Tag Archives: cheese

June 3, 2010 · 10:17 am

Best Ever Cheddar and Herb Drop Biscuits

Looking for a great bread to serve with dinner? But no time for yeast and rising bread? Hate to roll out biscuit dough?

These biscuits are super fast, easy, and taste better than any biscuits I have ever tried. They can be on the table in just about 20 minutes, from start to finish.

I am not usually a fan of biscuits. They tend to be dry and flavorless. And rolling out biscuit dough never seems worth the effort. Not so with these flavorful drop biscuits! Full of cheese and garlic flavor, with a slight tanginess from the buttermilk or kefir (I am definitely a kefir fan!) Brushed with additional melted butter/garlic/herbs at the end, they are not your average hockey-puck biscuits.

Great served with pasta (in place of garlic bread) or with a nice Sunday roast. In fact, I would have a hard time coming up with meals they would not be great with.

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RECIPE:

Cheddar and Herb Drop Biscuits

Servings: 12-18
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2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
1 heaping cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup** buttermilk or kefir (I used 1 cup + 2 Tbs kefir)

3 Tbs melted butter
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
¼ tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease or line a large baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, ¼ tsp garlic powder, and salt. Use a pastry blender, or two forks, to cut in butter until dough forms small pea-sized crumbs. Stir in shredded cheese. Mix in buttermilk or kefir just until moist. **Add an additional 1-2 Tbs buttermilk or kefir if biscuit dough is overly dry (dry spots here and there are fine, but the dough should hold together, and not still be crumbly).

Use two spoons or a cookie dough scoop to drop the biscuits onto a greased or lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until browned and golden.

While the biscuits are baking, in a small bowl combine melted butter, parsley flakes, and garlic powder. As soon as the biscuits come out of the oven, brush the hot biscuits with the melted butter mixture. Serve immediately.

Yield: 12-18 biscuits

NOTE: If you don’t have buttermilk or kefir, you can substitute sour milk: Place 1 Tbs lemon juice or vinegar in a measuring cup. Add milk to 1 Cup line. Stir. Let sit for about 5 minutes before using.

Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

NoEmptyChairs.me

Cheese Stuffed Peppers and Pasta Shells

I love stuffed vegetables—squash, peppers, tomatoes—but my kids usually turn up their noses at such things. This recipe is easily adaptable for all of our tastes, pasta shells for the kids and vegetable shells for those of us who actually enjoy food with a little color.

One of my peppers was wobbly, so I cut a thin slice out of the bottom (being careful not to create a hole in the bottom of the pepper) to help keep the pepper level in the baking dish.

This filling is a standard ricotta manicotti filling, thick and cheesy, but I also love it mixed with spinach or other sautéed vegetables.

Stuff your peppers or pasta shells with the cheese mixture and place in a baking dish.

Top with sauce– a jarred marinara sauce or homemade spaghetti sauce works great—and bake, covered, for about 45 minutes at 350°F.

After it is cooked through, I like to top it with a little extra cheese and pop it back in the oven for about 5 minutes.

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Serve with a tossed salad and crusty garlic bread!

RECIPE:

Cheese Stuffed Peppers or Pasta Shells (or Manicotti)

Servings: 6-8
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3 whole red or green peppers OR
——½ box jumbo shells or manicotti noodles, cooked
1 lb ricotta cheese
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella
½ cup fresh grated Parmesan
2 eggs
1 tsp dried parsley
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 jar marinara sauce (or about 2-3 cups homemade sauce)
Additional grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F

If using peppers, cut peppers in half and remove seeds.

Combine cheeses, eggs, and seasonings. Stuff peppers (or cooked pasta shells/manicotti noodles) with cheese mixture. Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Place stuffed peppers/shells/manicotti in pan. Pour remaining sauce over the top of the filled peppers or shells.

Bake, covered, at 350°F for 45 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired, and bake 5-10 minutes longer.

—

ALTERNATE PREPARATION: Add well-drained chopped spinach and/or other sautéed vegetables (mushrooms, onions, zucchini/squash, eggplant) to cheese mixture; stuff and bake as directed.

