Spicy Cheese Baked Potato

Jeezy Creezy it's cold outside! Luckily this baked potato smothered in broccoli and spicy cheese sauce was very filling and warming. I used my go to Perfect Baked Potato Recipe. Mr. Lawyer and I both thought the spice was at a minimum and would add more hot sauce next time for a bigger zip. Besides that this cheese sauce was a hit and very versatile. Bring on the baked potatoes, cooked veggies, hot pretzels, and nachos!

Spicy Cheese Sauce

(makes approximately 1.5 cups) 

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon Sriracha or favorite hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt + pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Bring milk to a slow simmer in a medium saucepan or warm in the mircrowave

2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Once it starts to bubble add in the flour, whisking constantly until a paste forms.

3. Slowly add in the warm milk to the flour paste, whisking constantly over low to medium heat. After 3-5 minutes of thickening add in the grated cheese, hot sauce, and cayenne. Whisk until cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Salad Time!

Mr. Lawyer got me a delicious smoked danish blue cheese for Valentine's day. It's so rich and flavorful. I thought it would be delicious on a salad and it was!

Bibb lettuce, smoked danish blue cheese, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds.

Cast Iron Love

I'm not sure how I survived without a cast iron skillet for so long.

This dish doesn't look pretty but it was hearty and delicious. It made amazing leftovers too! The mushroom, onion, and garlic smelled divine when it was cooking up. This dish definitely took care of my mushroom craving.

Skillet Steak & Mushrooms with Gorgonzola Pasta

(Pinterest find! Adapted from thebeeroness.com)

Ingredients:
1/2 pound steak, sliced into thin strips
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh pepper

1/4 teaspoon minces rosemary
4 tablespoons butter, divided in half
4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, sliced
10 ounces mushrooms (white or baby bella)
1 cup white ale

1/4 cup half & half

Gorgonzola cheese crumbles
Pasta, cooked al dente and drained
Directions:
1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a cast iron skillet until hot. Add steak and cook until just browned, removed from pan.
2. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, mushrooms, onion and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms get slightly soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the white ale. Simmer until the liquid is reduced, about ten minutes.
4. Turn off heat, stir in the half & half. Return the steak to the skillet and season with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Simmer until slightly thickened and heated through, about 5 to 8 minutes.
5. Serve over pasta and sprinkle with gorgonzola!

Gorgonzola Breakfast

I have a ton of gorgonzola left over from the Corn & Cheese Chowder. Ever try a little gorgonzola sprinkled on your scrambled eggs? Delicious! Especially when accompanied by maple sausage and sourdough toast.

A wonderful way to spend a Sunday morning!

We followed it up with a trip to the Christmas Village for our annual hot seasonal beverage date!

 We always get some "Crack Nuts" aka candied nuts too. 

And then Mr. Lawyer went to the Eagle's game and had some amazingly close seats. A busy and wonderful Sunday.

Corn & Cheese Chowder

A good pot and wooden spoon (made by my little brother!) always result in some amazing kitchen inspiration.

This Corn & Cheese Chowder is amazing. It's very flavorful and delicious. Topping it with bacon and gorgonzola adds depth, richness, and a hint of saltiness. I combined it with a Roast Poblano & Cheddar grilled cheese on sourdough. In my mind I thought roasted peppers and corn are always paired together. Dipping the grilled cheese into the chowder brought it to a whole other level. I'll be adding this to the soup rotation but maybe only for special occasions as it is very rich and not so healthy.

 It was also an excellent reason to use my soup and sandwich plates!

Corn & Cheese Chowder

(Pinterest find! from howsweeteats.com)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
4 tablespoon flour
3 cups chicken stock
4 cups frozen sweet corn
4 ounces sharp aged cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup half and half
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
2 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Directions:
1. Heat a large pot over medium-low heat and add the olive oil and butter. Once melted, add in the onions, garlic, salt and pepper, stirring to coat. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the onions softened. 

2. Increase the heat to medium and add in the flour, whisking constantly for 1 to 2 minutes until it is evenly dispersed to create a roux. Cook the roux until it is fragrant and begins to turn golden in color.

3. Pour in the chicken stock, whisking constantly. Add in the corn. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir until the liquid thickens a bit. Bring the soup to a boil and cover, then reduce it to a simmer and let it cook for 10 minutes. 

4. Remove the lid and stir in the half and half and the cheddar. Stir continuously until the cheese melts. Add in the nutmeg and taste the soup. Season it additionally with salt and pepper if desired.
5. Serve immediately with crumbled bacon and gorgonzola on top.

