Cheese Straws

Oh man, are these good! These cheese straws are cheesy, a little spicy, and totally addictive. And they're easy to make too. Mix up a batch tout de suite and you will not be sorry!

Cheese Straws

by Eat Me, Delicious

 1 1/2 c. grated sharp Cheddar cheese

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened and cut into 4 pieces

3/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp. milk (I used half and half)

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a food processor, combine the cheese, butter, flour, salt and red pepper in five 5-second pulses until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (this took five pulses for me). Add the milk and process until the dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds (this took more like twenty seconds for me).

On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into an 8- by 10-inch rectangle that is 1/8-inch thick. With a sharp knife (I used a pizza wheel, dipping it in flour), cut the dough into thin 8-inch strips, each 1/4- to 1/3-inch wide. Gently transfer the strips to an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving at least 1/4-inch between them.
 

Bake the straws on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the ends are barely browned. Remove from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool. Serve at room temperature. 

 We ate the entire batch at once!

Related recipes:

Warm Spinach Mascarpone Dip

Artichoke Dip

Sliders

All the buns are upside down, except one. Oops!

Easy weekends are for appetizers and drinks around our house. This, coupled with my love for little foods, miniature versions of regular dishes, means we had sliders today. I'm not much of a beer person, but I do enjoy a Pyramid Hefeweizen or Apricot Ale when the mood hits me.

Anyway, I made sliders the same way I'd make a regular burger, just smaller. To these I added minced garlic and chopped red onion, Red Tail Ale barbecue sauce, garlic powder and pepper. Make the patties slightly larger than you think you need to since they shrink a bit when cooking. Use dinner rolls for buns (Hawaiian rolls are really good here, but I used honey wheat this time) that have been lightly toasted, and top with your favorite burger toppings. I went for the standard cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, dill pickles, and ketchup and mustard this time.

And I easily made a vegetarian version with some Gardenburger Black Bean Chipotle burgers, cut in half. One of these days I'll post my homemade bean burger recipe too. They're fab!


Related recipes:
Warm Spinach Mascarpone Dip
Stuffed Mushrooms
Artichoke Dip

The Best Dip Ever

Do you like dip? And crackers or a baguette or what have you? Then you absolutely must make this Warm Spinach Mascarpone dip from Steamy Kitchen. If you haven't had mascarpone cheese, you are seriously missing out. It is similar in consistency to cream cheese, but the flavor is so light and airy, almost watery, and creamy. And its divine when you spread a little over figs and top with honey.

Warm Spinach Mascarpone Dip
adapted from Steamy Kitchen

1 package baby spinach

1 small onion, minced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon New Mexico hot chili powder

8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened at room temperature

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Heat a saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil and swirl to coat. Add the onions and saute until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes Add the spinach and saute until wilted. Season and toss with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone cheese and the grated Parmesan.

Pour into 2 small ramekins (or other oven-safe dish) and bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling around the edges and slightly browned on top. Serve warm.

And here's how I served it, with sharp cheddar, extra sharp white cheddar, marinated mozzarella balls, roasted garlic stuffed brie, smoked Gouda, and Rondelle cheese spread, along with crackers and sliced sour french bread.

Bring on the Fall Foods!

Fall seems to be officially here - last week we had the largest rain storm out here apparently since the '60s, with winds gusting to 60mph. I think I hydroplaned most of my way home from work that evening. Then it got hot and muggy, and then it rained some more. Gotta love that weather!

Now that it is autumn I find myself spending more time in the kitchen (its warm!), cooking warm appetizers, winter squashes, baked goods, and hearty tasting foods. I went to a party Friday night with lots of wine, chocolate martinis, and tasty food, and might have woken up still drunk the next morning. A delicious dinner Saturday night sounded like a wonderful way to rest.

First up... Stuffed Mushrooms


I saw this recipe for mushrooms stuffed with mini-meatloaves, and with my love of miniature foods, I made it my own. The stuffing is based on the bean burgers from Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian."

Ingredients

1 can (14 oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup oat (not quick-cooking)
Fresh rosemary and sage
Salt and pepper
1 egg

Combined all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until chunky but not pureed. Let mixture rest in the fridge for a while (I left mine for about thirty minutes).

Assembly

Preheat over to 375°F and line a baking sheet with foil. Clean and remove the stems from however many mushrooms you want to make. I used baby portabellos, but I've seen mushrooms labelled "stuffing mushrooms" in the store. Put a cube of cheese (I used marinated mozzarella balls) in the mushroom cup. Wet hands, since the bean mixture is very sticky, and top the mushroom with a patty. Bake for 20 minutes.

* * * * *

Main course... Tri-Tip with Rosemary Red Wine Reduction (from the Raley's "Something Extra" magazine, but I can't find it on their website)

Ingredients

1 tri-tip, prepared according to your favorite recipe
2 cups red wine
1/2 pan drippings or stock (I used no-chicken stock)
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
Salt and pepper

Bring wine, pan drippings/stock, shallots, and rosemary to a boil in a saucepan. Cook for 20 minutes or until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Remove rosemary and whisk in butter until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over prepared tri-tip, which in this case I marinated in a garlic herb mixture all day long and then barbecued. I used a Naked Chick'n cutlet for me to make it vegetarian.

