cheese Archives - The Midnight Baker

Cheese Twists

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 28 Nov 2021 00:02:18 +0000

These easy cheese twists are perfect snacks for your holiday get-togethers or any other time.

Use Leftover Pie Crust For Cheese Twists

Got any leftover pie crusts? Here’s one of the easiest snacks you’ll ever make.

The pie crust can be leftover scraps of your own recipe or those pre-rolled refrigerated ones that many of us find so convenient.

Since my store had the refrigerated ones on special for the recent Thanksgiving holiday, I bought the requisite two that the special required. They keep well so I figured why not.

If you did like I did and bought more than you actually needed, here’s a good way to use them before you forget about them entirely. Or if you are like my mother and save scraps of your own homemade pie crust, this is an excellent way to. use them.

The Best Cheese

For these cheese twists, the best cheese to use–in my opinion–is a good cheddar cheese. In these I used a mild variety and they were excellent.

Another good choice is Swiss cheese. The mild and nutty flavor is also perfect.

You do want a cheese that doesn’t “string.” Once cooled, a stringing cheese would only be a dense and rubbery glob, so the best thing to do–if you are not sure these will be eaten immediately–is to bypass such cheeses as mozzarella and those like it.

Why The Cayenne?

You actually use so little cayenne or hot sauce that it’s barely noticeable. What it does is enhance the flavor of the cheese much like chili powder does for chocolate (try this–Aldi sells it). If you like stuff hot and piquant, then use more.

On the other hand if you can’t tolerate any for dietary reasons or you feel uncomfortable using it, leave it out. They are perfectly delicious anyway.

The Recipe

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Cheese Twists

The easiest cheese snack ever

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheese twists, Christmas parties, cocktail party food, using leftover pie crusts

Servings: 8 varies--I got 16 twists

Calories: 259kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 refrigerated pie crusts or your own scraps/recipe
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg beaten
Pinch of cayenne or 1-2 drops hot sauce
Coarse salt
Paprika

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Beat egg and cayenne; set aside
Unroll pie crusts on a lightly floured surface. Brush entire circles of crust with the egg mixture (reserve a bit for brushing the twists). Distribute cheese evenly over half of each crust.
Fold the ends without cheese over the sides with cheese forming a semi circle and press or roll getting out any air bubbles and that the cheese adheres to the dough.
Using a sharp knife or pastry wheel, cut into 1-inch/2.5 cm strips and form twists by holding the ends and twisting in opposite direction. Place on prepared pan and brush with remaining egg mixture. Sprinkle with coarse salt (if desired) and paprika.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

I got 16 twists and nutrition info is based on 2 cheese twists per person.

Nutrition

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Cheesy Bacon Potato Balls

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 23:00:27 +0000

These potato balls make a great snack. They’re loaded with bacon and oozing with cheese. What could be better?

Potato Balls Are A Real Treat

There’s so many things you can do with leftover mashed potatoes. My mother used to make fried potato patties with them. She’d add some seasonings then fry them up for a side for another dinner.

Again, these potato balls are nothing new; just another working of my mom’s (and a lot of others’) recipe.

Here I’ve dressed them up a bit. I also added some cheese into the works as well. I might add here that none of this is unique. In fact I was actually looking for something I could manage after having massive dental surgery since this type of food requires no chewing. For those who are curious, I am getting implants–and that’s not an overnight process either. So if anyone reading this has gone through the process, please let me know how you managed it as this is new territory to me.

Cheese Adds So Much

I think the cheese is what makes these potato balls special.

It’s hidden in the center so it’s a nice surprise to those who don’t know it’s in there. I had half a block of nice sharp cheddar leftover from making cauliflower cheese. This was a great way to use that up.

Any melting cheese will do here so don’t restrict yourself to cheddar. That’s just what I wanted to use up and it pairs nicely with bacon.

Now About The Bacon

One recipe I saw used crumbled bacon to actually coat the balls. I found that to be a bit difficult and where I may have soldiered on if I wasn’t so hungry, it may have worked. However after two days of eating yogurt because of the surgery, I lacked any patience so I just mixed the bacon bits in with the potato mixture itself. That worked very well for me. But if you want to mix them with the breadcrumbs go right ahead. They will taste great no matter where that bacon is.