Seafood Bisque

In addition to our First Thanksgiving Mixed Grill we had some wonderful Blaak Cheese from Beekman 1802. It's made close to where I grew up, yay local Upstate NY goodies!

 We also made some delicious seafood bisque. Ours came out very thick because the Mother Unit had a ton of seafood. I think we did a half pound (or was it a pound?!) each of shrimp, lobster, and crabmeat. It was amazing and even better the next day. I also sliced my finger open in this endeavor but then you should never take a girl to a winery and then give her a knife to start de-shelling seafood. Those lobsters were nasty I tell you! Their defeat tasted delicious.

mmmm so creamy and yummy.

Seafood Bisque

(from the Mother Unit)

Ingredients:
7 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound of shrimp, scallops, and crabmeat (or lobster!)
1 tablespoon shallot or 2 tablespoons onions, chopped
10 tablespoons sherry
Salt & Pepper to taste
3 tablespoons flour
1.5 cups milk
Seasoned bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400. In a heavy skillet melt 4 tablespoons of butter and saute the shrimp, scallops, crabmeat, and shallot/onion for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with 6 tablespoons of sherry and season with salt/pepper.
2. In another saucepan melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and slowly stir in the flour. Cook several minutes over low heat. Add the milk and remaining 4 tablespoons of sherry, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth.
3. Combine the sauce and seafood in a buttered one quart casserole dish. Cover the top with seasoned bread crumbs and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 30 minutes.

Sage is the name of the game!

I did not have a game plan for dinner tonight but inspiration struck as I was leafing through a Food Network magazine waiting for our staff meeting to start. I love it when dinner comes together (especially when you heavily edited a recipe!), you have all the ingredients at home, and you're using up leftover bits. In this case I was using up leftover pumpkin, cream, onion, and fresh sage. The added bonus being I got to open a bottle of wine! Who doesn't like that? Plus gemelli pasta makes me insanely happy for some odd reason.

Pumpkin Sage Alfredo Sauce

(from my kitchen!)

Ingredients:

1 box of fun shaped pasta (GEMELLI!!!)

2 tablespoons butter

10 sage leaves

1/4 cup red onion, minced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup light cream

2 generous pinches of nutmeg

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to box.

2. Melt the butter and saute the onion and garlic for two minutes. Add the sage leaves and saute for two more minutes.

3. Whisk in the pumpkin, cream, and nutmeg.

4. Add in wine and parmesan. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Toss with pasta and serve with extra parmesan cheese.

Tablescape!

Apple Pie Time!

Yaaaaaay Fall! I made an official "Fall Bucket List" for Mr. Lawyer and I to complete. I have always had an unofficial one that included the basics: pick apples at Beak & Skiff, eat the apples, drink lots of cider, consume some cider donuts, eat Grandma's apple pie with cheddar cheese. Beak & Skiff is this wonderful family owned orchard (since 1911!) in LaFayette, NY (just outside Syracuse). I have wonderful memories of going there almost every year with my grandparents. Grandpa Bruce and I would always split a hot dog and look at the beehive (you can see inside it!) while Grandma Nancy got her apples for pie. When I started going to school at SU I introduced my Beak & Skiff tradition to Mr. Lawyer and our friends.

This is one of my favorite pictures from the 1st trip. Nyk was pointing out the specific apples she wanted and Mr. Lawyer obliged. I think she wore footwear that wasn't conducive to ladder climbing. Beak & Skiff has some wonderful old and gnarly apple trees that are huge.

Mr. Lawyer knew that I missed this tradition and decided to surprise me with a trip to a New Jersey Orchard! Now I'm partial to my B&S but this orchard was very kid friendly and had a pumpkin patch! The trees seemed very young in comparison to what I am use to but the apples were still delicious. 

He's always in the trees doing the heavy lifting!

See what I mean about the little trees though? No ladder needed.

We managed to get quite the jump on our Fall Bucket List, including making an apple pie (bonus: with apples you picked yourself!). 

Confession: this is the first apple pie I've ever made. I mostly just eat Grandma's pie. 

A word about eating apple pie: It is essential that you eat the pie with sharp cheddar cheese. Mr. Lawyer asked me what the cheese was for when I pulled it out of the fridge. Adorable. I guess it's a NY/New England thing. It's delicious. Have a bite of pie, have a bite of cheese. Heaven.

