Smoky Pale Ale Cheese Sauce

This beer cheese is rich and flavorful.  There a little texture and spiciness that comes from the Guinness Mustard, you can tone that down by adding a little less or using a milder mustard.  The pale ale adds a hint of bitterness that is just lovely.

I used this as a topper for a burger but it would be perfect as a fondue to dip crusty bread or vegetables in.


Yum!





Smoky Pale Ale Cheese Sauce

3 Cloves Garlic
1 Cup Pale Ale
2 Cups Smoked Gouda, Shredded
2 Teaspoons Cornstarch
2 Teaspoons Guinness Mustard


Smash the garlic with the bottom of a glass or a flat knife and rub the bottom of a heavy saucepan with the cloves. Leave the cloves in the bottom of the pan and pour the beer over them.  Bring the beer a boil over high heat.

In a small bowl, toss the shredded cheese with the cornstarch to coat.  

Once the beer has come to a boil, stir in the cheese.  Bring back to a boil then reduce the heat.

The sauce should be thickening up, at this point.  

Stir in the mustard.  Add salt and pepper, if desired.  

Continue stirring as the cheese sauce simmers and reaches desired consistency, about 5 minutes.

Cheese Fondue

This is one of the things I do for New Year's Eve.  Fondue is really easy and fun for everyone.  And . . . who doesn't like cheese!

Cheese Fondue


1/2 Pound Imported Jarlsburg Cheese, Shredded
1/2 Pound Gruyere Cheese, Shredded
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 Garlic Clove, Peeled
1 Cup Dry White Wine
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Cherry Brandy, Such As Kirsch
1/2 Teaspoon Dry Mustard
Pinch Nutmeg


In a small bowl, coat the cheeses with cornstarch and set aside. Rub the inside of the ceramic fondue pot with the garlic, then discard.

Over medium heat, add the wine and lemon juice and bring to a gentle simmer. Gradually stir the cheese into the simmering liquid. Melting the cheese gradually encourages a smooth fondue. Once smooth, stir in cherry brandy, mustard and nutmeg.

Arrange an assortment of bite-sized dipping foods around fondue pot. Serve with chunks of French and pumpernickel breads. Some other suggestions are Granny Smith apples and blanched vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and asparagus. Spear with fondue forks or wooden skewers, dip, swirl and enjoy!

Ham and Egg Hash

This is a one pan meal . . . good for breakfast, brunch or dinner . . . that uses ingredients I typically have in the fridge at the end of the week.  Quick, easy and satisfying.  

Ham and Egg Hash


3 Tablespoons Butter
8 Small Yukon Gold Potatoes, Cubed
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
Salt And Pepper
12 Eggs
2 Teaspoons Hot Pepper Sauce
1 Pound Cooked Ham Steak, Cut Into Small Pieces
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese


In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add onions and potatoes, season with salt and pepper (or your favorite seasoned salt).  Stir to coat with butter.  Cover pan and cook for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, break eggs into a large bowl add whipping cream and beat well.

Add ham to potatoes and onions and cook until potatoes brown.

Add eggs and mix well.   Add Cheese.

Cook, stirring to scramble eggs, until cooked through.
Serve with a splash of hot sauce.  

Quesadilla

Quesadillas are a hearty meal that are quick and simple to make.  You can have a delicious dinner plated in five minutes so long as you have the ingredients prepped and ready to go in advance.  

They are one of those things that I generally will not order when going out to eat because I can make them just as well.


Quesadilla 

Large Flour Tortillas
Shredded Cheese 
Olive Oil Or Grapeseed Oil

Fillings: 
Sliced Mushrooms
Green Onions
Black Olives, Sliced
Fresh Tomatoes, Diced
Chicken Pieces
Avocado
Chopped Chilis
Lettuce
Salsa



Heat a large cast iron frying pan to medium high heat. Add a small amount of oil (about 1/2 teaspoon) and spread it around the bottom of the pan with a spatula . Take one large flour tortilla and place it in the pan. Flip the tortilla over a few times, 10 seconds between flips. Air pockets should begin to form within the tortilla.

