Last year around the holidays, I made homemade cheese spreads for the first time - a basic Cheddar Cheese Spread and then a fantastic nutty cheese spread that was inspired by French Onion soup and the store bought Swiss Almond spreads - my Swiss-Almond Cheese Spread with Caramelized Onions. We ate the hell out of them.
This year, I was thinking about a southern classic, Pimiento Cheese Spread...but traditionally, the spread is simply made with cheese, mayo and pimientos. I really like using cream cheese because I wanted it more like a cracker dip than a sandwich spread. I also wanted to boost it up a little with flavour, so I added a lot more than what the traditional spread has - garlic, Worcestershire, jalapeño, wine, etc. It's not hot or spicy at all... so even if you shy away from jalapeños, I say add 'em to this recipe. It just adds a little depth to the spread - more layers of flavour.
So if you're trying to come up with some appetizers to make and/or take to a New Year's party, this is a pretty easy and great one!
I think the Descendents said what we were all thinking. -jen
*I recommend at least half of your shredded cheese being sharp cheddar, and the other half could be any combination of Monterey Jack, Havarti, Gruyere, Gouda, Parmesan, etc. I used what I had, which was some Gouda, Havarti Dill, and Pecorino Romano.
Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth and combined. Refrigerate (but I always have to eat some immediately. The flavours marry nicely if you give it a little time to refrigerate though.)
Serve with crackers or raw veggies, make a grilled cheese with some spread inside, use as a sandwich spread - eat it how you want! It'd probably be good mixed in with some pasta (though I've not tried that!)
I have another similar recipe on the blog, the Cheesy Cauliflower Bake. In that one I steamed the cauliflower in large chunks on the stove. Lately, I've been enjoying "riced" cauliflower with the food processor, then cooked in the microwave, so that's what I did this time. And broccoli, of course. Just a few little differences. We both really liked this recipe though. Had it tonight with pork medallions and I did up a pan gravy with the drippings. Delicious!
Have had Hot Water Music's "Wayfarer" in my head. -jen
3 tablespoons green onions, diced (about 3 medium)
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 dashes Sriracha sauce (or other hot sauce)
salt and pepper to taste (I used my KFCseasoning, a little Mrs. Dash and some white pepper)
1 egg, lightly whisked
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, F. Prepare a 2-quart 8"x8" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Add cauliflower and broccoli to food processor. Pulse until vegetables are about the size of rice. Place in a microwave safe glass bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 10 minutes (bowl will be hot!!) Let sit for 5 minutes with plastic wrap on.
Return cooked vegetables to the food processor and add butter, cream cheese, and yogurt/sour cream. Process on high until smooth and creamy. Return to glass bowl and stir in shredded cheese, green onions, Worcestershire, and Sriracha. Now is the time to add your salt and pepper while you can still taste it and adjust. Then stir in the egg.
Transfer to the prepared baking dish, making sure mixture is level. Sprinkle Parmesan over the top and bake at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Top should be golden brown. Serve immediately.
Cheesy Cauliflower and Broccoli Casserole with pork medallions and gravy
When we go grocery shopping, we always go with a budget and a list which means we generally have the week's meals planned out. Sometimes, things that weren't on the list sneak into the cart. This time I grabbed a cauliflower with no ideas for it... if nothing else, I knew it'd get thrown into the roasted veggie mixes (we eat baked chicken and roasted veggies once or twice a week for dinner).
I don't know why, but I decided I wanted cream soup, and I've never actually made a cauliflower soup, so it seemed like the thing to do. The cheese was a last minute idea since I remembered we had them in the fridge, and I'm glad I did! This soup came out great... I really liked it.
