However cottage cheese can be a great source of vitamins and protein making it a lovely addition to other things.  My favorite way to eat cottage cheese is actually mixed in with some oatmeal.  It gets warm and takes on the sweetness of the oats.  There’s no more chunky texture but instead a nice lovely smooth and creamy texture to the oats.

I also make another warm dish with cottage cheese but you’ll have to wait on that recipe!

Since I’ve cooked with cottage cheese it then occurred to me that I could most likely bake with it as well.  I had some cottage cheese that needed used up before it went past its prime and I figured this would be a good time to test out baking with it.

Andrea’s Blueberry Cottage Cheese Bread

• 1 1/2C Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (or regular WW flour)
• 1C Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2tsp Baking Soda
• 1tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4C Sugar
• 1/2tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1C Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 1/4C Soymilk (can use Vanilla if you like)
• 1 Overripe banana
• 1C 2% Cottage Cheese (small curd)
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray (or oil of your choice).  In a large mixing bowl combine: Flours, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and cinnamon.  Combine with a whisk, and whisk for at least a minute or two.  In a smaller bowl combine the banana and soymilk.  Mash the banana and stir till it combines with the soymilk.  Then add in the cottage cheese and vanilla extract, combine again.  Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and gently stir until everything is well mixed.  Add in the blueberries and also gently combine.

The dough will be a bit heavy but should be moist.  If it seems a bit dry, add in more soymilk, a tablespoon at a time until the dough holds together.  It will be sticky.  Place dough in the greased loaf pan and bake until cooked through.  About 30 minutes or so.  Insert a toothpick, if it comes out clean, the bread is done.  If it comes out with dough, keep cooking.

Allow bread to cool for about 10 minutes before slicing.  Serve and enjoy!

I love when cooking experiments come out fabulous and that’s exactly what happened with this bread.  It is delicious!  It is a moist soft bread with a slight crumble which means it’s perfect for just about everything.  I normally have it as a dessert with some wine but this paired with coffee or tea would be a great combo as well!  Because this dough is thick, it’s sort of lumpy in the loaf pan creating a nice rustic look to it when it finishes baking.

The blueberries give it a nice color and is a great way to use up some of the summer berries that are now plentiful.  You cannot taste the cottage cheese at all, it just melts into the bread leaving behind a few sprinkles of white here and there.

This bread has it all, whole grains, fruit, and protein which means you can feel good about eating that third slice.

This could probably be made into muffins as well for a brunch that you’re hosting or if you’re looking for something festive to take to the 4th of July party you are headed to.  We’re currently out of the bread but I do have some blueberries and cottage cheese on hand so I might need to make another loaf!

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

Oh?

I love dill very much.  It is probably my very favorite herb and no I’m not kidding you.  I also love really great cheddar and combing the two seemed like a great concept.  While I didn’t really want a scone to snack on, I did think that this could be transferred to a great biscuit.

The first time I made this was years ago using a drop biscuit method.  I used really poor cheddar, factory farmed milk, and some Bisquick.  Oh yeah totally not something that would be considered healthy but instead more likely to be found as an option at The Red Lobster.   You know what I mean.

Now I have several years of baking under my belt which has given me more experience and new techniques that can be applied to many different things.  My outlook and choice of ingredients have also greatly changed since the early days.  Now I like to keep things simple, more homemade, and incorporating more whole grains into the mix.

It wasn’t long until that same cheddar dill scone recipe cycled back around and it sparked me to try out the biscuits again making them more healthy yet still totally delicious.

Andrea’s Cheddar Dill Buttons

• 1C Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1C Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (or regular WW flour)
• 2tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2tsp Baking Soda
• 1tsp Organic Cane Sugar
• Pinch Salt
• 1tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 1/2 TBSP Dried Dill
• 1C Shredded Cheddar (I like Cabot. Use a good cheddar)
• 1 1/4C Plain soymilk (unsweetened if you can get it)
• 2TBSP Light olive oil

In a large mixing bowl, combine everything except the oil, soymilk, and cheddar.  In a smaller bowl, combine the oil and soymilk.  Place both bowls in the fridge for at least 1/2 an hour.  An hour is better if you can swing it.  Also keep the cheese chilled.

