I Won!!!!!

Thank you so much Marianne!!! I will enjoy shopping at CSN Stores.

Family American Style Is Giving Away $40.00 Gift Card

Today I just followed four easy steps to qualify to win a $40.00 gift card giveaway Marianne over at Family American Style is hosting this giveaway. I have enjoyed her blog because of the man different facets of her blog. She has something for everyone. For me it is the Recipes. She has her Family Heritage Recipes that sound so delicious. I cant wait to try them. Thank you Marianne for the opportunity to try for my meat slicer that I have been wanting for years.

Easy Paula Deen salad

After seven days of cheese recipes I need a salad. You can never go wrong with Paula Deen's food.

A wonderful side with a garden fresh dressing and a cool taste.

Ingredients:
2 English cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1/2 sweet onion, very thinly sliced
2 cup grape tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
4 oz. feta Cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup Paula Deen Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad Dressing
6 Kalamata olives, pitted

Directions
In a large bowl, gently toss together cucumbers, onion, tomatoes, dill and feta. Pour Paula Deen Cream Cucumber Dill Salad Dressing over mixture and gently toss. Serve in a beautiful bowl and garnish with olives.

Servings: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time:
Difficulty: Easy

Beer Cheese Soup

This concludes a seven day great cheese recipies from Mac and Cheese to Cheesecake. Today is my favorite. Beer Cheese Soup.

Ingredients
4 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 1/4 cups cubed peeled Yukon gold potato (about 10 ounces)
Cooking spray
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced carrot
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
2 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extrasharp cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (12-ounce) can beer
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Preparation
Simmer 2 cups broth and potato in a small saucepan. Cook 15 minutes or until potato is tender. Transfer potato mixture to a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid spills). Blend until smooth. Set mixture aside.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, celery, and carrot to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, remaining 2 1/2 cups broth, and milk in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk. Add flour mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick; stir constantly with a whisk. Add potato mixture, sharp cheddar cheese, and next 5 ingredients (through salt) to pan; cook for 1 minute or until cheese melts, stirring constantly. Add beer to pan; bring to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with black pepper, if desired

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 cups)

Cheesy Potato Skins

Easy Cheesey wonderful potato skins you will remember and want to serve everyone who walks in the door.

Ingredients:
8 baking potatoes (be sure they're baking potatoes)
2 lbs. bacon
kosher salt
lemon pepper
1 lb. Cheddar cheese (shredded)
Chives

Preparation:
Preheat oven to about 425 degrees.

Bake potatoes until done. I do this in the microwave on high for about 11 minutes total turning them half way through the cooking process. Be sure they're baked all the way through.

Cut in half and clean out majority of potato leaving skin and about 1/8 inch of potato. (Now I don't waste nothing so I use the insides to make a quick smashed potato or you can brown them up in a little EVOO to make homemade hash browns!!!!)

You can fry your bacon if you like but I grill mine on my panini press. I like using it because the grease drains off and leaves me with a crispy non-oily bacon. Then crumble them and set aside.

Take the bacon drippings from the grill pan to use to fry potato skins in until crisp (turn them one to two times). Or if you're frying in a skillet just do this process in the same pan.

Drain skins on paper towels, immediately sprinkle liberally with salt and lemon pepper because they're still hot and they'll absorb it better. Fill skins with cheese. Top with bacon. You can certainly add other toppings like: olives, tomatoes, salsa, chicken, ground beef, various cheeses. Place in oven to broil so the cheese melts. Top with chives and serve with sour cream or any dip you like!

Amaretto Cheesecake With Apricot Glaze

I cant go through a seven day cheese recipe blitz with out posting something on Cheese cake.

A wonderful Ameretto Cheesecake with Apricot Glaze

CRUST
1 c Graham Wafer Crumbs
1/2 c Almonds, chopped toasted
1 -unblanched
2 T Sugar
1/4 c Butter, melted
FILLING
4 pk Cream Cheese(250g), softened
1 c Sugar
3 T Flour
4 ea Eggs
1 c Sour Cream
1/4 c AMARETTO DI SARONNO liqueur
GLAZE
1/2 c Apricot Jam
1 T AMARETTO DI SARONNO liqueur

1. CRUST: Combine ingredients; press onto bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.


2. FILLING: Combine cream cheese, sugar, and flour, mixing until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing just until combined.Blend in sour cream and liqueur; pour over crust. Bake in 450F oven 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250F; continue baking for 1 hour. Run knife around rim of pan ; cool on wire rack. Chill.


3. GLAZE: To glaze cake, combine jam and liqueur in a saucepan; heat until warm and smooth. Strain mixture and pour over cheesecake before removing sides of pan. Garnish if desired. Makes 10-12 servings.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Alton Brown's best Macaroni and Cheese.

Ingredients
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Remember to save leftovers for fried Macaroni and Cheese.

Fried Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

OOOOOOO!!!!! Cheese sticks. I don't know of a person who doesn't like cheese sticks. They are a great Party food, as well as a side dish.



Ingredients
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 quart oil for deep frying
1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese sticks

Directions
1.In a small bowl, mix the eggs and water.
2.Mix the bread crumbs and garlic salt in a medium bowl. In a medium bowl, blend the flour and cornstarch.
3.In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
4.One at a time, coat each mozzarella stick in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, then in the bread crumbs and finally into the oil. Fry until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.

Cheese Fondu

Second day of Cheese recipies. Five more days to go and so many diferent tasts.
I find Fondue so wonderful. I love dipping sauces and of course cheese goes with everything, from vegies, fruit, meat and bread.

