Spicy Cheese Spread

 I don’t know about the rest of you, but I like to keep some sort of cheese spread in my refrigerator at all times. Not only do I enjoy having it to make a quick snack or sandwich (as is often the case with pimiento cheese), but it can come in handy when you are wanting to add additional flavor to everyday dishes such as scrambled or deviled eggs, and can be turned into a lovely bowl, surrounded with crudités and crackers, should you need a quick snack for surprise visitors. This is a good one, and should please everyone. It’s delicious on crackers, but also goes well with wedges of apple. It’s perfect for fall.

Spicy Cheese Spread

8 oz. grated cheddar
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ c. mayonnaise
¼ c. sour cream
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
¼ t. smoked paprika
¼ t. cayenne pepper

Crackers for serving

Play some ingredients into the work bowl of the food processor and process until creamy. Serve topped with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. 

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Slow Cooker Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Christmas is over, and I am more than ready. I’m glad that I started early on my holiday decorating because I cannot wait to take everything down. I don’t want to see another Christmas cookie; I don’t want to eat another slice of ham. I am craving plain old comfort food, in all of its pasteurized processed glory. This easy and delicious cauliflower cheese soup is a wonderful winter warmer with a side salad, half a sandwich, or all on its own. With everyone home for the holidays, why not whip up a batch?

Slow Cooker Cauliflower Cheese Soup

1 lb. frozen cauliflower florets 

5 scallions, sliced

2 whole carrots, finely diced

2 ribs celery, finely diced

½ c. chopped Melissa’s Fire Roasted Red Bell Peppers 

¼ c. chopped fresh parsley

5 c. low sodium chicken broth*

2 cans cream of celery soup

¼ tsp. seasoned salt 

¼ tsp. seasoned pepper 

1½ lb. Velveeta

2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

Place cauliflower, scallions, carrots, peppers, parsley, chicken broth, cream of celery soup, seasoned salt, and seasoned pepper into a 5 to 6-quart slow cooker; stir. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.

After 4 hours add the cheese, turn the slow cooker to low, and cook for 15 minutes.

Stir to melt the cheese and incorporate. Taste the soup and season as needed.

 *I use Better Than Bouillon 

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Cheese, Sex, Death: A Bible for the Cheese Obsessed, Reviewed

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If you are a cheese lover like I am, and I mean a SERIOUS cheese lover, brace yourself for some exciting news! Abrams Books is about to release the most fabulous, beautiful, informative, clever, unique book about cheese that I have ever seen. Cheese, Sex, Death: A Bible for the Cheese Obsessed by Erika Kubik is a winner from beginning to end. From the beautiful end pages featuring images of stained glass windows each depicting a different cheese, to the clever, biblical design, eye-catching fonts, and informative introduction, this is the only cheese book that you will ever need.

It is divided into two sections: The Old Testament of Cheesus (sic), and the New Testament of Cheesus. In the former you will find The Book of Creation, The Ten Commandments of Cheese, and The Book of Cheese Types. The Book of Creation begins with The Gospel of Cheesus. The latter section contains information on buying, storing, serving, tasting, pairing, plating, and recipes!

Brightly illustrated with a clever stained glass window theme throughout, there are also beautiful, mouthwatering pictures. The text is fascinating. You will learn about the beginning of cheese dating back to 6500 BC. A book on a subject such as cheese may not sound as interesting as it is, but let me tell you, I have been reading this book like a novel.

The Timeline of Cheesus is fascinating. Learning about the entire process of cheesemaking, the stages of ripening, the various colors, textures, milk types, all makes for delicious reading.

The section describing various cheeses including history, correct pronunciation, milk type, intensity, pairings, and more, will teach you everything that you need to know about cheese. Along the way, you will no doubt rethink the way you have both eaten and served cheese in the past, becoming more creative and daring.

The section on plating is both beautiful and inspiring. A wide variety of themes are offered including Whiskey Plate, Spring Cheaster Plate, Munchie Plate, and many more; the Cheesemas Plate is a thing of beauty.

Helpful information on cooking with cheeses including tips and tools precede the recipes, one appearing more delicious than the next. Each one gives you information on how to select the proper cheese, as well as pairings, and variations that you can make.

Honestly, I haven’t been as excited about a book in quite some time. This book is wonderful! If you enjoy cheese, or have a friend who does, this would make an excellent gift. For more information, or to buy a copy, click here.