Preheat your oven to 375 once you are sure all ingredients are adequately cold.  Add the cheddar to the dry ingredients and then slowly add in the liquid.  Stir and mix gently until all ingredients are well combined.  The dough will be very thick.

Drop by spoonfuls on a baking or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  These are called “buttons” so you want them small, about two to three bites once baked.  They will puff up as they cook.  A heaping tablespoon should give you the right amount.

Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Yields about 32 biscuits.

These biscuits are light and fluffy and full of flavor!  The dill totally shines while being complimented by the cheddar but not overpowered.    By chilling the ingredients, this helps the biscuits to be light as air instead of being dense and overly chewy.

The are great as snacks or accompanying a meal.  We’ve had them with soups, grilled foods, and also as part of an appetizer mix.  I eat them as is but if you want to sneak a smidge of butter on there who can blame you?

These little cuties are perfect to take along to your next potluck or BBQ.  They go great with everything and can sit out for extended periods of time without being compromised.

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

Cheddar Chipotle Puffs that were paired with Rogue Chipotle Ale.  Cleverness!

To briefly recap, the idea behind the party was to pair a craft beer with a food item that you made.  I really wanted to bring a Rogue beer since it fit the criteria of a craft beer and it’s also easy for me to get my hands on.  Then I had to decide what to pair it with.  Once I knew that I was going to use the Chipotle Ale then a dish utilizing chipotles was the obvious choice.

I didn’t want the chipotles to be too overpowering though.  They can really bring the heat and I wanted to keep the heat level moderate enough that you could tell it was there but it didn’t blow your socks off.

I decided to make little “puffs” because they are bite size and would be super easy to transport.  After a few tweakings I got the recipe down.  It is a food of love type recipe which means it will take you some time but it’s totally worth it!

Andrea’s Cheddar Chipotle Puffs

• 2C Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 1C Unbleached All Purpose Flour
• 1/2tsp Baking Soda
• 1tsp Salt
• 2tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2tsp Chili Powder
• 1/2tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1/2C Water
• 1/2C Light Olive Oil
• 2 Chipotle peppers + 2 tsp of the adobo sauce
• 1tsp Honey
• 1C Grated Cheddar Cheese

In a large mixing bowl add in the flours, baking soda, salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika.  Whisk until combined.  Place mixing bowl in fridge.  Also in the fridge place the 1/2C of water and 1/2C of olive oil.  Allow to chill for at least half an hour.

Then add the dry ingredients to a stand mixer bowl.  In a food processor, add in the water, oil, chipotles with sauce, and the honey.  Pulse until the chipotles are broken down and fully incorporated into the wet ingredients.  Add this mixture to the dry ingredients gently combining them all.  The dough will be dense and thick.  Once the ingredients are combined, add in the shredded cheddar until it is mixed throughout the dough.

Roll the dough out onto a flat surface sprinkled with flour and give it a few extra kneads.  Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for an hour or until it sets back up.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silpat.  Remove from fridge and split dough into two parts.  One part goes back in the fridge while you work with the remaining half.  On a floured surface roll dough out till about a 1/4 of an inch thick.  Using a small round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut dough into several pieces.  Rerolling out the dough as needed.  You should get several puffs just from one half of the dough.  Place puffs on cookie sheet and they can be relatively close together.  They “puff” up not out.  Bake for about 10 minutes.  The puffs should be “puffed” and springy to the touch.  Remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool.

Repeat with remaining half of the dough.

These are best served slightly warm but can be eaten at room temperature as well.  Depending on the size of the cutter you use will determine how many puffs you end up with.  I used a small biscuit cutter that was almost 2 inches in diameter which resulted in a ton of puffs!  YaY!

