Tag: cheese

Good Eats!

Spicy Shrimp n’ Grits

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I don’t really claim to be a ‘southern’ girl – although I was born and raised in North Carolina, I don’t do all the country cooking… I hate collards, butter beans, field peas and the like.  I’ll never forget the first time I heard of this thing called ‘fatback’!  I’m still not exactly sure what “chit-lins” are and don’t really care to find out.  Any who… the one southern food that I absolutely love is grits – and the more cheese the better!  Throwing in the jalapeno gives it a nice kick and of course you can add whatever else you like.

BBBANow, if you want to try the best grits on the planet, you’ll have to go to the Bourbon Barrel Beef & Ale in small town USA, a little town in the NC mountains called Waynesville.  Their Creole Shrimp & Grits (grilled shrimp in bacon creole sauce over creamy smoked gouda grits & melted green onion) were phenomenal!

Ingredients

  • IMG_09132 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed and diced
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3 cups chicken broth, low-sodium
  • 1 1/2 cups boiling water
  • 1 1/2 cups white corn grits, quick cooking
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup green onions, for garnish (optional)

Preparation

In a medium sauce pan, bring the heavy cream, chicken broth, and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, slowly whisk in the grits. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until grits have thickened and absorbed the liquid.

Stir in the jalapenos, salt and 1 1/2 cups of the grated cheese.  Transfer the grits into the cast iron skillet and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Place skillet under broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until cheese on top has melted and grits are light brown in color. Garnish with green onions (optional).

Adapted from:  Food Fanatic

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Sweet Potato and Kale Pizza with Balsamic Drizzle

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If you are a pizza traditionalist you probably won’t like this – actually you probably wouldn’t try it anyway.  We eat pizza, but we enjoy trying different variations and toppings.  I know, it sounds weird but surprisingly this combo worked really well together.  The mozzarella is great, but I think next time I’ll replace it with goat cheese.   Usually we use naan for our homemade pizzas, but for this one I wanted a thinner crust so I used a gluten-free whole wheat crust.
Ingredients:
  • 1 pizza crust
  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into large chunks
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 3 cups kale, washed, dried and stems removed
  • ½ medium onion, sliced thinly
  • ½ cup mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoon coconut sugar (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the sweet potato. Allow to boil for 20 minutes or until the sweet potato is fork soft. Remove from heat and mash with almond milk, salt and pepper until spreadable.  Spread onto the pizza and top with the kale, onions and cheese.

Bake pizza for 10 minutes or until kale begins to crisp.  While the pizza is baking, prepare balsamic drizzle. Heat the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a pot over high heat. When it becomes to bubble, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring. The vinegar should get thicker. Remove from heat and watch carefully so it doesn’t get hardened.

Remove pizza from oven and drizzle with balsamic drizzle.

Source:  Jessica in the Kitchen

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Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole

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It’s no secret that we love Mexican food, especially when it’s easy to make and tastes this good!  To keep it quick and simple I used a rotisserie chicken I picked up from the grocery store deli.  I usually keep jasmine rice on hand so I used that instead of the Basmati.  I already a bunch of cheddar jack cheese so I used that instead of the white cheddar (any cheese will work) and I was surprised to find that Harris Teeter had refried black beans which we like better than pinto beans.  I’m fan of cilantro so instead of using it as a garnish I added it to the mix before baking and I used some green onions as the garnish.  Oh and it’s just wrong to serve any kind of Mexican dish without a dollop of sour cream (or substitute with greek yogurt).
IMG_0896Ingredients
  • 3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
  • 2 cups dry Basmati rice
  • 2 cans (10 oz each) Enchilada sauce
  • 1 can (16 oz) refried beans
  • 1 cup white cheddar, shredded
  • 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
  • 1 can (11 oz) corn kernel
  • cilantro for garnish
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
Preparation:IMG_0898

Cook the rice. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Mix the 2 cheeses together.

In a large bowl mix the shredded chicken with the enchilada sauce, refried beans and half of the cheese. Add rice, season with salt and pepper if needed, and mix well. Pour rice mixture into a large casserole dish. Top with corn then with remainder of cheese.

Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes or until cheese melts and is bubbly.  Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve warm.

Adapted from:  Jo Cooks

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Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

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My husband is a pepper fanatic.  He wants to eat peppers all the time.  Although I’m not a big fan of traditional stuffed peppers, I have tried other versions of stuffed peppers like this.  Since we like philly cheesesteak, I decided to give this one a go.  First, make sure you get a good cut of steak.  I actually just recently started eating steak so I’m not familiar with what’s what.I don’t remember exactly what I picked up, just grabbed something thin, but it was little chewier than I would’ve liked.  The original recipe says to marinate the stead for at least six hours – well I didn’t plan far enough in advance so ours only marinated for about an hour or so.  I like a lot of gooey cheese on my cheesesteak so in addition to the slices on top, I also stuffed a little bit of cheese inside the peppers – you want ooey-gooeyness in every bite, right?  Well, I don’t know if it was my oven or what, but it didn’t turn out very ooey-gooey for me.   The cheese browned on top but wasn’t melted enough inside.  I wonder if mozzarella or swiss would be better.IMG_0543..
Ingredients:
  • 1 lb thinly sliced steak
  • 1 thinly sliced onion
  • 4 bell peppers
  • 4 provolone cheese slices
  • balsamic vinegar
  • extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Marinate the strips of steak in the balsamic vinegar.  Pour the olive oil in a pan, add the onions and steak.  Cook over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes until the steak is only slightly pink.  While the steak is cooking, slice the tops off the peppers and scrape out the insides.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Fill the hollowed out peppers with the steak and onions.  Place a piece of cheese over the top of each pepper.  Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes.

Adapted from:  Almost Supermom

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Apple Cheddar Turkey Burgers w/Roasted Tomato Tahini

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Holy turkey burger, Batman!  These are by far the best turkey burgers on the planet.  I’m not going to lie, it took me some time and patience to carefully prep and make the burgers just right, but it’s SO worth it.  I know we should probably skip the bun, but my Italian bread-loving husband just had to have the Hawaiian roll and I’m not one to say no to Hawaiian rolls.  These burgers were absolutely incredible, light but filling – simply perfection.  I’m actually drooling a little bit right now…maybe next time they’ll stay on the plate long enough to get a picture!

Ingredients:

¾ lbs ground turkey
1 small red onion, finely chopped
⅓ cup cubed sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
½ cup shredded and peeled Granny Smith apple (about ¾ of an apple)
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Roasted Tomato Tahini Sauce

12 cherry tomatoes
5 tablespoons tahini
1 ½ tablespoons white vinegar
Pinch cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Preparation:

In large bowl combine ground turkey, onion, cheddar, dijon mustard, shredded apple, salt and pepper. With dampened hands shape into 4 burgers.  Grill over medium heat, flipping once until cooked through, about 8 minutes.  Alternatively, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook burgers until golden brown, about 6 to 7 minutes per side.

To make the roasted tomato tahini sauce; thread cherry tomatoes onto metal skewers (or wooden ones soaked in water) and grill, turning frequently, until the skins begin to char and tomatoes are tender but not bursting, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Place in a blender with tahini, vinegar, cayenne pepper and salt and blend until smooth. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if too thick.

Source:  The Iron You

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Creamy Crockpot Mac & Cheese

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Mac & cheese is one of those perfect foods – if it’s made right.  As much as I LOVE cheese, I’ve tried several mac & cheese dishes that I don’t care for – shocking, I know!  I prefer creamier cheese so I’m not a fan of baked mac & cheese.   With the sour cream and cheese soup, this one is definitely one of the creamiest (is that even a word?).  The next time I make this (and there will surely be a next time) I think I might skip melting the cheese in the saucepan and just put it straight into the crock pot.  I mean the only reason I use a crock pot in the first place is the simplicity of it.  Also, for a more natural cheese taste, I’d do less of the cheese soup – I opted to do several different kinds of cheese instead of just cheddar, gotta share the love!photo(13)