I can't even tell you why, but I've had Billy Joel running through my brain... which then, instantly makes me think of the Gimmes. So Me First and the Gimme Gimmes doing "Only The Good Die Young" (because they didn't eat their cauliflower). -jen
6 tablespoons butter + 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, separated
1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
3 medium carrots, diced (about 1.5 cups)
2 celery stalks, diced (about 1 cup)
1 poblano or green pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
1 medium head cauliflower, roughly chopped
3-4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup flour
2 cups heavy cream
1.5 cups shredded Asiago cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar or Cojack cheese
2 teaspoons sherry
several dashes Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
a few dashes of cayenne pepper or Sriracha sauce (optional)
In a large stockpot, saute onion, carrots, celery and pepper in 6 tablespoons of butter over a medium-high heat until vegetables are softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in cauliflower, garlic, thyme, marjoram and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, then simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. (At this point, I like to use a stick blender or regular blender to blend about 2/3 of the soup, smoothing it out a little but I like to leave a few chunks. You can leave everything whole, or blend the whole thing, whatever you prefer!)
Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, melt remaining 1 stick of butter. Stir in flour and cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, to make a roux. Remove from heat. When the cauliflower in the broth is tender (and blended, if you're blending any), add the roux and the heavy cream. Bring back to a boil, then simmer, stirring frequently until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the cheese, one handful at a time, stir until completely melted before adding next handful. Add sherry, Worcestershire, salt and pepper to taste, and cayenne or Sriracha, if desired.
I garnished mine with some of the shredded cojack and some diced scallions I had in the fridge.
I haven't had as much time this year to make anything amazing or grand for the holidays like I'd hoped. But I made this for no reason at all this morning (okay, I made it because I've been in a cream cheese mood) and I thought, "This would be so fantastic for any holiday party and so easy!" So in a way, this recipe is perfect for the holidays which makes it both amazing and grand!
I'm a huge fan of crackers and cheese spread. Grew up with the store-bought kind, you know the ones... port wine, cheddar & bacon, Swiss almond. I actually don't see a lot of them in the stores anymore. Maybe it's a passé appetizer... or maybe we just live behind the Redwood Curtain and don't get a lot of selection at our stores. I try not to eat a lot of crackers anymore, but we have some crackers left over from a company Christmas party (where Justin made his own take on Ina Garten's Smoked Salmon dip, which was excellent, made with some fresh-caught, home-smoked salmon a friend gave us!) and we also have a ton of cheese in our house because my dad always sends a box of cheese and sausage from Wisconsin for Christmas - we look forward to it every year! So I was itching for a cheese spread and decided to make one. I don't think I will ever buy another store-bought cheese spread again! This was just so easy to make and the different ideas for what I could put in them seems endless! Beer, wine, garlic, onion, horseradish, bacon, herbs, roasted peppers.... you could put anything you liked into it! Whatever cheese you want to use (I'd really like to make a Swiss-almond one!) Like I said, I just used what I had at home and it came out fantastic!
I just heard this song for the first time the other day and I think it might be one of my new favourite Christmas songs. I've always loved Cyndi Lauper. Here she is with The Hives doing A Christmas Duel. -jen
CHEDDAR CHEESE SPREAD Time: 10 minutes Difficulty: So ridiculously easy Makes: about 2 cups
8oz cream cheese, softened
8oz medium or sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
1/4 cup mayonnaise (optional, but helps it spread better)
2 teaspoons dried chives (optional)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper (or to taste)
1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce (or to taste)
In a food processor (or with a fork), combine all ingredients and mix until well blended. Serve immediately or chill for later. Really, you can choose whatever cheese you want and put whatever seasonings you like in it, that's just what I chose. Be creative!
In Eastern Wisconsin, just over the Illinois border, is a town called Bristol, which has held a large Renaissance Faire since 1972. Living outside of Chicago, we went to the faire many summers growing up. And then later, my aunt owned a permanent booth at the faire for years where she sold her very cool handmade dolls. It's like a small village. And in their food court, they have always sold these cheese fritters which are A-MAZ-ING! During a visit back to the Chicagoland area a few years ago, I took Justin to visit the faire for his first time and he agreed - we needed the recipe for those fritters. We were never successful in getting it.
