Cheese Dipping Sauce

Warm, creamy and a hint of heat combine to make this a wonderful dipping sauce for chips or crisp french fries.  It's a quick treat to make just minutes before the game starts so everyone can snack as they are rooting for their favorite team.  I combined pepperjack for a little heat and cheddar for a nice color. 

Cheese Dipping Sauce

4 oz pepperjack cheese, shredded

4 oz medium cheddar cheese, shredded

1 - 12 oz can evaporated milk

2 tsp of your favorite hot sauce

1 tbsp corn starch

In a medium sauce pan, combine the cheese and corn starch.  Stir in the evaporated milk and hot sauce.  Stir over medium heat until the cheese melts and thickens.  Pour into a serving dish and you are ready to enjoy the snacks and the game.

Cheese Manicotti

All the delicious flavors of cheese-filled manicotti without the hassle of trying to stuff shells by making crepes to hold the creamy filling.

 

Cheese Manicotti

Crepes ~  make ahead and let sit for at least a half hour.  Perfect for getting the rest of your ingredients together

1 cup flour
1 cup milk - I used 2%
2/3 cup Perrier
2 large eggs
1 dash salt

Whisk all the ingredients in a medium bowl and let sit until you are ready to cook.  Heat a 10" non-stick frying pan.  I sprayed a coating of cooking spray as it was heating.  Add in 1/4 cup of crepe mixture and tilt the pan until the batter is evenly spread.  Cook of medium heat until the edges start to turn brown.  Use a spatula to gently flip the crepe over.  Cook for another minute or two until the 2nd side is done.  Place the cheese filling in the center and flip the sides up burrito style.  Scoop up the crepe gently and place in a greased baking dish. 

Filling ~

16 oz whole milk ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded 6 Italian cheese mix

2 tbsp fresh Parsley, minced

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Line up manicotti in your greased baking dish.  Top with 1 cup of your favorite red pasta sauce.  Sprinkle ½ cup of the shredded 6 Italian Cheese mix on top.  Bake for 25 minutes at 350°,

Mac and Italian Cheese

My refrigerator is always well stocked with cheese.  Lately there's been an abundance of Italian cheese and what better way to use them than with a comforting mac and cheese.  Extra creamy thanks to the Mascarpone and Fontina with a touch of saltiness from the Parmesan.

Mac and Italian Cheese

4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
1 small garlic clove, grated
2 cups milk
2 cups Cavatappi, or your favorite pasta
4 oz Mascarpone, room temperature
8 oz Fontina, grated
1/3 cup Parmesan, grated

1 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 tsp paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Melt 4 tbsp butter and stir in flour.  Allow to cook for a minute before adding in the grated garlic.  Cook for another minute.  Gradually add in milk, stirring constantly.  When thickened, remove from heat and add in cheeses.

In a casserole, put cooked Cavatappi and cheese sauce.
In a small pan, melt 1 tbsp butter.  Add in Panko bread crumbs and spices.  Top macaroni mixture.

Servings: 8

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes

Beer Cheese Soup

I don't believe you could live in this area of the country and never had beer cheese soup or at least seen it on a menu at many restaurants.  I would always have it when visiting a restaurant that was in the Fargo mall served with croutons.   I made some pumpernickle croutons out of the bread I made yesterday.

Beer Cheese Soup

2 tbsp butter
2 carrots, sliced thin (or you can dice them)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup onions, minced
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup beer
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1 dash hot sauce
8 oz cheddar, shredded
4 oz swiss cheese

Melt the butter in the bottom of a dutch oven or very large saucepan.  Add in carrots, onions and garlic and cook until tender.  Stir flour into the vegetables when they have softened.  Pour in chicken stock, milk and beer.  Add the dashes of Worcestershire and hot sauces.  Heat completely but do not bring to a boil.  Stir in the cheeses.  Keep stirring until completely melted.  Serve hot.   

Grilled Ham & Brie Sandwiches

Need an easy weeknight meal that takes your usual grilled cheese sandwich up a notch?  Try using Brie.  It melts and coats the rest of the inside of your sandwich perfectly.