These puffs smell so so good as they are baking!  They are also mighty tasty too! Scott loved them and so did I.  These also freeze very well and can be pulled out when you want a quick snack or a quick appetizer for guests.

I also made these subbing in some spelt flour instead of the whole wheat and they worked just as well.  You can add more cheese if you like, just keep in mind that you want these to puff up, so too much cheese might inhibit that a bit.

Using cold ingredients helps make these puffs puff!  I have also made a batch with cold ingredients but did not put the dough in the fridge before rolling it out and baking.  It turned out alright and will work if you are short on time.  However if you have the time, allow the dough to chill for a bit first.  It makes the puffs a little more fluffy.

So how did these pair with the Chipotle Ale?  AMAZING!  A bite of puff followed with a swish of ale totally brought out the chipotle flavor of the ale a great deal.  The ale became spicy with some heat at the finish creating a very unique drinking experience.  Since the ale is cold, the spicy and heat give your taste-buds a sort of tingle that they weren’t expecting.

These little puffs are great for entertaining or bringing to your next potluck.  If you like savory flavors and cheese, you’ll love these!

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

I made sure to tell Scott all about it and since then he has been saying, “Mmm spicy mac ‘n cheese” at random points.

Mac ‘n cheese isn’t something I make all that often but I have been making it since Scott and I first moved in together.  He grew up on that crazy boxed stuff and I personally think that stuff is disgusting (Gee do I want powder cheese? Or cheeze-whiz in a pouch for the “creamy” version. EW!).  We didn’t have it at my house.  We didn’t have mac ‘n cheese period, except when my neighbor would bring over some of the homemade kind which was amazing.

Because I had homemade I knew it could be done and whenever Scott would ask for mac ‘n cheese, I would make it for him.  I learned what a bechamel sauce was and how to make a great one.  Then I learned how to make short-cuts because I like being uber efficient in the kitchen.  Then I learned that I could do it my way and make it even better.

Scott stopped his random mutterings and straight up asked for some spicy mac ‘n cheese.  This was my first time making a spicy version and I’m pretty pleased with the results.

Andrea’s Spicy Mac ‘N Cheese

• 2 1/2C Whole Wheat Elbow pasta
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped fine
• 1/2 Medium onion, chopped
• 1 1/2C Cubed Ham
• 2/3C Salsa (chunky preferably)
• 1C Chicken stock
• 2/3C Soymilk
• 2 1/2TBSP Unbleached all purpose flour (heaping)
• 1 1/2C Shredded pepperjack cheese
• 1/2C Shredded sharp cheddar
• Reserve some cheese for sprinkling on top
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1tsp Chili powder
• 2tsp Garlic powder
• 1/2tsp Smoked paprika
• Olive oil for sautéing

Preheat oven to 400.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Do not cook all the way but take until just shy of being done.  Set aside.  In a medium-sized skillet (one with high sides) add some olive oil (about 2 TBSP) and heat over medium heat.  Add the onions and jalapeno and sauté until they are soft (about 4 minutes).  Add in the red pepper flakes and the rest of the seasonings, combine.  Add in the flour and stir until everything is coated.  If this mixture looks dry, add in some additional olive oil, just a touch.  Allow to cook for about 2 minutes, then add in the salsa and stir.  Slowly add in the chicken stock and stir until the mixture is combined.  It should start to thicken up on you.  Let it start to simmer and thicken even more.  Add in the soymilk.  Turn the heat down and slowly add in the cheeses, stirring each time you add in some cheese.  Remember to hold some back for sprinkling on top.  The “sauce” should be thick and creamy by this point.  Turn the heat off and add in the pasta and ham cubes.  Combine.

Add mixture to a greased casserole dish.  Place in oven and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, then stir.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese and place in oven to heat for about another 5-7 minutes.  You want the cheese melted and perhaps starting to brown on you.

