Cheesy Tomato Noodle Soup

Just throw everything in the oven and in 30 minutes you've got an easy peasy cheesy noodle soup! 

Ingredients:

2 tbsps cream cheese

3 slices (Kraft) processed cheddar cheese

3 slices Monterey Jack cheese (or your fave)

1 1/2 cups extra broad egg noodles

1-2 tsps minced garlic

3/4 cup 10% cream

2 cups chicken broth

2 dozen cherry tomatoes

1/2 - 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

1 tsp dry oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Oil a 10" baking dish. Take the cheese slices, alternating processed cheddar and Monterey Jack, and make a stack. Dollop the cream cheese on top of the cheese stack and place it in the center of the baking dish. Distribute the egg noodles all around. Pour in the cream and broth, then top with garlic, tomatoes, mozzarella, oregano, salt and pepper.

Bake in a 375°F oven for 30-40 minutes or until the tomatoes are roasted and the cheese is ooey gooey! (Yes, that's a technical cooking term 😉)

Stir it together and ladle into bowls.

Makes 2-3 servings

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Bacon Cheese Tree Appetizers

Bacon and cheese! What a combo amirite? Give these appetizers a try for your next get together, they're sure to be a hit! 

Ingredients:

1 tsp vegetable oil

2 slices bacon, finely chopped

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

125 g (1/2 block) cream cheese, at room temperature

50 g (1/3 cup) parmesan cheese

1 tbsp chopped green onion tops (so green part only)

2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted

1 egg, beaten

12 - 6" wooden skewers

To make the filling heat vegetable oil in a medium skillet and cook the onion and bacon until onion becomes soft and the bacon is cooked, about 5 minutes on medium heat. Then set aside to cool.

In a small bowl beat the cream cheese, parmesan, green onion and cooled bacon/onion together.

Lay one sheet of puff pastry out and spread the mixture all the way to the edge. Cover with the second sheet of puff pastry and press gently.

Brush with beaten egg and cut 12 strips about 1/2" wide. Fold the strips in a Christmas tree shape (large at the bottom narrowing to the top) or if they're not for Christmastime just fold them evenly. Feed a skewer through the bottom and just out the top.

Lay on parchment lined baking sheets and again brush with beaten egg. Bake in a 400°F oven for 20-23 minutes or until lightly golden. 

These can be served warm or cold. If you want to make them ahead of time place the baked puffs on a lined baking sheet and cover with foil in refrigerator. If you want to serve them warm uncover and place in a 325°F oven for 5-10 minutes. Or just place cold puff trees on a platter and serve.

Makes 12 puffy Christmas tree nibblers!

Adapted from: destitute Gourmet

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Homemade Halloumi

During our Covid-19 lockdown I decided to try making cheese. Ricotta was the first cheese I tried. Google homemade ricotta recipes, it's super easy to make. This halloumi required a little more time and attention but was well worth it. I got the ingredients in a cheesemaking kit from u-main.ca. You can order a kit through them or find all the ingredients you'll need online (from Amazon of course!)

Ingredients:

4 L milk

1/4 cup unchlorinated water at room temperature

1/2 tsp calcium chloride

1/4 g vegetarian rennet at room temperature

1 1/2 tsps cheese salt, or to taste

You'll also need:

thermometer

cheesecloth

cheese mold (see note below about homemade molds)

These are the directions I got with the kit:

Dilute the rennet in 1/4 cup water and set aside.

Pour the milk into a large pot. Using a thermometer, heat the milk on medium to 30°C, stirring slowly, then turn off heat.

Pour the calcium chloride in, stir 5 times. Pour the rennet mixture in, stir 5 times then let sit.

Make sure the temperature keeps at 30°C, cover the pot and let sit for 40 minutes.

After 40 minutes stick tip of knife into curd and lift to see if the liquid underneath is yellowish-greenish. If it's still whiteish let sit another 30 minutes.

Now cut the silky block to the bottom of the pot, cutting 1 cm squares, then cut those squares into triangles. Let sit 5 minutes.

Heat the curd slowly over 30-40 minutes, increasing temperature by 1° - 2°C every 5 minutes until it reaches 38°C. While heating slowly mix from top to bottom as curds become smaller.

At 38°C turn off heat, cover and let sit 30 minutes, stirring gently every 10 minutes.

After 30 minutes, line a colander with cheesecloth using clothespins to hold it to the colander and place over a large bowl. Spoon the curd into the colander.

Once the curd has drained, divide it into three parts and place each part in a mold.

NOTE:

This mold came with the kit but I have read that you could use a tin can with top and bottom removed, sitting on a sushi mat to drain.