Grilled Ham & Brie Sandwiches

Sliced bread - I used french bread
Softened butter
Thin sliced ham
Peach preserves
Brie


Assemble just like a grilled cheese sandwich.  Butter the outside slices of bread and place one piece face down in a frying pan. Spread peach preserves on top and lay down ham over it.    Place slices of brie on top of the ham and top with a second piece of bread, butter side on top.  Grill until a nice golden brown, carefully flip and grill the second side.

Ham & Fontina Tassies

I was interested in trying more savory snacks after my Parmesan Madeleines worked out so well.  I've made the standard brown sugar tassies and my chocolate raspberry tassies so it was time to take it up a notch.  These have a little hidden bite from the crushed red pepper flakes that you might not notice at first.

Ham & Fontina Tassies

1 stick butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp oregano
3/4 cup ham, diced
3/4 cup Fontina, shredded
Crushed red pepper flakes

Blend together the butter and cream cheese.  Beat in the oregano and flour (a half cup at a time).  Make sure the flour is all incorporated and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for one hour.

Grease a standard muffin tin with a spray oil.  Roll large balls of dough, flatten and press into the cups.  Form sides to each cup to hold your filling.  Place some ham in each cup.  Sprinkle some grated Fontina on top and then a few pieces of crushed red pepper flakes.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350°.  Serve warm.

Makes 12 tassies.

Baked Italian Cheese Dip & Bread Dippers

Round two of the countdown to the Super Bowl and today there's two recipes to serve for the big game.  This was an opportunity to use my new brie baker.  Darn Etsy and all their cute stuff that I fall in love with and have to order for my already overcrowded cupboards.

Baked Italian Cheese Dip


8 oz Fontina cheese, cut into small pieces
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Place the Fontina cheese pieces in a dish that is safe for the oven.  Sprinkle the olive oil and spices over the top.  Bake for 30 minutes at 325°.  Serve with bread dippers (recipe below)


Bread Dippers

2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 package dry active yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp honey
1 tbsp Italian Seasonings

Combine warm water and yeast and allow to sit for 15 minutes.  In a large bowl, pour in yeast water and stir in oil, honey, Italian Seasonings and salt.  Fold in flour  gradually.  When it's all combined, knead for 10 minutes and then return to the bowl and pour a little more olive oil on top, turn and make sure it's all coated, cover with a clean dish towel and let sit in a warm place for 2 hours. Turn out on a lightly floured board or countertop and divide into 24 equal pieces.  Place in a greased pan and brush with 2 tbsp melted butter. Bake for 15 minutes at 350°.  

Cacio e Pepe

Besides having an easy meat dish that cooked itself in the crock pot yesterday, I made this very incredibly tasty and simple to make pasta to accompany it.  

Cacio e Pepe

6 oz angel hair pasta 
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp pepper, freshly ground
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/4 cup Romano cheese, freshly grated
1 cup pasta water

Cook the angel hair pasta for 3-4 minutes in salted, boiling water.  As it is cooking, melt 2 tbsp butter in a large frying pan.  Add in pepper and cook for a minute.  Remove 1/2 cup of the pasta water and stir in.  Take out another 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.  Add angel hair to the frying pan along with the remainder of the butter.  Mix together with tongs and reduce the heat.  Add in grated cheeses and toss the pasta until completely coated.  Add in additional pasta water if needed.

Burek

Börek (also burek and other variants) is a family of baked or fried filled pastries made of a thin flaky dough known as phyllo (or yufka).  However you spell it, to me it's a piece of heaven.  Crisp phyllo that lightly crunches as you cut your fork through it, a creamy mixture of cheeses that blend to well together...it truly is one of my favorites and worth the little extra effort it takes to work with phyllo.

Burek

1 package phyllo pastry sheets defrosted according to package directions
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 large egg slightly beaten
1 tsp parsley
6 tbsp butter, melted

Mix together ricotta, cottage cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, Mozzarella cheese, egg and parsley together in a small bowl.

Melt butter in a small saucepan for brushing on phyllo dough.

Take a sheet of phyllo, put one half in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan, brush with butter, fold down second half and brush with butter.  Repeat with another 13 x 18 sheet.  Put in 1/3 of cheese mixture.  Repeat the sheet/cheese mixture two more times.  Finish by adding two more full sheets, folded in half with butter on each layer.  

