Creamy Cheesy Chicken

I went looking for a new recipe tonight.  Found this one on my friend's pinterest board.  This will definitely be added to the chicken rotation.  I doubled the recipe, using 2 teaspoons of dried minced onion and a package of boneless chicken tenders (one and a half to one and three quarters pounds).  (I copied the recipe as is, including the blogger's notes).

Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used boneless skinless strips)
4 oz softened cream cheese
2 tablespoons softened butter
2 tablespoons whole cream
1 tablespoon minced onion (I omitted this simply because I didn't have any)
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 cup of shredded cheese (I used cheddar and I used more than 1/2 a cup)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a 9x9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and place your chicken in without overlapping.
2. Mix the cream cheese, butter, cream, onion, and spices and spread the mixture evenly over the chicken.
3. Spread the cheese on top and bake for about 45 minutes or until chicken is done. Let it rest and cool a bit after taking it from the oven.

Cheesy Chicken with Mushrooms

The boyfriend has been finding lots of new recipes for us to try lately.  This is one of the recent ones.  I wasn't thinking clearly at the store that evening, so I grabbed regular chicken breasts - next time I will definitely take the poster's advice of getting tenderloins.  A bit of browning the breadcrumbs on the chicken and layer in the pan with mushrooms and mozzarella cheese - add a bit of broth to keep it moist and you're done!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup (112 grams) Italian bread crumbs
• 16 ounces sliced mushrooms, divided
• 4 tablespoons (57 grams) salted butter, divided
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 cup (237 ml) chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spread half of the sliced mushrooms over the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
3. Place the eggs and bread crumbs in two separate shallow dishes (pie plates work great for this).
4. Dip the chicken breasts in the egg, then into the bread crumbs, patting them to adhere.
5. In a 12-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat until melted. Add half of the breaded chicken to the pan and saute until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and place on top of the mushrooms in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining butter and chicken breasts.
6. Sprinkle the remaining sliced mushrooms over the chicken, then top with the shredded mozzarella cheese. Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the pan.
7. Bake until the cheese is melted and browned, and the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.

RECIPE NOTES:

• I recommend using the thin sliced chicken breasts, or chicken tenders.
• This dish is also great with Swiss cheese instead of mozzarella.
• You can choose to cover the dish with aluminum foil while baking to retain the juices, however the mozzarella cheese will not brown.

Pimiento Cheese

I was looking for a "southern" appetizer to go with my Soul Food theme for a dinner party I was having and I found this recipe.  It is so yummy!  I've made it several times since then, and it is always gobbled down by guests.

I prefer to make it with finely shredded cheese.  And I didn't want to grate an onion just for 1 tsp., so I used dried onion instead.

Click here for the original recipe on the Southern Living website.

Basic Pimiento Cheese Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1 (4-oz.) jar diced pimiento, drained
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. finely grated onion
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
1 (8-oz.) block extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, finely shredded
1 (8-oz.) block sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

Stir together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in cheese. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.

Quesadillas

Years ago, I was vegetarian (mostly) and thought I'd remain single.  My friend, and also vegetarian, both loved this cookbook so we both bought a copy - The Intimate Vegetarian.  The recipes are written for both singles and couples.  This is the single version of a quesadilla.  I picked and chose what I wanted to include.  Sometimes it was just cheese.  In the photo, from 2008, it was olives, a bit of yellow onion, and cheddar cheese.

1 8-inch flour tortilla
1/2 cup grated Cheddar or Jack cheese
Heaping 1 Tbsp finely chopped green bell pepper
1 Tbsp finely chopped green onion
1 Tbsp sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp sliced black olives
About 1 tsp butter or oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup shredded lettuce or alfalfa sprouts (optional)
Dollop of sour cream
Salsa, to taste
1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1. Lay tortilla flat.  Spread cheese evenly over one half, covering from the center "line" (along which the tortilla will fold) to the edges.  Sprinkle bell pepper, green onion, mushrooms, and olives over cheese.
2. Fold uncovered half of tortilla over covered half.  Don't worry if it doesn't stay folded, it will once it's cooked.
3. Warm a griddle to 340* or warm a large skillet over medium heat (a nonstick pan is best).  Add butter or oil to lightly coat.  Add folded tortilla.  You may need to gently press the top half down with a spatula until it stays folded on its own.  Cook until lightly browned underneath (about 3 to 5 minutes).  Flip over and cook until cheese is melted and tortilla is lightly browned underneath.
4. Tuck lettuce or alfalfa sprouts (if desired) inside the quesadilla.  Add sour cream, salsa, and cilantro (if desired) either to inside of quesadilla or on top as a colorful garnish.