Remove from oven and serve immediately!

You’ll notice right away a few things that make my mac ‘n cheese different from the norm:

• Using stock
• Using soymilk
• No butter

Personally to have a great dish I don’t think you need to have a lot of “heavy” things.  Mac ‘n cheese can be creamy and glorious without heavy cream, butter, and tons of cheese.

The chicken stock helps keep things on the lighter end and you can just as easily use veggie broth or No-Chicken chicken broth instead.  Heck you can even use some white wine (which I’ve done before.  Surprised? I didn’t think so.) to give it some depth and umph.

I don’t even keep dairy milk in the house so soymilk is my go-to for most things.  It’s creamy and you cannot even tell that soymilk is used instead of regular milk.

Whole wheat pasta because that’s how we roll over here.

There is a good bit of cheese still in this dish but it’s not over-the-top considering this fills up a huge casserole dish and leaves plenty for leftovers.  My mac ‘n cheese isn’t a super creamy saucy dish just because that’s not our preference.  It has just the right amount of pasta-to-sauce-to-cheese ratio.

Since it’s a spicy version, I went with pepperjack as the main cheese but you can use whatever you like.  Using chunky salsa helps provide heat and also adds color and texture to the dish.  It really makes the dish in my opinion.

Scott loves ham with his mac ‘n cheese and I always make sure he gets it.  You can omit it though if it’s not something you dig on.  It won’t affect the ingredient portions at all.

We loved this dish and it made Scott start back up with the random, “Mmm spicy mac ‘n cheese” outbursts.  We’re outta ham though so he’s going to have to wait!

This dish also freezes well but be careful when reheating that you don’t overcook it and dry the cheese out.

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

I grew up in the sticks so we didn’t have steak houses.  Unless you count going over to the Elk’s or Moose on steak night and I’m betting you don’t.  Even the bigger towns closest to us (which were all half an hour to 45 minutes away no matter which direction you went) didn’t have steak houses.

But there are some things I know about steak houses like they are crazy expensive if what people tell me is true.  Every time The Double R mentions steak houses on her show she says that for two people it could be like a $200 tab.

That’s a lot of money to be spending on a slice of cow from a factory farm and a baked potato.

I’m just saying.

I also know that when people mention steak houses they also mention creamed spinach as a traditional side along with a baked potato.   I decided to take the spinach and potato as sides idea and run with it.

Growing up in my family we never ever had twice baked potatoes.  Ever.  They were too much work my mom would inform me.  Or too hard.  Or too something but we never had them.  Every time I had them it was out doing something that seemed fancy so that now when I think of twice baked potatoes I think “fancy” and high-end.  Whenever we have steaks I will make us some twice baked potatoes.  Because we are being fancy so we must have a fancy side dish!

This is the side dish that I made to go with our bison steaks we had for Scott’s birthday meal.  Steakhouse style twice baked pototes.  Or at least I’m assuming since we’ve already discussed how I’ve never been to a steak house before.

Andrea’s Spinach and Artichoke Twice Baked Potatoes

• 1 Very large Idaho baking potato
• 2C Chopped baby spinach (heaping)
• 2-3 Artichokes from a can, stem removed and chopped fine
• 1 Shallot chopped
• 1 Clove of garlic grated
• S&P to taste
• Pinch Red pepper flakes
• 1/4C + 1TBSP of Greek Yogurt
• 1/3C Grated Swiss Cheese + extra for sprinkling
• Olive oil for sauteeing

Bake the Idaho potato till it is done and soft in the middle. You can do this however you bake potatoes (please say not via microwave).  Cut the potato in half and allow to cool.