When pockets of air begin to form, take a handful of shredded cheese, sprinkle over the top of the tortilla. Add whatever additional ingredients you like just don't layer on the ingredients to thickly . . . just a dab will do ya.

Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. The cast iron pan will retain enough heat to melt the cheese and brown the tortilla. 

After a minute or so, when the cheese is melted, use a spatula to lift up one side of the quesadilla and flip over the other side. The tortilla should by now be browned slightly.  Remove from pan and cut into wedges.

Serve with the lettuce, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.

Print Recipe

Cheesy Baked Grits

Cheesy Baked Grits

A really good substitute for macaroni and cheese or potato at dinner time.  Also goes good with eggs for breakfast.  And is yummy leftover.

1 Quart Milk

1 Stick Butter (1/2 Cup)

1 Cup Uncooked Grits

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon White Pepper

1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/3 Cup Butter

1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a medium baking dish.

Bring the milk to a boil in a pot over medium heat. Melt 1/2 cup butter in the boiling milk. Gradually mix in the grits, and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. 

Remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper. 

Beat with a whisk or electric mixer until smooth. 

Mix in the Cheddar cheese and 1/3 cup butter. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until firm.

Print Recipe

The time will come when it will disgust you to look in the mirror

At the risk of putting my inner-geekiness on full display . . . 


Hubby and I have been watching all the episodes of all the Star Trek series on Netflix.  We are currently on Voyager.  The other day we watched "Revulsion", which is the 73rd episode and the fifth of the fourth season.


It was interesting because it kind of makes you realize how really gross and disgusting we "biotics" are.  I can picture the writer of this installment being a total OCD germaphobic neatnic.

The basic premise of this episode was that there was a mentally unstable, xenocidal holograph is disgusted by "organics."  Among other things he was sickened about the hair and skin we slough off, the oils and sweat we leave everywhere, and other bodily fluids and excretions we eliminate.


Okay . . . so how yucky are we . . . really?

On average, there are over one hundred thousand strands of hair on a typical human head . . . age, alopecia and hirsuteness, notwithstanding.  It's interesting to note that blondes have the most hairs, followed by brunettes and redheads have the least amount of hairs.   Most people lose approximately 100-200 strands of hair per day . . . all those hairs in the drain don't necessarily mean you're going bald.

Did you know that your skin is the largest organ of the human body . . . that's right your skin is an organ.  And, it is constantly regenerating.  Of the billions of skin cells, somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000 of them fall off every hour . . . that's nearly a million skin cells in a day.

Additionally, you're body is constantly excreting sweat and oils either for waste elimination, lubrication or cooling.  And then, of course, there are the other fluids and solids our bodies dispose of for various reasons . . . waste removal, procreation, lubrication . . . you get the picture.






Yup . . . we're gross and artificial life forms hate us . . . c'est la vie.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

The secret to really good garlic bread is fresh garlic  . . . and cheese!

1 Cup Butter, Softened

4 Garlic Cloves

1/4 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

1 (1 Pound) Loaf Italian Bread, Halved Lengthwise

2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mince garlic in a food processor.  Add butter and oregano and process until combined.  Spread on cut sides of bread.

Place bread on a cooking sheet and bake bread until toasty brown.

Sprinkle with cheese. Cook until cheese is melted. Slice and serve hot.

“The time will come when it will disgust you to look in the mirror.”
 Rose F. Kennedy 

Love thy neighbor as you love yourself . . . you tell **them** that!

Condo living isn't necessarily my cup of tea . . . unneighborly, whacked-out neighbors being a contributing factor.  When I moved here 13 years ago I was newly divorced with a three year old child.  The situation was ideal . . . at the time . . . the price was right, convenient to everything location and a private courtyard.  Things change over time . . . like the ideality of the living situation (but the price is still right) 


. . . but the neighbors haven't;  they haven't been neighborly the whole 13 years I've lived here.


One of these people is an elderly woman who is 150 years old . . . maybe 200 . . . and crotchety as all get out.


Having a fenced in area for my little kid to play in was fantastic . . . there was was he could go running into the street or wandering off.  My boy and I would often roll or toss his big rubber ball back and forth.  Of course, he didn't catch it every time . . . or even every third or fourth time . . . but he enjoyed it. 

