Tag: cheese

Pork Ragu and Cheesy Polenta

Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Pork, Side dishes...veggies, potatoes, grains

Christmas Eve Dinner was pretty delicious, if I do say so myself! I made pork ragu with a nice big pork butt. I also made Giada’s cheesy polenta recipe. It was pretty spectacular! I had some again for dinner tonight, and I think it would be amazing for breakfast with a runny egg on top, naturally!

I have made the Ragu a few times. Here is one of the recipes I used from before…https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/09/02/pork-rib-ragu/ I used a pork rib instead of a butt last time. This time I also added a few carrots, celery, and dried herbs to the mix (thyme, marjoram, and oregano). Since I also used a whole bone in butt, I let it cook for a good 6 1/2 hours. This is fool-proof. You can add whatever veggies and combinations of spices and let this baby slow cook all day long. Slow braising meat is one of the easiest and delicious secrets of chefs and home cooks out there!

Here is the Giada’s recipe I used for the Cheesy Polenta
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/cheesy-polenta-recipe/index.html
Ingredients
9 cups water
1 tablespoon salt, plus extra for seasoning
2 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal or polenta
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups whole milk, at room temperature
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy pot. Add the salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the cheese, milk, butter, and parsley. Stir until the butter and cheese have melted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the polenta to a bowl and serve.

If you have never had polenta, it is made from a yellow cornmeal. It is very similar to grits, which are a southern United States dish made of white cornmeal and served with lots of butter and salt at breakfast or as a “shrimp and grits.” In my recipe, I left out the parsley, so my middle girl would eat them. I called them polenta, but also said yellow grits, and she ate them right away. If it had parsley, she probably would be more wary. Grits never have anything green in them.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/cheesy-polenta-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

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Cheesy Chicken Bake

Chicken

I was going through my new Rachel Ray magazine, and I found a recipe that looked easy and delicious; Cheesy Chicken Bake. The first time I read this recipe, I thought it was a mistake. How in the world would a chicken breast cook for 10 minutes on the first side and 8 minutes on the second side without still being raw in the middle? Then there it was…a 6 oz. chicken breast. Where can I find this mysterious 6 oz. chicken breast? The ones I ever see are at least 10 oz… even many organic ones.

I took some liberties with the recipe…I used my 10 oz. chicken breast that was on sale, but I butterflied it. Instead of fresh cubed tomatoes; not a good garden this year, and store ones are not that great, I used 1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes. Instead of one chopped onion, I used 2 small Vidalia onions, thinly sliced. Then I added crushed, sliced garlic. Add salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and chopped parsley. I added the chicken breasts on top and add it in a preheated broiled oven. I cooked on one side for 12 minutes and the second side for 10 minutes. Add shredded fontina cheese on top and broil until bubbly! 012

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Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Hotdogs

Pork

FINALLY!!! I have been coveting this recipe for 3 weeks now and have finally created my own version! Take some Hebrew National hotdogs and slit them down the middle. Then take a piece of American cheese and cut it in thirds and put down the middle of the hotdog. Take fully COOKED bacon, 2 pieces per dog, and wrap it around the hotdog. Finally, put it in a 350 over for about 10 minutes or so until the cheese is melted and the hotdogs are warmed through. Put it in a toasted bun and top with your favorite toppings; mine are ketchup, mayo, and relish. Easy and delicious! 001

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Easy Omelet

Breakfast and Brunch, Eggs, Vegetarian

I love omelets. You can make them complicated with lots of ingredients or you can just keep it simple and add in a bit of cheese and be done. That is what I did today.

Heat up a pan with a pat of butter. Whisk 2 eggs with some salt and pepper. 001

Then once the bottom is set a bit, maybe a minute or so, add your cheese. I added feta. You can add whatever cheese you like. 003002

Then fold over one side of the omelet to the middle.004

Then take your spatula and fold it over on your plate. I topped mine with a couple slices of tomato and lots of salt and pepper. Perfect!
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Everday I’m Waffling

Breakfast and Brunch

I decided last night that I was going to make waffles this morning for breakfast. I wanted to play around with my usual recipe, which I get from the ultimate cooking bible…
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Seriously, this cookbook is one of my favorites. It literally has EVERYTHING you could ever think of to cook in it. For waffles, there are the “Everyday Buttermilk Waffles,” “The Quickest, Easiest Waffles,” and “Whole Grain Waffles.” I usually don’t have buttermilk or whole grain flour, so I go with “The Quickest, Easiest Waffles.”

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar (I usually add 3, sometimes 4 if my husband is home. He likes REALLY sweet batter)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups of milk (or you could use sour cream or yogurt)
2 eggs
1/2 stick of butter-melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional…you could even add more if you like, which I do.)
Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla. Then gently combine and mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Do NOT over mix!!!
Spray your waffle iron with Pam or brush with oil. When it is ready, start waffling!

So for my variation, I chopped up some bacon and added it in to a spoonful. Then I made a spoonful with shredded Colby jack cheese. Then I made a spoonful with both bacon and cheese. So yummy! The girls devoured them! One of the best things about making waffles is having leftovers to freeze for future breakfasts! Just let them cool, then wrap them up in aluminum or put them in plastic baggies. Pop them in your toaster, and you have a homemade breakfast better that those frozen ones from the store! 003