Brethren Cheese Bread

Recipe #2 from the tailgate also comes from Mollie, my go-to gal this weekend for yummy recipes. This bread came together in no time at all and filled the house with delicious baking smells. It is moist enough on it's own because of the cheese, but a little butter never hurt either, right?

You can actually see the melted cheese in the finished product, and that's always a good thing! I must warn you that the dill taste is strong though, so if you don't like the flavor of dill, try substituting with another herb you enjoy. If you do that, mix up the type of cheese, too. Like rosemary with asiago, or chives with white cheddar, or basil with mozzarella.

Brethren Cheese Bread
from Reading, 'Riting, and Recipes
Makes 1 loaf

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup cold butter or margarine, cut into pieces
1 cup grated, sharp cheddar cheese
1 ½ tablespoons dried dill weed
1 tablespoon grated onion (or 1 teaspoon dehydrated minced onion)
¾ cup milk
1 egg, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease well a 9x5x3” loaf pan.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

A pastry blender is your best friend for this task.

Stir in cheese, onion and dill weed; mix well. Combine milk and beaten egg; pour into flour mixture and stir just to moisten. Turn into prepared pan.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 minutes and turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Loaded Potato Salad

Gooooooo football! Or, I should say Goooooo tailgate! 'Cuz that's really the part I enjoy about this whole season. This weekend we make our annual trek to Penn State to watch a game in the fabulous Beaver Stadium and eat, drink, and be merry afterwards late into the night. This all started as a simple family gathering back when my brother was attending school there. And then more people attended Penn State, and more people, and now it has evolved into a food- and drinkfest of over 30 people who gather every year and then end up at the little Irish bar to play table wars and sing dirty songs after it gets dark (or our beer runs out, or both).

So of course I told my mom I would make several dishes, which you will see in the following posts. The first I found from Mollie's blog (you will sense a theme here). I wanted something different from my regular mayo and hard-boiled egg potato salad, but still something that would be a crowd pleaser. After tasting this, I can assure that with each bite you think you are biting into a loaded baked potato.

The recipe below is Mollie's original, with some changes I made after asking her a million questions regarding flavoring and amounts. I made 5 pounds of salad with all full-fat ingredients, but I provide you with her pared down version. WE ARE...PENN STATE!!

Loaded Potato Salad
adapted from Reading, 'Riting, and Recipes
Makes 4 servings

1 1/2 pounds redskin potatoes
4 slices turkey bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled*
3/4 cup low fat sour cream
3/4 cup 2% sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
4-6 green onions, sliced thin
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
black pepper to taste
dash of cayenne pepper

Cover the potatoes with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain well and place on cutting board. When cool enough, but potatoes into bite-sized cubes.

Meanwhile, combine sour cream, green onions, chives, pepper, and cayenne in large bowl. Add bacon and cheese to mixture, stir gently.

Add cubed potatoes while still slightly warm. Mix very gently. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

*Bacon Alert:
When making a large amount of bacon, there is no need to slave away over the skillet forever. Simple place a wire baking rack on a cookie sheet with sides (line the cookie sheet with foil if you want to make your life easier). Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes, until crisp. Voila!

Pasta with Chicken, Broccoli, and Sundried Tomatoes

After a long, busy week and before a long, busy weekend; I wanted to make a substantial meal that Chuck and I could enjoy together. I found this recipe over on Celeste's blog and after tweaking it a bit came up with the meal that I was looking for.

The original recipe does not call for white wine, and I did not use it when I made this, but after tasting the sauce I realized that it needed a little more depth and flavor. Be generous with the wine if you would like, just make sure that you simmer down accordingly. Also be generous with the cheese, if you want it creamier, then go crazy with the type of cheeses you use! A combination of Asiago, Parmesan, and mozzarella can never go wrong.

This has a lot of steps and takes a bit more time than say, salsa chicken, but the end result is worth it. A light, garlicky sauce over a bright array of vegetables, chicken, and pasta!

Pasta with Chicken, Broccoli, and Sundried Tomatoes
adapted from Sugar & Spice
Makes 3-4 servings

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt and coarse ground pepper
1 teaspoon plus one tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 ounces oil-packed sundried tomatoes, patted dry and sliced into 1/4 inch strips (you can buy them julienned)
5-6 medium garlic cloves, minced
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 pound broccoli crowns, cut into one-inch pieces
8 ounces rotini pasta
2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1/4-1/2 cup Asiago cheese, grated
Parmesan cheese, grated

Bring two quarts water to boil in medium saucepan for broccoli and pasta.

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned on first side, about 5 minutes. Flip chicken over and reduce to medium-low heat. Add 1/2 cup water and cover, continuing to cook until chicken is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. An instant read thermometer placed in the thickest part of the chicken should read about 160 degrees.

Transfer chicken to a cutting board. When cool enough, cut into bite-size pieces and set aside.

Pour off any water left in skillet and add onion, sundried tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and pinch of salt. Turn heat to medium and cook until onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes.

