Queso Fundido
Queso Fundido
If you are looking for a really fast and tasty appetizer this dish certainly is both. My friend Amy made this last night for a dinner we had with friends. It was inspired by a dish she had a Mexican restaurant years ago. It is made with only three ingredients and can be put together in just minutes. Amy used a cast iron pan, but you could use any dish that is broiler safe. I must admit- having her bring this to the table in the cast iron pan added to the whole presentation. She served it with a combination of tortilla chips and tortillas, so you could either dip your chips or spoon some into a tortilla and roll up to eat.
Amy’s Queso Fundido
1/2 lb. chorizo sausage
1 lb. Muenster cheese- or whatever cheese you like
green chilis
Slice or crumble up the sausage. Cook sausage in skillet until done. Drain on paper towels. Set aside. Place cheese in a cast iron skillet and place under the broiler for about 3 minutes- or until melted and bubbly. Turn oven down to 350. Sprinkle sausage on top of the cheese and place in oven for a few minutes to warm the sausage. Remove from oven and place several strips of green chilis on top. Serve warm with tortilla chips or tortillas. Serves 6-8.
Guacamole and the Frozen Avocado
Guacamole
Guacamole is always a welcome addition to the menu for my family and friends. It is so easy to make and you can tweak the flavors to suit your own taste. The hardest part of making guacamole is timing the avocados to be ripe when you need them. I have been in the position of being at the store looking for ripe avocados the day I needed them only to find every last one of them hard as a rock. Another time I decided to get them early but the avocados at the store were all very soft and would never hold a few more days. Or there is that pit in the stomach moment when you cut open your soft, ripe avocados to discover they have gone brown inside. What a lot of people don’t know is that you can freeze avocados. You just scoop perfectly ripe avocados out of their skins, dip the halves in lemon juice and seal in a freezer bag. Squeeze all of the air out so the fruit won’t discolor. To use, just defrost, mash and make your guacamole as usual. I do this when they are on sale so I always have a few on hand. Here is my recipe for Guacamole. I sometimes add some sour cream, too.
Guacamole
3 ripe avocados, peeled and chopped
1/3 c. minced sweet onion
2-3 T. lemon juice
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 T. olive oil or 2 T. mayo
1 T. chopped cilantro, optional
1 t. cumin
½ t. chili powder
½ t. cinnamon
dash hot sauce
salt to taste
1 large tomato seeded and diced
As you slice and dice avocado place the pieces in a bowl with the lemon juice and toss to keep from discoloring. Add remaining ingredients, except the tomato and mix well. Chill until ready to use. Stir in tomatoes when ready to serve. About 2 1/2 cups.
Challah Rolls
Challah Rolls
When I needed hamburger buns for a dinner I decided to use the recipe for my Challah bread and just reshape them into rolls. These rolls are crusty on the outside and tender inside. They can be used for burgers, sandwiches or as dinner rolls. The recipe makes 24, but you can make them even bigger, if you like. Because the are lightly brushed with an egg wash they also have a pretty shine to them. If you never made your own hamburger buns before you might want to try them. They really aren’t that difficult and taste so good.
Challah Rolls
2 c. hot water
1 T. each sugar, salt and oil
1 package active dry yeast
¼ c. warm water
About 8 cups flour
2 beaten eggs
Poppy or sesame seeds, optional
In large bowl combine hot water, salt, sugar and oil. Dissolve yeast in warm water in small bowl and add to oil/water mix. Stir in 1 cup of the flour and eggs, reserving 2 tablespoons of the eggs for later. Gradually stir in enough of the flour to make soft dough. When dough pulls away from sides of bowl remove to floured surface. Knead dough, adding flour as necessary about 8-10 minutes. Dough should be smooth and elastic. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning to grease top, cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down and divide into 2 equal pieces. Divide each piece into 12 equal pieces- 8 if you want bigger rolls. Depending on the size you cut the dough you will end up with 16-24 pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball and place on a lightly greased baking sheet- leaving a couple of inches between the rolls. You will probably need 2 baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover with a towel and let dough rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush rolls with reserved eggs and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds, if desired. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. When done, rolls will be nicely browned and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Makes 16-24 rolls.
