Joybee, What's for Dinner? : Cheese

Showing posts with label Cheese. Show all posts

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Best of the Month September 2015

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A recap of my most popular posts from last month (September 2015).

Last month's #bestrecipes #BestoftheMonth Sept2015 [Tweet this]

First let's look back at September's best from previous years.

Best of September 2013:

Bacon Wrapped French Toast

Sweet french toast sticks wrapped in crunchy, salty bacon. A great handheld breakfast. Now has 1925 views. 35 +1s, and 8 'yum's. This is one of my most popular posts and I use it in many round-ups (like 8 Game Day Recipes, Bacon Day Round Up, and 30 Recipes for Super Bowl).

#BaconWrapped FrenchToast: #BestoftheMonth Sept2013 [Tweet this]

Best of September 2014:

Cucumber Bites

Crisp, fresh, cucumber slices on baguette spread with cheese. Now has 586 views, 34 +1, and 46 'yum's.

#Cucumber Bites: #BestoftheMonth Sept2014 [Tweet this]

Now back to this year's best of September:

Spicy 3 Beans and Rice

A spicy, one-pot, one-dish, vegetarian meal of beans and rice made with 3 different types of beans. 565 views and 86 +1s. This recipe was popular on Tumblr and re-blogged about 7 times with many likes. It was also 'Yum'ed 19 times.

#BestoftheMonth Sept2015: Spicy 3 #BeansandRice [Tweet this]

8 Game Day Recipes

A round-up of my favorite gameday recipes. From drinks to breakfasts snacks and meals there is something for everyone. 505 views and 62 +1s.

#BestoftheMonth Sept2015: 8 #GameDayRecipes [Tweet this]

Beer Cheese Nacho Sauce

A spicy cheese sauce made with beer. Great as a dip, on nachos, tacos, or veggies. 485 views, 38 +1s, and 9 'yum's.

#BestoftheMonth Sept2015: #BeerCheese NachoSauce [Tweet this]

How to Roast Garlic

A simple tutorial on how to roast garlic. A repost of my original from February of 2013. 416 views, 83 +1s, and 1 'yum'.

#BestoftheMonth Sept2015: #Howto RoastGarlic [Tweet this]

Cucumber and Tomato Dill Salad with Smoked Salmon & Feta

Cucumber and Tomato Dill Salad: A light and fresh salad with cucumbers and tomatoes tossed in a lemon dill vinaigrette then topped with smoked salmon and feta.

A light and fresh salad with cucumbers and tomatoes tossed in a lemon-dill vinaigrette then topped with smoked salmon and feta. 341 views, 51 +1s, and 4 'yum's.

#BestoftheMonth Sept2015: CucumberandTomatoDill #Salad [Tweet this]

My best of the month September from previous years:

Best of the Month September 2014

Best of the Month September 2013

Linked to: 2 Cup, LouLou Girls, Tickle my Tastebuds, Wake up, Wonderful, Full Plate, Freedom, Foodie Friends, Pretty Pintastic, Show off, Best of the Weekend

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Monday, October 5, 2015

Spanakopita Quesadilla

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A fusion of Mexican and Greek cuisines. Spinach, feta, and mozzarella packed into a whole wheat tortilla and fried.

I'm sure I've mentioned how much I love cheese. Cheese is a food group for me. I believe I eat some every day. So, to get my cheese fix, I've been making quesadillas lately for a quick lunch. Quesadillas are a grilled cheese sandwich on a tortilla. I even found some good whole wheat tortillas (that are made locally) and one tortilla has 3 grams of fiber. That's a great way to add a little more fiber to my diet.

#Quesadilla a #grilledcheesesandwich on tortilla [Tweet this]

Since I love cheese I tend to have plenty in the house. I had made some other dishes that left me with leftover shredded mozzarella and some feta crumbles so I wanted to use them in a quesadilla. I also had some baby spinach so I came up with this idea. It turned out fantastic and I like to think it's healthy too.

#Spinachandwholewheat make a #healthy quesadilla. [Tweet this]

Spanakopita is a spinach pie of spinach and feta wrapped in phyllo pastry. They are absolutely delicious. A great way to eat your spinach. So when I had the spinach and feta I knew they would be great together. Feta doesn't melt well so I knew it alone would not be able to hold a quesadilla together. I need a good melting cheese to act like a glue and keep everything from falling out when I flipped and ate this quesadilla. That's what the mozzarella does. It melts really well and it has a very mild flavor so the feta and spinach flavors stand out and the quesadilla stays closed. I added garlic just because (you can omit it if you want but I am a garlic addict and add it to everything...I think it make the spinach and feta even better).

Spanakopita Quesadilla a great way to #eatyourspinach. [Tweet this]

Spanakopita Quesadilla

Prep and cook time: under 10 minutes
Servings: 1

Ingredients:

1 10 or 12-inch whole wheat tortilla
2-3 Tbsp mozzarella (or any mild flavored melting cheese)
2 hand fulls of baby spinach, torn
garlic powder (optional)
2 Tbsp feta crumbles
sprinkle of Parmesan (optional)

Place the tortilla flat into a 10-12 inch frying pan (I use a non-stick pan so no need for oil). Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the entire tortilla.

Then, top half of the tortilla with the spinach tearing it into bite-sized pieces (pack as much and/or more spinach in as you can it will shrink when cooked). Sprinkle some garlic powder (as much as you like), the feta, and Parmesan (if using) over the spinach and place the frying pan over medium heat.