The Recipe

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Cheesy Bacon Potato Balls

Addictively delicious

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: appetizers using leftovers, potato balls with bacon, using leftover mashed potatoes

Servings: 6

Calories: 334kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 cups mashed potatoes cold
2 tsp dehydrated onion optional
3 tbs fresh chives chopped
1-2 tbs sour cream see directions
1/4 cup finely crumbled crisp bacon
4 oz cheddar cheese cubed
1 egg lightly beaten
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbs Parmesan or Romano cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 F/190 C.
Line a baking sheet with foil then spray with non-stick spray.
Mix the breadcrumbs and grated cheese in a small bowl; set aside. Lightly beat the egg in another small bowl; set aside.
Mix the mashed potatoes, onion (if using), chives and bacon. Mixture should be soft but hold together. If it seems too dry, add 1 tbs of the sour cream then check the texture. If it's still too dry, add the remaining sour cream.
Form a 2-inch/5 cm ball around a cheddar cheese cube.
Roll each ball in the beaten egg then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese starts to melt out.
AIR FRYER--follow the above but reduce baking time to 8-10 minutes (time may vary with the power of your air fryer.

Notes

For wither cooking method, spraying with a bit of oil helps them brown.

UK readers--streaky bacon is what was used.

Nutrition

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Rustic Cheese Tart

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 23:00:54 +0000

Rustic cheese tart is very elegant but very easy! Vary the cheeses and herbs and it becomes something different.

Rustic Cheese Tart: Easy Yet Elegant

“Rustic” seems to be the watchword nowadays for things that are simple but make a big splash.

This Rustic cheese tart is no different. It’s as uncomplicated as you can get and makes a great presentation. That’s really saying something for a recipe that doesn’t take up much of your time since it uses common convenience ingredients.

The recipe makes only one, but I strongly suggest you double the recipe. Not only because it’s good and you can vary the cheeses so they don’t have to be the same, but because of how one of the ingredients is packaged.

Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets

I’ve often toyed with the idea of making my own puff pastry. Haven’t as of yet worked up the gumption to do it though. It’s pretty easy but for me it’s the time investment involved.

This is why I’m so glad it comes frozen in sheets. The brand I buy contains two sheets, however, they are not individually wrapped. This is why I suggested above that you double the recipe because the quality of the pastry sheets will deteriorate somewhat if it’s re-frozen. If you can manage to separate the sheets before they thaw, you are all set. I’ve never had much luck doing that which is why I made the doubling up something I would advise doing.

Change The Cheeses

The basic recipe uses a four-cheese blend and feta. However, you don’t have to limit yourself to those varieties.

Bleu cheese or Stilton would be excellent for this and very gourmet. In that case I’d limit it to bleu cheese alone. Any combo you like would be good so you can get adventurous here.

As far as the herb–choose anything you like that you think will pair well with the cheese you used. For the basic recipe, I used thyme because it’s one of my favorite herbs.

The Recipe

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Rustic Cheese Tart

So easy to prepare and delicious too

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Appetizer, Brunch, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheese and puff pastry tart, easy bread sticks with puff pastry, puff pastry appetizers

Servings: 8

Calories: 229kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1/2 cup Mexican or Italian shredded cheese blend
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 egg yolk
1 sheet prepared puff pastry
1 egg
1 tbs water
1 tbs chopped fresh herb of your choice I used thyme

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Combine the shredded cheese, feta and egg yolk in a bowl.
Roll out the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface to a 10 x 12-inch (25 x 30 cm) rectangle and place on an uncreased baking sheet. Lightly beat the whole egg with the water and brush over pastry
Scatter cheese mixture over the pastry leaving a 1-inch/2.5 cm border on all sides.
Bake for 10 minutes in a preheated 425 F/220 C oven.. Top with chopped herb(s) and cut into quarters then cut the quarters into thin wedges.

Nutrition

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Classic Fettuccine Alfredo

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 04 May 2021 23:00:53 +0000

Classic fettuccine alfredo is an indulgence. It’s also super easy to make.

Classic Fettuccine Alfredo Is Easy

This is one of those classic Italian pasta dishes that never goes out of style since it’s easy to see why.

First of all, it’s delicious and cheesy. Coming close on the heels of that is that it is also very easy to make.

Yes, there are some commercial sauces that just entail opening a jar or there are quickie alfredo versions that are homemade.

