panini with just the right amount of marinara!!
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My favorite panini is a Reuben. YUMMY!!
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The best sandwich ever has to be grilled cheese, any kind of cheese with avocado. Actually any sandwich with avo is a favorite of mine….what I also love are large portabello mushroom, some seasoning, topped with spinach and feta, that would probably work really well on the panini grill, and would cook really fast…..YUMMY!
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It was a Chicken Pesto with Mozzarella on Ciabatta. YUM!
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Kathy
My favorite sandwich is made at Crest Deli Liquor in Pacific Beach California. It is a Corned Beef on Rye with Swiss cheese. Then browned on a huge sandwich press. I promise to practice every day if I win the raffle for the Breville Panini Gril. Or at least until I master this sandwich.
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I waitressed for years at a Big Boy and have a weak spot in my heart for Slim Jim’s.
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Favorite lunch or dinner panini: fresh tomato, basil, mozzarella
Favorite breakfast (or anytime!) panini: peanut butter, Nutella, banana
You’ve got me craving a nice panini now!
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My favorite sandwich ever? At a local shop… fresh baked bread, ooey-gooey mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and sliced tomatoes. So good!
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I was in high school, and my soon-to-be-stepdad made cold Italian subs with sauteed peppers and onions. I had never had sauteed peppers and onions, and had never tasted olive oil. (what can I say, I grew up in the midwest and I guess my mom wasn’t a very adventurous cook)
I still remember that luscious flavor of the veggies in olive oil, and asking him all kinds of questions about how he had cooked them.
Such a simple pleasure!
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hmmm, one of my favorite sandwiches is a crusty baguette with green apple, brie and a little drizzle of honey.
Or basil and tomato with mozz, olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic.
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Elephants Delicatessen in Portland makes one of the best (in this area) Croque Madame on their panini press… what makes a Croque Monsieur or Madame the best sando is the gruyere… Mmmm…
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My fave sandwich is a wrap, though the shop will make it a sandwich if requested. Pan-seared tuna, sprouts, arugula, red peppers and wasabi mayo, mmmm…
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I really like grilled chicken on a hard roll with tomato and onions and a little lettuce. Some honey mustard with that is the finisher. This is making me hungry….
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Without a doubt and no hesitation, the best sandwich I have ever had was at the Creperie in Beverly Hills. It’s really similar to the way I make a BLT (pseudo BLT since there is also cheese in it) at home – with burrata. This sandwich had pancetta, burrata, arugula and some flavored mayonnaise and was absolutely to die for. I was sitting there eating it with my boyfriend and still had to profess my love for the chef. I think I may have offered to have his children, which the waiter unfortunately overheard. I’m pretty sure he headed back into the kitchen to let the entire staff know because for the rest of the meal servers, dish washers and everyone else was coming out on the patio to see the crazy lady who told her boyfriend she’d sleep with the chef because of a sandwich.
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My favorite sandwich is definitely the Turkey Caprese from Tuscan Sun deli in Encinitas. It has sliced turkey, caprese, basil and pesto mayo. It is amazing!!! Their pesto mayo is better than any store bought I’ve had.
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Old school “panini” – Grilled Cheese with Havarti – from the downtown SD location of the Cheese Shop.
Watch from a comfortable wooden bench booth as your “panini” is pressed on a seasoned grill – creating a perfectly crispy buttery sourdough top and bottom, which encases a melted “just so” creamy Havarti. Shredded lettuce and sprouts take away the guilt and the extra pickle on the side is the just right palate “cleanser”.
Make it even better with a side of fries and cold diet coke!
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My husband’s “Bagel Sandwich” rates up there as one of my favorite sandwiches.
This is an open faced sandwich: One half an ‘everything bagel’ is topped with turkey, pepper-Jack cheese, Colby-Jack cheese, and red onion slices. Then it’s toasted until the cheese has melted and is that slightly, yummy brown around the edges. Mmmm… Then the sandwich is topped with a few tomato slices and ground pepper.