In a skillet, heat olive oil (about 1/2TBSP) over medium heat.  Add in shallot and start to sautee.  When the shallot starts getting a bit soft then add in the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and grated garlic.  Combine and sautee for about another minute watching the garlic to make sure it doesn’t burn.  Add in the spinach and artichokes, sautee until the spinach is wilted.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Scoop out the inside of each half of the potato and add to a medium sized mixing bowl.  Make sure to not scoop out the entire inside but leave about a quarter inch or so border so that the potato will hold together.  Mash the insides of the potato in the mixing bowl till it’s smooth.  Add in the yogurt and the spinach and artichoke mixture.  Stir till combined then add in the 1/3C of grated swiss cheese.

Scoop mixture back into the potato halves, distribute equally between each half.  The potatoes will be stuffed and over-flowing, this is what you want.

At this point you can heat them up and serve or cover and refrigerate until you’re ready for them.

Right before pulling them out of the oven upon reheating, sprinkle with remaining swiss cheese allowing it to melt.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Serves 2

The method I use for baking my potatoes is high heat and foil wrapped.  I wash and then pierce the potatoes with knife.  I rub it down with olive oil and season the outside.  I wrap it in foil and bake at 400 till they are done which is usually around 45 minutes or so.  It does take some time but it’s totally worth it.  I grew up on microwaved baked potatoes because the microwave was New! and Exciting! when I was young so my mom loved the idea that in 5-7 minutes you could have a baked potato.  Microwaved baked potatoes do not taste the same as oven baked potatoes.  Oven rules and microwaves drool.  Or something.

These potatoes turned out awesome!  Great flavor coming from the shallot and garlic with a slight tang from the yogurt.  You could use plain yogurt if you don’t have Greek yogurt.  I think parm would work well here too.  Scott happens to love Kerrygold Swiss cheese and since I had some on hand, that’s what I used.

Twice baked potatoes are great for entertaining as well because you can make them ahead of time and just heat them up when guests arrive.  If you are reheating them, preheat the oven to about 400 and line a cookie sheet with foil.  Spray sheet with nonstick spray and place potatoes on top.  Cover potatoes with more foil and cook for about 20 minutes or so until they are heated through.  Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Done!

The next time you have a fancy-pants dinner at home, give twice baked potatoes a try!

Have fun guys and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!

I started making them and fiddling around with recipes.  Turns out that Scott is pimento and cheese’s number one fan.  I’m surprised that he likes them so much because there’s not really much too them.  Another surprise?  I don’t really care for them.   I guess it was just the fact that I was starving and my blood sugar was too low when I had them the first time.  I can eat one sandwich with a little bit of spread, but that’s about it.  Otherwise it’s just not my bag.  But as I mentioned, my husband loves them and because I am a most fabulous wife, I make him his beloved pimento and cheese every so often.

Here’s my recipe and it’s so easy peasy, you can make this stuff in no time flat.

Andrea’s Pimento and Cheese

• 8oz diced pimentos, drained
• 1 3/4 C of shredded cheddar (use the good stuff)
• 3 TBSP of mayo
• 1/2 TBSP of spicy grainy mustard
• 1 tsp of worcestershire sauce
• 1 TBSP of buffalo sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pinch of red pepper flakes

In a medium sized mixing bowl, place all ingredients and combine.  Refridgerate for at least an hour.  Spread on crackers, use as a dip for veggies, or make sandwiches.  Enjoy!

As I mentioned in the recipe, spring for the good cheddar and grate it yourself.  The cheese and pimentos are the main ingredients in this dish so it makes sense to use quality ingredients.  However, that doesn’t mean you have to, so feel free to use the cheese you have on hand.  Scott and I both actually prefer our sandwiches to be grilled.  Since this is a mayo based spread, it will get runny on you if it gets too hot.  Make sure the skillet is hot (medium heat) and make this sandwich like you would make a grilled cheese.  Only flipping sooner so the filling doesn’t run out everywhere.

See, I told you this was easy!  Now if you are a pimento and cheese lover, get yourself some!  And make sure you have some sweet tea to go with it!

Have fun guys!  And remember, always play with your food!

P.S. Sorry there’s no picture of it in a sandwich. Scott was too busy inhaling them.   The next time I make this, I’ll update this post with a sandwich picture.

