#115 :: Cheddar and Scallion Bread

The perfect side dish for any soup or salad. This is the ultimate garlic bread!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or coarsely grated
• 6 ounces butter, at room temperature
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (1 pound) loaf ciabatta bread, cut in half horizontally

Directions

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a food processor, combine the cheese and butter. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add the scallions and pulse until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spread the cheese mixture on the cut sides of the bread. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden.

Using a serrated knife, cut the bread into 1-inch thick slices and serve.

Makes 4-6 servings

Recipe from Giada at Home on Food Network

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!

Snack Dinner

Yesterday we had both worked a long day, it was a getting late, and we just didn't feel like messing with cooking.....so we had snack dinner. :) Apple slices with peanut butter, and summer sausage with cheddar cheese on roasted tomato Triscuit crackers. Not exactly gourmet, but it did the trick and we didn't have to cook. It doesn't really count on the blog as a recipe....but we didn't eat fast food!

#29 :: Chorizo Mushroom Queso Dip

This dip (or Queso Fundido as they call it at the Mexican restaurants here) is one of my favorites!! We've tried twice before to make it at home so we didn't have to go out for it. I made it once without a recipe, and just hoped for the best...and it came out pretty good. Jamie tried it a few days after me and completely burned it. But, since this is one of my favorites, we had to just keep trying until we got it right. I saw Rachael Ray make it one day on her show, so I decided to try her method and see how it turned out. It was definitely good! We'll keep looking for the perfect Queso Fundido recipe, but this one will do for today!

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, a drizzle
• 1/2 pound Spanish or Mexican chorizo
• 1/2 pound mushroom caps, quartered
• 1 cup diced Mexican melting cheese or Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 bag corn tortillas or blue corn tortillas, any variety

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in small skillet over medium-high heat. Dice the Spanish chorizo and add to the pan to render the fat. If using fresh Mexican chorizo, remove the casing and crumble while it's browning. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook with the sausage until just tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer the sausage mixture to a small casserole or baking dish and top with the cheese. Bake until bubbly. Remove from the oven and top with the scallions. Serve with chips for dipping, or warm corn tortillas.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Recipe from 30 Minute Meals on Food Network.

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

#28 :: Fried Zucchini

We had finger food night for dinner because we're testing out some recipes for Super Bowl snacks. This was definitely a good one to consider!

Ingredients

• Olive oil, for frying
• 1 3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3 medium zucchini, cut into 3-inch long by 1/2-inch wide strips

Directions

Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F.

Stir 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, the panko, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Whisk the eggs in another medium bowl to blend. Working in batches, dip the zucchini in flour, then in eggs to coat completely and allow the excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Coat the zucchini in the panko mixture, patting to adhere and coat completely. Place the zucchini strips on a baking sheet.

When the oil is hot, working in batches, fry the zucchini sticks until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried zucchini to paper towels and drain.

Arrange the fried zucchini on a platter. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe from Everyday Italian on Food Network.

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

#27 :: Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

I happened to glance on the backside of the mushrooms wrapper and found this recipe printed there. I'm going to check all my carton's now for interesting recipes. :)

Ingredients

• 3 slices bacon, chopped
• 8 Crimini mushrooms or White mushrooms
  
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tbsp. chopped onions
  
• 3/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 400.

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, dice and set aside.Remove mushroom stems. Set aside caps. Chop the stems.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Slowly cook and stir the chopped stems and onion until the onion is soft. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, stir together the mushroom stem mixture, bacon and 1/2 cup Cheddar. Mix well and scoop the mixture into the mushroom caps. Bake in the preheated oven 15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

Remove the mushrooms from the oven, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.



Makes 8 mushrooms.

Recipe from AllRecipes.com

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

#3 :: Gorgonzola Spinach Artichoke Dip

This dish, also, almost didn't happen. Grocery shopping on New Year's Eve was a nightmare, every store was packed. I should know, I went to three of them. I think I waited 10 minutes at Giant Eagle for a shopping cart, because they were all in use. I told myself if the third store didn't have a box of frozen artichoke hearts that I wasn't going to make this dish. Luckily, Heinen's came through for me and had my last ingredient!

