Friday Night Munch Time

Friday night madness has begun along with Monday night football, college football, Sunday games. . .oh where does it end???  If you want to whip up one of the easiest snacks around (other than dipping carrots in ranch dip - or are we the only fam that does that?!), you'll need to jot this Free Recipe Friday down!  Three ingredients.  That's all you'll need for this yummalicious snack food with a little bit of kick but, mild enough to eat the leftovers for breakfast (or are we the only fam that does THAT?!)  The pics aren't the greatest but, please give these a try.

WHAT YOU NEED:

6 whole eggs (we use large)

1/2 - 1 cup sliced pickled jalapenos (the ones in the jar)

2 cups grated cheddar (we use sharp)

salt and pepper

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat oven to 350.

Grab a 9x9 or 8x8 baking dish, either is fine.

Spray it with non stick spray and set aside.

Dice enough pickled jalapenos to cover the bottom of your dish.

You can make that layer thicker than mine and all will be well.

Cover the peppers with your shredded cheddar.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and a pinch or two of salt/pepper.

Pour over cheese and using a fork,
wiggle the eggs around making sure they get thru that layer of cheese.
This recipe is very, VERY forgiving. 
You can easily add an extra egg or two if you want to stretch it. 
Don't you just love forgiving recipes???
Now, bake for 30 minutes.  Let cool just a bit before serving

(although they are great warm or cold)
and cut into small squares.

For something so delicious, it could not be more simple.

These are super great for game time snacks, parties and get-togethers

or just late night munchies!  Quick and easy and just as good the next day.

Whether you'll be enjoying concession stand goodness

or snack time at home,

ENJOY!

Time for a Meltdown

I love how our country
creates all kinds of days to celebrate.
All legit, right?! 
Orrr just a Hallmark conspiracy?!?
Anyway, it's still fun to celebrate -
or as we like to say, an excuse to eat!

So, if you didn't know already,
today is National Grilled Cheese Day.
Yes. Oh, yes it is.

The sandwich above is one we had
at The Meltdown on 30A,
a yummy little place in Florida.
It was made with three cheeses and bacon.
That my friends was an amazing
sandwich (as well as all their other flavors).
They offer SO many inspirational ideas -
take a look at their menu.

Go crazy - get to grillin'
and try things that push the limits.
See how many ideas you can come up with
without even using American cheese.
That is SO not my fav thing.

Blek.  But you do whatever it is
that you love.  Use any cheese
your little heart desires.
It's National Grilled Cheese Day
for cryin' out loud.
Visit The Meltdown on 30A
if you're ever in the Florida Panhandle
or try your hand at making your own!
Check out how we made our own
while we were there last year
for Spring Break by clicking HERE.

Now, go celebrate
National Grilled Cheese Day
and have a meltdown!

ENJOY!

from our Cheesey Family to Yours ~

Although we've had many years of overeating
at Thanksgiving,
this year we kept it simple.
There were certainly those years
when the girls were small and we had to
visit every house and every relative,
but, at this chapter in our lives
things are a bit calmer as far as that goes.
Fewer houses to visit during the holidays
means a simpler time for all of us.

Now, back to our 'simple' Thanksgiving feast.
By a small meal I mean that
on the day OF when it was just our

little family (The newlyweds had other plans)
we ate a pretty small meal.
Don't get me wrong, we feasted over the weekend,
but on Thanksgiving day, we lounged at home
and ate a simple, yummy meal.
Loungey days are just the best aren't they?!
Spiral cut ham, roasted asparagus with
garlic, olive oil, butter and lemon.
To the side, we had a mixed green salad
with walnuts, craisins, bleu cheese and
a balsamic vinaigrette.

The icing on the cake was our Cheesey Bread.
This week's Free Recipe Friday.  YUMMO!
This bread would be so great with anything
from soups to salads to pasta - anything!
You can even tweak this recipe to add
any of your favs making it a great
holiday or super bowl crowd pleaser.

WHAT YOU NEED:
1 unsliced loaf of sourdough bread
12 oz. sliced provolone cheese
1/2 cup of butter, melted
1/2 cup or so of green onions, chopped

optional:
a few teaspoons of spices such as
garlic powder, garlic salt,
fresh thyme, poppy seeds - use your favs

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the bread length-wise and width-wise
without cutting through the bottom crust.
This can be a little tricky going the second way
but the bread is very forgiving.
Just hold it a bit firmly and use
a good serrated knife.

Place the sliced bread onto a
foil lined baking sheet.
Insert slices of cheese in-between the cuts of bread.
As you can see in the pics,
it may look like alot of cheese,
but once melted, I was wishing I'd used more.
I didn't quite use the whole package of provolone.
So don't skimp.
Next time, I will use it ALL.

