GK

Blue Cheese Sauce

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This simple variation on cream sauce is great on vegetables, but also delish on beef.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbs butter
  • ¼ c onion – finely chopped
  • 2 tbs flour
  • ¼ tsp garlic salt
  • 1 pkg (3 oz) cream cheese, room temp.
  • ¼ c blue cheese – crumbled
  • 2 oz sliced pimentos
  • 1 c milk

Directions:

  1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter.  Add onion, cook until soft but not browned.
  2. Stir in flour and garlic salt.  Cook, stirring, until bubbly.
  3. Remove pan from heat.
  4. Mix in cream cheese, blue cheese and pimentos.
  5. Gradually add milk.
  6. Return to heat, cook, stirring, until sauce is thick.

Serves: 1 cup

Source: Cooks.com

Rosemary Roasted Cashews

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You know those nuts you stuck in the freezer and are now a little “not crunchy” – try this.

“This recipe is almost directly from the Bar Nuts at Union Square Cafe in New York City and its wonderful cookbook of the same name.”

Ingredients:

  • 1 pounds cashew nuts
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • (I added about 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, because I like garlic)

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Place the nuts on an ungreased baking sheet.
  3. Bake for about 10 minutes until they are warmed through.
  4. Meanwhile, combine the rosemary, pepper, sugar, salt and butter (and garlic) in a large bowl.
  5. Toss the warm nuts with the rosemary mixture until the nuts are completely coated.
  6. Serve warm.
  7. And they are even better the next day!

Serves: Approximately 4 cups

Source:  Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Show

 

Coffee Ice Cream

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Boy, is this simple.  I can see trying it with powdered drink granules too.

Ingredients:

  • 3 Tab instant coffee granules ( I used espresso.)
  • 2 Tab water (or use a coffee liqueur.)
  • 3/4 c sweetened condensed milk
  • 3 c whipping cream

Directions:

Mix coffee granules with hot water until dissolved.

  1. Stir into sweetened condensed milk and cream in a large bowl.
  2. Beat until thick.  (“Beat the heck out of it”)
  3. Freeze.

Serves:  1 1/2 pints  more or less, depends on how much you taste before it freezes.

Source:  Donna Barasch

German Potato Salad (a la Scott’s Grandmother)

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This recipe came to us from our friend Scott Wolfgang, via his aunt. The German ladies would all contribute dishes to church socials, and this one was his grandmother’s specialty. We made it for the Twelfth Night party that he and Jackie hosted, and consensus was it was pretty darned good.

Ingredients

Salad:

  • 10 medium potatoes, cooked, peeled, sliced.
  • 4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
  • 4 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 small onions, chopped

Dressing (see note below):

  • 4 slices bacon, diced
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 tbsp corn starch
  • ½-¾ cup sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • 1/3 cup vinegar

Directions

  1. Combine potatoes, eggs, celery, onion in a large bowl; mix gently.
  2. Cook bacon in skillet until crisp.
  3. Combine water and corn starch, mixing well
  4. Stir corn starch mixture, sugar, salt, pepper, and vinegar into skillet.
  5. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick.
  6. Pour dressing over potato mixture; mix gently.
  7. Cover and chill overnight.
  8. Spoon into a dutch oven.
  9. Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated. Serve immediately.

Servings: 12

Notes:

  • A note on the handwritten recipe suggests doubling the dressing recipe.
  • One question that came up during cooking was how much of the bacon fat to retain in the dressing. We drained all but about a tablespoon.

Brandy Cheese Dip

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So, we have all this leftover cream cheese spread (the soft stuff)- what to do????

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz Gouda Cheese, shredded
  • 8 oz sour cream
  • 8 oz cream cheese (I used cream cheese spread)
  • 3 Tab brandy

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Combine Gouda, sour cream, cream cheese and brandy in a 1 quart casserole dish.
  3. bake for 30 minutes.

Serves:  24 – Makes about 3 cups.

Source:  allrecipes.com, MKATZ1968

Garlic Cheese Pull-Apart Bread

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This is the recipe EVERYONE will want!

