It's not shocking that Americans devour more calories on Super Bowl Sunday, more than any other day, even Thanksgiving Day! You'll want to count these cheese-wrapped olives in for your Super Bowl fare...
They're from another era - oldies but goodies - that are still popular today. I posted them way back here when I first started this blog and thought they deserved a repeat now in time for Super Bowl parties.
They're easy to make: just wrap olives in a tasty cheddar dough, freeze and then bake until golden and serve when needed.
So... have your football cronies chow down on these little gems while they're watching the game. Once they sink their teeth into a cheesy olive, they'll huddle around the plate down to the last bite!!
Ingredients: 50 small pimento-stuffed green olives, drained and patted dry 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese 1/2 cup butter 1 cup sifted flour 1 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper Method: Make sure the olives are drained well (I pat them dry with a paper towel.) Blend cheese and butter. Sift next 3 ingredients together. Combine cheese with flour and butter mixture. It makes a stiff dough. Pinch off a small amount of dough and flatten in palm of hand. Wrap dough completely around olive. Place on baking sheet in a single layer and freeze; once frozen, they can be placed in a resealable plastic bag until ready to bake. Do not thaw before baking. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400°. Place olives on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, until golden. Transfer to serving plate. Serve warm or room temperature.
What’s all the buzz about the kitchen appliance, the Instant Pot? What’s with that? It’s like a cult following, an obsession. Is it worth getting one? It took me a while to buy one, but I caved in and bought one.
The Instant Pot is a small appliance with a digital control panel that is programmable for multiple uses ~ it’s a slow cooker, a steamer, a rice cooker or porridge maker, a sauté pan, a yogurt maker and a keep-warm serving pot, all in one convenient pot. It speeds up cooking time, cooking quickly without having to stand over the food.
It’s the most advanced pressure cooker available today, it’s safe to use, easy to clean, quiet and doesn’t heat up the surrounding area ~ a great thing for summertime usage. Since it’s a multi-cooker, the Instant Pot can replace a number of small appliances around the kitchen. The first thing I cooked in it was hard-boiled eggs, perfectly, I might add. They cooked quickly in 7 minutes, and were a gem to peal ~ no more hard-boiled eggs looking like craters on the moon and no more nasty green rings around the yolk! Then I moved on to America’s favorite, mac and cheese. I loved cooking it this way! No draining pasta, no second pot for the sauce! To put it simply ~ add the ingredients to the pot - let it cook - add milk and cheese - melt the cheese - eat - it is delicious!
If you’ve just acquired an Instant Pot or are considering purchasing one for your kitchen, this is the perfect recipe to start with. It’s easy, and it makes mealtime a breeze!
I just hope you have an easier time than I did in setting the lid on and locking it in place. A little tricky! The mac and cheese turns out perfectly delicious! I’m impressed with the recipe and even more impressed with the Instant Pot and everything it can do. Instant Pot Creamy Mac and Cheese Slightly adapted from Center Cut Cook Ingredients: 1 pound elbow macaroni 3 tablespoons butter 4 cups water 1 tablespoon dry ground mustard 2 teaspoons sea salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 cup evaporated milk 16 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or combo of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses) ½ cup Parmesan cheese Method: Add macaroni, butter, water, mustard, salt and pepper to Instant Pot. Secure lid, select Manual, and High Pressure for 4 minutes. Once complete, use a quick release. Open lid and check that the pasta is cooked completely. If not, select Sauté, and cook for another 2 minutes until pasta is cooked. Add in evaporated milk and the cheeses. Continue to mix and stir until creamy. Add any extra salt to taste. Serve hot! 6-8 servings Printable recipe Happy cooking!
Biscuits aren’t
fancy but believe me, these biscuits are as about as flavorsome as you can imagine
a biscuit would be ~ crispy on the outside and smooth on the inside.
Over the years, I’ve tried many variations of
this biscuit and never achieved a “great” crusty top layer until by accident recently. Here’s how it went:
Normally, in recipes
for cheese-garlic biscuits, the biscuits are baked and then brushed with the
garlic butter when they come out of the oven.
But, one evening in a rush, I brushed them with the butter mixture when
I realized they needed more baking time ~ they just weren’t the golden brown
they should have been and I was afraid they may not be baked through on the
inside.
So back in the oven they went
and when they came out and I bit into one, Voila! I was shocked! They were a beautiful golden brown, tender
inside with a very crusty, cheesy, garlicky top!
We swore they were
the best! Make the batter, drop the
biscuits and bake a while. Pull them out
of the oven; brush with a butter, garlic, pepper and parsley mixture. Then return the biscuits to the oven and bake
for another 5 minutes or so. They’re perfectly
delicious and you won’t be able to stop at one!