However, the real thing is also very easy to make, so why not do it right and have the classic?

Making The Custard

What you’re actually doing here is making a custard.

When dairy and eggs combine in a sauce, that’s exactly what you’ve got. The last time I made this, it occurred to me that it was just like making the custard for homemade ice cream. The only obvious difference was that one was sweet and the other on savory.

Any time you make custard, it’s important to “temper” the egg(s) so they blend in rather than get scrambled. This is done by heating the milk or cream then whisking a couple of tablespoons of the hot milk into the egg yolks. After that, you whisk that mixture into the hot milk.

There will always be a few little solid bits in the sauce so if you wanted to get it perfectly smooth, then just pour it through a mesh strainer. I don’t think it’s that important for Alfredo sauce. I only do this if I’m making ice cream custard because those bits are kind of gross in ice cream.

Store Bought Or Homemade

Store-bought fettuccine is fine in this. In fact, I’ve used it for years.

Earlier this year, my friend Lillian got me started on homemade pasta. It was an epiphany. I just can’t go back to the store bought. Making your own pasta is pretty easy so if you want to have a go at it, the recipe for the dough is in my asparagus ravioli post.

The Recipe

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Classic Fettuccine Alfredo

Who needs a jar when homemade is super easy?

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: classic alfredo sauce, fresh fettuccine pasta, homemade fettuccine alfredo

Servings: 2

Calories: 1308kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

6 oz fresh fettuccine or 4 oz dried (from the box)

Sauce:

3 tbs butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup freshly grated Romano
1 egg yolk
Pinch of salt pepper and nutmeg
2 tbs finely chopped parsley

Pasta dough:

4 1/2 oz flour
3 oz whole eggs

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Using Store-Bought Pasta--cook according to package directions.
Making your own pasta--mix the flour and the eggs to form a dough. Turn out on a well-floured surface and knead for 2 minutes. Cover in plastic and let it rest for 30 minutes. Then run through a pasta roller to #4 or #5 depending on desired thickness. Then run through the fettuccine cutter, dust with additional flour so it doesn't stick together then set aside (or place in the refrigerator). Use the same cooking method as the kind you buy in the box except fresh pasta will only take about 3 minutes to cook al dente.
For the sauce--melt the butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the cream, Parmesan, Romano, salt, pepper and nutmeg then heat through. Lightly beat egg yolk then whisk in a couple of tablespoons of the hot liquid then whisk the egg yolk mixture into hot liquid. Cook and stir until the mixture reaches 160F/70C or until it coats the back of a spoon. Cover and keep warm while cooking pasta.
Drain the cooked pasta and combine it with the sauce. You can add additional Parmesan or Romano if you wish. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Nutrition

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Over The Rainbow Mac & Cheese

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 00:00:42 +0000

Over the rainbow mac and cheese is totally awesome since it’s so very cheesy.

Over The Rainbow Mac And Cheese

Cheese lovers will definitely be over the rainbow when they taste this mac and cheese.

This one is based off Patti LaBelle’s recipe that was so popular on Oprah’s programme. It’s quite different from the elbows and cheese I usually make that’s pretty creamy and only has one variety of cheese in it.

This over the rainbow mac and cheese has four, yes FOUR varieties of cheese in it. Now that’s a real plus for us cheese lovers. It also contains Muenster cheese which I absolutely love but never thought to include in a mac and cheese casserole.

Yes, Velveeta

I think I’ve heard all the jokes ever made about Velveeta and I even laugh at some. While I don’t consider it cheese per se–because it’s really not; it’s a spread–it’s a necessary ingredient in a lot of things I make. Dips being one of them, however, Velveeta forms a part of a lot of my cheese sauces. While it’s not a major ingredient, it has one very special quality–it prevents separation in any cheese sauce.

As I said, you only use a bit, but that bit helps your cheese sauce stay smooth. There’s more in this recipe than I usually use, but it works, so please don’t omit it!

Unfortunately for my UK and EU readers, Velveeta is almost impossible to find outside of the US, but there are many copycat recipes where you can make your own.

Make It Better

This is a perfect recipe for add-ins that you like.

To me, this screams for some shrimp or lobster in it. Leftover beef, pork and poultry work well too.

If you want, throw in some veggies–broccoli stands out here with a sliced fresh tomato topping. There’s so much you can do with this recipe!