Bake for 30 minutes at 325°

Parmesan Cheese Ball

It's a holiday weekend and time to gather with family and friends.  Also, college football has started with the pros starting next week so it's time to entertain and how better than with an easy to make cheese ball.

Parmesan Cheese Ball

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tbsp parsley
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/3 cup cashews, chopped

Mix together softened cream cheese, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Add in the garlic and spices. Shape into a ball shape in bowl and cover
with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Remove and roll in chopped
cashews.

Return to refrigerator. Remove 15 minutes before
serving.  Serve with crackers or vegetables.

Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake

Sometimes refrigerator cleaning can be a good thing and this hotdish the result since it gets a nice little tang from using yogurt.  Plus it was another opportunity to use some funky pasta from Eataly.

Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake

1# chicken breast, seasoned, braised and cut into pieces

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup peas

1 cup cheddar jack cheese

1 tbsp parsley

1/4 tsp paprika

1 tsp celery flakes

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

3 cups cooked pasta

Topping

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 tsp butter

1/8 tsp paprika

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a small pan, melt butter.  Add in Panko bread crumbs and spices and lightly toast.  Set aside.

'

Cook pasta per package direction and drain.  In a medium saucepan, heat chicken broth and whisk in yogurt and spices.  Stir in pasta and cooked chicken.  Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan or casserole.  Mix in cheese and top with panko crumbs.   Bake for 30 minutes at 325°.

Buttered Noodles

Sounds bland doesn't it?  Well if I had only put butter on them it would be.  My secret flavor kick this time is Romano cheese.  Romano adds a touch of salt and a nice tangy flavor.  It was a perfect side to some Italian meatballs that I made but I can't think of too many proteins that these wouldn't be great with.

Buttered Noodles

1/3# Dumpling Egg Noodles 
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp sour cream
3 tbsp Romano cheese, grated
1 tsp parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Cook dumpling noodles per package directions in a large saucepan.  Drain and leave or return to saucepan.  Stir in butter, sour cream and Romano cheese and gently stir until butter and sour cream melt.  Fold in parsley, salt and pepper.

Four Cheese Chicken Rigatoni

Back on my mission to use up my cottage cheese and the on hand ingredients lead to this dish.  The oregano and red pepper flakes combined to make this very appetizing.

Four Cheese Chicken Rigatoni

2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed or shredded
8 oz cooked rigatoni
1 cup cottage cheese
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Cheddar, shredded

Grease a 2 quart baking dish.  Place cooked chicken and pasta in the dish.  In a small bowl, combine the cottage cheese, milk, broth, and half of each of the cheeses.  Stir and pour over pasta and chicken.  Gently fold in and then top with the remaining cheese.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Cheeseburger Pasta

I miss grilling outdoors and I'm not one that enjoys wearing my winter coat, gloves and hat to stand outside and grill when there's still 2' of snow at the one end of my deck and more in the backyard and the thermometer hasn't gotten above freezing.  I do have two indoor grills but it's not the same.  I made this for a quick meal so I could be reminded a little of a cheeseburger fresh off the grill.  I hesitated when it came to choosing the cheese since I love my cheeseburgers topped with cheddar and pepper jack equally so I put some red pepper flakes in as I was finishing cooking the ground beef and onions.

Cheeseburger Pasta

1/2# lean ground beef
1/8 cup onions, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup Orzo pasta, cooked
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Cook Orzo, drain but do not rinse.  Cook ground beef with the onions and season with salt, freshly ground pepper and red pepper flakes.  Place both Orzo and ground beef in a greased casserole.  In a medium sized pan, melt the butter and add in flour.  Stir and gradually add in milk.  Allow to cook until thickened and stir in cheddar cheese.  Pour over the hamburger and pasta and stir well.  Bake at 325° and bake for 30 minutes.

Sausage Potato Bake

Sunday breakfast is always a treat and full of flavor.  I'm not really an egg fan.  I'll eat them if someone makes them for me but they are not something I'll prepare myself.  I always see lots of recipes for different egg breakfast casseroles so I decided to make an non-egg one.  Also note that I chose to precook my hashbrowns because I like them to have a little crunch factor.  Another plus of this dish was that is came out of the casserole and kept it's shape.

