Tag Archives: cheese

Mar 27 2014
bacon and brussels sprout fladbread

Bacon and Brussels Sprout Flatbread

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bacon and brussels sprout fladbread

We went out to dinner one night and tried a bacon and brussels sprout flatbread. It was so good, I had to recreate it at home!

Ingredients:

  • dough, this is actually the same recipe for the BBQ Chicken flat bread, but now I make all the dough, and then separate it into two halves. Roll one half out and freeze the other half until next time. This allows the dough to be even thinner and more crispy.
  • 4 slices of bacon
  • ~ 8 frozen brussels sprouts, thawed and quartered
  • black pepper
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • shredded parmesan
  • shredded mozzarella

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450°
  2. Roll out the dough and place on greased baking sheet
  3. Cook the dough for about 8 minutes.
  4. While the dough is in the oven, heat a large skillet on medium.
  5. Cook the bacon until it’s how you like it. I prefer mine to be crispy. Chop or tear apart into pieces after it has cooled down.
  6. Save a little bit of the bacon grease in the pan and add the brussels sprouts, garlic and pepper to taste.
  7. Saute for about 5 minutes, and then set aside.
  8. Remove the dough from the oven and carefully flip over. Leave the oven on.
  9. Place a layer of parmesan cheese on the bread, followed by the bacon, brussels sprouts and more cheese. The amount of cheese to add is whatever your personal preference.
  10. Cook for another 8 minutes.
  11. Carefully remove and slice.
  12. Enjoy!

bacon and brussels sprout fladbread

Jul 3 2013
eggplant sandwich

Eggplant Sandwich

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eggplant sandwich

 

I bought a gigantic eggplant from the store the other day. I bought it with no idea how I was going to cook it. I decided to try an eggplant sandwich, burger type thing. I did add bacon to it but it can easily be omitted to make this a vegetarian option. I liked it and my husband even enjoyed it! Now what to do with the rest of this thing, eggplant parm?

Ingredients:

  • toasted bun
  • 2 pieces of cooked bacon
  • sautéed/wilted spinach – little bit of oil and saute in medium heat until wilted
  • slice of eggplant
  • shredded mozzarella
  • some Parmesan
  • basil
  • tomato slice
Directions:
  1. Pre-heat the to oven 350°F
  2. Pour a  tiny bit of oil in a skillet on medium-high heat.
  3. Cook eggplant on each side for 2-3 minutes until it has softened.
  4. On a baking sheet, place eggplant slice, sprinkle some salt on it,  followed by bacon, then spinach and then both cheeses. Place either a fresh basil leaf or generous amount of dried basil on top of cheese.
  5. Place in the oven for about 7 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.
  6. Put tomato slice on the bottom bun and then place eggplant on top of the tomato.
  7. Enjoy! I served with sweet potato fries.

eggplant sandwich

May 23 2013
bacon tomato grilled cheese

Bacon Tomato Grilled Cheese

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bacon tomato grilled cheeseIt’s no secret by now that I LOVE grilled cheese sandwiches. I probably should have a category just for all the grilled cheeses I have made. I made a bacon, tomato grilled cheese and ate with tomato soup and it was delicious. But how can you go wrong with melted cheese and bacon?

Ingredients:

  • 2 slices of bread
  • 1 slice Muenster cheese
  • 1 slice Colby Jack cheese
  • 2 pieces of bacon cut in half
  • 2 slices of tomato
  • butter

Directions:

  1. Fry up the bacon, I like to get it out of the pan something between limp but still cooked and so crispy that it crumbles easily. 
  2. Heat up the pan to medium heat
  3. Butter one side of each piece of bread
  4. Place one slice of bread butter side down onto the hot pan
  5. Put one slice of cheese followed by the bacon, then the tomatoes and then the other slice of cheese on the bread
  6. Put the other piece of bread on your sandwich, butter side up
  7. Flip the sandwich over, after the bread is a nice brown color on the bottom and the cheese closest to the pan is melted
  8. Remove the sandwich from the pan after the other side is brown and cheese is melted
  9. Enjoy!
*If it seems like your bread is browning before the cheese has melted, try turning down the heat and placing a lid over the pan for a minute to help the cheese melt faster. 
Apr 23 2013

Twice Baked Potato Recipe

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twice baked potato

 

Twice baked potatoes are amazing. Enough said, here’s how I make mine.