Cheddar Garlic
Pepper Biscuits
For biscuits:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
3 tablespoons butter, cold
1¼ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup buttermilk OR ½ cup sour cream whisked with ½ cup
milk
For basting:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Dash salt
Method:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with
parchment paper.
Mix flour, baking powder, garlic powder and ½ teaspoon
salt in a medium bowl.
Cut in the shortening and cold butter into the flour
mixture using a fork, pastry blender or your fingers until the dough resembles
coarse crumbs.
Mix in cheese.
Stir in buttermilk until just moistened. Do not overmix.
Drop dough onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper,
about ¼ cup for each biscuit. Or, use a
kitchen tablespoon and heap it extra large.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Stir together melted butter, garlic powder, salt, pepper
and parsley in a small bowl. With a
light hand, brush over warm biscuits.
Bake for another 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve immediately
Makes 12 biscuits
They are so crunchy delicious that they will
become your “go-to” biscuits like they are mine!!!
Be sure to visit
my friend, Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and recipes.
Hallelujah!
Memorial Day weekend is close and what better way to jump start summer
than with a refreshing cocktail and some cheese pie!
I’ve done the blueberry pancake thing and the blueberry muffins ~ now it’s time for a mighty blueberry cocktail. If you favor a fancy martini, here it is; filled with vodka, lemon juice and blue curaçao garnished with a skewer of fresh blueberries.
Curaçao, say “cure-ah-so” is named for the CaribbeanDutchWestIndianIsland. It’s a liqueur made with dried sour orange peel, a method popularized on that little island. The blue coloring is for added flair. Berry drinks bring out the kid in us all ~ you just might like this so much that you’ll end up making it by the pitcher!
Blueberry Martini
Ingredients:
About 30-40 small blueberries
3 ounces vodka
1 ounce Blue Curaçao Liqueur
2/3 ounce lemon juice, or more to taste
Several blueberries on a cocktail pick for garnish
Method:
Muddle the blueberries in a cocktail shaker.
Add the vodka, curaçao and lemon juice.
Fill shaker with ice.
Shake vigorously to help the blueberries release more color and flavor.
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a chilled martini glass.
Add blueberry garnish.
2 servings
Cheese Pie
Ingredients:
½ pound sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
½ pound white Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup mayonnaise
1 small onion, minced
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Several drops Tabasco sauce
Method:
Spread cheese in a glass pie plate.
Mix the remaining ingredients and place on top of the cheese.
The word strata means layers. Between layers of cheese, eggs and bread, you can add about any ingredient to it you wish: mushrooms, onions, browned sausage, crisp bacon, tomatoes and whatever green you favor.
Spinach in flower
A strata makes a great breakfast or brunch dish and is similar to a frittata or quiche. The earliest strata recipe goes back to a 1902 recipe named Cheese Strata; a gratin of layers of bread, white sauce and cheese but no bread.
Stratas are also a delicious way of making something great out of leftovers and anything else you may have on hand. This strata can be assembled the day before and refrigerated until baking time.
For me, this strata would be a savory meal any time of the day. It would be great for a meatless supper along with a salad with the eggs supplying the protein. Let your imagination take you there for a delicious strata!
Spinach and White Cheddar Strata
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 (10 ounce) packages fresh spinach
8 ounces sliced mushrooms, about 3 cups
4 cups day-old bread cubes
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1½ cups whole milk
1½ cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese, divided
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Method:
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil and cook spinach until wilted, about 2 or 3 minutes.
Drain well in a colander, releasing as much liquid as possible using a spoon, spatula or paper towels.
Sauté mushrooms in skillet until liquid is rendered.
Return spinach to skillet with mushrooms and combine.
Arrange bread cubes in a 13” x 9” baking dish.
Place spinach, mushroom mixture over bread cubes.
In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, mustard, ¾ cup cheese, salt and pepper.
Pour over top of spinach mixture.
Top with remaining cheese.
Cover with foil and refrigerate over-night or at least 8 hours.
I am a huge Pat Conroy fan, especially liking the stories regarding the Low Country, and have read all of his books.
As I said in my bio, I love to read cookbooks and this one I am going to tell you about is just as much a novel as a cookbook. It is: The Pat Conroy Cookbook, Recipes of My Life.
This cookbook is filled with marvelous tales about food, the South, living in Italy and fascinating people. Pat Conroy can tell a story like no one else, particularly about the Low Country. His description of the many cities he has resided in, his description of food and of people is incredible. You sort of feel like he is the all-American guy who you just know if you ever got the chance to meet him, you would swear you’d known him all your life. Even if you do not care for any of these things, you should this book only because he tells a good story! He is a master story-teller!