2 cans (11 oz each) condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1/4 cup dry white wine or apple juice
2 cups shredded Swiss or Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon red pepper sauce
4 medium green onions, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
Bite-size pieces French bread, if desired
Bell pepper pieces, broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, cherry tomatoes, celery pieces and pimiento-stuffed olives, if desired

1.In 2-quart saucepan or chafing dish, heat soup, wine and cheese over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Stir in garlic powder, a few drops pepper sauce and the onions. Pour into fondue pot or chafing dish to keep warm.

2.Spear bread pieces and vegetables with fondue forks; dip into fondue. (If fondue becomes too thick, stir in a small amount of dry white wine or apple juice.)

Say Cheese

You just have to love food with cheese. I know that cheese is the way to a childs heart. Today I am starting the seven days of cheese dishes. Today is what we need to know first.

When cooking with cheese, there are just a few important points to keep in mind:

•The less you heat cheese, the better. When making soup, sauce, or fondue, add the cheese last; then heat it only long enough to melt. Don't let it boil or it will become tough and curdled. Often, you can remove the pan from the burner; the residual heat will melt the cheese.

•Shred, crumble, or finely dice the cheese before heating to ensure quick, smooth melting. (Remember that it's much easier to shred or dice cheese when it's cold.)

•Allow the shredded cheese to come to room temperature before adding it to a hot mixture.

•Starch (such as all-purpose flour, cornstarch, or potato flour) will keep the cheese from curdling. If using all-purpose flour, add it to the mixture before the cheese; it needs to be cooked for a few minutes to remove the starchy taste.

•Adding an acidic ingredient such as wine or lemon juice will help prevent the cheese from becoming stringy. This is why most fondues have a base of white wine. Simply sprinkle some lemon juice over the shredded cheese before heating it.

•Reduced-fat cheeses have different melting characteristics than regular cheeses. They will take longer to melt and will be tougher. Be sure to shred reduced-fat cheese very finely, and allow it to melt over very low heat while stirring constantly.

This is a hearty breakfast from The Pioneer Woman's Cookbook. I made this for dinner and it was so satisfying.

Ingredients
8 cups Frozen Hash Browns
20 whole Frozen Mini Potato Wedges
Canola Oil, For Frying
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Diced
½ whole Red Bell Pepper, Diced
1 whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Diced (optional)
1-½ cup Diced Ham
1-½ cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Grated
4 Tablespoons Butter
8 whole Eggs

Preparation Instructions
Fry hash browns and potato wedges in separate skillets according to package directions until golden brown and crisp. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. (May bake in the oven if you prefer). Drain on a paper towel and keep warm.
Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Throw in veggies and ham; toss around for several seconds. Turn off heat and allow to stay in pan.
In four individual skillets (or one very large one) layer:
Hash browns
Veggie/ ham mixture
Grated cheese
Place into a preheated 300 degree oven for a minute or two, until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven with an oven mitt, as skillet will be hot.
Melt two tablespoons butter in a nonstick skillet and fry eggs to the specifications of your guests.
Place five potato wedges over the top of the melted cheese, then top with two eggs per skillet.
Spoon salsa or pico de gallo over the top and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Buttered Rosemary Rolls

From The Pioneer Woman's Kitchen to you. I love bread!!!! This is so good.

Ingredients

Frozen, Unbaked Dinner Rolls
Melted Butter, Regular, Salted
Fresh Rosemary, Coarsely Chopped
Coarse Sea Salt

Preparation Instructions
Spray a small iron skillet with cooking spray (or coat with olive oil). Place frozen rolls in the skillet, leaving plenty of room for rising. Cover and allow to rise for several hours.
After rising, brush rolls with melted butter.
Sprinkle on chopped rosemary. Brush with additional butter. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Bake according to roll package directions (usually 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes), until rolls are a deep golden brown on top.
Serve skillet on the table.

Popcorn S'mores

Here is a great take on S'mors. How about putting all fireside treats together so they become a tasty treat of Popcorn S'moes.

Yield: 20 pieces
Ingredients

•1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
•1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
•1/2 cup corn syrup
•1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•10 cups freshly popped popcorn
•1 package (10 1/2 oz.) miniature marshmallows
•2 cups mini graham cookies (teddy bears)
•1 cup chocolate chips

Directions
1.Combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup in medium saucepan.
2.Cook over high heat for 5 minutes; remove from heat and stir in baking soda.
3.Combine popcorn and marshmallows in large bowl.
4.Pour sugar mixture over popcorn to coat.
5.Gently stir in graham cookies and chocolate chips.
6.Spread mixture evenly into greased 15 x 10 inch pan.
7.Let cool completely. Break into pieces.
8.Store in an airtight container.

Reuben Crescent Bites

Lets surve this at a party.

•1 (8-oz.) can Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
•1/4 lb. thinly sliced corned beef
•2 oz. (1/2 cup) finely shredded Swiss cheese
•1/3 cup well-drained sauerkraut
•1/2 cup purchased Thousand Island salad dressing
•1 tablespoon milk
Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Unroll dough into 2 long rectangles. Press each to form 12-inch-long rectangle; press perforations to seal.

Layer half of corned beef on each dough rectangle, cutting to fit if necessary.

Top each with cheese and sauerkraut. Starting at long side, roll up each tightly; seal long edges. Place, seam side down, on ungreased cookie sheet; tuck edges under.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine dressing and milk; mix well.

To serve, cut warm rolls into 1-inch slices. Place on a platter and serve with dipping sauce.