The Recipe

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Over The Rainbow Mac & Cheese

Made famous by Oprah & Patti LaBelle

Prep Time25

Cook Time35

Course: Dinner, Main, Main/Side

Cuisine: American

Keyword: 4 cheese macaroni and cheese, Oprah mac and cheese, over the rainbow mac and cheese, Patti LaBelle macaroni and cheese

Servings: 6

Calories: 738kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 tbs vegetable oil
12 oz elbow macaroni
9 tbs butter divided
1/2 cup shredded Muenster cheese
1/2 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack
2 cups half-and-half
8 oz Velveeta , cut into small cubes
2 large eggs lightly beaten
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
!/4 cup dry plain bread crumbs optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Lightly butter a deep 2 1/2-quart/2L casserole.
Bring the large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the oil, then the elbow macaroni, and cook until the macaroni is just tender, about 7 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain well. Return to the cooking pot.
In a small saucepan, melt eight tablespoons of the butter. Stir into the macaroni. In a large bowl, mix the Muenster, mild and sharp Cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheeses. To the macaroni, add the half-and-half, 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese, the cubed Velveeta, and the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the buttered casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and dot with the remaining one tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle with bread crumbs if using.
Bake until it's bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes. Serve hot.

Nutrition

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Cheddar Garlic and Chive Drop Scones

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 04 Mar 2020 00:00:57 +0000

These savory scones are easy to make and full of flavor. They’re even better than those famous cheddar biscuits.

Drop Scones With Great Flavor

Although you could probably get away with calling these “biscuits” they are actually scones.

These scones are savory. When most folks think of scones, fruit is the first to come to mind. These will be a pleasant change of pace.

There’s plenty of sharp cheddar cheese flavor that’s enhanced by the aromatic “veggies” if you will. The only thing you need is the cheese if you’re a purist. If the other flavors are not to your liking, other herbs may replace them.

Substitutes

Most windowsill gardens and hydroponic herb seed kits contain chives so if you do either of those indoor gardening methods, you’ll have chives.

However, if you don’t, green onions are a great substitute if you want to keep everything fresh. Of course, dehydrated chives can be used. If you use them, use half the amount called for for fresh.

Don’t like garlic? Leave it out and use something you like instead. It’s that easy!

As far as the cheese goes, cheddar is the natural choice. Use what you have but bear in mind you don’t want a cheese that strings. Therefore, mozzarella is not recommended. Colby and brick are good choices as are milder cheddars.

Cold Hands

It’s important not to let this dough get too warm, otherwise the scones may become tough in texture.

This is why I use a food processor to do most of the work. I also use a big wooden spoon to mix the dough up after adding the liquid. And to make sure my hands are very cool, I rinse them for about 30 seconds under cold water.

When it comes to dividing up the dough into portions, and ice cream scoop will come in handy. A bendable plastic bench scraper works well too. The key is to keep this as cool as possible.

The Recipe

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Cheddar Garlic & Chive Drop Scones

Awesomely delicious especially with seafood

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Course: breads, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheddar scones, cheese biscuits, savory scones

Servings: 8

Calories: 436kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

3 cups flour
3 tbs granulated sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1 tbs garlic powder
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp sweet or hot paprika
3 tbs chopped fresh chives see NOTES
½ cup cold unsalted butter 1 stick, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 6 tablespoons/ melted unsalted butter
8 ounces sharp or extra-sharp Cheddar shredded (about 2 packed cups)
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375F/190C degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a food processor, process flour, sugar, baking powder, garlic powder, salt and paprika to combine. Add the 1/2 cup cubed butter and process until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Empty into a large bowl.
Stir in 1 1/2 cups/170 g of the cheese and chives into the flour mixture. Make a well in the center of the bowl. In a liquid measuring cup or in a small bowl with a spout, whisk the buttermilk and egg until well combined. Pour the mixture into the medium bowl and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the mixture is combined. Near the end, you may have to fold it over itself a few times in the bowl to make sure it’s uniformly combined. (Resist the urge to use your hands so that the mixture doesn’t get too soft or compressed.)
Scoop the dough into 12 even portions (about 1/2 cup/80 grams each) onto the prepared sheet pan. Stagger the biscuits on the baking sheets. (You should have 6 biscuits per sheet pan.)
Brush each biscuit with the melted butter (you won’t use it all) and divide the remaining shredded cheese among the tops of the biscuits (about 2 teaspoons per biscuit).
Transfer to the oven and bake the biscuits for 15 minutes, then brush each biscuit with butter again, and rotate the pans between the oven racks. Continue to bake until the biscuits are light golden and the cheese on top is deeply golden, 5 to 10 minutes more. The biscuits should spring back gently when touched in the center.
Brush the finished biscuits generously with the remaining butter. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving warm (or cool completely and serve at room temperature).

