Tag Archives: cheese

Dec 9 2012

From Our Kitchen: Chicken Florentine

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Looking for a delicious meal that will last you a few days? Look no further… this amazing Chicken Florentine recipe is sure to please!

 My hubby, who HATES leftovers, will eat this for days until it’s gone. He asks for it at least once a month but it is a lot of work, since I make everything from scratch (including the bacon bits), but it is sooo worth it! I usually pair it with a pasta or salad, depending if I can get away with a salad or not. Hubby does not have a taste for vegetables. ;)

Chicken Florentine

Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Original recipe makes 4 servings *(mine makes 6)
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese *(I HIGHLY recommend using a parmesan wedge and grating it FRESH- its a pain but worth it)
  • 2 (13.5 ounce) cans spinach, drained *(you can also use fresh spinach or frozen, just make sure after cooking it you squeeze out as much water as possible)
  • 4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced *(I omit these since hubby doesn’t like mushrooms)
  • 2/3 cup bacon bits
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the chicken breast halves on a baking sheet; bake 20 to 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat, and set aside.
  2. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  3. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, mix in the garlic, lemon juice, cream of mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, half-and-half, and Parmesan cheese.
  4. Arrange the spinach over the bottom of a 9×9 inch baking dish. Cover the spinach with the mushrooms. Pour half the mixture from the saucepan over the mushrooms. Arrange chicken breasts in the dish, and cover with the remaining sauce mixture. Sprinkle with bacon bits, and top with mozzarella cheese.
  5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes in the 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.
And if you are also wondering where that pasta recipe is in the photo, here it is:

Avocado and Pesto Pasta Recipe

From About.com

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups pine nuts or walnuts
  • 1 bunch basil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 avocado, chopped
  • pasta

Directions

1) Process together all ingredients except the avocado and the pasta in a food processor until almost smooth, adding more liquid if needed.

2) Toss together with avocado and hot pasta.
This is a delicious pasta and is a great alternative to the typical red or cream sauces you usually find!

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Oct 14 2012

Pinterest Tested: Cheesecake Factory “Buffalo Blasts” Copycat Recipe

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Who doesn’t love fried food? I mean- talk about classic Americana. I know, I know, its so bad for you but it’s sooo good that sometimes that I just can’t resist! One of my favorite places to eat is the Cheesecake Factory (Fun Fact- did you know their menus cost $12 each to make? Thats why they have ads.) I digress. Hubs hates it there… I don’t know why… its soooo yummy! The only thing he likes loves about Cheesecake Factory is their Buffalo Blasts. I have to admit, they are not my first choice on the 3 page appetizer menu but they are pretty good. When I found this copycat recipe from Tasty Kitchen on Pinterest I knew I had to give it a try. Hubby was so excited that I was making these along with my homemade blue cheese dip. How did they check out? Find out below!

Overall rating: 9.5

Cost: $$ (scale: $-$$$)

Difficulty level: Advanced (scale: beginner, moderate, intermediate, advanced)

Thoughts: Umm… how to put this lightly… these were a pain in the butt! They literally took me a few hours from start to finish! I would definitely recommend just grabbing a rotisserie chicken from the store and shredding it up rather than buying raw chicken breasts and baking, then shredding them. You will not notice a difference and it will save so much time. In any case, my biggest peeve with this recipe was the wonton wrappers. They were so small it was hard to get as much chicken mixture into each little wrapper as possible without overflowing and then causing a big mess when trying  to seal the edges together. I had wing sauce all over me. Next time I will try to find larger wrappers for these so its less of a mess and also less tedious work. It took for-ev-er to get a bunch of these scooped, sealed, and dipped in the coating to fry. I’m not sure what type of wrapper the Cheesecake Factory uses because their Buffalo Blasts are larger than these but I highly suggest trying to find out. If I do, I will post an update to save you time too! In the end, I finally got these plated and we really liked them. Or should I say, hubby L-O-V-E-D them. I liked them a lot but after all the time I put into them I was a harsh critic. I probably would’ve loved them too if someone else made them for me. In any case, I will definitely be making these again if I can find the larger size wrappers. I’m not sure how these would go over at a party unless you made them on the spot because typically fried foods don’t travel well. However, take my recommendation and do give these a try with my minor adjustments, you will be glad you did!