Sooo good!
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I used to live in SF and would walk to Chinatown to pick up a grilled pork sandwich on french baguette with mayo, garlic chili sauce, lime juice, onions, sliced carrots, cucumber & cilantro. It was the BEST sandwich I’ve ever had! It was a great deal too at a $1.75, especially since I was also a working college student.
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Yum – I think my favorite grilled sandwich I bought at South Street Under in downtown Leesburg, VA.
It was Turkey, Fontina, Spinach with basil Mayo!
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My favorite panini of all time was the first I ever had, in Virginia at a local grocery store called Ukrop’s. It was sliced, marinated, grilled London Broil with roasted peppers, carmelized onion, sauteed mushrooms and a cheese with some kind of spread on a really great bread. I wish I had paid more attention at the time because this was probably 7-8 yrs ago and they have since stopped making it. Yum!
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The first “this is the best sandwich ever” experience I had (there have been several since and I am unable to rank them in order of priority) was at the Gambier Deli in Gambier, Ohio. It was a chicken salad sandwich on toasted multigrain bread with bacon, havarti, and a pretty mustard-y honey mustard dressing. A weird combination of flavors, but it worked.
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My best ever was made on a Forman grill in the apartment I used to live in. It was peanut butter, strawberry jam, and a sliced banana. Mmmm…..
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Without a doubt the best sandwich I’ve ever eaten would be a homemade BLT with fresh tomatoes from my garden, Jack Spratt bread, grilled bacon, and real mayo. Fabulous.
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The best panini I ever had was actually only 2 weeks ago! I made focaccia for the first time at culinary school and had tons leftover, so I had to come up with different ways to use it. The first thing I made was a turkey, ham, and cheese panini……..and it was so utterly delicious! It had turkey, ham, sharp provolone cheese, mayo, and dijon mustard with extra mustard seeds. The focaccia was made with sage and it was the PERFECT texture and “breadiness” for a panini.
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I’ve always been a fan on peanut butter and jelly. I bet if I fried it, that would be pretty good too!
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I have exceedingly fond memories of a panini I had while we were snowed in during a recent trip to Minneapolis. Only one restaurant was open within walking distance of our hotel — and we were fortunate that it was a good one. I ordered a panini made with smoked turkey, sliced pears, brie, and walnut-honey-butter. I can’t describe how good that warm sandwich tasted.
Sitting in the restaurant, watching the snow fall, and enjoying a bit of quiet repose with something delicious… it turned out to be the best vacation ever!
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I used to hate sandwiches, so much. The fact that they were cold and sitting in my lunch box all day turned me off to them completely. I even had my mom send me to school with crackers in one bag and peanut butter in another container so that I could have my sandwich separated.
Then I was introduced to panini’s…I fell love with two pieces of bread stuffed full of everything and anything pressed, warmed and grilled. My favorite are grilled veggies, a little cheese (fresh mozzarella) and a dash of balsamic vinegar. Yum! Now everywhere I go the first thing I look at in the menu is the sandwiches and if there’s a grilled veggie panini, my mind is set.
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My most favorite sandwich, the Monte Cristo, is a heart stopper but so worth it!!
I first had this sandwich at the now closed Magic Pan restaurant. I was pretty young but hooked on the gooey cheese, warm ham and turkey. Most recently I enjoyed one while at Disneyland! They are harder and harder to find on menus but whenever I see it on, its a must have!!
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I absolutely love sandwiches, I would probably them everyday if I didn’t absolutely love lots of other types of food as well. But one of my favorite sandwiches is the Reuben over at Mustards Cafe in Orange ( http://www.mustardcafe.com/ ). The house reuben sauce they put on it is to die for. I can’t even explain what it tastes like.
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wow never heard of a panini I am 59 my niece 23 turned me on to the best sandwich..She just threw stuff fron fridge to her panini maker yum..I wanna experiment too
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