I have this really cute kitchen towel that tells you how to make apple pie. It made the perfect backdrop.

Cheese time!

It's not Grandma's pie but it was pretty delicious for a first attempt.

Apple Pie

(from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 pastry recipe for a 9 inch double crust (I used pre-made crusts)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice
4 to 8 Granny Smith apples depending on size- peeled, cored, and sliced
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer. Add the spices and mix well.
2. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Toss apples in liquid and then place apples and most of the liquid into the pie pan. Cover with a top crust. Pour any remaining sugar and butter liquid over the crust.
3. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until apples are soft.

Chicken Calzones

If you have extra chicken on hand then this recipe is for you! It was quick, easy, and a hit (Mr. Lawyer inhaled two of them). I used thin crust pizza dough and it turned out nice and crispy. Instead of one cheese I did a mix of cheddar and mozzarella.

BBQ Chicken Calzones

(Pinterest find!)

Ingredients:
1 can (13.8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated classic pizza crust
1-1/3 cups refrigerated original barbecue sauce with shredded chicken
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or Cheddar cheese (2 oz)
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.
2. Unroll dough; place on cookie sheet. Starting at center, press out dough into 14×10-inch rectangle; cut into 4 (7×5-inch) rectangles. Spoon 1/3 cup chicken mixture onto half of each rectangle, spreading to within 1/2 inch of edge. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over each.
3. Fold dough in half over filling; press edges firmly with fork to seal. Prick tops with fork.
4. Bake 9-12 minutes or until light brown.

Battle of the Jalapeno Soups!

I've decided that I'm kitchen bipolar or something. Oh hey, it's 95 degrees and humid as heck? Why yes I feel compelled to make not one, but two different batches of soup that involve roasting jalapenos and while we're at it why don't we wash all the bedding (two hot dryer loads), clean and rotate the mattress, and hang the comforter out to air. Let's not forget the part where I refuse to turn on the AC for just me. Luckily having the shades drawn and fans blasting kept things pretty cool (except for the kitchen part). Mrs. T loaded me up with a ton of extra jalapenos and cheese at the end of our shore excursion so my mission today was to use them up. Enter....

THE BATTLE OF THE JALAPENO SOUPS!

An overview: both soups were divine. One was a healthier roasted jalapeno soup and the other was billed as a not so healthy jalapeno popper soup. They were both wonderful in their own ways but were significantly different. I served each with an equal amount of shredded cabot cheddar and crumbled bacon. Divine.
Soup #1: Roasted Jalapeno Soup. This one was lighter and did a great job at highlighting the roasted jalapeno flavor. It had a more earthy and vegetable flavor due to the carrot and onion base. The texture was thicker and creamier due to the blending. If you added a bit of cheddar cheese it would be spot on.
Soup #2: Jalapeno Popper Soup. Very decadent and rich. It tasted more like a cheese soup with jalapenos added in. It was very thin and watery to start with so I whisked in some flour and blended it. This improved the texture a lot and helped the cream cheese to incorporate instead of blobbing around.

The winner?!

My Vote: Roasted Jalapeno!

Mr. Lawyer's Vote: Jalapeno Popper!

As I said they were both delicious. I felt the roasted did a better job highlighting the jalapeno flavor but Mr. Lawyer thought it was a little on the bland side. The jalapeno popper was a decadent treat that should be used as a fondue side dish. There is no way I could have eaten a whole bowl of the jalapeno popper soup (Mr. Lawyer said he could which is probably why his cholesterol was not so hot).

Jalapeno Popper on the left and Roasted Jalapeno on the right.

Roasted Jalapeno Soup

(Adapted from chocolatemoosey.com)

Ingredients:
4 green jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup carrots, peeled and chopped (about 2 carrots)
1/2 cup onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp butter, softened
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.  Cut each jalapeno in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and membrane. Place them face down onto the cookie sheet. Roast for 10-15 minutes or until slightly darkened. When cool enough to handle, chop.
2. In a medium sauce pot, heat the olive oil. When hot, saute the carrots, onion, and garlic for about 5 minutes or until the carrots and onions start to soften.
3. Add in the butter. Once the butter has melted, stir in the flour until everything is coated. Stir in the chopped jalapenos. Slowly stir in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Then stir in the heavy cream and bring back to a boil. Turn the heat down to simmer and cook until the soup has thickened, about 5-7 minutes.
4. When the soup has thickened, turn off the heat. If using an immersion blender, blend the soup directly in the pan. If using a regular blender, add about half the mixture then puree until smooth. Add the rest of the soup then puree until smooth. Pour back into the sauce pan.