When he missed the ball sometimes it would roll into the old crank's patch of grass.  Each unit has their own bit of grass but the whole courtyard is technically common area.  If this old biddy thought no one was looking she'd come out an yell at my boy and tell him to get off her lawn.  


Besides being mean to small children . . . this woman has WAY too much time on her hands.





I have seen this tiny, frail, ancient person sweeping the sidewalk . . . dirt, leaves, snow, whatever.  Not just her walkway.  I'm talking all the sidewalks; inside the courtyard, outside the complex,  up and down the street.  I've seen her sweeping the parking lot . . . with her little kitchen broom.  But the best  . . . or strangest . . . thing I've seen her doing was wiping down the dumpsters with a paper towel.  Yeah . . . I said it . . . cleaning the disgustingly filthy garbage dumpsters with a paper towel.

Unneighborly and whacked-out.

Cheesy Rice

4 Cups Water

1 Tbsp Salt

2 Tbsp Butter

1 ½ Cups Medium Grain Rice

3 Slices American Cheese

Bring water, salt, and butter to a boil. Stir in rice, cover, and put stove on low.

Cook 15-20 minutes, or until rice is tender, adding more water as needed.

Remove from heat, rip cheese into smaller pieces and stir it into the rice until it’s completely melted. 

Feel free to add more cheese as desired.  

...and the entire rigmarole disgusted me.

Today is tax day in the good ol’ U.S.-of-A.  The long and short of it?  It’s a day when we . . . the hardworking citizens of this great land . . .  get to figure out what we’ve earned vs. what we owe our bloated government.  It’s a lot of rigmarole to go through . . . but we all have to do it . . . well, the 52% of those of us who actually pay taxes, that is.

Rigmarole . . . a word that seems to be nonsensical but it is, in fact, a sensical word.  It is variation of a medieval term . . . Ragman’s Roll.

For those of you who have some knowledge of Scottish history . . . or have at the very least watched the movie Braveheart . . . you may have some familiarity with the term.

In 1291, before John Balliol took the Scots throne, each of the Scottish nobility and gentry had to recognize Edward I as their sovereign.  They signed a series of scrolls that included the English statutes to which that agreed to abide by.  The document was known as the Rageman.

Rageman was further used during Edward’s reign on a document that appointed official justices.  Rageman Roll eventually became the common term for the court documents . . . or scrolls . . . on which accusations were officially recorded.

In a mockery of the Ragman's Rolls . . . a game with the same name was played.  It involved a pile of rolled-up pieces of paper tied with string.  Each scroll, purportedly written by King Ragman, was inscribed with the description of a character written in verse. Each person would choose a roll and read what was written inside.  The contents were supposed to reveal the reader's "true nature," aloud to the great merriment of the group.  Ah . . . simpler times. 

Philly Cheese Steak Casserole

1lb Wide Egg Noodles

1-1/2 Lb. Beef, Boneless Sirloin Steak, About 3/4 Inch Thick

1/2 Teaspoon Pepper

2 Medium Onions, Chopped

2 Garlic Cloves, Minced or Finely Chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper, Chopped

1 (14 Oz.) Can Reduced Beef Broth

1/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Half-And-Half

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

2 Cups Cheddar Cheese, Reduced-Fat Or Regular, Shredded

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. 

Cook and drain noodles as directed on package.

Meanwhile, remove any fat from beef.  Cut beef into 3/4 inch pieces.

Cook beef and pepper in skillet 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is lightly brown.  Stir in onions and bell pepper; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Spoon into baking dish.

In medium bowl, beat broth and flour with wire whisk until smooth.  Add to skillet and heat to boiling.  Cook, stirring constantly, 

until mixture thickens.  Remove from heat.

Stir in half-and-half and mustard. Spoon over beef mixture.  Stir in cooked noodles.  Cover and bake for 40 minutes.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake uncovered about 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly.

Why I Like Velveeta

Velveeta . . . you know the stuff.  It can barely be called cheese . . . and it’s not really, not even to the USFDA.  It’s considered a processed cheese food product.   I like the fact that they had to include the word 'food' in the classification.  Like there was a question about whether or not it's food . . . well, maybe there is. 