Ingredients:

  • 16 frozen white dinner rolls
  • ½ C butter, melted
  • 1 C grated Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 1 tsp dry parsley flakes
  • 1½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp Italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp onion powder

Instructions:

  1. Remove frozen rolls from freezer and loosely wrap them in plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature for 45 minutes.
  2. Cut rolls in half with a clean pair of scissors.
  3. Combine melted butter and seasonings together.
  4. Pour over dough and gently mix.
  5. Add ½ C of grated cheese and combine.
  6. Make sure each piece of dough is coated.
  7. Line the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan with the piece of dough and then top with remaining grated cheese. (or use 2 cake pans – not pie tins)
  8. Allow to rise in a warm place for 1½ – 2½ hours.
  9. Cover bottom of pan with foil to prevent butter from leaking out.
  10. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until center is completely done.

Source: Leigh Anne from yourhomebasedmom.com

Bleu Chicken Dip/Salad

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“So, what’s for lunch?”  “I don’t know.  I’ll forage for food.”  So I find a can of chicken breast meat – age unknown (but the can is not bulging so it must be ok.)  Inside the label is a recipe for Chicken Salad boooring.  Oh, but the Bleu Chicken Dip looks interesting.  I left out the butter and used mayonnaise (yes, real) for half the sour cream and made a rather interesting chicken salad.  Should make a wonderful dip.

Ingredients:

  • 3 c Tyson Premium Chunk Chicken Breast, drained (So, any cooked chicken would work, right?)
  • (1/4 c butter) did not use
  • 3 oz bleu cheese (I probably used more – blue cheese is good!)
  • 1 Tab instant minced onions (Again, probably more – we don’t measure for lunch.)
  • 1 c sour cream – used 1/2c sour cream and 1/2 c mayonnaise
  • 1 Tab Worcestershire sauce
  • I added a squeeze of lemon juice (Lucia said “It takes the curse of of canned stuff.”)

Directions:

  1. (Melt butter in skillet and add chicken, crumbled.) Did not bother to do this for the salad.
  2. (Heat on medium heat, stirring constantly until hot.) Probably would just mix everything and heat in oven 350° for 20-30 minutes f for the dip.  If it is too thick for a dip, thin with Ranch Dressing or Blue Cheese dressing.  For salad, just mix and serve cold.
  3. Combine bleu cheese, onion, sour cream, mayonnaise and Worcestershire.
  4. Pour over chicken mixing well.
  5. Heat until bubbling around edge of pan.
    Serve warm on tortilla chips or crackers.

Serves: 4

Source:  Inside the label of a can of Tyson premium Chunck Chicken Breast

Smoky Buttered Brussels Sprouts

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Liken’ roasted Brussels?- Try these.  Faster and good!

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb Brussels sprouts
  • 1 tablespoon bacon grease
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, adjust to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, adjust to taste

Directions:

  1. Slice each Brussels sprout into 4-5 thin pieces. The Brussels sprouts I had were enormous, if yours are on the smaller side, just half them or slice them into thirds.
  2. Melt the butter and the bacon grease in a large skillet over medium high heat.
  3. Let it almost brown and then swirl to coat the pan.
  4. Add the Brussels sprouts and toss to coat well.
  5. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Stirring occasionally, let them cook for about 3 minutes.
  7. They are done when they are piping hot and just a bit crisp still.
  8. Right before they are finished, stop stirring and let them brown for 20-30 seconds.
  9. Enjoy!

    * If you do not have bacon grease in your refrigerator,just cook a chopped up slice of bacon in the skillet prior to adding the butter and then vegetables. It will work just as well and the bacon certainly won’t hurt the Brussels sprouts.

Serves: 4

Source: Barefeet in the Kitchen

Rum-Brown Sugar Vinaigrette

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We went on a trip on The Independence ( American Cruise Lines) up the coast of Maine.  Great food!!! This dressing was on their Bleu Cheese Salad.  The chef was very generous about sharing recipes.

Ingredients:

  • 6 Tab olive oil
  • 5 Tab pineapple juice
  • 3 tsp dark rum
  • 2 tsp lime juice
  • 1/4 tsp dried chili pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 Tab white balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions:

  1. Place all ingredients into the bowl of a blender with the exception of the olive oil.
  2. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until vinaigrette comes together.

Serves:  Makes 1 1/2 cups

Source:  Executive Chef, American Cruise Lines