Jalapeno Popper Soup

(Adapted from ibreatheimhungry.com)

Ingredients:
4 slices raw bacon
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups water or chicken broth
2 tablespoons salsa verde (I subbed onions)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
4 large jalapeno peppers
Directions:
1. Cook the bacon in a medium saucepan until crisp – remove and chop for garnish and set aside. 

2. In the same pan, along with the bacon grease, add the heavy cream, water or broth, and cream cheese. Simmer gently, stirring often, until the cream cheese and butter have melted and the liquid is smooth. 

3. Whisk in the garlic powder, salsa verde and shredded cheeses until completely incorporated. 4. Meanwhile, wash the jalapenos and broil or grill them until softened and charred. Remove the skins and seeds and chop finely. Add to the soup and cook for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and serve garnished with chopped bacon.

Now go make some homemade soup! It's super easy.

Beautiful Chard!

I wasn't wowed by this recipe. I had some technical issues with the rainbow chard and some flavor issues with the whole dish. But before we get into the breakdown lets admire this beautiful piece of produce. Isn't it just gorgeous?

When I added everything together the pieces of chard leaves gravitated towards each other and clumped up. It was impossible to evenly distribute it throughout the dish. Secondly the flavor was a little bland unless you got a hit of red pepper. A bite with the ricotta cheese helped the flavor so I added extra ricotta and mixed it up with the whole dish instead of just using it as a topping. When Mr. Lawyer  added some garlic powder to the leftovers that helped it out a little but overall it was very underwhelming. Sad story.

Orecchiette with Ricotta and Chard Pan Sauce

(from Better Homes & Garden)

Ingredients:

1 large bunch organic swiss or rainbow chard
3/4 pound dried orecchiette pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
crushed red pepper
2 ounces ricotta salata, asiago or pecorino cheese finely grated
1/4 cup fresh whole milk ricotta
sea salt and pepper
freshly grated Asiago
Directions:
1. Bring large pot of generously salted water to boiling. Separate chard stems from leaves; cut both into bite-sized pieces. Add orecchiette to boiling water. Set timer for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, for pan sauce, in large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chard stems, cook 3-5 minutes, until crisp tender.
3. After 10 minutes, add chard leaves to cooked pasta; cook 2 minutes more. Drain, reserving about 1/4 cup of cooking liquid. Return pasta and chard to pot; place over lowest heat setting. Add chard stems and any residual oil to pasta, along with butter, crushed red pepper, and reserved cooking liquid. Grate in Asiago; toss. Season with pepper and nutmeg. Divide among bowls. Top each with about 1 tbsp. ricotta. Add sea salt, pepper, and additional Asiago to taste.

Creole Pulled Pork

I do love a good crock pot recipe that will feed you for days. I combined this crock pot love with my current obsession with creole seasoning and boom! Not cooking for at least three more days. I went with a five pound piece of meat and let it cook a smidgen longer. I swapped out the mix of paprika/salt/pepper for Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning and added a lot more than the recipe called for both before the cooking and after the meat shredding. It's not a saucy bbq but that's good because you can have it plain with the creole spices or customize it by added the desired amount of bbq sauce to your sandwich. I topped it off with asiago cheese and some spicy sriracha coleslaw (just add the desired amount of sriracha to mayo and throw in the shredded veggies). It's been a big hit and I haven't heard Mr. Lawyer complain about being hungry all weekend.

Creole Seasoned Pulled Pork

(from the Food Network Magazine)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons paprika (or replace spices with creole seasoning)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 3-to-4-pound boneless pork shoulder
2 links andouille sausage
1/3 cup mayonnaise
8 soft sesame buns
Pickle slices and potato chips, for serving
Directions:
1. Whisk 1.5 cups water, the vinegar, ketchup, 1/4 cup mustard, the molasses and 1 tablespoon brown sugar in a 7-to-8-quart slow cooker.
2. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar, the paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl or use an equal amount of creole seasoning. Rub all over the pork, then add to the slow cooker along with the sausage. Cover and cook on low, 8 hours.
3. Remove the pork and sausage and set aside to cool slightly. Skim off the excess fat from the cooking liquid, then strain into a large skillet and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by one-third, about 15 minutes.
4. Shred the pork with a fork and coarsely chop the sausage. Toss the pork and sausage with enough of the reduced cooking liquid to moisten; season with salt or add more creole seasoning (I think I added in between 1 to 2 tablespoons).
5. Whisk the mayonnaise and the remaining 2 tablespoons mustard in a small bowl; spread on the buns. Fill with the pulled pork and pickle slices. Serve with potato chips.