And then I picked them back up again.  I’m not sure how it happened.  If I was watching a cooking show maybe and saw someone make something simliar or what, but my interest was renewed.  I realized I didn’t have to make them the way my mom had, I could make them however I wanted and jazz them up a bit.

Sometimes it is really interesting to see the differences in the types of foods Scott and I each grew up with.  He did not have salmon patties as a staple growing up or even had them before I started making them.  This was something totally new for him.  He loves fish, so I was sure he was going to like it.  Over the years I have come up with a standard salmon patty recipe that isn’t overly fishy tasting and results in a light flavor not leaving you weighted down.

Andrea’s Salmon Patties

• 1-6oz pouch skinless, boneless salmon
• 1 egg
• 1 TBSP of dijon mustard or a grainy mustard of your choice
• 1/4 of a medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 TBSP of prepared horseradish
• 2 C of fresh chopped spinach
• 1/4 C of a combo of grated parm and asiago (shredded is also fine)
• 1/4C of cornmeal
• 1/4C of breadcrumbs
• 2 TBSP of butter + 1/2 TBSP of olive oil

In a large mixing bowl, combine:

• Salmon
• Spinach
• Egg
• Mustard
• Onion
• Horseradish
• Cheese

Mix until everything is in corporated.  Then add in the cornmeal and breadcrumbs and mix again (all by hand).  In a medium sized skillet (if you have cast iron, that would be preferable), heat the butter and 1/2 TBSP of olive oil over medium heat.  While that is heating, form the salmon mixture into four equal size patties.  These are going to be medium sized.  Place each patty in the skillet and cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side, till crispy.  Mostly wanting the outside to be crispy and the egg on the inside to firm up a bit.

I’ve fallen back in love with salmon patties.  And in this current economic phase that the US is in, these make for a great cheap meal.  Salmon typically isn’t too expensive and you can always used canned instead, just remember to drain it first.  And frozen spinach (again, be sure to drain it well) can be used in place of fresh.

What I also like about these salmon patties is that they are really a blank slate waiting for anything to be added to them.  Shredded carrots maybe?  Some buffalo sauce instead of the mustard.  Some black beans or mashed chickpeas?  It’s all up to you what you want to do with them.  Just remember, if you add something to the mix that has more liquid, then you’ll need to probably add more breadcrumbs.

And feel free to reduce the butter amount if you want or omit it entirely and use olive oil.  It’s up to you!

Have fun guys!  And remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

New Years at OHC HQ means sauerkraut and some sort of pork dish.  I wanted to make the beer bread to go with that meal but then I forgot.  And when I remembered about dear old beer bread we were past the holiday.  I still wanted to make it though and started doing some research.

Most of what I found was pretty basic.  Beer, flour, and some baking powder.  Well that’s lovely but can’t we pump this up a little bit.  Where’s the seasonings and extra kick?  I decided to try my hand at making some beer bread with some umph!

Andrea’s Cheddar Beer Bread

• 1 C All purpose flour
• 2 C whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 TBSP of baking powder
• 3 TBSP of sugar
• 1 tsp of salt
• 2 tsp of garlic powder
• 1 tsp of chili powder
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 C of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 bottle of your favorite beer

Preheat oven to 375 and spray a bread pan with nonstick spray.  In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and mix it all together.  Then add in the beer and 1/2 C of the cheddar and mix until everything is combined.  This will be a nice thick dough.  Put the dough into the bread pan and even out the mixture in the pan.  Place in oven.  At about 30 minutes, brush the top of the bread with a little bit of olive oil and then sprinkle on the remaining 1/2 C of cheddar.  Continue baking until bread is done.  You will notice it starting to pull away at the sides.  Test with a toothpick, which should come out clean.  Takes about 40 minutes total baking time.  Remove from oven, allow to cool, then serve!