* * * * *

Side dish... Butternut Squash with Wilted Spinach and Blue Cheese Vinaigrette (from Whole Foods "The Whole Deal" magazine)

Ingredients

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 5-oz package baby spinach
4 cups roasted 1" cubes butternut squash

To roast butternut squash, peel and chop into 1" cubes. Toss on a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 400° until tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Use a fork to mash together blue cheese and lemon juice in a large bowl to make a thick, smooth dressing. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook, tossing often, until slightly wilted and warm, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to the bowl with the dressing, add the warm squash, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.

* * * * *

The squash was great, the red wine reduction was great (it reminded Chris of pot roast though, he likes a sharper red wine). And more importantly, it was hearty and gourmet-y and warming on a chilly fall evening. Even better was topping it off with my favorite chocolate cookies and coffee!

Dippy

One of our favorite weekend snacks is Artichoke Dip. I probably whip some up every other weekend or so. It is very easy, very tasty, and a bit fattening, so serve it with veggies to dip and tell yourself that makes it healthier.

Artichoke Dip

6 oz. marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 c. cream cheese
1/4 c. mayonnaise
salt and pepper
shredded Parmesan

Put the artichoke hearts (remember to drain them or you'll have a soupy mess, believe me) in a food processor with the cream cheese, mayo, salt and pepper and blend until its just a little chunky. I'll often add frozen chopped spinach, shredded mozzarella cheese, and other spices (garlic is good, as is basil) to this. And sometimes I'll use plain low fat yogurt instead of mayo. My measurements above are approximate, so if your dip is looking to thick add more mayo or yogurt.

Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with Parmesan, or use breadcrumbs like I did here since I was out of Parmesan. You just want something to form a nice crust on the top. I also used three ramekins rather than one dish this time. Bake in a 375° oven for about 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly and the Parmesan or what have you has become golden.

Serve with fresh veggies (broccoli, sugar snap peas, baby carrots, tomatoes), crackers, or some good sourdough. Mangia!

And do yourself a favor: go to Costco and pick up the roasted garlic cheddar. Its a whitish cheese with a green rind, behind the dip in the picture above. If you like garlic, this cheese is fantastic (and stinking up my fridge). If you don't like garlic you probably don't want to come to my house for a while.

* * * * *

I took the pups for a walk on Saturday, one we've done quite a few times in the past. Its only about two miles round trip, but I think Mac is turning into a real bulldog and this might have been his last big walk for the summer. The heat is just too much for the little guy, and on the return trip we were ambling along at a snail's pace. Its too bad because he loves to get out in the public where he can be properly adored by everyone who will stop to say hi.

We got to the park, got a drink of water at the dog fountain, and then sat on the hill under a tree for a while. I poured a water bottle over Mac to cool him down a bit, and I'm sure the cool grass felt nice. Check out that tongue lolling out the side of his giant mouth.

Ayla hopped around us, since she's the Energizer Bunny. She loves running in the grass, even when she tries to corner and wipes out, skidding along on her face. She's... special. I like this picture where she's running because she looks rabid, vicious, and insane. And you can see her pretty teeth.

































She's really just a big scaredy-cat, sweetie of a goofball though.

*Cue Drooling a la Homer Simpson*

I had a nice long weekend. I had completely forgotten than Monday was a holiday since Chris' work does not give them the day off. What a pleasant surprise, and thank you Veterans!

I spent the weekend cooking and shopping. Let's talk about the cooking. On Saturday I made a dinner of little foods, using recipes I got from Dr. Stonielove (a cooking blog I read) though I tweaked them a bit:

- Black Bean Sliders -
I halved the recipe since there's only two of us; I used regular cheese; I didn't use caramelized onions because I had a lot of other foods to prepare and didn't want to spend the time; and I topped them with the usual burger accoutrement (lettuce, sliced cherry tomatoes to keep things little, ketchup and mustard). These were great!

- Mini Spring Rolls -
The only thing I changed here was using ready-made sweet & sour sauce since I have little packets in a drawer, but that still fit in with my little foods theme! These were really tasty.

- Taco Bites -
I only made about ten total and cut down the recipe as needed. I also omitted the rice and added some textured soy protein instead. Then I topped them with diced tomato and some cilantro. The soyrizo was really good in this recipe.

- Mini Corndogs -
I didn't make these, but Morningstar Farms did! I've seen these little corn"dog" poppers in the store and have wanted to try them since I used to love corn dogs, and they didn't disappoint!

I had also bought a little lemon meringue pie (serves two). I used to make a really good lemon meringue, but after three or four of them I just can't do it anymore. They turn out with an odd flavor and I can't figure out why. So instead I'll drop a couple bucks on a little pie that's probably better for us since we don't have a whole pie beckoning us from the fridge. I consider my little foods night a great success.

Sunday night I made two pizzas. I usually make my own pizza dough but since I was going to Trader Joe's anyway I picked up a bag of their whole wheat dough and a bag of their garlic and herb dough. I made a Bechamel sauce and put that on the garlic/herb crust with sliced mushrooms, frozen chopped spinach, sliced onion, sliced garlic, and a shredded Italian cheese blend. On half the wheat dough I put pesto, sliced marinated mozarella, sliced tomatoes and garlic, and more of the Italian cheese. On the other half I put some leftover homemade veggie-laden tomato sauce and a ton of shredded cheese with cheddar. These pizzas were a hit and we've been having them for lunch since! I really liked having the different types all at one time. And its pizza, how could we go wrong?

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures. Too busy eating. :)