Creole Hot Pretzels

Two things I'm currently obsessed with: hot pretzels (okay not currently on that one, always obsessed) and creole seasoning. I made up a batch of homemade pretzels because I'm addicted to carbs and did half of them garlic and the other half with creole seasoning. It was good but not as good as the creole seasoned garlic bread. I think it's because the seasoning is actually toasted in the oven for the bread but with the pretzels you sprinkle it on after it comes out of the oven. And yes, that is some delicious jalapeno cheese sauce in the background. Dinner of champions maybe, but not the dinner of fitting into your wedding dress. Damn.

My motto of the month: put creole seasoning on everything!!

Hold on to your pants!

Meatball Grilled Cheese. Did I just blow your mind? Move over meatball sub, you just got one upped. This was top of the charts. Everyone knows that meatballs make better leftovers but combine that with a grilled cheese? I was in heaven. The meatballs with the toasted potato bread and the gooey cheese. I even sprinkled a little bit of parm on the outside for some added zing.

Meatball Grilled Cheese

(from My Kitchen!)

Ingredients:
Leftover meatballs in sauce
Bread
Butter
Mozzarella cheese
Directions:
1. Butter the outside of you bread and place in a warm pan.
2. Layer the cheese, then saucy meatballs, and a little bit more cheese. Top with bread.
3. Cook till golden and flip carefully to brown the other side. If you want to be super fancy (I was) you can sprinkle some parmesan on the outside of your bread, it tastes amazing.

Jalapeno Cheese Sauce!

You should never chase your dayquil with a cup of coffee. You might do something insane like bake a whole batch of delicious pretzels and attempt to eat them all with no warning. By then you've used up all your reserve energy in this spurt of feeling better and find yourself dying back on the couch. It was certainly delicious. My pretzel recipe is still amazing, you can find it HERE! The jalapeno cheese sauce was a new amazing addition. I highly recommend it.

Jalapeno Cheese Sauce

(Pinterest find! adapted from smells like home)

Ingredients:
Jarred jalapenos (the equivalent of 1 jalapeno)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
4 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions:
1. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the chopped jalapeños to coat with the butter. Whisk in the flour, coating the peppers, and cook for 30 seconds, whisking constantly.

2. Slowly whisk in the milk. Stirring constantly, bring the milk to a simmer over medium-low heat until it thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the shredded cheese until all of the cheese has melted. Serve warm.

Bacon and Guac!

And yet another big kid grilled cheese hit. The spicy guacamole was tempered by the smokey bacon and cheese. Yum yum. Served up with the leftover Tomato-Orzo soup.

Cheddar, Bacon, and Guacamole Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:
Nice bread
Cheddar Cheese
Bacon
Spicy Guacamole!
Directions:
1. Assemble sandwich and grill!

Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese

It's a little bit chilly out and this sandwich provided a little bit of heat. I made a batch of my Tomato-Orzo Soup (I omitted the cream). It's almost gone, clearly still a favorite. This Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese was spot on. It actually tasted like a popper! They are a bit on the rich side so I don't think you could have more than one. It was really fun (and easy!) roasted the peppers. It added a nice smokiness. I also baked my bacon on a wire rack so it wasn't soaking up the grease. The perfect lunch for a chilly day!

Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese

(Pinterest find!)

Ingredients for 2 sandwiches:
2 jalapeno peppers

4 pieces of bacon
4 slices of good bread
1 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons cream cheese
Cheddar cheese, desired amount
Directions:

1. Broil the peppers on a baking sheet for 10-15 minutes, until blackened. Remove from oven and place peppers in a zip-lock bag. Once cool, peel off the skins, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cook the bacon to the desired crispness. 

2. Butter the outside of bread and spread the cream cheese on the inside. On each sandwich layer 1 sliced up jalapeno, 2 slices of bacon, and cheddar cheese.

3. Grill your cheese! Serve with soup.

A Dress Party!

Last night we celebrated saying YES to the wedding dress! Woo! We had the family over for an appetizer dinner and cheap bubbly. It was the perfect excuse to 1) celebrate the dress with family, 2) try some new recipes, and 3) show off my fiesta!