Ingredients:

  • 4 potatoes, the ones that are good for baking not the red ones
  • olive oil to taste
  • salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup mixed herbs
  • 1 cup cheese of your choice, I do mozzarella
  • sour cream to taste
  • butter to taste

OR

  • 4 potatoes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 cup cheese of your choice, I use cheddar
  • A lot of ranch dressing, to taste

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Scrub potatoes well, you need clean skins
  3. Pat dry with a paper towel
  4. Pierce with sharp object several times,  I use a fork
  5. Place in roasting tin or cookie sheet with a lip and drizzle with olive oil until potatoes are well coated, salt to taste
  6. Place tin on an upper shelf and roast for about 1 hour or until cooked, if you’re using a convection oven the time is about 40 minutes because it has a smaller small to heat up.
  7. While potatoes are in the oven, combine the rest of the ingredients to taste, set aside until the potatoes are done
  8. Carefully remove and cut each potato in half, lengthwise
  9. With a spoon, remove the potato flesh but be careful not to rip the skin and put into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mash until well combined
  10. Pile flesh back into the skins and return the potato halves to the roasting tin, sprinkle with cheese
  11. Return the tin to the oven for 10-15 or until the tops of the potatoes are light golden brown and cheese has melted
  12. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
  13. Enjoy!

twice baked potato

 

 

 

Feb 10 2013
caprese salad grilled cheese

Caprese Salad Grilled Cheese Recipe

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caprese salad grilled cheese

 

I LOVE grilled cheese! I decided to try a caprese salad grilled cheese because it sounded delicious. It’s pretty much the caprese salad on grilled bread but I did add a slice of Muenster cheese to it as well.

What I used:

  • 2 slices of bread
  • Butter
  • 1 slice of Muenster
  • Fresh Mozzarella Ball cut into slices
  • Tomato slices
  • Fresh Basil leaves
  • Balsamic Dressing I use Cindy’s Kitchen Balsamic Vinaigrette, I buy it at Whole Foods but it should be able to find it elsewhere    

What I did:

1. Fried the tomato slices a little bit in a skillet over medium heat because sometimes when I add tomatoes to my grilled cheese they get a little mushy and I’m not a fan of that.

2. Butter one side of each piece of bread

3. On the hot pan place one piece of bread butter side down

4.On the bread, place the Muenster, tomato slices, basil leaves and drizzle with a small amount of balsamic dressing, top with mozzarella and the other piece of bread butter side up

5. Grill each side until a dark golden brown and cheese is melted

6. Enjoy!

 

 

Jan 19 2013
stuffed shells recipe

Stuffed Shells Recipe

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Here is my stuffed shells recipe. I sometimes make it was ground Italian sausage and sometimes I omit it. It just depends on what sort of mood I am in.

This amount should serve around 4 people. The measurements are only guidelines and things should be adjusted to your own taste. I’ve made this so many times that I usually don’t measure anymore and just throw it all in and stir.

Ingredients:

  • 16 Jumbo Shells
  • 3/4 cup Ricotta Cheese
  • 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
  • 2 cups uncooked Spinach, fresh or frozen,
  • 1 Egg
  • 4 shredded Fresh leaves or Dried Basil to taste
  • Italian Seasoning to taste
  • 2 small Garlic cloves
  • Pasta Sauce
  • 1/2 lbs ground Italian Sausage (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat Oven to 350°
  2. Cook shells according to packaging directions
  3. In a medium size bowl, put all cheeses, egg and seasonings including garlic in it.
  4. Saute spinach, in a medium skillet, until wilted, then remove it, chop it and place in bowl with the cheese.
  5. If adding sausage, brown the sausage in a skillet until cooked through, and put into bowl with the cheese.
  6. Mix everything until well combined.
  7. In a oven safe dish big enough to hold the shells in one layer, spread some pasta sauce covering the entire bottom and place the shells in the pan opening side up.
  8. Fill each shell with a scoop, large spoonful, of the cheese mixture.
  9. Cover the shells with a thin layer of pasta sauce and then cover them with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
  10. Cover the dish with foil and cook for 15 minutes.
  11. Then remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes.
  12. Serve with a side salad and biscuits!

 

stuffed shells recipe

 

Dec 22 2012
grilled cheese

Grilled Cheese BLT Recipe

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Made a delicious grilled cheese this weekend. It’s my version of a kind of grilled cheese fancy BLT combo. I’m glad it was good too because I have a battle wound from it! But that’s not out of the ordinary for me. I’m a bit of a klutz. I burned my arm on the pan in my closet sized kitchen. Guess I needed more space to stand and watch the cheese melt on my sandwich. 🙂

awkward picture of the burn on my arm

awkward picture of the burn on my arm

Ingredients:

  • bread
  • butter
  • prosciutto
  • muenster cheese
  • tomato slices
  • arugula micro-greens
  1. I like to sear the prosciutto a bit first so it’s cooked. I treat it likes it’s bacon.
  2. Butter two slices of bread on one side.
  3. On medium heat, place a piece of bread, butter side on the pan.
  4. Next, place prosciutto, tomato slices, sprinkle the arugula over it and finally the cheese slice or slices, followed by the other piece of bread butter side up.
  5. Cook until butter on bottom of bread is a nice brown color, a few minutes
  6. Carefully, flip the sandwich and cook until that piece of bread is a nice brown color and the cheese has melted
  7. Enjoy!
grilled cheese

yum

The great thing about this is, it is so versatile. Many ingredients can be swapped for another. Grilled cheese is probably my favorite sandwich!