Once the mozzarella starts to melt, fold the tortilla in half so the mozzarella cheese is on top of the spinach too. Keep cooking until the spinach starts to wilt a little and the bottom of the quesadilla begins to brown. Then carefully flip the quesadilla and cook on the other side until the spinach is tender and both sides of the quesadilla are browned.

Remove to a plate and allow to cool slightly before eating.

Enjoy.

If you like this recipe, check out:

Greek Nachos

Greek Salsa

Linked to: 2 Cup, J&J, Lou Lou Girls, Wonderful, Whimsy, Tickle my Tastebuds, Full Plate, Freedom, Foodie Friends

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Friday, September 11, 2015

Beer Cheese Nacho Sauce

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A spicy cheese sauce made with beer. Great as a dip, on nachos, tacos, or veggies.

Beer and cheese are staples while watching football. At least that's the case in my house. We drink plenty of beer while watching the game(s) and I love to add cheese to any (and just about all) gameday snacks. So when I was making my gameday snack(s) I decided to combine the two.

Beer and cheese make great gameday snacking. [Tweet this]

If you don't like the taste of beer you won't like this (or any) beer cheese dip. The cheese is melted in a beer sauce. So the main flavors are cheese and beer...gooood. I used my favorite sharp cheddar that I shredded myself (in my food processor). I would suggest doing this because usually blocks of cheese have better flavor than the pre-shredded kind (and sometimes the pre-shredded cheese doesn't melt right...I think they add something to keep it from clumping). I used a Coor's light for the beer in this dip (it's what we had that day) and it was good but next time I make this I will use a better, more flavorful beer...maybe something local.

Beer Cheese Nacho Sauce is only as good as the beer and cheese used to make it. [Tweet this]

One thing to note...unprocessed cheese doesn't stay smooth in sauce like processed cheese (a.k.a American cheese). However, you sacrifice flavor by using American versus cheddar (unless you really love American cheese; then use it). It may not be as smooth as store bought nacho cheese sauce, but it's real (no fake cheese flavoring) and really tasty. I did some research and apparently if you add sodium citrate you can melt any cheese like it's Velveeta and make awesome nacho cheese sauce. Eventually, I'm going to buy some sodium citrate from Amazon(.com) and try my hand at molecular gastronomy. Until then this will do.

Beer Cheese Nacho Sauce

Cook time: 20-30 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 12-oz beer
1 cup milk
1/4 cup minced pickled jalapenos
12 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
dried hot green chili flakes (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan over medium heat melt the butter. Stir in the flour and keep stirring for a few minutes until the flour just barely starts to turn golden.

Then pour in the beer, milk, and jalapenos. Cook, stirring often until mixture begins to boil. Keep stirring until sauce thickens to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, a cup at a time, until it's melted and as cheesy as you like it. Taste and adjust seasoning. I wanted my sauce spicier so I added hot green chili flakes until I was happy.

While still warm pour into bowls to serve or over chips, vegetables or whatever. Pour any leftover sauce into a jar to cool then refrigerate. It solidifies when it's cold, but I just microwaved mine 30 seconds at a time until it was hot and liquefied (use a towel or pot holder to lift it gets very hot).

Makes about 6 servings (of about 1/2 cup each).

Enjoy.

For more dips like this one check out:

Blue Cheese Dressing/Dip: A very simple blue cheese dip for vegetables that can also be used as a dressing for salads or a dip for buffalo wings or vegetables.

Blue Cheese Dip/Dressing

Blue Cheese Buffalo Chicken Dip

The Best Queso Dip

Linked to: J&J, 2 Cup, Lou Lou Whimsy, Wonderful, Tickle My Tastebuds, Wake Up, Full Plate, Freedom, Food Friends, Best of the Weekend, Pretty Pintastic

Follow Joy Bee's board Joybee Whats for Dinner blog posts on Pinterest.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Turkey and Rougette Crescent Sandwich

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Juicy turkey breast and warm creamy buttery Rougette cheese on a tender Crescent Roll.

I don't know a lot about cheese, but I know I love it. I don't think I've tried any kind of cheese I don't like. From simple American processed cheese slices to parmesan and brie I love it all. I think it has a lot to do with my love of bread. Many Friday nights my indulgence is a good crusty baguette and cheese for dinner (often my husband works late or goes out for drinks after work and I get most of the bread and cheese to myself). I've been known to put away an entire baguette and at least 1/4 pound of cheese all by myself (probably not the healthiest but I do try not to do it too often).

I don't know a lot about cheese, but I know I love it. [Tweet this]

Rougette is a new cheese for me. It's smooth and creamy with a rind similar to brie in appearance, but the rind has a reddish orange color to it. The flavor is mild and buttery. It's like eating butter in smooth creamy cheese form. As soon as I tried it I knew it would taste great melted on one of my buttery Easy Crescent Rolls.

Rougette's like butter in cheese form. [Tweet this]

So the next day I made this sandwich. Turkey is a perfect compliment to this cheese because it doesn't have a strong flavor that would overpower the cheese. I kept the sandwich simple because this is all about the cheese for me.

I kept the sandwich simple b/c it's all about the cheese. [Tweet this]

Turkey and Rougette Crescent Sandwich

Ingredients:

Crescent rolls
Turkey breast slices
Rougette cheese

Cut a large crescent roll in half lengthwise (toast or grill the cut sides of the roll if desired).

Place a thick slice of turkey breast (or more) on one-half of the roll and top with a thick slice of Rougette.

Broil the cheesy sandwich half for a few minutes until the cheese begins to melt then top with the remaining half of the roll.

Serve immediately with a salad, vegetables, or chips.

If you have it, this sandwich would be even better spread with a little pesto.

Enjoy.