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41 posts tagged cheese
Dippity do dah
Hot spinach and artichoke dip seems appropriate for today. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 (10 ounce) package chopped frozen spinach, thawed, and moisture squeezed out
- 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon (or more!) Tabasco or Sriracha
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup grated melting cheese, such as mozzarella, jack, cheddar, pepper jack or a combination of any, divided
Directions:
Mix everything together including half of the cheese and spoon into baking dish. Sprinkle on remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
Bake in a preheated 350 F oven until the sides are bubbling and the cheese has turned golden brown on top, 20 to 30 minutes. If cheese is not golden, place baking dish on top rack of oven and turn oven to broil. Watch carefully so cheese does not burn.
Lately I’ve been yawning at the idea of facing Greek yogurt every morning for breakfast. While looking for something different I hit upon these mini, crust-less quiches.
I liked most of what I read in the recipe, especially the combination of half eggs and half egg whites, but decided to create my own version, which added sausage and green onion. You could easily substitute cooked, crumbled turkey bacon for the sausage if you’re looking for something lighter.
These would be a perfect do-ahead food served alongside a fruit salad for a shower or brunch. This week they’ll be my go-to for an easy breakfast or lunch.
Mini spinach, sausage and mushroom quiches. Makes 12
Ingredients:
- Cooking spray
- 1/3 package Jimmy Dean sausage (freeze remaining)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 cups sliced white or cremini mushrooms
- 1 green onion, sliced thin (use both white and green parts)
- 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of moisture
- 4 large eggs
- 4 egg large whites
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup grated Fontina cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a 12-cup nonstick muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Cook sausage in skillet, breaking it up into pieces as it cooks. Drain sausage thoroughly. Wipe out skillet. Add the olive oil and sauté mushrooms over medium-high heat until mushrooms release liquid. Continue cooking until liquid has evaporated. In a bowl combine the cooked sausage, mushrooms, onion and spinach. Set aside.
Whisk the eggs, egg whites, milk, and salt and pepper until well combined. Divide the cheese evenly between the muffin tins. Pour egg mixture into muffin cups, filling them about half-way. Top with the sausage, mushroom and spinach mixture.
Bake until the quiches are well risen, golden brown and set, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with greens or a fruit salad.
Lunch
Every crumb/morsel/drop was devoured after this shot. The pear was juicy and perfectly ripe. The bread was still warm, and the creamy, buttery St. Agur blue cheese was blissful.
Let’s eat pasta!
Or in this case, let’s eat manicotti stuffed with spinach, chicken, ricotta and mozzarella and baked with a homemade marinara sauce. It’s not hard to make and it does a soul good to snuggle in every once in awhile with a nice plate of cheesy pasta.
You can prepare most steps of this meal ahead of time and then just pop the casserole in the oven an hour before dinner.
To create this, I made my cheese and spinach filling and added 2 cups of diced, cooked chicken from last night’s rotisserie chicken. I covered the filling and set it in the refrigerator. As I prepared the marinara sauce I got a big pot of salted water to boil and cooked a package of manicotti to al dente. After the pasta had drained and cooled I filled it with the prepared filling and set aside the filled tubes on a sheet pan. To assemble, I spooned some marinara sauce into several casserole dishes and add filled pasta. The remaining marinara was spooned over the pasta and grated cheese was sprinkled over the tops. I covered the dishes with foil and put two in the freezer and the third in my refrigerator. After I did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen I felt smug the rest of the day knowing that my dinner for just the two of us was ready to be popped into the oven an hour before it was time to eat.
Bake the casserole in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for another 15 or until cheese is melted and beginning to bubble. Turn oven to broil and broil until cheese gets golden. Let casserole sit for 10 minutes before eating.
I’ll drink to that!
Swiss cheese is fun to photograph.
French onion soup with Emmental cheese
Sandwich under construction
This has been my favorite sandwich since college years. Start with 2 slices of really good, multigrain bread. Spread on a little mayonnaise and top with avocado slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add a nice squeeze of fresh lemon. Pile on grated mozzarella cheese and some alfalfa sprouts. Yum.
Having fun with fundido
In Spanish, “fundido” translates to “molten”, which is a perfect word to describe this cheesy appetizer. Simmering on the stove it bubbled like lava. From skillet to chip it was so smooth and stringy we could stretch it a full 18-inches! It’s a warm, gooey treat that’s perfect for a wet, holiday night in Portland, Oregon.
Queso fundido, a recipe from Bon Appétit magazine.
Ingredients:
- 1 small tomato, chopped
- 1 serrano chile, seeded, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
- Kosher salt
- 8 ounces coarsely grated mild yellow cheddar
- 8 ounces coarsely grated Monterey Jack
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 4-ounce link fresh chorizo or hot Italian sausage, casing removed
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 1/2 cup lager
- Tortilla chips
Directions:
Mix tomato, chile, and oregano in a small bowl. Season with salt; let salsa stand for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, toss both cheeses with flour in a medium bowl. Cook chorizo in a medium saucepan over medium heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until it begins to render, about 1 minute. Add onion and continue cooking until chorizo is cooked and onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Transfer chorizo mixture to a small bowl; return saucepan to heat. Add beer; simmer, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits. Whisking constantly, add cheese mixture a 1/4-cupful at a time, allowing it to become blended and smooth between additions. Stir in chorizo mixture. Using a slotted spoon, spoon salsa over queso. Serve in skillet with a basket of tortilla chips on the side.
Do ahead: Queso can be made 30 minutes ahead. Let stand at room temperature. To reheat, warm skillet with queso fundido over medium heat; stir until melted and bubbly.
Yesterday’s lunch on the go
We’re down to the wire and I’m not ready. It was 2pm, I was headed out the door and hadn’t eaten anything all day. I sliced a pear and some cheese, pulled out a handful of crackers and plunked them all onto a napkin to take in the car with me. As I held them all in my hand I thought it looked rather nice. Delay the errands; run into the house and pick up the camera; take 4 quick pictures to look at later. It was delicious, by the way!
