German Beer Cheese

I had so much leftover cheese, and I was getting tired of snacks on chunks of cheese.  
We'd bought the big bags of pre-cubed cheese at Costco for a party, and frankly when the party was over, I bet we still had about 10 pounds of cheese left.
We'd already finished the leftover pepper jack and the cheddar, and just had the lonely bag of Co-jack (Monterrey Jack & Cheddar).  Not my favortie cheese, just too mild for me.  Here's how I zipped it up and made something a lot jazzier!
This makes quite a bit (about 3 cups) but this stuff keeps well and tastes great after sitting for a week or so.

Makes about 3 cups
Ingredients

16 oz cheddar cheese, cubed or grated
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp horseradish
1 garlic clove
6 oz amber, or dark, beer

In a food processor, add the cheese and the garlic clove.  

Process until the cheese is finely chopped.  Add the mustard and horseradish. 

With the machine running, add your beer in a slow stream until the mixture starts to smooth out.  Pulse the machine to make sure its all smooth, plus the pulsing actions helps to incorporate some air into the mixture making it more fluffy.

Serve at once, or make ahead and chill.  Have it come to room temperature for an hour or so.

Serve with pretzels, crackers or even veggies.
This would also make an amazing spread on a roast beef or pastrami sandwich.

Orzo with caramelized onions and raisins

Definately some unique flavors here, but a nice side dish with grilled meats this Summer.
I'm having some fun with sweet, tangy, chewy, salty these days, and this salad has all three. A great salad to make ahead and let sit for a couple hours before serving, or it would be good cold, or even hot.  You decide!

I used the recipe from Food & Wine awhile back, but added a couple of tweaks. I felt it needed a bit more tang from the kalamata olive (or red wine vinegar) brine.  You could also use feta cheese in this instead of Parmesan, or omit cheese from it altogether.

Here's the original link:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/orzo-with-caramelized-onions-and-raisins

Ingredients

Serves about 6

12 ounces orzo (2 cups)

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1-2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced lengthwise

Kosher salt

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, thinly sliced lengthwise
1-2 Tbsp of kalamata olive brine, or red wine vinegar

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the orzo until al dente, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, cover the raisins with warm water and let stand until softened, 10 minutes. Drain the orzo and rinse under cold water. Drain the raisins and transfer them to a large bowl with the orzo.

In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, season with salt and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. 

Here's what was left after carmelizing them, I gave them a bit of a chop before adding to the salad.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the onion to the orzo along with the olives, cheese and parsley and stir. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Here's what it looked like before mixing it up... 

Tzatziki Chicken Salad in Lettuce Cups

I always love Greek flavors.
Plus, I love Costco rotisserie chickens.  What an easy way to make a $5 dinner, or two.

This one came together in about 15 minutes as my significant other unloaded the car from a trip to Costco.  You unpack, I'll make dinner.  Seems like a good trade, huh?

This is a happy, healthy fresh thing to make for dinner that comes together super fast.
For a Monday, that's good enough for me.

Originally a Cooking Light recipe, find the original here. I made a couple changes... like topping mine with feta and tomatoes and serving them in lettuce cups (might be brilliant, just sayin'). I do think that it would be totally yummy with pita chips too, or even on regular ole' bread as a sandwich.

(I forgot to photograph the English cucumber)

Makes enough for 3-4 
Ingredients

2/3 cup Greek yogurt

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill or 1 tsp dried dill

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 English cucumber, diced small

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast 

Diced tomatoes
Crumbled feta cheese

Lettuce cups or pita chips

  

Dice or shred the chicken, add the small diced cucumber and minced red onion & garlic.  Add the dill (I used dried) and lots of salt and pepper.  Add yogurt and stir together.  Add the lemon juice and taste for flavor.  Let it sit for 15-20 minutes for the flavors to develop.

Spoon the salad onto small baby romaine leaves and top with diced tomatoes and crumbled feta.  A really nice, refreshing lunch or dinner.  Low fat, low carb, low calorie.  

Note- I used English cucumbers which you do not have to "seed".  If using the regular cucumber, take those out, or the mixtures may be a little too watery.

Here it is before I mixed it:

Here it is, all ready to go for dinner.  We ate half for dinner for the two of us, and the rest made a nice little lunch.

Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Poppy Seed Dressing

A little sunshine as summer approaches.
Warms the soul and excites you for the coming Summer season.

This one is so yummy; tangy, sweet and a little different with a crunch of poppy seeds.  I cheated and bought the pre-done mango at Costco because it is SO easy.

Do it with whatever fruit you have... raspberries and blackberries would be terrific, and oranges too.  Make it your own.

Serves 6-8
Ingredients

Dressing:
1/4 cup  honey
2 limes, juiced
2 Tbsp poppy seeds

1-2 cups mango, chopped
2 lb; strawberry, hulled and quartered
4-5 kiwi, peeled, quartered and chopped
1 cup blueberries or blackberries
1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped


Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.

Prep the fruit and add to a large bowl.  Leave layered and don't mix until you are ready to serve. Chill. When ready, toss together and serve.

Just lots of peeling, dicing and slicing going on, so I make sure to compost all this.  I'm not the "green" composting gal, so I just add it our yard waste (which is OK in Seattle).

Here's what I've been making:

One year ago: Watermelon Margarita
Two years ago: Arugula Salad with Watermelon & Feta
Three years ago:  Baked Greek Chicken with Tomatoes and Feta
Four years ago: Hazelnut Cake