INGREDIENTS:

  • 16 oz pasta
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 2 1/2 cups grated cheddar
  • 16 oz sour cream
  • 3 (10 oz) cans condensed cheese soup
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp pepper

PREPARATION:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta for 6 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.  In a saucepan, melt the butter and cheddar cheese. Stir until all of the cheese is melted.  In a crock pot combine the condensed cheese soup, milk, salt, dry mustard, sour cream, paprika and pepper. Stir well. Add in the melted cheddar cheese and stir well.  Add in the drained pasta. Mix well to combine. Set crock pot to low, let cook on low for 2.5 – 3 hours. Stir occasionally.

Source:  Big Bear’s Wife

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Baked Potato Soup

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We finally got some cold days this winter – perfect for soup in the crock pot.  This was super easy and really good.  Wonderful lunch or dinner when it’s cold outside, and we had plenty of leftovers.

  • 5lbs potatoes, peeled & diced into chunks
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp seasoned salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 quarts chicken broth
  • 2 (8oz) cream cheese
  • green onions, shredded cheese, bacon bits

PREPARATION:

Cook potatoes, onion, garlic, chicken broth & spices in the crock pot for 4 hours on high or eight hours on low.  Mash the potatoes to desired consistency.  Add the cream cheese and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.   Garnish with green onions, shredded cheese, and/or bacon bits.

Source:  Taste & Tell

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Spicy Macaroni & Cheese

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I absolutely love cheese, especially with pasta.  This was delicious, I actually couldn’t wait the three hours before digging in.  I browned some ground turkey and mixed it in to make a complete meal.   I also added some cream cheese instead of the processed cheese like Velveeta.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup onion, finely chopped
  • 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 10 3/4 ounces condensed cheddar cheese soup, canned
  • 1/4 cup jalapeno peppers, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 8 ounces processed cheese, melted
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

PREPARATION

Lightly grease the stoneware with nonstick cooking spray.  In a large bowl combine the onion, garlic, peppers, spices, salsa, and pasta. Mix well.  In a small bowl combine the soup, butter, and processed cheese.  When blended add to the pasta mixture and pour into the stoneware.  Cover; cook on High for 2.5 – 3 hours.  During the last 30 minutes sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top.
Source:  Crock Pot
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Crescent Roll Casserole

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This past week, I was really busy so I planned a lot of crock pot or make ahead meals.  I used shredded cheddar and ground turkey.  Nothing spectacular, but this is a nice easy weeknight dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1lb ground beef
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 package crescent dinner rolls
  • 3 oz cream cheese
  • 8 oz cheddar cheese, grated

PREPARATION:

Brown meat and drain. Mix with soup. Spread in 9×9 inch baking dish. Mix cheddar and cream cheese together. Pat out rolls on to 1/8 inch thick. put equal amounts of cheese mixture on each triangle of dough. Roll up as crescent roll. place on top of meat mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Source:  Big Oven

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Easy Taco Soup

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This was super easy and really good.  I forgot the taco mix, so I just added some cumin, oregano & chili powder.  The original recipe from Big Oven didn’t specify, but I drained the can of corn & beans, rinsing the beans too.  I put all ingredients except for the beef in a large pot to heat and then added the beef after browning and draining the grease.  The consistency was more like chili than soup, so I added some more water and some green chilies.  Topped with shredded cheese & sour cream.  This would have been good with some tortilla chips or even some Mexican cornbread, but I didn’t have either so we just popped in some crescent rolls.  I’m sure there are tons of other things you could change and it would still be good, luckily there’s some leftover for lunch tomorrow.  :)

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 can corn
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 can black beans
  • 1 package taco seasoning mix
  • 1 package ranch dressing mix
  • 1 cup of water

PREPARATION:

In a large pot, brown the ground beef.  Add corn, tomatoes, black beans, taco mix, ranch dressing mix and water.  Add additional water for soupier consistency.  Top with cheese and sour cream.

Source:  Big Oven