Notes

If using dehydrated chives, use half the amount called for for fresh

Nutrition

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Leek And Stilton Quiche

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 00:00:24 +0000

Not your usual quiche. This one has the great savory flavors of leeks and Stilton cheese. Leek and Stilton quiche is the perfect dinner for a Valentine’s Day date night.

Quiche With Leek And Stilton

Quiche was all the rage back in the 70s. Everyone seemed to be eating it as well as making jokes about it. Eventually it stopped being super popular but it never really went away.

One reason it may have ceased to be so popular is that it is definitely not a diet dish. It’s very rich and calorie packed. However, there’s really no other way to do it.

It is a dish to be enjoyed albeit on an occasional basis. Because of it’s richness a smaller portion does satisfy. Rather than the standard swiss cheese, bacon, spinach combo, this leek and stilton quiche gets it’s marvelous flavor from those two ingredients.

Stilton Cheese: A British Favorite

Second to cheddar, there is no cheese more British than Stilton.

It’s a blue mold cheese much like bleu cheese. In fact, if you cannot find Stilton in your store–and it’ll be in the gourmet cheese section–you can definitely substitute bleu cheese or Gorgonzola cheese. The flavors of those cheeses are all similar. I find that it’s not so much the flavor that varies as it is the texture. Stilton is a lot creamier than Gorgonzola or bleu cheese. So for an eating cheese, I prefer Stilton to the others. However, in this leek and Stilton quiche, it makes little difference which one you use and you don’t use much.

Perfect Pastry

The crust for this quiche is pretty simple and it’s prepared in the food processor. As an aside, the pastry can be made with bread flour (also known as strong flour in UK). I used all-purpose (plain flour in UK) simply because I had no bread flour and it came out fine, so use what you want.

In order to get a perfect looking crust, you can follow the video in my Caramel Crumb Peach Pie. In fact, you might want to switch entirely to a deep tart pan for making all your pies. I have so now every slice is perfect.

The Recipe

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Leek and Stilton Quiche

An updated British staple that uses their famous Stilton cheese.

Prep Time30

Cook Time40

Course: Brunch, Main, Main Course, vegetarian dishes

Cuisine: British

Keyword: leek and stilton quiche recipe, quiche, savory pies, valentine's day dinner

Servings: 8

Calories: 561kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

Pastry:

8 oz flour
4½ oz butter
1 egg
1 tbs water

Filling:

1 tbs olive oil
2 leeks thinly sliced
2 sticks celery thinly sliced
4 eggs
2 cups heavy cream
5½ oz Stilton cheese coarsely grated
2 tbs chopped parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F/200C.
Place the flour and butter into a food processor and pulse until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Add the egg and water and pulse until it just begins to ball up.
Roll out on a lightly floured surface and transfer to a 11-in/28cm deep quiche pan. Press up along the rim them prick with a fork. Chill for 15 minutes.
Line the pastry with parchments and pie weights (I use dry beans) and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the weights and paper and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until just cooked and pale golden. Remove crust from the oven. Reduce oven temp to 350F/180C.
To make filling: heat the oil in a large skillet then add the leeks and celery and saute over high heat for a few minutes.
Lover the heat, cover and simmner for 25 minutes or until veggies are tender. Remove cover and increase heat to high to evaporate any accumulated liquid.
Beat the eggs and cream together in a medium bowl. Whisk in the salt and pepper.
Spread the cooked leeks and celery evenly on the bottom of the crust. Top with the cheese and parsley. Pour the custard over the top.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden and just set on top. Let the quiche stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes

Gorgonzola or bleu cheese may be substituted if you cannot find Stilton.

Nutrition

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Cheese Coins

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 23:00:41 +0000

Cheese coins are neat little cheddar cheese “cookies” and perfect for after-school snacks!