I can usually tell how well something turns out by the noises Scott makes as he eats.  This bread got, “Mmmm beer bread.  Mmmm beer bread” sung to me as he ate it.  I’m taking that as a sign it turned out pretty well.  I have to agree with him, this bread was amazing!  It’s a moist and flavorful bread sure to please the people in your life.

You can use 3 cups of all purpose flour if you don’t have, or don’t want to use, the whole wheat pastry flour.  The type of beer you use will affect the coloring and the flavor.  I used a darker beer for this bread.  A Killian’s to be exact.  I’m definitely going to play around with this recipe using different styles of beer to see what kind of results I get.

I recommend using a very nice cheddar, the sharper the better.  But if you can’t find a good cheddar, use whatever you have on hand.

This bread can turn quickly on you so if you don’t think you’ll get through the whole loaf, slice it off and freeze the rest.

I have found that this bread is best served slightly warm, so before eating I recommend warming it slightly in the toaster oven.

Mmmm beer bread.

Have fun guys! And remember, always play with your food!

My favorite drink that I got every time I was at the rink was a “graveyard”.  This was a slushy that had all the syrups mixed in.  It became this deep purple color and it was the best drink a 12 year old could ask for.  The straw of course had the little scooper at the bottom so you get to the extra ice.  If I had extra money burning a hole in my jeans pocket then I got a slice of pizza.  Oh it was just some cheap frozen cardboard pizza run through a little toaster but to me it was perfection.  The cheese was all melty and stringy while the crust was crunchy and perfectly toasted.  I loved when I was able to get skating rink pizza!  Never had it again in my adult life until one day I got the bright idea to make a pita pizza.

It was a late night that found Scott and I both hungry.  We didn’t want anything huge but needed something substantial.  “Pita pizzas!” I said.  How easy is that, and pitas are good for you too!  So I made us some and heated them in the oven.  When they turned golden brown I pulled them out and served them up.  My first bite was heaven and I yelled, “OMG these taste exactly like skating rink pizza!” which I think I scared Scott a bit with my unbridled enthusiasm.  Immediately I was transported back to the rink with my blue and white skates eating a slice of pizza and sipping on my graveyard.  What a nice memory.

And I’ve been making pita pizzas for us ever since (I made one for Scott today!).  It’s a quick thing to make and pretty healthy when you break it down.  Even white pitas have loads of protein, are low fat, and low in carbs.  So today I bring you a concept more than a specific recipe.

Pita Pizzas!

You will need:

• Pitas
• Pizza sauce
• Shredded cheese of your choice
• Toppings of your choice

Preheat your oven to 400 and line a cookie/baking sheet with foil.  Spray with nonstick spray.  Put pitas on the cookie sheet and top with sauce, cheese, and toppings.  Bake for about 10 minutes or so until the cheese is bubbly and golden.  Remove, cut into 4 slices and serve!

My favorite way to make a pita pizza is sauce and plain old shredded moz cheese. Sprinkle some Ms. Dash Italian blend on top and call it a day. These are great for parties and get-togethers because everyone can make their own! Have out a bunch of different cheeses and toppings so that people can pick what they like. Making sure to have plenty of meat options (sausage, ham, pepperoni) and veggie options (onions, peppers, spinach, tomatoes).  You can put out salsa and beans as well for topping choices. Since people are making their own they have more freedom over what they would like to eat. It makes for a fun activity and gets everyone in on the cooking!

And you can also grill these.  The side that’s going to be on the grill, brush with a little olive oil or veggie oil.  Top how you like, toss on the grill and cover for a few minutes till the cheese is melted and the pita is crispy.

These are simple, quick, and awesome to eat.  And if you’ve had skating rink pizza then perhaps these will bring back memories for you as well!

Enjoy guys! And remember: always play with your food!