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Sep 9 2012

Pinterest Tested: For #Sunday Supper- Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Jalapeño Bites

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For this week’s #SundaySupper we are featuring tailgate food, a football season must have! This week, I decided to test out an amazing looking recipe I’ve had pinned for a while on Pinterest:

Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Jalapeño Bites

I chose these because I LOVE jalapeño poppers and my hubby LOVES bacon. I also wanted to find something new to bring to football parties besides the usual chips & dip. This recipe comes from Doughmesstic.com.

Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Jalapeno Bites

makes 24

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 12 Jalapenos, halved & seeded
  • 24 – six inch pieces of bacon, uncooked

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine cream cheese and spices in small bowl.  Spoon mixture into each pepper half, until level.  Wrap each in bacon, and place on baking sheet.  Bake for 40-45 minutes.  Remove and enjoy!

And now for the Real Best Recipe “Pinterest Tested” Results…

Overall rating: 7

Cost: $ (scale: $-$$$)

Difficulty level: Beginner (scale: beginner, moderate, intermediate, advanced)

Thoughts: I had high hopes for these. They were okay, but not what I was expecting. While the concept was amazing (spicy+creamy+salty), there was something amiss here… I think it was the seasoning in the cream cheese. I found it a little strange to be putting a common seafood spice (Old Bay Seasoning) in these but figured if thats what the recipe called for, it should be fine. But after taking a bite of these, I knew I should have listened to my gut reaction and made some without it. Hubby is not a very big fan of these types of snacks but he liked them more than I expected so I give this recipe a 7 out of 10. Would I make these again? Yes but I would alter the spices in the cream cheese (i.e. no Old Bay Seasoning.) and maybe mix some parmesan cheese into it. I probably won’t make these again soon but I am glad I finally got to try them! I have already been eyeballing another recipe on Doughmesstic.com that looks very similar but is a bit different- Bacon and Jalapeño Popovers.

For new home cooks, here is a tip you will thank me for (I learned the hard way!): Make sure you really get those seeds out of the jalapeños. Those are the spice in the pepper and trust me you will taste any seeds you miss because your mouth will be on FIRE! I love spicy foods and even I was kicking myself for leaving a few hard to reach seeds in these because I was just too lazy. You can always whip out a dairy product (i.e. milk, ice cream, yogurt, etc.) to calm your tastebuds after a hot pepper incident but its better not to experience one  at all! :)

In any case, don’t forget to check out what our friend’s at #SundaySupper are making for their football tailgates this season! I have to tell you, some of the best meals I’ve made at home lately come from this group and they all turn out AMAZING!

Join us on Sunday as we share our favorite tailgate recipes and tips. Hop on twitter at 7pm EST for the live #SundaySupper chat.

The Lineup

Pre Game Warm-ups:

On the Sidelines:

Main Events:

Overtime:

From the Cooler:

Wine Pairings by Wine Everyday

Happy Gameday!

 

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Sep 4 2012

From Our Kitchen: Bacon, Egg, Cheese, & Avocado Breakfast Sandwich

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Every Sunday morning I make the hubby coffee & breakfast. It’s our tradition. He is not a big sweets guy so he usually goes for bacon (his favorite), toast, and eggs. Hubby is one of those people who will eat the same thing over and over until he is sick of it so I try to mix it up a bit when I can. Sometimes I will do an omelet, sometimes a breakfast scramble, but this time I decided to make use of those BOGO English Muffins I bought and do a breakfast sandwich. Since avocados are on sale (YAY!) I had one lying around just begging to get eaten so I threw a few ingredients together an voila- a delicious breakfast sandwich was born! This was amazing and I will definitely be throwing it into the mix again!