These Cheese Snacks Are Easy

These cheese snacks are so easy, you’ll whip them up whenever a craving hits you. A food processor makes easy work of it and it has very few ingredients. I bet you have them all on hand too,

The recipe calls for cheddar, so I used some extra sharp in these. However, as long as it’s a hard cheese that will melt, substitute what you have on hand. Cheeses such as Parmesan or Romano won’t work because they don’t melt, but you can try a tablespoon or two in the dough in addition to what you used for flavor purposes. I adapted this from a recipe from Cuisinart.

About The Dough

I won’t fib here–the dough is pretty sticky and hard to handle right out of the food processor. This requires some chilling.

The good news is that you can easily make a double batch because once they’re shaped and wrapped in plastic wrap (cling film to those in UK) they’re ready to go when a snack attack hits you.

The initial chilling so you can shape them easily is about 30 minutes or so. Make sure to put them in the coldest section of the fridge. You can also stick the dough in the freezer for about 15 minutes. That would shorten the process a bit.

Once they’re rolled into log shapes, they’re wrapped tightly in the plastic wrap and then chilled again until they’re very firm. Then you just cut slices and bake what you want/need.

Bake Easy

These do spread a bit so give them room on the cookie sheet. Also, it’s a good idea to line the sheet with baking parchment even just for clean-up sake. Burnt-on cheese is no fun to clean up. They’ll release easily and keep your cookie sheet clean if you use the parchment.

The Recipe

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Cheese Coins

Great snack for cheese lovers

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Required Chilling3

Total Time3 15

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheese cracker recipe, cheese snacks, cookies, savory snacks

Servings: 50

Calories: 44kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

8 oz cheddar cheese cut in chunks
4 oz soft unsalted butter cut in chunks
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup flour

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Process cheese until it resembles a coarse meal, approximately 30 seconds.
Add butter, hot sauce (or pepper) and salt; process until smooth.
Scrape down the bowl and add the flour. Pulse until it just starts to go into a ball.
Chill dough until it’s firm enough to handle—about 30 minutes.
Divide dough into 3 equal parts and shape into logs about 1 1/2-inches in diameter; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 2-3 hours until very firm.
To bake: Preheat oven to 400 F/200 C. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Cut dough into 1/8-inch slices and place on prepared sheets about 2-inches apart. Bake about 10 minutes or until light golden around the edges. Cool on sheet for about 1 minute, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Unbaked logs may be frozen for future use. Makes about 100 cookies.

Nutrition

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Air Fryer Strawberry Cheese Danish

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 07 May 2019 23:00:55 +0000

A quick and easy strawberry cheese strip danish made in your air fryer.

Your Best Kitchen Buddy

If you don’t have an air fryer yet, you’re really missing out! This is one of the most versatile appliances I have in my kitchen.

It really does so much. The funny thing is I rarely use it to “fry” anything. My personal opinion is that the air fryer doesn’t replace a deep-fat fryer. What it’s best at, in my opinion, is replacing your oven!

I’ve baked small sweets and roasted chickens and beef in it and you just can’t beat the flavor. I tell everyone you’ll never roast a chicken conventionally nor buy one at the deli anymore once you’ve cooked one in this appliance.

And it’s perfect for this strawberry cheese strip danish too. Since some fryers vary by the amount of wattage they have, you may have to alter your times to cook a bit longer. My fryer is 1800W so that’s what my times are based upon.

The Ever Popular Crescent Roll Dough

Crescent roll dough is a real boon. It’s one of those convenience foods that can be used many ways–either sweet or savoury. One of my favorite ways to use it for something savoury is in my Chicken Crescent Bake. That recipe is great if you have leftover chicken or turkey.

Now this recipe is one where I used it for something sweet. And it was also the first time I used the type that came as an uncut sheet. I guess they got the idea to make it solid because so many people have been pinching and sealing the cuts in the usual variety. For this, I strongly suggest you use the solid sheet variety. The filling is somewhat dense so the seams could come apart easily. With the solid sheet, it’s still pretty soft and floppy to handle, but at least you don’t have to worry about a seal splitting when you’re putting it in the fryer!

Fresh Fruit

I used some strawberries that I had in the freezer from when they were on sale, but if you don’t have any, it can be an ingredient you may leave out.