Nest Egg
Nest Egg
One of the things I resolved to do this year is eat more vegetables. I love most veggies so that isn’t the problem. I am just not eating enough of them. I know I could do better. So I have been looking for any new place I might add some vegetables to a meal. Adding veggies to breakfast is the most challenging, at least for me. For breakfast this morning I decided to have an egg and some toast. When I went to get out the egg and butter I saw a bag of fresh spinach. Why not?
I heated up a little butter in the pan and then added the spinach- probably a good 3 or 4 cups of fresh leaves. They cook down a lot. I also sprinkled the leaves with a little salt and pepper. I stirred them around until they had wilted then made a sort of nest out of them by pushing them away from the center. I poured my egg in the middle so it looked a little like a nest. I put the lid on the skillet and in a few minutes my egg was cooked and the yolk still runny. A little salt and pepper to finish off and the dish was complete. I slid it gently out of the pan onto a serving plate. I really liked it. Plan on making this again soon.
My Best Ever Cauliflower Soup
My Best Ever Cauliflower Soup
My friend Kim and I used to laugh about the covers of all the December issues of women’s magazine. They always declared it was “The Best Christmas Issue Ever!!!” When I made this soup earlier today I knew it was extra good. A friend was over and I gave him a bowl to taste. He looked at me and said, wait for it…”This is the best cauliflower soup you ever made.” I didn’t have a name for the soup yet so I decided to call it My Best Ever Cauliflower Soup . The soup lives up to its name. The soup itself has plenty of flavor, even without the toppings. With the toppings it becomes something very special. If you are looking for a really good and easy soup recipe- I suggest you give this one a try.
My Best Ever Cauliflower Soup
3 T. oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 small head cauliflower, chopped
1 qt. chicken stock, but you could use beef or vegetable stock instead
1 qt. canned tomatoes, I had home canned, you could use a 28 oz. can of tomatoes
4 ribs celery, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 T. curry powder, I used my homemade curry powder
2 t. turmeric
1 t. cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Mushroom topping:
2 T. oil
1 onion, diced
1 lb. baby Portobello mushrooms, sliced
3 T. chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Additional toppings:
Green onions, sliced
Cashews, you could also use peanuts
Sesame oil
Heat oil in soup pot and cook onion until tender. Add cauliflower and cook about 5 minutes longer. Add remaining ingredients and cook, uncovered, until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes. While soup is cooking make mushroom topping. Heat oil in small skillet and cook onion until golden. Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are almost caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add parsley and cook a few more minutes. Set aside until ready to use. When soup is done, puree until smooth. To serve soup ladle some hot soup into a bowl. Top with some mushroom mixture and add a few green onions, cashews and a drizzle of sesame oil. Serves 6.
Candied Bacon
Candied Bacon
I did a class all about cooking with bacon and I have been posting recipes all day. I wanted to do at least one sweet recipe with bacon. You knew it was coming. This one is only 3 ingredients- bacon- maple syrup (no fake stuff, please) and nuts. The end result is amazing. The candied bacon is easy to make. The hard part is letting it cool completely before eating. Once cool it gets quite crisp. Really yummy. Try some and let me know what you think.
Candied Bacon
1 lb. bacon
3/4 c. – 1 c. maple syrup
3/4 c. – 1 c. crushed pecans, or any nuts you like. I used walnuts last night.
Preheat oven to 350. Put bacon in baking pan and bake about halfway through (about 5-7 minutes or so). Drain most of the grease and allow to cool slightly. Coat each piece in syrup, roll in nuts and put back on pan. You may need more nuts as you go along, though it’s up to you how much to cover them. Bake another 7-9 minutes, until desired crispness. If you do like crisper bacon, just be sure to move the cooked bacon quickly off the baking sheet onto parchment paper, since the syrup will harden. Allow longer cooking times with thicker bacon.