Smoky Four Cheese Macaroni Bake

The boyfriend found this recipe a few years ago, but we haven't made it again because I found some other macaroni and cheese recipes to try and, well, one can only eat so much mac and cheese.  But I've been thinking of this one lately and thought it was time to make it again.  I love the addition of the liquid smoke.  And all the different types of cheese.  I used preshredded cheeses from the store, and because of that, used a colby-jack blend.  And a whole pound of elbow pasta - I don't think I've seen it in 12 ounce packages (although that was a mistake as I lost track and dumped the whole box into the boiling water before I remembered that it was only supposed to be 12oz).


1 (12 ounce) package macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup minced onion
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring (optional)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,cubed
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook for 3 minutes until it begins to soften. Add the garlic, and continue cooking until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 2 minutes more. Slowly stir in the flour, and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
Stir in the half-and-half and milk, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in mustard powder and liquid smoke; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, along with the cream cheese, Swiss, Monterey Jack, and Cheddar cheeses; stir until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the drained macaroni noodles. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs over the macaroni
Bake in preheated oven until bubbly and brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Ham a la King in Pastry Shells

If you're looking for a homemade, rich cheese sauce infused with wine, look no further.  This would be delicious on so many things -- from pasta to chicken to vegetables and everything in between.

I had trouble getting this to thicken, which I think is because I used 1% milk.  I would either reduce the milk to 1 cup or increase the fat content, perhaps even use half and half or cream.  I used 1/2 pound of diced ham and it was plenty.  I think using the full amount will be way too much.  I didn't buy pastry shells -- I used Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits instead.

This recipe comes from a gem of a cookbook I checked out of the library called Cooking with Wine by Virginia and Robert Hoffman.

Ham a la King in Pastry Shells

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 small onion, minced

1 pound ham, diced

2 Tbsp butter or margarine

2 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 cups milk, at room temperature

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

3/4 cup Chardonnay wine or Sherry (I used Stone Cellars Chardonnay)

1 cup frozen petite peas

6 prepared individual pastry shells, baked according to directions

On low heat, saute the pepper, onion, and ham until tender.  Set aside.  (The recipe doesn't say what to do with the peas -- I just tossed them into this mixture at this point.)

In a saucepan, make the cheese sauce by slowly melting the butter.  After it is melted, add the flour 1 Tbsp at a time, stirring constantly.  Add the milk slowly, and continue stirring.  Then, slowly add the cheese.  Still stirring constantly, add the wine or Sherry.  Cook over low heat until it bubbles.  (I cooked it over medium and it took awhile to bubble)  Add the meat and vegetables.

Pour into prepared pastry shells.  Serves 6.

Serve with a Chardonnay or Pinot Blanc.

Marinated Olive and Cheese Ring

This recipe is FABULOUS!

Ir is much easier to make than it looks.  All you have to do is cut up cheese, put it in a circle, plop olives in the middle, and mix up a quick dressing.  Use whatever olives you like.  I just got a variety at the olive bar at our grocery store.  I used dried spices, but using fresh as directed would punch it up even more.  (1 Tbsp of most fresh herbs = 1 tsp dried)

It comes from the December 2013 issue of Taste of Home.

Marinated Olive and Cheese Ring

1 pkg cream cheese, cold (it's easier to cut it when it's cold)
1 pkg sharp cheddar (the recipe says white, but I liked the variation of white and yellow)
1/3 cup pimiento-stuffed olives
1/3 cup pitted Greek olives

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 Tbsp minced fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jar 2 oz pimiento strips, drained and chopped

Toasted French bread baguette slices (I served it with crackers)

Cut cream cheese lengthwise in half; cut each half into 1/4 in slices.  On a serving plate, arrange cheeses upright in a ring, alternating cheddar and cream cheese slices.  Place olives in center of ring.

In a small bowl, whisk vinegar, oil, parsley, basil, and garlic until blended.  Drizzle over cheese and olives.  Sprinkle with pimientos.

Refrigerate, covered, at least 8 hours or overnight.  Serve with baguette slices.