I finally decided to tackle bacon wrapped jalapenos.  Now, all recipes I have come across just call for some cream cheese in the jalapenos.  If you know me, then you’ll know that I consider that too plain.  Anyone can do that.  I wanted to put a twist in it.  Let’s bump this up and play around with it for a little bit and see what happens.  I went back and forth thinking about what I could do.  I wanted to keep it as simple as possible but still kick up the flavor.  Finally it hit me, jalapenos are already spicy (well to me anyway) so let’s stick with that theme and keep the spicy going!

Andrea’s Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos

• 4 medium to large jalapenos
• 4 slices of bacon cut in 1/2
• 2 TBSP Cream Cheese
• 1/2-1 TBSP Chunky Salsa
• 1 TBSP Shredded Cheddar

Cut the jalapenos in 1/2 lengthwise and remove all seeds and veins.  Make sure not to touch your eyes or face afterwards because you will light yourself on fire and curse yourself.  I know because I did it.  In a small mixing bowl mix together the cream cheese, salsa, and cheddar.  Once that’s mixed start to fill the jalapenos a little bit at a time.  You don’t want to overload them or the stuffing will come out as they cook.  Once the jalapenos are filled, wrap them with a piece of the bacon.  I used a toothpick to secure the bacon in place.

Since the salsa sort of loosens up the cream cheese, it’s helpful at this point to put the jalapenos back in the fridge for a few hours to get the cheeses to set back up.  Right before you are going to cook them, heat your oven up to 400.  Line a cookie sheet with foil and then place a wire cooling rack on top of the cookie sheet.  Spray the rack with nonstick spray.  Place the jalapenos on the rack and place in the oven to bake for about 10 minutes or until the bacon becomes nice and crispy.  Remove and allow to cool for about a minute then serve!

These turned out to be perfect pockets of spiciness!  My husband loved them and made little manly “nom nom” noises as he ate them. Chunky salsa works better than a very smooth salsa because the smooth waters down the cream cheese too much.  If the chunky seems to have a lot of juice to it, go ahead and strain some off a bit before adding it to the cream cheese.  You can also grill these on your outdoor grill if you’re having an outdoor party.

Admittedly these are addicting so if you are having a party I suggest making more than 8 because otherwise you run the risk of a fight breaking out amongst your guests.  When we become adults the cops showing up at a party does not provide the thrill it used to.

Also feel free to remind your guests about the toothpicks if your guests are such who eat before looking or if perhaps they are a little too in the “happy zone” to notice such things.  Mouth impalement is not a fun party time activity.

If you find yourself with leftover stuffing mixture, it makes a great dip for chips or veggies.  And just to give you something else to ponder, perhaps your guests would like something a little more hardy and while stuffed jalapenos are great they want something bigger.  Meatier.  And with some beans would be nice too, thank you.

Okay, I will help you out!

Use the cream cheese salsa mixture and build off of that.  I’m not giving amounts because it depends on how large your crowd is for how much you’re going to need.  Here’s the concept.

Andrea’s Layered Chili Dip

Ground meat (whichever floats your boat) cooked and seasoned with chili powder, garlic powder, S&P.  To taste, as spicy as you like.  Drained and cooled.  Layer that in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Pinto beans, rinsed and drained, on top of the meat.  The cream cheese and salsa mixture (start with a whole container of cream cheese, and 1/2 jar of salsa and if you need more keep going), spread that on top of the meat and beans.  Heat in a 400 degree oven until it’s warm and heated through.  Remove, top with shredded lettuce, cheddar, and dollops of sour cream if you want to go crazy.  Serve with tortillas and veggies.

You can of course lose the meat if you don’t want it and even the beans too.  In that case, you don’t even need to heat up the cream cheese and salsa.  Just mix it and put it in a small casserole dish topped with the lettuce and cheddar.  Ta-da, more variations!  Clearly this is a pretty easy dish that can be altered however you like.

Now most all your guests should be happy and content.  And if not, time for new friends.  I’m just saying this is some good grub and party food.

Have fun guys!  And remember, always play with your food!