I’ll admit that I like it.  Like spam . . . it has its place in my kitchen but by no means would I put it up there with my beloved super sharp cheddar or luscious creamy brie. 

I've noticed that, depending on where I shop, I may find it in the refrigerated dairy section or I may find it on a shelf somewhere else in the store.  The question is . . . does it need to be refrigerated?  Well, no . . . not really.  

It is shelf stable because it is so very, very ultra-super-duper highly pasteurized and it’s not truly cheese and it is vacuum sealed it actually does not need to be kept cold.  Some would argue that you don’t even need to refrigerate it after it’s been opened . . . well, I err on the side of caution and not go that far. 

Velveeta has a longevity that rivals uranium but to keep it fresh it’s best stored in an airtight container after you’ve opened it.  Refrigerate or not . . . I’ll leave that up to you. 

For those of you cringing over the thought of consuming Velveeta . . . remember when the power went out for weeks and weeks in parts of the country after Hurricane Rita and the subsequent snow storm?  Well, because Velveeta has such a long shelf life it is excellent to keep on hand to go with your long or short term survival supplies.  It’s great for camping, too.

Just remember that as well as Velveeta keeps it does lose some quality over time . . . yes, I know, quality is a relative term.  Whatever  . . . just make sure you mark the date of your stored Velveeta.

If you’re a fisherman . . . keep a plastic container of Velveeta in your fishing tackle box.  Believe it or not, trout like the stuff . . . whether a week old or a year old, they don’t care.  

And if you want to give those fishies an extra special treat, stuff a piece of garlic into the inside of the cheese ball . . . you’ll have cheesy garlic stuffed trout on your table in no time . . . well, processed cheese food product and garlic stuffed trout, anyway.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

2 Cups Cooked and Shredded Chicken

4 Cups (8 oz. Dry) Cooked Spaghetti

8 Oz. Velveeta {Or More}, Melted

1 Can Cream Of Chicken Soup

1 Can Green Chilies {Or A Can Of Tomatoes With Green Chilies}

1/2 Tsp. Garlic Powder

Mix altogether and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle the top with some shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 min. or until bubbly.

It's no cakewalk . . .

Cakewalk . . . a word that has come to mean something that is easy to do.   As in . . . getting my hubby to try a new beer is a cakewalk . . . see NBT.

A cakewalk originated as a dance performed by African Americans during and after the US Civil War when blacks were segregated from polite white society.  People of color were not invited to public events like parties and balls . . . but as servants they were often in attendance.  Not for the fun of course . . . they had the “pleasure” of watching white folks twist, twirl and strut doing the popular dances of those days.

The cakewalk became not only a popular dance but a form of entertainment among the black people of that era.  It started as a form of satire to mimic the moves that whites displayed during their Minuets and Waltzes. 

It eventually became a competition between couples to see who could cakewalk the most gracefully or extravagantly.  Perhaps as a further extension of the joke, this promenade was often done in a circle with a cake in the middle.   Whichever couple had the most style or flamboyance in their struts got to take home the cake.

And that’s how the phrase “take the cake” originated and came to mean to take the prize.

The funny thing is that the cakewalk was further popularized by the white performers of Vaudeville in the next century.  So . . . the cakewalk was a dance done by black people to mock the white people who did it to make fun of the black people . . . in essence they were only goofing on themselves.  

Pepperoni String Cheese Roll Ups

1 (8 Ounce) Package Refrigerated Crescent Roll Dough

4 Cheese Sticks, Halved

1 (3.5 Ounce) Package Sliced Pepperoni

Garlic Butter Glaze:

2 Tablespoons Butter, Melted

1/2 Teaspoon Italian Seasonings

1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Take each triangle of crescent roll dough and place about 6 pepperoni on the bottom of the triangle. Place half of a cheese stick on top and roll up. Place seam side down on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-14 minutes or until golden brown.

While rolls are cooking, combine the melted butter, Italian seasonings, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl.

When rolls are done remove from the oven and brush with the garlic butter glaze. Serve with marinara or ranch for dipping.