Overall Score: 10 (on a scale of 1-10)

Husband Score: 10 (on a scale of 1-10)

Difficulty Level: Easy

Price: $ (on a scale of $-$$$)

Bacon, Egg, Cheese, & Avocado Breakfast Sandwich

Serves 2- Adjusts easily for more or less

Ingredients:

  • 2 English Muffins, sliced
  • 1 Avocado (skin & pit removed, sliced)
  • 6 slices of cooked bacon
  • 1/4-1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (can vary depending how much cheese you want)
  • 2 eggs, scrambled
  1. With sliced sides of english muffins facing upwards (think open-faced sandwich), top each slice with scrambled eggs, a few slices of avocado, 3 slices of bacon (break in halves to fit), and lastly, sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top.
  2. Put all english muffin slices, toppings side up, in the oven on a non-stick pan and turn to broil for about 2 minutes (keep a close eye to make sure it doesn’t burn) until the cheese is melted.
  3. Let cool for about a minute then (carefully) place muffin sides on top of the others to make 2 closed sandwiches.
  4. Enjoy!
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Jul 22 2012

The “Real Best” Grilled Cheese Sandwich

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We’re back with another simple, yet classic menu item: The Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Who doesn’t love a gooey, warm, grilled cheese on a rainy summer day? Pair it with some tomato soup and you have yourself a bonafide meal! We tested the three top Grilled Cheese Sandwich recipes out there and came up with a winner for your next grilled cheese night!

P.S.- We’re leaving out the leftover score on this one… who in their right mind eats a grilled cheese sandwich the day after it was cooked? :)

The contenders:

The nitty-gritty:

Each grilled cheese sandwich was scored on a scale of 1-10 (where 1= that’s food? and 10= the best grilled cheese that has ever entered my mouth) for overall score,  the boyfriend/husband test, and the leftover test. We also provide other comments.

The boyfriend/husband test: 9

The leftover test: N/A

Comments: YUM! This was delicious. It was gooey, salty, and the apple provided a slight tart flavor that, although, we couldn’t specifically taste it, it emphasized the flavors of the cheese and bacon. This was seriously delicious! I was very skeptical about it at first… I mean, an apple on a grilled cheese sandwich? Who knew? Even hubby loved it! Definitely slice your apple thin so it doesn’t overpower the rest of the sandwich. I will definitely be making this again and I have a good feeling it will be because hubby asks me to make it! You must try this one!

Closet Cooking’s Spinach Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Overall score: 8

The boyfriend/husband test: 9.5

The leftover test: N/A

Comments: This was so good! My boyfriend LOVED it. It doesn’t taste a lot like traditional grilled cheese. There was a strong taste of pesto with a slight lemon-ey kick. However, this sandwich was expensive because of the Gruyere cheese and all the fresh herbs that are used to make the pesto (I used dill, mint, and parsley, as recommended).

Allrecipes: Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Overall score: 10

The boyfriend/husband test: 10

The leftover test: N/A

Comments: This is your classic grilled cheese sandwich. What can go wrong? Nothing!  I had to cook the first side for about 5 mins and the flip side for only about 2 mins. This turned out perfect. Yum! And very kid friendly. NOTE: I used honey wheat bread instead of white.

The winner: It looks like all our sandwiches scored very high this time! But, there can only be one winner, and that is:

Allrecipes Grilled Cheese Sandwich!

Special Diets:

While we can’t guarantee the results, here are some ideas you can use to customize the winning grilled cheese sandwich to your dietary needs:

  • Gluten-free: Use gluten-free bread and make sure the rest of your ingredients are also gluten-free.
  • Vegetarian: It already is!
  • Lower fat: Use low fat butter and reduced fat cheese.
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