The other night, Justin was mentioning these evil, addictive fritters again and I started Googling, on a mission to find a similar recipe. I ended up taking some ideas from a few different recipes and then added a few twists of my own to it. They came out awesome! We were so stoked! They were also super quick and very easy. Score!
I think I have the Nekromantix in my head because Halloween was just here... and I dig a little gothabilly/psychobilly sometimes. I'm a sucker for big pompadours and stand-up bass. Nekromantix's "Horny In A Hearse". -jen
FRIED CHEESE FRITTERS Time: 20-30 minutes Difficulty: Easy Makes: about 12 fritters, depending on size
1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 egg
2/3 cup whole milk
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Gruyère cheese, shredded
1/4 cup chopped green onions (I used just the green tops)
Preheat peanut or vegetable oil in deep fryer (or use 3 cups of oil in a large pan) to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
In a smaller mixing bowl, add egg and milk. Whisk. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix, just until dry ingredients are combined. Don't over-mix. Fold in shredded cheese and green onion.
Carefully drop a heaping tablespoon of the mixture into the oil. Most fryers or pots will hold about 4-5 fritters at a time. Do not overcrowd. Cook for 3-4 minutes, turning fritters half-way through the cooking time. They should be a deep golden colour.
I made a quick spicy dipping sauce with 3 parts plain Greek yogurt, 1 part mayo, enough Sriracha to give it a spicy kick, and then a dash of Worcestershire, some seasoning salt, chili powder, cumin and tarragon. You could use ranch, mustard or barbecue sauce. Whatever you want. Or no dipping sauce.
Awww yeah! I just made these bad boys a few minutes ago! They're like reverse chile rellenos - the eggs are on the inside instead of the outside. My fingers are still burning from the pasillas (which were spicier than expected, maybe I didn't de-vain them well enough!) - I never wear gloves when I handle chiles and then I regret it. Wear gloves!!! But really, these are only a little spicy, not really "hot".
I was thinking these stuffed chiles are pretty versatile. I used green onion and bacon. You could use jalapeños, cilantro (wish I'd had some!), sausage, chorizo, salsa. Someone gave a shout for more vegetarian recipes - well here's one you can make vegetarian any way you want. I love recipes like this where you can change it over and over and over again and just keep coming up with different combinations. And... low-carb, if you're watching that kind of thing.
What goes with breakfast? Well, naturally, I went straight to crack and dope... so Choking Victim was my only option, singing "500 Channels". Get your skank on. -jen
Wash and dry chiles. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray (I like to line the pan with foil for easy clean-up). Place chiles on baking sheet and broil on one side for 4-5 minutes until charred, then flip and broil on the other side 4-5 minutes until charred.
Immediately place charred chiles in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap or place in a large plastic zip bag and seal. Let rest for 10-15 minutes so that the chiles sweat. Then remove and peel off the charred skins. Cut stem ends off chiles and slice down one side to open them up so that they lay flat. Remove all seeds and ribs from inside of chile. Re-spray the same baking sheet with more non-stick spray and lay chiles flayed open on baking sheet.
While chiles are roasting, you can dice up your bacon and cook in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and crumbled, 10-15 minutes. Line a plate with paper towels and place the bacon onto the paper towel to absorb the grease. In the same skillet, saute the diced green onion for 1-2 minutes, just until tender. Mix in with the crumbled bacon on the paper towel plate.
When chiles are done roasting, turn oven down to 350 degrees F.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt and pepper, Tabasco, and dash of milk. (We always have some homemade "taco seasoning", and I used some of that to season my eggs, too!) Using the same skillet again (I left a little bit of the bacon grease in it, or you can drain the grease out and use non-stick spray) over medium heat, scramble the eggs. After 2-3 minutes of cooking, add the crumbled bacon and onion into the eggs and cook until just barely wet still. Turn off heat.