Disclaimer: I received a complementary copy of this book from Abrams books as a member of their 20 21–22 Abrams dinner party.

Mrs. Marlowe-Inspired Southland Cheese Rolls

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Those of you who don’t watch the New Zealand police drama called The Brokenwood Mysteries, will not understand the reference to Mrs. Marlowe; those of you who do are smiling right now. If you haven’t seen the series, you must give it a watch. The story takes place in the small town of Brokenwood, a town full of murder, and quirky characters. I seriously could go on and on about this show, I enjoy it so much, but I want focus on Mrs. Marlowe (played by actress Elizabeth McRae), the kindly octogenarian with many talents, who belongs to almost every organization in Brokenwood, attends every public event, engages in gossip, is as good of an interrogator as main character Detective Mike Shepard (Neill Rea) in her zeal for getting information, and is known for her cheese rolls. People will attend events just to get their hands on her cheese rolls.

Mrs. Marlowe sharing her thoughts with Detective Mike Shepard. 

Naturally, I had to find out about these. It turns out they are an actual thing, and I found a recipe for them in Annabel Langbein’s cookbook. The filling is phenomenal, but I had difficulty rolling this up in slices of white bread, and getting it to bake up properly. The other day, I was re-watching the series from beginning to end (there are six series at all) and came upon an episode where someone had made the similar sausage rolls with far less success than Mrs. M. One reason for this, she postulated, was that an egg wash had not been used. According to Mrs. Marlowe, “[An egg wash is] absolutely essential. They get really claggy without one.”  So I tried it again with an egg wash, and mine still turned out, umm, claggy. So, I decided I was going to use puff pastry. Wow! What a difference. I know these are not traditional, but they are really good. They go very well in place of a roll for dinner, along with a soup or salad, or, if you cut them smaller than I did, a tasty snack. 

 

Mrs. Marlowe-Inspired Southland Cheese Rolls

Adapted from Annabel Langbein

 6 oz. evaporated milk

1/2 c. cream

1 small Melissa’s shallot, grated (about 2 T.)

½ t. dry mustard powder

¼ t. white pepper

9 oz. edam cheese, grated

1½ T. dry onion soup mix

1 pkg. frozen puff pastry (2 sheets)

 Place evaporated milk in a pot with cream, onion, mustard powder and pepper. Heat until almost boiling. Remove from heat, add cheese and soup powder and stir until cheese has melted and sauce has thickened. Allow to cool before using (it will thicken further as it cools). This mixture can be made in advance and stored in a container in the fridge for up to a week.

 To bake rolls, preheat oven to 375° and line 2 oven trays with baking paper.

Allow puff pastry to thaw. Place each sheet onto a lightly floured surface and roll flat to seal fold lines. Spread cheese mixture over top of each sheet almost to the edge. Roll up firmly, jelly roll-style, placing seam side down and, with a sharp knife, slice into two-inch sections.  Place seam side down onto baking sheet and bake until crisp and golden (15-20 minutes). Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

 

Irish Stovetop Potatoes

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It has become a bit of a tradition over the years for me to make Irish Mash to accompany corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day. I was getting a little tired of that, so decided to look for something different. In my search, I found myself on the Kerrygold web page, eyeballing this recipe. I made it, and absolutely loved both taste and ease. I adapted it to include shallots instead of onion (I far prefer shallots to onion in every dish). As with a lot of stovetop recipes, this is adaptable. Feel free to add your own blend of cheeses, variety of onion, or even leeks. One thing that is an absolute must when making this is a mandoline. If you don’t have one, buy one; you will never regret it. You can get your potatoes and shallot slices wafer thin, so they cook evenly, and are wonderfully tender. I would be lost without mine.

Irish Stovetop Potatoes

Adapted from Kerrygold USA website

1½ lb. russet potatoes

2 T. salted butter

1 3-oz. pkg. Melissa’s shallots, peeled, thinly sliced

2 c. (8 oz.)  aged cheddar, grated

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Peel the potatoes and slice thinly on a mandoline or with a very sharp knife.

Heat the butter in a heavy-based frying pan that is about 8” in diameter and about 2” deep. Remove from the heat and cover the bottom with a layer of the potatoes.