Ingredients

• 2 (10-ounce) boxes chopped frozen spinach
• 1 box frozen artichoke hearts
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup milk
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch ground nutmeg, or to taste
• 1 cup Gorgonzola crumbles
• 1 1/2 cups shredded (a little larger than grated, available in tubs) Asiago or Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Thick sesame bread sticks, celery hearts, or tortilla chips for dipping

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Defrost spinach 10 minutes on defrost setting in microwave then drain well by wringing out in dish towel. Defrost artichokes as well, 6 minutes on defrost in microwave then wring out and finely chop.

Heat a sauce pot with butter over medium to medium-high heat. Add garlic to melted butter and stir 1 to 2 minutes, then sprinkle in flour and combine 1 minute more. Whisk in stock and milk and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Thicken 2 minutes then remove from heat and melt in Gorgonzola. Stir in spinach and artichokes and half the shredded cheese then transfer to a small casserole and top with remaining cheese. Brown and bubble in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with bread sticks, celery hearts and pita crisps for dipping.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

Recipe from 30 Minute Meals on Food Network.

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

#2 :: Rosemary Parmesan Shortbread

This second dish almost didn't happen. It was a food processor recipe...throw all the ingredients in, pulse, then chill, slice and bake. Simple. Except my food processor wouldn't pulse. I've only used it a couple times before....and apparently I didn't have everything situated right. {Jamie was quick to show me that it worked as soon as he got home}

After some deliberation, I just decided to make them by hand in a bowl. Glad I tried, they came out delicious!

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped *fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon water, if needed

* I used 1 tsp. of the rosemary from my spice rack instead of fresh.

Directions

Put the flour, sugar, rosemary, salt, and Parmesan into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined. Add the butter and pulse just until a soft dough forms; the dough should hold together when squeezed with your hands. If not, add the water and pulse until combined.

Spread a large sheet of plastic wrap on a work surface and transfer the dough onto it. Using the plastic wrap as a guide, form the dough into a loose log along 1 edge of the long side of the sheet. Roll the dough log, twisting the plastic gathered at the ends in opposite directions until the log is tight and compact, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Slice the dough log into 1/3-inch thick slices and arrange on the lined sheets, about 1-inch apart. Bake until the edges are just beginning to brown, 12 to 14 minutes.

Cool the shortbread on the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store the shortbread in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to serve.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

Recipe from 5 Ingredient Fix on Food Network.

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

#1 :: Mini Beef Wellingtons

So to start the blog, I'm going to cover our New Year's Eve appetizer spread. I was a little nervous cooking 4 new dishes that I had never cooked before, but they all came out amazing! I saw these 4 recipes on different Food Network cooking shows, and decided I could handle doing them all. It was a "big bite to chew" for my first project!

Here's the first dish... Mini Beef Wellingtons!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds beef tenderloin, cut into 24 (1-inch) cubes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 10 ounces cremini mushrooms, stemmed and finely chopped
• 1 large *shallot, finely chopped
  
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

* I substituted 1 small bunch of green onions instead of shallots

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pat the beef dry with a paper towel and season all sides with salt and pepper. Quickly sear the beef on 2 sides only until deep golden brown, about 4 minutes total; do not overcook. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Add the mushrooms and cook until beginning to brown and release liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots and continue cooking until mushroom mixture dries out, is golden brown and shallots are soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Preheat to the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

On a work surface, roll 1 sheet of puff pastry to a 10 by 14-inch rectangle. Put teaspoon-sized mounds of mushroom mixture on the pastry, evenly spacing them in 4 rows of 3. Top the mushroom mound with a piece of beef, seared side up. With a sharp knife, cut the pastry into even squares around the meat and mushrooms. Working 1 at a time, pull 2 opposite sides of pastry up over each beef piece, then fold the ends over the top to make a packet. Invert and arrange the packets seam side down on the baking sheet and press them lightly to seal the pastry. Repeat with the remaining beef, mushrooms, and pastry.

Bake the Wellingtons until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven to a serving platter and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 24 servings.

Recipe from 5 Ingredient Fix on Food Network.

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Reviews (the first thing people said when they tried it):

Chris - "Those are going to be gone."

Jeremy - "Wow!"

Jamie - "These are amazing!"