Any flavor fruit jam can be used. I just like strawberry so that was my choice. This would taste just great with raspberry or black currant jam too.

The Recipe

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Air Fryer Strawberry Cheese Danish

Quick and easy strip danish made in the air fryer

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fryer

Servings: 6

Calories: 219kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 tube full-sheet crescent roll dough
4 oz cream cheese softened
1/4 cup strawberry jam
1/2 cup diced strawberries

Glaze:

1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2-3 tbs cream or milk

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Unroll sheet of crescent roll dough on a flat surface.
Microwave cream cheese for 20-30 seconds; stir until creamy and spreadable.
Spread the softened cream cheese over the sheet of dough. Then spread the strawberry jam on top of the cream cheese. Distribute the fresh diced strawberries evenly across the top.
Roll up from the short side. Pinch seam to seal.
Place a parchment round in the basket of the air fryer; spray with oil.
Fit the rolled-up pastry in the basket. You may have to curve it to fit—like a horseshoe shape.
Set air fryer for 350 degrees F and cook for 20-25 minutes. Remove from fryer and place on a rack or plate to cool.
Mix glaze ingredients and drizzle over cooled danish.

Video

Video in post (if one is available)

Nutrition

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Alice Springs Chicken

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 27 Apr 2019 23:00:18 +0000

Make this Alice Springs chicken at home. It’s even better than the restaurant!

The Flavors Everyone Loves

This Alice Springs chicken is one of the best-selling menu items at Outback Steak House. The reason, I think, is quite obvious. It has all the flavors that are most peoples’ favorites.

First and foremost–bacon. I haven’t come across anyone who didn’t like it. Next is cheese and you have a combination of two great cheeses in this. Last but not least is the marinade. It’s so delicious, you need to hold some back as a dipping sauce.

Now lets talk about ease of preparation. This one is very easy so I’m sure it’ll become part of your regular rotation.

Marinate For Deep Flavor

The basic flavors of the marinade are honey and dijon mustard. Of course, there’s other ingredients, however, they are the major flavors. As I said before, this marinade is so good you’ll want to use it as a dipping sauce so remember to reserve some before you add the chicken to it.

Most recipes that require marination give a time frame from 2 hours to overnight. If you’re pressed for time, then go with the minimum time. However, I do strongly advise you not to do this because the longer you marinate, the better the dish will taste. I’m sure I’m not saying anything you don’t know about this, but this chicken will taste SO much better if you start marinating the day before you plan to make it. In fact, I consider it a “must do.” You won’t be sorry waiting till the next day!!!

Different From The Others

I’ve seen many copycat recipes for this online. There’s always one thing I disliked about all of them–the cooking method.

Most say to brown the chicken over a higher heat then to cover and bake for a bit then add the toppings. You all know what happens when you bake something in the oven tightly covered. Yep, it gets all watery and it steams; it does not bake.

So what I did here was brown the chicken breast over a lower heat so that it would be done–or close to it–when it finished browning. Then I put the toppings on, transferred it to the oven uncovered, and baked for the additional time needed to finish both the chicken and the toppings. Comes out perfect that way!

The Recipe

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Alice Springs Chicken

Delicious copycat from the restaurant

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Marinate8

Total Time30

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken

Servings: 4

Calories: 662kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup mushrooms sliced fresh
2 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
1/2 cup Monterray jack cheese shredded
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish optional
4 bacon strips cooked. Streaky in UK, cut in 1-inch pieces

Marinade/Sauce:

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
Juice of 1 small lemon
1/4 cup mayonnaise

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl, reserve 1/2 cup for dipping sauce. Place chicken breasts in a zipper freezer bag and pour in the remaining marinade. Place in the refrigerator and marinate at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Melt butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat. When butter foams, add the sliced mushrooms and cook until the liquid is evaporated and the mushrooms are browned; remove from the pan and set aside.
In the same skillet, add the olive oil over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from the marinade, letting excess drip off. Discard the marinade.
Place chicken in the skillet and let it brown—do not move it—this will take about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken and brown the other side without moving it.
Distribute the mushrooms evenly on top of each chicken breast. Mix the cheeses together and divide evenly over the top of each chicken breast. Distribute bacon evenly on top.
Place skillet in preheated oven and cook for about 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted, bacon begins to crisp and the internal temperature is 160 degrees F.

Video

Nutrition

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