Stir in broth and wine and continue to cook, covered, until tomatoes have softened, about 2 minutes. Remove lid and simmer on medium-low heat until mixture has thickened slightly, 3 to 5 minutes; cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, stir pinch of salt and broccoli into boiling water. Cook until broccoli is bright green and tender, but still crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer broccoli to a large paper towel lined plate, set aside to cool.

Return water to boil, stir in pasta and cook until al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving about 1/4 cup of pasta water.

Gently stir chicken, broccoli, basil, and Asiago cheese into sauce mixture. Stir in pasta, adding pasta water if necessary to loosen sauce. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Salsa Chicken

I am going to warn you right now that this post has no pictures. It was Back-to-School night this week; which meant pulling something from the freezer that I could gulp down before returning to school and Chuck could put together when he got home. Hence, no before pictures since it was defrosted, and no pretty pictures at the end since it was all I had time for was to stand at my kitchen counter and eat this!

BUT, if you are looking for something quick and easy with almost no prep time at all, you need to try this. You don't even need to brown or cook the meat before adding it - it literally takes about 2 minutes to get this all together. Great to serve to a crowd or make some for your family and freeze the rest!

Salsa Chicken
adapted from many recipes on the What's Cooking board
Makes 8-10 servings

4 chicken breasts
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bag frozen corn
1 jar salsa
tortillas
suggested toppings: cheese, sour cream, salsa, tomatoes, lettuce, avocados

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place in a slow cooker coated with cooking spray. Cover with beans, corn, and salsa. Stir slightly to mix ingredients, but make sure chicken is still completely covered.

Cook for 8 hours on low. Shred chicken with two forks, cook 1 more hour on low.

Serve on tortillas with desired toppings.

Sausage & Peppers

My Aunt Jane is the best Italian cook I know. Well, one of the best cooks period, but especially Italian food! So naturally, when I wanted to know how to make the best sausage & peppers, I asked her to share the way that she makes them. Her recipe does not disappoint! This is a delicious, spicy, sweet, and saucy dish that can be made for a crowd.

Aunt Jane suggests one to one-and-a-half pounds of sausage. I used the latter and was still left with more than enough sauce to slather the sandwiches with. Serve on any kind of roll you would like, but a toasted or hard hoagie roll would be perfect. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Sausage & Peppers
from Aunt Jane
Makes 6 hearty sandwiches

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds hot or sweet Italian sausage, cut into about 3-inch pieces
large onion, sliced
1 large red and 1 large green pepper, sliced
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
pinch of red pepper flakes

Heat olive oil in very large skillet or Dutch oven. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add sausage to skillet and cook until brown on all sides, about 5-6 minutes.

Remove sausage from pan and drain on paper towel. Add onions and peppers to pan, cook a few minutes until they begin to soften.

Add tomatoes, sausage, and seasonings. Add water if necessary. Cover and cook for at least 30 minutes, or until sausage is cooked through.

Blondies

While I was growing up, my mother cooked a delicious meal every night so that our family of five could eat together. And then she baked dessert so often that, spoiled brats that we were, after dinner our standard question was, "So what's for dessert?" And if the answer was nothing, we would whine and complain that she should have made something.

Now that I am older, with my own house (and not even any kids running around yet), I realize what a feat it is to put a full dinner on the table for any number of people, and the fact that she made dessert makes the memories even more special. If you asked me to make a Top 10 list of desserts that remind me of my childhood, this would be right at the top.

The brown sugar and butter flavor is so gooey and delicious, and add-in anything you want: Heath bits, nuts, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips; the list can go on and on. Everyone has a blondie recipe, but this one wins my vote! And thanks, Mom!

Blondies
from Jo's kitchen
Makes 24 bars

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 cups light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chips, nuts, etc.

Preheat over to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl. Set aside.

Melt butter in large bowl (either in 15 second increments in the microwave, or over a double boiler). Remove from heat, stir in brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla, stir until combined.

Stir in dry ingredients and chips. Pour mixture into greased 13"x9" baking dish.

Bake for 20 -25 minutes until toothpick inserted into bars comes out almost clean.

Stuffed Zucchini

Chuck made fun of these and called them old-fashioned "zucchini boats". I would like to take the more elegant road and call them "stuffed zucchini". I got the inspiration for this recipe from my previously mention basics book, Better Homes and Gardens. Taste-tester Chuck thought there was way too much zucchini taste and not even stuffing taste.

So the way I am going to write out this recipe includes my changes I will make next time. (Notice the absence of tomatoes in the pictures, and there are only 2 zucchini.) If you try these and add anything else, let me know! This is one of those dishes that have endless variations, so have fun with it!

Stuffed Zucchini
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
Makes 4 servings

4 medium zucchini
1 slightly beaten egg
1 cup soft bread crumbs
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar or Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
2 teaspoons dehydrated minced onion
1 tablespoon fresh chopped or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add zucchini and cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise. Remove pulp with spoon, leaving about a quarter inch shell. Reserve pulp.

Coarsely chop the pulp and place in medium bowl. Stir in egg, bread crumbs, 1/2 of the cheese, onion, parsley, salt and pepper. Fill zucchini shells with pulp mixture. Place in shallow baking pan.

Bake for 20 minutes, sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 5 minutes more or until heated through.