Cheese Fondue

Credit to my friend Traci for this recipe and turning us on to fondue!

1 tsp dry mustard
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 C. milk
2 C. diced or shredded cheese
ground pepper to taste

Melt butter and add dry ingredients.  Slowly add milk until combine until smooth.  Add cheese and continue stirring until cheese is completely melted.  Put into your fondue pot and your ready to roll.

This recipe is dangerous.  I could eat the entire thing with a loaf of french bread all by myself.  EEK!!

Cheese with a side of pasta

This was the recipe I made tonight. I got it from here but made some changes based on the things I had on hand. It was even a hit with my nephew that doesn't like cheese. We will address that in another posting....

Ingredients:
4 cups Macaroni
8 Tablespoons Butter
2 whole Medium Onions, Cut In Half And Sliced Thin
10 slices Regular Bacon
1 Tablespoon Bacon Grease (reserved From Bacon Slices)
¼ cups All-purpose Flour
2 cups Whole Or 2% Milk
½ cups Half & Half
2 whole Egg Yolks, Beaten
Salt And Pepper, to taste
½ cups Grated Gruyere Cheese (I used Swiss)
½ cups Grated Fontina Cheese (I used Smoked Gouda)
½ cups Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (I used mozarella)
4 ounces, weight Chevre (soft Goat Cheese) (I used Myzthria)

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook macaroni for half the time of the package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Fry bacon until slightly, but not overly, crispy. Drain on a paper towel. Reserve grease.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet and then saute onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown and soft. Set aside.

In a pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter (and add 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon grease for good measure!). Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 1 minute. Pour in milk and half & half, then cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until thick. Reduce heat to low. Add salt & pepper to taste. (Do not undersalt!)

Beat egg yolks and drizzle 1/4 cup hot mixture into the yolks, stirring constantly. Stir to combine. Pour egg mixture into sauce and cook for another minute.
Add cheeses and stir until melted. Add onions and bacon and stir. Taste for seasonings and add more salt if needed. Add cooked macaroni and stir to coat.
Pour into a baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until sizzling and hot.

Here are my notes:
- the swiss cheese was the strongest flavor so next time I would try Gruyere or use less
- now have another reason to get one of these
- look at your list before you shop so you get the cheese the recipe calls for on the first outing, then get creative

Who cut the cheese?

I recently decided to get out of my normal cheese comfort zone and get crazy with some smoked Gouda. I had a recipe in mind and thought it called for Gouda. **Note to self, read recipe before visiting the cheese section of your local grocery store** What I get for thinking is a recipe that called for Fontina not Gouda.

Since I am new at trying the crazy cheese I used my trusty search engine to find out which cheeses are substitutes for what in the cheese world. That is when I found this page. You must save this page for future reference, it will save your life or at least your meal! :)

I will report back on the meal once the information becomes available aka dinner tonight.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

In my quest to find meals that do not include processed foods, I came across this soup that is amazing!
INGREDIENTS
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup half-and-half
6 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried onion flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups broccoli florets

DIRECTIONS
In a large pot over medium high heat, combine the broth, water, half-and-half, cheese, flour, onion flakes and ground black pepper. Whisk all together to break up any lumps.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Stir in the broccoli and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until broccoli is tender