In the South, eating the feast after a funeral is compared to Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. It is tradition there to cook for a grieving family and friends and to carry the dish to the deceased person’s home the evening before the funeral. Pat’s “go-to” dish for this occurrence when in Beaufort, SC was Pickled Shrimp. He says: “When a friend dies, I take two pounds of shrimp for the mourners. When a good friend dies, I go to five pounds. When I die, I fully expect all the shrimp in Beaufort to be pickled that day.” I imagine, there won’t be a shrimp to be found in Beaufort after his funeral!
Dunbar macaroni is the dish that always appears at funeral time in Newbury, South Carolina, to the delight of many people. The history of Dunbar macaroni belongs to Newbury and Pat learned of it through the death of his friend. This recipe belongs to Julia Randel, his friend’s grandmother. Ground beef or pork is added to it sometimes, but Julia insists that Dunbar Macaroni was meatless in its original form. It is a winner!
Dunbar Macaroni
Ingredients:
1½ cups elbow macaroni
4 onions, chopped
2 (16-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, preferable San Marzano, mashed, without their juice
¾ pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 tablespoons butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook macaroni. Drain and set aside.
Cook the onions in 3 cups boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain.
Add the tomatoes and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, until liquid has evaporated.
Add the cooked macaroni, cheese, butter, salt and pepper.
Mix together and pour into a large greased casserole dish.
Bake for 50 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Serve hot.
Serves 8-10.
Now, cook up some Dunbar macaroni, relax, read some Pat Conroy and prepare for an adventure!
I love grits however prepared and it is probably an acquired taste but, I loved grits dishes when I first had them living in Louisville and it even made a Southerner out of Bill when grits won him over.
It’s kind of funny also that after we were married and had lived in Louisville a while, he was the one with the strong southern accent, and I was the one who grew up there! I always knew he was a gentleman, and then realized he was a southerner too at heart, truly a southern gentleman!
The Grit Poem
Here's an ode to the lowly grit. The more you eat the better they git. Ye can get 'em yellow, ye can get 'em white, makes no difference if you cook 'em right!
Eat 'em at breakfast, lunch or dinner. Anytime ye eat 'em, they're a winner. Eat 'em with eggs and a little meat, Without grits no meals complete!
Some folks like 'em kinda bland. Others say butter makes 'em grand. As for me, just bring 'em on. ain't no way to fix 'em wrong!
There's a special place in my heart for the farmers who do their part. To them I owe many thank ye's. 'cause without grits, we'd all be Yankees!
Now don't ya'll Yankees start a fuss. We're glad ya'll moved here with us. Pick up a spoon and put 'em in your mouth, you'll thank God you moved down South!
The best advice I've ever given, if you ain't eatin' grits, then you ain't livin! then you'll enter at Heaven's gate, and you'll find grits are on your plate!
Let me make just one more rhyme. It'll soon be breakfast time. No matter where you go to eat, be sure you get that Heavenly treat. GRITS !!!!!
William D. Faulkner
There really is a huge difference between commercial milled grits and stone ground grits. I had never eaten stone ground grits until we took a trip to Savannah, Georgia and there was no turning back. It is remarkable that being stone ground can make such a big difference.
Since I haven't found stone ground grits around here, I order mine from Nora Mill Granary just as I do my stone ground corn meal. Here is what the folks at Nora Mill say about grits: “Mass-produced grits are steamed to loosen the tough outer shell before the grains are dried, and the hull, bran and germ are removed, leaving a product somewhat lacking in nutritive content – not to mention taste. Nora Mill Stone Ground Grits are stone ground from dried, hulled, locally grown corn kernels and always include the nutritious and flavorful germ of the corn. The germ is rich in niacin, iron and riboflavin.” They made a believer of me as their grits are not only tasty; they have a great crunchy, gritty texture also!
If you have never eaten grits, you are in for a surprise and now is a great time to try the versatile dish. Grits can be made spicy by adding jalapeno peppers or shrimp, bacon, scallops, crab, mushrooms, andouille or any other kind of sausage, whatever you like! Here is a great delicious grits casserole recipe loaded with cheese and garlic, having a great creamy yet crunchy texture:
Garlic Cheese Grits Casserole
Ingredients:
4 ½ cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup stone ground grits
1 stick butter
1 tube Kraft Garlic cheese*
2 eggs, beaten
½ teaspoon baking powder
Milk
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional
Method:
Bring water and salt to a boil.
Slowly stir in grits and return to low boil.
Cook for 5-10 minutes until thickened.
Add garlic cheese and butter to hot grits and stir until melted and incorporated.
Pour 2 beaten eggs into measuring cup and add enough milk to make 1 cup liquid.
Slowly stir the egg mixture into the grits.