Melt butter in a small bowl
and combine with your choice of spices
along with the chopped green onions.
Pour over bread, spreading the cuts apart
and letting it get down into all areas of the bread.
Cover bread with a sheet of aluminum foil
and bake for about 15 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

I hope you'll try this bread out
it is oh so easy and would be great
with most anything!

ENJOY!

Oh How Olive You!

Does anyone love olives as much as I do?!?

Oh my-lanta! I love them so much!

Combine them with an easy quick bread

and VOILA, you have a taste bud explosion.

Quick breads are so great -

just dump your ingredients into a mixing bowl

whisk a bit and you're done.

Try out Cheese and Olive, Buttermilk Quick Bread
it's a super easy recipe -

it'd be great to go along side
a pasta meal, a salad
or as an hor dourve.
We made this bread for the first time
a few weeks ago and took to our
daughter and son in law's
for a great family dinner night.
She baked a whole chicken
for the very first time
and survived the horrifying experience.
AND it was DELICIOUS!!!
Check out her blog about
our fantabulous night.

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 1/4 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
  1/2 cup parmesan
  1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup green olives, sliced
8 pieces sundried tomatoes, sliced thinly
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
2 eggs
2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
(or substitute with milk -
use 1 1/4 cup of regular milk less 1 Tbsp
and add 1 Tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice.
Set aside for 10 minutes before using)

Egg wash - 1 egg yolk plus 2 tsp water, mixed
Extra Thyme and Sea Salt for topping

WHAT TO DO:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Generously butter a large loaf pan and either line it
with parchment paper or dust with flour. Set it aside.

  In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda,
salt, pepper and mustard powder.
Whisk dry ingredients.
Add both cheeses, olives, sundried tomatoes
and thyme and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs,
then whisk in the oil and buttermilk
until they are well combined.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture
and pour in the wet ingredients.
Stir together to form a thick, sticky batter.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan
and spread it out evenly.

Brush the top of the batter with the egg wash
and sprinkle some thyme leaves and sea salt
on top of the loaf.

Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until a fine skewer
inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
If the top starts to brown too much, place a piece of foil
the top of the loaf and continue baking.
Remove from the oven but leave in the pan
for 5 minutes or so before turning onto a wire rack.
Serve immediately or wrap tightly
to keep it from drying out.
Warm in the microwave if serving another time.

ENJOY!!!

What a Tart!

Finally, a bit of rain this morning! 
What an awesome way to start out a Friday.
Especially if you were able to sleep in!!!!
So jealous if you did!

This week's recipe, Caramelized Onion Tart with Swiss,
is such a rich, yummy treat...
it just confirms my love for
almost anything in a crust.
It's a rustic type, as we used
only a baking sheet, no tart pan required.
There are sooo many variations to this,
just like a quiche,
you can throw in most anything
and voila, you have a tart!

Some of you may not believe it,
but I am all about easy and quick meals.
The hardest part about this recipe
is probably slicing all of those onions.
This week's Free Recipe Friday certainly
falls under the easy category...
ESPECIALLY if you BAKE the onions
to caramelize them
instead of cooking them in a stockpot.
Either way is fine.
Just make it easy on yourself!

WHAT YOU NEED:
- 1 uncooked pie crust
(store bought or homemade)
- 2 cups caramelized onions
(we used about 4 medium onions)

- 8-10 oz. Gruyere cheese (or Swiss)
- 1 egg, beaten with a bit of milk/cream
(for the egg wash)
- salt/pepper

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat the oven to 350.
Peel, slice and saute onions on a low/medium heat
along with a few pinches of salt
in a bit of olive oil for about 30-45 minutes
or until golden - stirring frequently.
You can also bake onions and get the same outcome.
Getting onions to the caramelized state takes patience.
It is very easy, but can't be rushed.
Now, roll out pie dough into a circle measuring
appx. 14-16 inches.

Sprinkle half of the cheese onto the pie dough
leaving almost a 2 inch border free and clear.
Spread your onions over cheese and sprinkle
with a bit of salt and pepper.
Sprinkle remaining cheese over onions
and begin to crimp or pinch the dough
around the onions to form a crust.

Brush the entire crust with the egg wash.

 

 Bake for 30-40 minutes or until ooey, gooey and golden.

Cut into wedges and serve.

It can be served hot or at room temperature.
It is very rich, but makes a great meal
with just a side salad.
Imagine that, a meatless meal!
It would also be great for a brunch or
breakfast-ey supper with a side of
scrambled eggs and a bit of fruit.
It's amazing.
Caramelized onions are amazing as well.
I could eat them plain.

ENJOY!

Free Recipe Friday. . . Mas Queso!

Many years ago, I came across an amazing website.
On this site, much research is done to remake
restaurant favs like Domino's Pizza,
Little Debbie's Snacks, Dippin' Dots,
Outback's 'brown bread' and
bloomin' onion and bazillions more.
The catch is that you can recreate these
in your very own kitchen!
With ingredients purchased in your local grocery store!