NoEmptyChairs.me

2 Comments

Filed under Main Dishes

Tagged as baked pasta, cheese, low carb, manicotti, pasta, stuffed peppers, stuffed shells

February 25, 2010 · 12:11 pm

Fettuccine Alfredo with Garlic Breadsticks

Okay, technically this is linguini. But if you close your eyes, it all tastes the same anyway.

This is one of Big J’s favorites. It ranks in his top 5 meals (maybe even higher), and is the only non-Asian based meal on the list. It is easy enough to put together that when I’m looking to score some “Good Mom Points”, I will even make it for him for lunch. He definitely counts this as one of the homeschool perks: hot home-cooked lunches instead of soggy PB&J.

I didn’t get any prep pictures of the the Alfredo Sauce, but it is basically a wonderfully rich blend of chicken broth, cream, cream cheese and Parmesan cheese. There is no need for added thickeners (flour, cornstarch, etc). The cheeses make it plenty thick all on their own! It can easily be put together while your pasta is cooking.

You can serve it on its own, but I usually have several “toppings” on hand as well: chopped grilled chicken, cooked & crumbled bacon, steamed or roasted broccoli, barely-cooked baby peas (these are my favorite!).

Garlic Breadsticks

This is an easy to work with dough (very similar to the Cinnamon Twist dough, just without the egg and sugar).

Divide dough in half and roll out into rectangles. Use a sharp knife to cut dough into strips (a pizza cutter works great).

Melt butter in a jellyroll pan (here I have half of a batch of dough in a 9×13” pan). Place strips in pan, and turn each strip over to coat both sides with butter. Cover pan and let rise 30-60 minutes.

Sprinkle with garlic powder and cheese and bake for 10-12 mins.

Serve with your favorite pasta or soup dish.

RECIPES:

Fettuccine Alfredo

Servings: 6-8
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¼ cup butter
1 clove garlic, minced
4 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken broth
1-2 Tbs white wine, optional
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
¾ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Fettuccine (or other pasta)

Optional Toppings:
Grilled chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
Bacon, cooked and crumbled
Roasted or steamed broccoli
Baby peas, cooked until just tender

In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter slowly. Add garlic and cream cheese and stir until melted. Add cream, chicken broth, white wine and pepper. Stir in Parmesan. Stir with a whisk as it heats to get a smooth sauce. Cook until sauce is smooth and heated through.

Prepare fettuccine as directed on package. Serve fettuccine with alfredo sauce and desired toppings.

NoEmptyChairs.me

Garlic Breadsticks

Servings: 18
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1 ½ cups warm water
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs yeast
1 tsp salt
3 ½ – 4 cups flour
½ cup melted butter
Garlic powder
Parmesan cheese, optional

Mix water, sugar, yeast, salt, and flour. Add more flour, if needed, to make a soft dough. Knead.

Melt butter in a jellyroll pan. Set aside.

Divide dough in half. Roll dough into 2 rectangles. Cut into 1-inch wide strips. Place dough strips ½ inch apart in pan, turning over to coat both sides with butter. Let rise 30-60 minutes (until doubled). Sprinkle with garlic powder and Parmesan, if desired. Bake at 400°F for 10-12 minutes.

Makes about 18 breadsticks.

NoEmptyChairs.me

2 Comments

Filed under Breads, Main Dishes

Tagged as alfredo, breadsticks, cheese, comfort food, fettuccine, garlic, grilled chicken, pasta

November 9, 2009 · 8:57 am

Shredded Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas

I shredded a crock-pot full of chicken a while ago with the intention of making these enchiladas, but life got the better of me, and I didn’t get around to it until recently. Once you have chicken shredded, these enchiladas go together really quickly. My husband loves these because there are no filler ingredients (rice, beans, etc) just meat and wonderfully creamy cheese.

I cooked the chicken in the crock pot with about 1 cup of salsa. You could also use leftover roast chicken or turkey.

When the crock pot chicken was tender, I shredded it, using some of the chicken for a chili, some for a soup (details soon), and most of the rest for these enchiladas.

The filling for the enchiladas uses the chicken, shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, sauteed onions, garlic, some salsa, and cream cheese (this is what makes them so wonderfully creamy!). You can also add cilantro to the filling, but I didn’t this time. I just used it in the sauce.