Pasta with Spinach and Bacon
Pasta with Spinach and Bacon
The addition of bacon gives this dish a lovely, smoky flavor. That is one of the nice things about bacon. Even a small amount adds a lot of flavor to food. In this recipe a simple pasta dish with tomatoes and spinach is changed completely by the addition of the bacon. It could be considered a side dish, but can be a main dish as well. Start to finish this one takes about 20 minutes to make.
Pasta with Spinach and Bacon
1 (12 ounce) package pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place bacon in the skillet, and cook until browned and crisp. Add garlic, and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook until heated through.
Place the spinach into a colander, and drain the hot pasta over it so it is wilted. Transfer to a large serving bowl, and toss with the remaining olive oil, and the bacon and tomato mixture. Serves 4.
Bacon Waffles
Bacon Waffles
For me, breakfast doesn’t get much better than waffles. Well, unless maybe you add bacon to the waffle batter. Truth is, I don’t treat myself to waffles all that often, but if I am going to eat waffles I go all out. These are truly wonderful waffles. Light, crispy on the outside and studded with bacon. A drizzle of warm maple syrup and you are good to go. So, if you are looking for a special treat for breakfast, or lunch, or dinner or a snack… try these bacon waffles. You can thank me later.
Bacon Waffles
1 pound sliced bacon
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
1½ cups milk
¼ cup butter, melted
In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Drain; crumble and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat egg yolks, milk and butter; stir into dry ingredients until smooth. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Add bacon. Before making each waffle, stir batter. Bake in a preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer’s directions until golden brown.
Sweet and Sour Glazed Wings
Sweet and Sour Glazed Wings
Rumor has it that chicken wings are one of the most popular appetizers served on Super Bowl Sunday. If you want something different than Buffalo Style wings you might want to try them with a pineapple sweet and sour glaze. No matter who you are cheering for- your guests will cheer for these.
Sweet and Sour Glazed Chicken Wings
12 chicken wings
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (or jar) of pineapple chunks, drained, reserving liquid- I used a pint jar- if using store bought use the 20 oz. can.
salt and pepper
Sauce:
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
3 T. ketchup
3 T. sherry
2 T. soy sauce
1 t. minced garlic
1 t. red pepper flakes
reserved pineapple juice
3 T. cornstarch
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place wings in pan and season with salt and pepper. Bake chicken wings in roasting pan for 20 minutes. Add the onions and pineapple chunks to the pan with the chicken wings and return to the oven for 30 minutes longer. While chicken is cooking combine the first seven sauce ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil. Check baking pan for any juices- Spoon them out and add to the sauce. Combine pineapple juice and cornstarch in small bowl, stirring until smooth and add to the sauce. Return to boil and stir until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Pour hot sauce over chicken and return to the oven to bake 20-30 minutes longer or until wings look nicely glazed and sauce has started to brown. Serves 3-4.
Lemon Sour Cream Cupcakes
Lemon Sour Cream Cupcake
I think these cupcakes are almost as easy to make as a box mix, but so much better. They are fragrant with the addition of both lemon zest and lemon juice and moist from the addition of the sour cream. In the winter when citrus prices are better I often cook more often with them. I also save some for later by zesting lemons and oranges and freezing the zest. I also juice extra lemons and limes and freeze the juice, too.
Lemon and Sour Cream Cupcakes
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon each baking powder and salt
2 cups sour cream
Frosting:
9 tablespoons butter, softened
6 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar
6 tablespoons lemon juice
1T. vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon grated lemon peel
3 tablespoon milk
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add lemon peel and vanilla; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream (batter will be thick). Fill 30 greased or paper-lined muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. For frosting, cream butter and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Add lemon juice, vanilla, lemon peel and milk; beat until smooth. Frost cupcakes. Makes 30.
