3.02.2010

Cheddar Cheesy Grits


As a person from the South, I love to enjoy comfort food, whether that comes in the form of hearty mac 'n' cheese, my mother's chicken fried steak or some delicious cheesy grits. Until eating at an overpriced seafood restraunt, I had never tasted any sort of grits, much less grits infused with my favorite food, cheese.... So, last night I decided to attempt to make my own delicious cheesy concoction. Using the word 'cheesy' so much is very important in this article because it is the heart and soul of this dish. All I did to try out my new favorite food was to take a package of instant gritz, add a cup of boiling water and mix until it was an even consistency. After they have come together, it is time to add in the power of cheese. For my experiment, I used what was in my fridge, shredded cheddar. Wow, wasn't it delicious. I am now in love with this creamy, cheesy, thick sidedish, I may never make baked potatoes again.... yeah, its that big.

2.22.2010

Bleu Cheese Martini


As a lover of all things cheese and all things gin, upon discovery of this bleu cheese martini, I found my new favorite beverage, and snack. Making the perfect martini takes precision, quality ingredients and a the right equipment.

You can either use gin or vodka, depending on your preference: either way, make sure to use decent quality alcohol as the taste is evident. With vodka, most people would immediately assume that Grey Goose is the best quality, but really there are just as high quality vodkas, without paying the inflated cost. Less expensive vodka brands include Polar Ice, Svedka and a personal favoite, Rain which is organic.

Gin drinkers would first go for Tanqueray or Bombay, however there are many less expensive brands that are just as quality in taste and smoothness. Some of these brands include Beefeater, London Dry Gin and Seagrams.

Ingredients

  • Dry Vermouth
  • 2 ounces gin, chilled
  • Bleu cheese stuffed olives

Directions

Pour a little bit of dry vermouth in a chilled martini glass and swirl to

coat the inside of the glass. Dispose of excess vermouth. In a shaker full of ice,

gently swirl or stir the gin before straining into glass.

Add two bleu cheese stuffed olives and enjoy with some Frank Sinatra tunes!

2.16.2010

Spinich & Artichoke Dip... With a twist!


I am back! This time, I make a sure commitment to blog on a more regular basis, my apologizes to those millions of fans who read this blog. I have continued to eat and make new dishes for the last 6 months, however, nothing has jumped out at me more than the creation I invented last night. As a person who loves to buy in bulk, I purchased about 50 ounces of spinach which resulted in the excessive amounts of spinach recipes. One of these is my new favorite appetizers, spinach, artichoke and muenster crostinis, which I adapted.


Ingredients


1/2 cup grated Parmesean cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

10 ounces frozen spinach

6 slices muenster cheese

1 14 ounce can artichoke hearts

6 wedges Laughing cow cheese

1 french baguette

3 Tbs butter


Preheat oven to 450 degrees


First, you combine all ingredients except for muenster and baguette in a bowl. Make sure all ingredients are evenly distributed throughout.


Place contents into an oven-safe dish and put into the oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Slice baguette into half-inch rounds and place on baking sheet and lightly brush with butter.


Once the dip is bubbly, take it out of the oven and turn the oven to low broil.


Place baking sheet with baguette rounds into the oven for about 5 minutes. Place a tablespoon of dip on each toasted round and a part of a piece of muenster cheese on each and broil for 5 minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy!!