To make the enchilada sauce, dump all of the sauce ingredients (see recipe below) into a blender, and blend until smooth.

Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13″ pan.

Roll about 1/3 – 1/2 cup of filling in a tortilla. I used flour tortillas, but you could also use softened corn tortillas.

Roll tortillas around filling and place in baking dish. I got 8 filled enchiladas in my pan, plus another 2 that I put in a smaller pan (these 2 extra enchiladas were terribly unappealing, having NO CHEESE in them-how could I possibly end up with a daughter that doesn’t like cheese?)

Cover and bake at 375°F for about 45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. I love using non-stick foil for covering saucy or cheesy dishes. No sticking! Really.

Uncover and top with additional cheese, chopped green onions and sliced olives. Bake for another 10 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and additional salsa. We also like to have Mexican rice or refried beans on the side.

RECIPE:

Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas

Servings: 8-10
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4 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 onion, chopped and lightly sauteed
2 cloves garlic, minced or ½ tsp garlic powder
8 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup salsa
1-2 cups shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
4 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Sauce:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
½ cup salsa
3 Tbs ketchup
1 Tbs paprika (hot and/or sweet)
1 tsp chili powder
2-3 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped

Tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese
Sliced black olives (optional)
Chopped green onions (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine filling ingredients. Blend sauce ingredients in blender until smooth. Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13” pan. Roll filling in tortillas. Place in pan, seam side down. Top with remaining sauce.

Bake, covered, at 375°F for 30-45 minutes, or until cooked through. Uncover.

Sprinkle with cheese, olives, and green onions. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes longer. Serve with salsa, sour cream, or guacamole, if desired.

Makes 8-10 large enchiladas.

TO FREEZE: Prepare and fill enchiladas. Place on a waxed-paper lined cookie sheet and freeze. Place in freezer bag when enchiladas are completely frozen. Freeze sauce in a separate bag. Freeze cheese in small bag.

TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING: Thaw sauce and cheese. Place small amount of sauce in a 9×13” pan. Place enchiladas in pan (it is not necessary to thaw enchiladas). Top with sauce. Bake, covered, at 375°F for about 1 hour, or until cooked through. Remove foil and top with cheese, olives and green onion. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes longer.

NoEmptyChairs.me

3 Comments

Filed under Main Dishes

Tagged as cheese, chicken, enchiladas, freezer, freezer meal, leftover turkey, Mexican, shredded chicken, turkey

November 5, 2009 · 8:54 am

Sliced Baked Potatoes with Herbs and Cheese

Just a quick post today for a great potato side dish. These have everything I love in a potato dish: butter, crispy edges, fresh herbs, gooey cheese, did I mention butter and cheese?

The recipe at the end has quantities for 4 large potatoes, but this is a recipe I usually don’t measure for. You can use any kind of potato, peeled or unpeeled. I usually use unpeeled, but these red potatoes had skins that had seen better days, so off they came.

Start by cutting the potatoes into slices, but not all the way through. You want the bottom edge of the potato to remain intact. An easy way to do this is to place wooden spoons on either side of the potato as a cutting guide.

Cut until you hit the handle

Place your sliced potatoes in a baking dish. Melt butter and pour over the potatoes, using your fingers or a fork to get butter in between potato slices. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt (again trying to get some between the slices).

I love using fresh herbs with this, but in the winter I will often use dried Italian seasoning. Push a little between the slices. I used fresh oregano and thyme between the slices this time, and then sprinkled fresh chives over it all. The potato slices will open up more as they cook.

Bake at 400°F for 45 minutes, or until cooked through. Once or twice during cooking, spoon melted butter from the bottom of the pan over potatoes. Sprinkle with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes.

Ooey-gooey-cheesy-crusty-herbed-potato goodness!

RECIPE:

Sliced Baked Potatoes with Herbs and Cheese

Servings: 4
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4 large baking potatoes
¼ cup melted butter (plan on 1 Tbs per potato)
1 tsp coarse sea salt
2-3 Tbs chopped fresh herbs (or 2-3 tsp dried):
try basil, thyme, oregano, chives, or Italian seasoning
¼ cup fresh grated Parmesan (other cheeses would be good as well)

Wash and dry potatoes; peel if desired. Cut into thin slices, but not all the way through the potato (use the handle of a wooden spoon placed alongside the potato to prevent cutting all the way through). Place potatoes in a baking dish. Sprinkle with butter, salt, and herbs, getting some between each slice.