On the open-faced chiles, add a layer of shredded cheese, then 1/4 of the egg mixture, then another layer of cheddar cheese. Carefully fold the chile together and use a toothpick to secure it, leaving it seam-side up. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted. Remove toothpicks and serve immediately.
So this is an old recipe from several years back that I make every so often and realized that we hadn't yet shared. I know scones aren't on everybody's list of "Stuff To Eat Whenever Possible" but these scones will be! I have had some scones in my day that were awfully bland and much more akin to the offspring that would be produced by a hockey puck mating with a biscuit. This is not okay. Scones should be light, flaky, buttery, and generally awesome. So I set out to make a good one and after tweaking a couple recipes to get the desired result, I have come up with this.
I like dill and cheddar but you could substitute any cheese and herb combo that you may desire. Fennel and Havarti or Gruyere and basil or whatever you like. Or leave out the cheese and herbs and toss in some fruit like blueberries or raspberries.
Since scones make me think of stuffy old British folk taking tea and how awfully boring that must be, I decided to rock out with someone Brits who may take their scones with some whiskey and a side of mayhem and blasted some Siouxsie & The Banshees. I definitely like their earlier stuff so I went with a classic of theirs from 1977 "Bad Shape". - justin
CHEDDAR DILL SCONES Time: 35 min Difficulty: Easy Servings: As large or small as you want to make them but about 15
4 cups + 1/4 cup (to flour a rolling surface) of flour
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
3/4 lb cold, unsalted butter, diced into cubes (the butter must be refrigerated until final mixing or the scones will be small and dense)
4 extra large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup cold heavy cream or half-and-half
1/2 lb extra sharp yellow cheddar, grated
1 cup fresh dill, minced fine
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water or milk
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Dice butter into cubes and put back in fridge for later use. Add the 4 cups flour, the baking powder, and the salt to a large bowl and mix. Take the butter cubes out of the fridge and add them to the flour mixture all at once and incorporate them with either a stand mixer or hand mixer/egg beaters until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Add the grated cheese and chopped dill and incorporate quickly. Combine the eggs and heavy cream in a small bowl and mix them into the butter and flour mixture until it just holds together. Do not over mix! The scones will turn out like a hockey puck mated with a biscuit!Again: Do not over mix! Less is better! If you aren't sure if you are over mixing, you are probably over mixing!
Pour the dough out onto a surface dusted with the remaining 1/4 cup of flour and roll out into a rectangle 1 inch thick. Cut into 4 inch squares and then in half diagonally to form triangles. Mix the 1 egg and water/milk to make an egg wash and brush it on top of the scones. Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or sprayed with non-stick spray for 20 to 25 minutes or until the outside is a nice crusty brown and the inside is fully cooked. Guess you'll just have to try one to see if they are!
I guarantee you that you could serve this to 10 people who claim they don't like cauliflower, not tell them what it is, and at least 9 of them are going to love it. If you're into watching your carbs, this is the PERFECT substitution for mashed potatoes. A little high in fat, maybe, because of all the cheese. But it's great. We made it last night to eat with Fish Piccata and I'm eating the leftovers for breakfast as I type this up. Good way to fool kids into eating their veggies too, if you happen to have that problem.
So how about a little smooth and creamy singing by Iggy Pop with "The Passenger". (I dug all the clips from classic movies on this video.) -jen
salt and pepper to taste (and any other seasoning)
2 eggs
1/4 cup green onion, chopped (about 3 onions)
3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously coat a 2-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Cut cauliflower into medium-sized florets. Steam until tender. Times will vary, depending on the size of your florets, 5-15 minutes. You should be able to slide a fork into it easily - "fork-tender". Remove from heat.