I had my go-to Cabot cheese platter with Grandma's pickles, wheat thins, olives and some lebanon bologna we picked up at Reading Terminal. I made some Roasted Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce, I mean you can't go wrong with shrimp.

For some more hearty appetizers I made these marvelous Ham & Cheese Sliders (recipe below), spicy Buffalo Chicken French Bread, and some gooey Caprese Dip.

Everything was pretty delicious if I might say so.

This recipe had been popping up a lot on pinterest. There were so many different versions! Some used Hawaiian sweet rolls, other used white, potato, or biscuits. I used potato because it was the only type of dinner roll my store had. There was also variations on the type of mustard (I went with dijon) and debates over the merits of mayo, miracle whip or a mix (I used mayo). One thing I do know is that these were simple and delicious. I feel that these sliders were the overlooked winner of the night. Yes everyone was raving about the buffalo chicken french bread (and it was delicious) but it had a more in your face flavor punch that demanded your attention. These sliders had an understated yumminess to them without all the fanfare of buffalo chicken. They were amazing right out of the oven and still delicious cold at the end of the night when I was cleaning up. Another keeper....although next time I might put more than one slice of ham on them.

Ham & Cheese Sliders with a Poppy-Mustard Sauce

(Pinterest find!)

Ingredients:

24 dinner rolls
24 pieces good honey or maple ham (I used a fabulous maple ham)
24 slices swiss cheese
Enough mayo for spreading on the rolls
1.5 tablespoons poppy seeds
1.5 tablespoons dijon or yellow mustard (Dijon all the way!)
1 stick butter, melted
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon worschestershire sauce

Directions:
1. Cut rolls in half but not all the way, leave the hinge intact! Spread desired amount of mayo on both sides of the roll.

2. Fold up one slice of ham and place on roll. Top with one folded slice of swiss. Close the rolls and place on a cookie sheet or large baking dish.

3. Mix together butter, poppy seeds, mustard, onion and worschestershire. Brush evenly over all the rolls (**I did not use all of it as some reviews mentioned that the rolls could get soggy bottoms**). Let it sit for 10 minutes. 

4. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes, until cheese is melted. Remove foil and bake for 2 minutes to brown tops. Serve warm.

Cheesy Caprese Dip

There were a couple different versions of caprese dip floating around on pinterest, one added cream cheese and parmesan for a more creamy version. For the sake of time and less calories I went with the basic version: mozzarella, tomato, and basil. It was very good but a little messy due to the stringy nature of the cheese. It was super easy and required little effort and had minimal ingredients. Some of the comments mentioned that it could get soupy due to the liquid releasing from the cheese and tomatoes. By the end of the night one dish had a little extra liquid but the other did not. I tried to do my best to seed the tomatoes and wrapped them in a paper towel overnight to absorb the leftover liquid (I did a lot of prep work the night before). The brand of fresh mozzarella I purchased didn't have any extra liquid in the packaging like some do, I'm sure that helped eliminate some liquid.

Caprese Dip

(Pinterest find! Adapted from howsweeteats.com)

Ingredients:
1 cup of grape tomatoes, halved and seeded
1 ball of fresh mozzarella, cubed
Your desired amount of fresh basil, chopped (I put in a fair amount)
Directions:
1. Cut grape tomatoes in half and scoop out the insides. Dry the tomatoes as much as possible with a towel. Cube the mozzarella and chop the basil.
2. Mix everything together and place in an oven safe dish.
3. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes until melted and then broil until golden.

**You can always add more or less tomatoes or basil depending on your tastes**

Grilled Cheese Goddess

I am rocking the big kid grilled sandwiches: BLT with a yummy twist, the gooey mushroom melt, and now this pesto grilled cheese. It was divine. Any mellow soft cheese will do, such as a swiss instead of fontina, but I feel that a cheddar or more flavorful cheese would interfere with the pesto. The parmesan cheese on the outside gets nice and toasty and very flavorful. I also served up some beanie weenies with a twist. I used my baked beans recipe but used some Dinosaur BBQ sauce (Wango Tango) in place of the ketchup and added some sliced up hot dogs (leftover from our engagement party!). Delicious and oh so spicy!

Parmesan Crusted Pesto Grilled Cheese

(Pinterest find!)

Ingredients:
Sourdough bread
Butter
Fontina cheese
2 tablespoons basil pesto
Grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
2.  Butter the outside of each slice of bread. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on butter. Place 2 pieces of bread, butter side down in pan. Spread pesto on bread, layer cheese, and top with the second slice of bread.

3. Grill until golden brown.