Sausage Potato Bake

1 french baguette
1# breakfast sausage, cooked 
2 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
2 cups southern style hashbrowns, cooked
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Slice and cube the baguette.  You can lightly toast the cubes (recommended).  Place at the bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 12 casserole dish.  Brown sausage.  When cooked, stir in flour until the sausage is coated.  Gradually stir in milk.  Let thicken and season to taste.  Spoon evenly over the baguette.  Top with hashbrowns and then the cheddar cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350°.

Baked Spaghetti

I finally got to make baked spaghetti.  I had made Baked Chicken Capellini a few months ago and loved it so I wanted to try it with ground beef also.  It turned out just as well.  One can never have too many comfort foods.

Baked Spaghetti


1 pound ground beef
1 tbsp Italian Seasonings
8 oz spaghetti, cooked al dente and drained
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp parsley
1 1/2 cups of your favorite pasta sauce
Parmesan cheese

Place cooked spaghetti at the bottom of a greased 6 x 10 baking dish or a round casserole.  Microwave cream cheese and milk for 30 seconds, stir and add parsley and then spread over the spaghetti.  Top with the ground beef mixed with pasta sauce.  Bake at 325° for 30 minutes.  Top with Parmesan cheese.

Turkey & Brie Grilled Sandwich

It's garbage day.  So after a long work day, hauling garbage and recycling to the curb and trying to embed the containers in a snowbank that slightly resembles Mount Everest, it's time for an easy dinner.  Digging into my pantry and refrigerator resulted in this tasty sandwich.

Turkey & Brie Grilled Sandwich

2 slices of your favorite bread (in my case my favorite is the one on hand)
sliced turkey
2 oz brie, sliced to fit the bread
1 tbsp cranberry orange jam (recipe below)

Butter outsides of the slices of bread.  Place one butter side down and top with brie, turkey slices.  Place cranberry orange jam on the inside of the second slice of bread and place face down on turkey.  Butter the outside while in the pan.  Grill until a golden brown on both sides.  




Cranberry Orange Jam

2 cups cranberries
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup strawberries
3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp orange zest
1 pouch liquid fruit pectin

Place cranberries in a food processor to break down into small bits.  Combine in medium saucepan with orange juice, strawberries, sugar, zest and liquid pectin and cook over medium heat until thickened.  Pour into clean canning jars and seal in a water bath for 10 minutes.

Taco Mac & Cheese

Where is Spring?  I miss seeing green grass and hearing lawn mowers instead of shovels scraping cement and snowblowers.  This is part two of what I did with taco meat.  Will there be a part three?  Only time will tell.

Taco Mac & Cheese

4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
2 cups medium macaroni shells
1 1/2 cups mild cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup taco cheese
1 cup taco meat
1 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 tsp paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Melt 4 tbsp butter and stir in flour.  Gradually add in milk, stirring constantly.  When thickened, remove from heat and add in cheeses.

In a casserole, put cooked macaroni, taco meat and cheese sauce.

In a small pan, melt 1 tbsp butter.  Add in Panko bread crumbs and spices.  Top macaroni mixture.

Servings: 8

Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes

Taco Grilled Cheese Sandwich

One pound of lean ground beef and my taco seasoning mix...this is a start of what I making using them together.  And since we're easing into the week...we'll start off with the easiest but tasty sandwich.

Taco Grilled Cheese

2 slices of your favorite bread, I chose a Buttermilk White Bread
softened butter
1/4 cup taco meat
Colby cheese, sliced


Assemble just like a regular grilled cheese sandwich.  Butter the outside slices of bread and place one piece face down in a frying pan.  Place a layer of cheese slices over the bread.  Top with the taco meat and place another layer of cheese.  Top with your second piece of bread, buttered side up.   Grill until a nice golden brown, carefully flip and grill the second side. 

Cheese Sauce

There's nothing better than having a versatile cheese sauce for dipping.  I made bread sticks to use with the sauce this time but you can use it for pretzels, apples, french fries, nacho topping...you get the idea.  Plus it has just the right amount of heat to awaken your taste buds.

Cheese Sauce

2/3 cup powdered milk
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp corn starch
8 ounces shredded Colby cheese
1 1/2 tbsp hot sauce (I used Frank's)

Whisk all ingredients together in a medium sized saucepan.  Heat over a low heat, stirring frequently, until it thickens.