Bake at 400°F for 45 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through. Once or twice during cooking, spoon melted butter from the bottom of the pan over potatoes. Top with cheese and bake an additional 10 minutes.

NoEmptyChairs.me

42 Comments

Filed under Side Dishes

Tagged as baked potatoes, cheese, fresh herbs, hasselback, potatoes, sliced potatoes

October 14, 2009 · 5:52 am

Pesto Stuffed Chicken

We have been trying all sorts of new recipes with the Basil Pesto that we made this summer. One of our favorites has been this Pesto Stuffed Chicken, adapted from Kayln’s Kitchen. Everyone loves it except BigA, who hates cheese in all of its varieties. But I make a cheese-less version for her, and while I think her version seems pretty dry, she is happy with it. This can be prepared with either homemade or purchased pesto. If you do buy it from a store, I recommend draining off some of the oil on top before using it.

The following recipe is for 6 large chicken breasts, but it can easily be adapted for fewer (or more) servings. To begin, the chicken breasts need to be thin so that they will be easier to roll and will cook evenly. The 4 chicken breasts that I used were extremely large, so I just cut through them cross-wise, giving me 8 pieces of chicken. With normal-sized chicken breasts, I flatten them in a large ziploc bag. Place the chicken (one at a time) in the bag; leave the zipper end open (so your bag doesn’t explode) and pound the chicken with a mallet on the back side until it is uniformly thin.

The pesto stuffing is a mix of prepared pesto, sour cream, and grated cheese (mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and Swiss all work well).

Spread pesto mix on the ragged side of the pounded chicken breasts. Roll up each piece, beginning at the widest end. Secure each chicken roll with a toothpick or two. Place chicken rolls in a greased 9×13″ pan or a large casserole dish.

This recipe has a simple Parmesan cheese coating. It is too much work for me to individually dip each chicken roll in egg and then cheese, and I have found that it doesn’t really make it any tastier (or prettier), and I often end up wasting cheese. So now I just brush the chicken rolls (while they are in the pan) with an egg wash and then sprinkle shredded Parmesan over each one. And add a little Parsley for color.

Pour a small amount of chicken broth (about ½ cup) in the bottom of the pan. I try to use a low-sodium chicken broth, or else it ends up overly salty with all of the Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes. Then increase temperature to 425°F, uncover, and bake 15-20 minutes longer, until nicely browned and cooked through.

You can strain the drippings and make a sauce, but we prefer to just spoon the cheese and pesto laden drippings over our chicken (and vegetables and rice/couscous/noodles).

RECIPE:

Pesto Stuffed Chicken

Servings: 6
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6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup prepared pesto
1 cup grated cheese (Mozzarella, Swiss or Monterey Jack)
1/3 cup sour cream
1 egg + 1 tsp water, mixed
about 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs chopped parsley
½ cup chicken broth (low sodium, or slightly diluted with water)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Pound chicken into thin, flat pieces: Place the chicken breasts (one at a time) in a large Ziploc bag; leave the zipper end open (so your bag doesn’t explode) and pound the chicken with a mallet on the back side until it is uniformly thin. If your chicken breasts are really large, you can cut them in half crosswise and then pound, if necessary.

In a small bowl combine pesto, sour cream, and mozzarella (or Swiss or Monterey Jack) cheese. Spread each chicken breast with about 2 Tbs of the pesto mixture. Roll up each piece of chicken, beginning with the widest end. Secure with toothpicks. Place chicken rolls in a greased 9×13″ pan or casserole dish.

Mix egg and water. Brush over chicken rolls. Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan. Sprinkle with parsley. Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the pan (but not over the chicken rolls). Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 425°F, uncover chicken and bake 15-20 minutes longer, until chicken is nicely browned and cooked through.

Serve with drippings from the bottom of the pan.

Adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen

NoEmptyChairs.me

4 Comments

Filed under Main Dishes

Tagged as cheese, chicken, pesto