Cook 2-3 minutes.
Pour the mixture into a greased casserole dish.
If desired, sprinkle top with ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese after 30 minutes of baking.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
*If you can not find a roll of Kraft Garlic Cheese, substitute 1 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese and 1-2 teaspoons garlic powder, depending on how much of a garlic taste you want. Or, try 10 ounces herb and garlic cheese, such as Boursin.
This is not everyday fare! It is not a low calorie dish!
It is an utterly sinful savory side dish for a special occasion! The flavor of the tangy sharp cheddar cheese is taken to another level with the addition of the bread, spices and butter.
Mary Ellis, my best friend from high school days, gave me this recipe 40 years ago. Cheese pudding defies description; cheesy, great firm texture and filled with flavor. Food and special occasions go hand in hand and this cheese pudding recipe is perfect for that special meal.
The cheese pudding is prepared the day before serving, which is a good thing if you are planning a dinner party. It needs to be refrigerated for 12 hours and then stand at room temperature for 3 hours before baking. Cheese pudding is a very savory dish and goes particularly well with beef, sort of like Yorkshire pudding. Serve it along side a crisp garden salad with a good vinaigrette dressing!
Cheese Pudding
Ingredients:
10 slices bread, crust removed and cut into cubes
1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese
3 eggs, separated
1 t. ground mustard
1 t. salt
1/8 t. cayenne
2 c. milk
1 T. onion, grated
1 stick butter
Method:
Melt butter in 2 quart casserole dish.
Cube bread and stir into butter.
Blend in cheese.
In small bowl, combine egg yolks and milk. Add to dry ingredients, stir well.
Beat egg whites. Fold in gently.
Set in refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
Remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 3 hours.
Bake 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until set, with knife coming out clean.
We all know that Popeye loved his spinach, enabling him to be strong but he also really knew what was good for his heart, Olive Oyl!
The petite fruit is one of the oldest foods known to man and contains many health benefits, such as oleic acid, is an important source of fibre and filled with vitamins and minerals. The olive tree was a symbol of happiness and peace with olives being a source of oil and food.
Seaside with Olive Trees
Alush Shima
The tastes, varieties and sizes
of olives are amazing. I’ve got many olive recipes and this is one of
my favorite, so good and combines with olives an ingredient I love,
cheese! It makes a
great appetizer. It’s tasty, unique and easy in that they can be
prepared ahead of time, frozen and then just popped in the oven for a
warm savory hors d’ oevures. What could be easier?
It is doubtful if the Pilgrim’s had potatoes on their Thanksgiving table but, they most likely did have squash that the Indians brought with them to the feast.
Norman Rockwell, Freedom from Want
In fact, most of the food at their first Thanksgiving, being American foodstuff, was new to the Pilgrim’s. The main meal was corn meal mush with nuts and fruit, probably deer and game birds, squash and pumpkin. "Squash, so American that its very name is Indian: it is a shortening of the Narragansett 'askutashquash.' As this means literally something that is eaten raw, we are entitled to believe that this was the way the Indians ate it." - Eating in America, by Waverley Root and Richard de Rochemont
Did you like squash when you were a kid? I do not remember ever eating squash as a child, maybe Mom did cook it occasionally but that doesn't mean I ate it.
I probably changed when I ate a Squash Casserole somewhere and then learned to eat it baked with spices and Parmesan cheese and loved it. So now, Thanksgiving, is the perfect time for this delicious squash dish! It is wonderful with all the seasonings, panko and the tasty cheese topping.
Think of squash this way, "You can enjoy it with the added advantage of not needing a tennis court or a racquet." And if you don't have storage room for it, it will feel right at home sitting in your wine rack!
Butternut Squash Gratin
Ingredients:
1 T. butter
½ white onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 ½ lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ¾” chunks
1 t.brown sugar ½ c. chicken broth
4 oz. Gruyère cheese, shredded
4 oz. extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
½ c. panko bread crumbs
¼ t. dried sage
¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese
Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.
Melt butter in skillet, stir in onions and garlic. Cook until onions are soft and golden, about 10 minutes.
Add squash and brown sugar.
Continue cooking and stirring until the squash begins to brown on the edges, but is still somewhat firm in the center, about 10 minutes more.
Scrape the squash into prepared baking dish and pour in the chicken broth.
Wrap tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake in oven until the liquid has been absorbed and the squash is tender, about 45 minutes. In a bowl, toss together the Gruyere and cheddar cheese, breadcrumbs and thyme until evenly combined.
Remove foil from the baking dish and sprinkle cheese mixture over squash.
Sprinkle Parmesan on top.
Place back in oven and bake uncovered for 15 minutes, until the top is slightly crunchy and golden brown.