Place cauliflower into food processor bowl (if you don't have a food processor, egg-beaters/hand mixer would probably work). Add butter, milk, garlic and cayenne. I added just a pinch of salt, a few cranks of fresh black pepper, and a pinch of Caldo de Pollo (seasoned Mexican chicken bouillon). You can use whatever seasoning you want - thyme, rosemary, dill, seasoning salt. Blend in the food processor until smooth and creamy. At this point taste it to see if it's seasoned to where you want it, add more seasoning if necessary. Then add the eggs and blend those in.
Stir in the green onion and cheeses with a spoon, leaving a little bit of cheese to sprinkle on top; don't use the food processor. Pour into your greased pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
I'm stoked about this recipe, not so much because they were good (and they were!), but because I feel like this has gotten me one step closer to a different recipe! We grew up outside of Chicago and there's a renaissance fair that's just over the Wisconsin border called the Bristol Renaissance Faire. They serve the regular ren-fair food, but there's always been a stand there that serves beer and cheese fritters. These cheese fritters have got to be on my Top 5 Best Things I Ever Ate list. My aunt has had a booth up there for years and I even tried to get my cousin to get the recipe from the guys there, but no such luck. These hushpuppies were way good... and now I have a little bit more of an idea on how to go about making those ultimate cheese fritters.
I heard the Riverdales the other day and hadn't thought of them in a LONG time. I had a friend in college who loved these guys... hometown boys from Chicago! What does "Prince of Space" have to do with hushpuppies? Absolutely nothing. But it does make me think that's exactly what Lumpy Space Princess needs. It makes Justin think of MST3K. As you can see, we lead very uninteresting lives. -jen
1/2 cup corn flour (or grind cornmeal in food processor)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon KFC copycat seasoning (optional)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 green onions, finely diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon jalapeños, diced fine
1/2 cup fresh sweet corn
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add green onions, garlic, jalapeños, and corn. Mix in beaten eggs until combined.
In a small sauce pan, bring milk and butter just to a boil, remove from heat. Mix the milk into the dry ingredients, half at a time. Add shredded cheese and refrigerate for one hour.
Preheat deep fryer or 4" of vegetable oil in a skillet to 350 degrees. In heaping tablespoons increments, drop refrigerated dough carefully into heated oil. Cook for 2.5 minutes, turning once to cook evenly. Serve hot. We dipped ours in tzatziki, which was a nice refreshing dip that went well with the slightly spicy hushpuppies!
Note: I thought I might like a little sweetness to the batter, so with the leftover batter that I didn't use (maybe about 1/2 the batter), I put a heaping tablespoon of honey in. It lent just a touch of sweetness and I think I'd probably use it in my next batch... or maybe a tablespoon of sugar.
I have no intro to this recipe, really. I love cheese and garlic biscuits. I wanted some. Been on a bacon kick. Decided to add bacon. Made them. They rocked!
(As much as I love bacon, I don't think I'm ready to make this monster yet, though. Look, two recipes for the price of one!)
We both reeeeeeeeally liked these biscuits; they didn't last long at all.
Don't remember what I was listening to when making these - it was a while ago; I've been slacking with the posting. But as I wrote it up tonight, I was listening to a little Lars Frederiksen and The Bastards (and some Rancid, and some Choking Victim, and some Minor Threat...) But here's a little Lars and a little biscuits. -jen
GARLIC CHEESE AND BACON BISCUITS
10 strips bacon
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dill, dried (optional)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
few grinds of fresh cracked black pepper
1 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup monterey jack cheeese, shredded
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Chop uncooked bacon into small pieces. Cook over medium high heat until crispy. Drain and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, dill, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Mix well. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture and add milk, butter, bacon and cheese. Mix by hand just until dry ingredients are combined (mix as little as possible!) Using a 1/4 cup measurement, drop biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet about an inch apart.
Bake until golden brown, 20-22 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. I recommend removing them from the pan immediately (or at least flip them and let them rest on their tops). Otherwise the bottom of the biscuits continue to cook and can get too dark.
Makes about 8 biscuits.
Check out that fancy paper plating! Hey, I've got the rustic veggie thing going on behind it!