Add a layer of shallots over the potatoes and another of grated cheese, seasoning generously as you go. Continue these layers, finishing with a layer of potatoes and a sprinkling of cheese.

Cover tightly with foil and cook over a very low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour until potatoes on top are just cooked through when pierced with a sharp knife.

Preheat the broiler. Uncover the potatoes and place straight under the broiler to cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

Serve cut into slices, straight from the pan.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone. Be safe!

Indian Queso with Jalapeno Chutney

Last week I reviewed Lisa Fain’s wonderful new book called QUESO! When I did, I promised that I would share a recipe from the book with you this week. I chose carefully, looking for an unusual combination of tastes rather than what I had previously experienced. This one certainly filled the bill. You don't have to be a fan of Indian food to love this queso. You do, however, have to be flexible when it comes to pasteurized processed cheese food, and you all know that I'm talking about Velveeta. You can turn your nose up at it if you like, but my guess is that you, like me, were first introduced to the wonders of queso by way of Velveeta mixed with a can of Rotel tomatoes and green chilis. Am I right? And didn't you love that? I figured as much.

This is easy and creamy, with a bold smoky taste; the jalapeno chutney takes it over the top, and gives it this unique swirled appearance.

(While the picture above shows my favorite Wickedly Prime Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips as dippers for this unique queso, I largely used apple wedges that I found to be the perfect pairing. I also told myself that using apple wedges would make queso healthy. If you've never tried dipping apple wedges into any type of queso, you absolutely must, you are going to love it.)

Indian Queso with Jalapeno Chutney

from QUESO! by Lisa Fain

Chutney
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Melissa’s unsweetened flaked coconut
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of ground ginger

Queso
1 pound brick processed cheese, cubed
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Cilantro leaves, for garnish
Tortilla chips, for serving

To make chutney, place the jalapenos, garlic, cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, coconut, cumin, salt, and ginger in a food processor or blender. Purée until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if you like.

To make the queso, in a medium saucepan, combine the cheese, milk, cumin, paprika, and cayenne. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the cheese has melted. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if you like.

Transfer the queso to a serving bowl, small cooker, or a chafing dish over a flame. Top with the chutney and garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

PRINT RECIPE

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Home and Garden Thursday
Home Sweet Home
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Grace at Home

Friday at the Fire Station
Foodie Friday & Everything Else

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Mom's Apple Crisp

Sometimes nostalgic thoughts wash over me like a warm bath. Such was the case last Sunday when I prepared a fruit and cheese tray to enjoy during one of the many football games that plague grace the Sunday lineup. I was thinking of just how well apples complement cheese, cheddar in particular, when I was suddenly back in my mother’s kitchen sneaking bits of topping from a warm apple crisp.

Like James Bond on a mission, I set out to find that recipe. It wasn’t easy. Dad wasn’t sure where it would be, my aunt and cousin hadn’t a clue, and I had looked through her recipe box to no avail. In desperation, I pulled out the recipe box again, and carefully went one-by-one through every recipe, unfolding those that had been folded in half or in quarters, and examined each carefully. There in the “Pork” section was the recipe.

So today, I decided to make it. Oh, how I wish my mother had been here to tell me the type of apples she used (Jonathon were her favorites, so I have to presume those), and just how thinly the apples should have been sliced.

Mine was good, but it wasn’t like my mom used to make. The topping was wonderful, so I was pleased with that, but the apples I’d sliced too thickly and they just didn’t have the same sweet, chewy, caramelisation that hers always did. I used her deep dish pie plate that probably wasn’t the best choice, but, really, who has a 6” x 10” pan? I didn’t even know they made those; as I recall, she made hers in an 8” x 8” pan. Clearly this will be a work in progress, and I’ll munch on the topping while pondering just what to do to improve the taste and texture of the apples. Stay with me, this isn’t over! In the meantime, if you cannot read my mother’s handwriting, here is the recipe if you'd like to give it a try.

Mom’s Apple Crisp

 4 cups sliced apples

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup sifted flour

½ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup rolled oats, uncooked

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Place apples in greased 6” x 10” pan. Sprinkle with sugar.

For topping combine all ingredients, blend thoroughly, mixing until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of the apple mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.

Serve warm or cold with ice cream.
 

Print Recipe

Ready for the oven. Note the grated bits of Tillamook cheddar.

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Great Idea Thursday

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