The guy we can thank for this is Todd Wilbur - an amazing Food Hacker
and he has a website, books, etc. - Top Secret Recipes !

He has most recently even had his own television show
- and boy, is he gutsy!

Our Free Recipe Friday THIS week features
one of his most dandiest discoveries ever in my book.
A staple in the Taylor household, it is

Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup recipe...mmmm.

I actually discovered this recipe on TSR's site,
way before I had ever tasted this soup in a Chili's restaurant.

And I must say, the home version is way better...
or at least that is what we were used to!

This soup is SO delicious and perfect for this cold, dreary weather,

I really hope you get to try it soon.

Here's the basics of what you will need...

1.  Chicken - preferably boneless, skinless breasts

2.  Chopped onion

3.  Large can of enchilada sauce

4.  Chicken broth (or 1 tablespoon paste w/ water)

5.  Velveeta/cheddar cheese

6.  Masa Harina

THE OFFICIAL RECIPE

(if you measure)

1 tablespoon veg. oil

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

1 small diced onion

2 teaspoons chopped garlic (give or take)

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup masa harina

3 cups water

1 can mild enchilada sauce

16 oz. velveeta - cubed

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

grated cheddar cheese, crumbled tortilla chips

and sour cream for garnish -

all are optional of course!

What to do:

Start by *cooking your chicken. (see below)

Pan fry it in the veg. oil, in a large stockpot,

4-5 minutes on each side.

Set cooked chicken aside. Cook onion/garlic

in the hot oil until clear and then pour in chicken broth...

scraping yummy bits off the bottom of the pot.

In a separate bowl, combine masa harina with

2 cups of the water. Stir to combine and pour into the pot.

Add remaining water, enchilada sauce, velveeta cheese and spices.

Bring to a boil.  Shred chicken into bite size pieces

and add to the pot.  Reduce heat and simmer until thick.

Serve soup in bowl and garnish.

DEEElicious!

*You can also boil your chicken in chicken broth,

then remove it to chop up - bake the chicken

and then chop or pan fry it as the recipe suggests.

Pan frying or even baking the chicken

and giving it a golden color will DEFINITELY

add more flavor to it vs. it being boiled. 

But the ease of this recipe is that you

should do whatever is best and easiest for YOU.

You could even use a rotisserie chicken!

Now, "how easy is THAT?"

- in my Barefoot Contessa voice!

Free Recipe Friday. . .say CHEEEEZ!!!

I don't know WHERE my brain was this Thanksgiving.

(BIG surprise!)

This Cheese Log is one of my most favorite things in the world.

Maybe because CHEESE is one of my most favorite things in the world!

I don't know how far back this recipe goes...

but I always remember my mom making it

at Thanksgiving and/or Christmas.

For many years now, it seems that most holidays I have made this dip....

but this year, it was 7 days AFTER Thanksgiving

before I even THOUGHT about it.

It is so yummy and EASY...please don't ever buy a 'cheese' ball from

the grocery store ever again!

Do you have a food processor?

Then this is all you will need -

2 cups cheddar cheese or more (I rarely measure!)

1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese - softened

1/2 yellow onion (not pictured)

appx. 1 tablespoon lemon juice

appx. 1 tablespoon worchestershire

1-2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

SPICE MIXTURE TO ROLL IT IN

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon paprika

I guess if chili powder and paprika are not your thing,

you could definitely roll the log in chopped pecans...

just like those cute little tasteless things in grocery stores.

Begin by tossing cream cheese and onion into

the food processor. Mix well - until onion is minced nicely.

While processor is running, add all other ingredients

(except chili powder and paprika)

saving the cheddar cheese for last.

You will need to stop the processor and scrape down

the sides a couple of times during the dip making.

Mixture is ready after it is completely smooth.

See? Was that so hard???

NOW...to complete the dip...you can go two different routes

(or more if you use your imagination!)

Scrape the mixture into a bowl,

top with chili powder/paprika mixture and serve...

OR roll into a log.

To make a Cheese 'Log,' first you need to

tear off a sheet of wax paper and lay it on your work surface. 

Sprinkle your chili powder/paprika mixture down the center of the wax paper. 

Now scrape the cheese mixture out of the food processor onto the spices.

(I promise that the mixture above is on wax paper...

it is just hard to see.)

Next, fold the wax paper on top of the mixture

to make the ends of the wax paper match up.

You can even sprinkle more spice mixture on top of

the cheese mixture to cover any missed spots

and to make sure it gets coated well

for a more even look and to keep the mixture from sticking

to the wax paper and making a big mess.

Now, grab a baking sheet and slowly push against the

blob of cheese mixture...this will form a log.

You can make the log as narrow or fat as you'd like,

depending on how much you push on it.

Now roll up the wax paper and and refrigerate until firm.

After the Cheese Log is chilled, you can unroll and cover

any missed spots with more spice mixture!

YUMMO!

VOILA! ENJOY!