Use an unopened tin can in a ziplock bag as a weight on top of the cheese to help with the draining process. Let sit 1 hour.

At about 40 minutes start heating the whey in the pot to reach 85°C then turn off the heat. Carefully unmold the cheese (this is so cool eh?!) and submerge in the hot whey using a large spoon. They will sink but after 15-30 minutes, once cooked, they will float.

Remove to a colander to drain another 5-10 minutes.  (Reserve the whey for breadmaking)

Slice or crush the halloumi and sprinkle cheese salt on each piece. You may get creative here adding red pepper flakes, mint, black pepper or oregano.

Eat as is or brush with olive oil and grill.

I used a mixture of 2 tbsps olive oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice marinating the halloumi in this for 30 minutes before pan frying.

Store halloumi in the fridge for 1 week, or if submerged in brine, 2 weeks.

Halloumi making was a little time consuming, but during lockdown all we had was time!!

Nutty Cranberry Cheese Ball Bites

Need a quick nibbly to take along to an informal cocktail party? You can whip these up in almost no time.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1  1/4 cups cream cheese
2 tbsps maple syrup
1/2 cup finely shredded mozzarella
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cumin

About 1/3 cup each chopped chives, dried cranberries and more chopped nuts or nutty seedy granola

Combine the 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, cream cheese, maple syrup, mozzarella, cinnamon and cumin. Using a small ice cream scoop, 1" size, scoop into balls and chill.

Once chilled roll each ball in the chives, dried cranberries and nuts.

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Makes 33 - 1" bite-size cheese balls.

Halloumi

So Halloumi...you might be my new favourite cheese!

Picked this block of Halloumi (or Halloom) up at a middle eastern store, then proceeded to ask my daughter "what do I do with it?" She has mentioned using it in the past so I figured she could help me out.

She said it was best grilled so we used our Cookina sheet on the BBQ. Love it because you still get the grill marks but don't have to worry about food falling through the grill.

When I opened the cheese package I realized it was folded in half and when unfolded was just about the right thickness for grilling, 1/2". So just cut it into serving pieces.

No need for oil. Simply place the halloumi on the hot grilling sheet (or right on the grill if you choose, but maybe oil that first) and cook at 375F (medium hot) 2-4 minutes or until golden on the bottom and there is little moisture left. It doesn't melt!

Flip each piece and cook an additional minute or 2.

It's not like any other cheese I have ever had. It's briny/salty...

and it has the texture of a piece of white meat! 

I think it might be awesome on a skewer with some veggies.  Hmm, will have to pick up more halloumi !!

Fruity Baked Camembert

Great as an appetizer or midnight snack

125 g camembert
pear or apple compote
fresh strawberries, chopped
pecans, chopped

I started by using a vegetable peeler on the rind of the camembert for no reason except I'm not crazy about how the rind looks. But that's just me. You can just use it as is.

Sit the cheese in an oven safe baking dish just big enough for it. Top with enough compote to coat. I had this lovely chunky pear compote a friend had made for me. Add some strawberries and pecans. Then drizzle more of the compote (the syrupy part) over all.

Ready for the oven...

Bake at 375 F for 10 minutes and serve with sliced baguette
and a glass of wine ; )

My Macaroni and Cheese

454 g (16 oz) box penne pasta

olive oil
1 onion
1 celery stalk (optional)
1/2 green or red pepper
2 slices ham or salami

28 oz can tomatoes (diced or whole and mashed)
1/4 cup 10% cream
1 tsp oregano
black pepper to taste

1  -  1  1/2 cups shredded mozzarella or cheddar
parmesan

While you are cooking the penne, heat some olive oil in a frying pan.  Add chopped onion (I had some red onion here too), red pepper and celery if using it. Lightly fry. When  just golden toss in chopped ham or salami and turn off the heat. 

Mash the whole tomatoes

and mix with cream and oregano.

Add the fried stuff and the cooked pasta.  Mix well.
Put the mixture into an oiled 2 quart baking dish, top with cheeses and bake uncovered in a 350F oven for 30 minutes.

Cool 5 minutes.

Serves 4

Cheesy Chicken Bacon Pasta

This recipe will serve at least 6 people.  If your cooked chicken is seasoned it will give this meal a different flavour. Also, choose whatever type cheese you like.  I used cheddar. Oh, and one other thing....don't use maple flavoured bacon!

For the creamy sauce:

1/8  +  1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
1 qt. milk
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbsps jalapeno Greek yogurt dip (or cream cheese)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1 lb (500 g) pasta
1 lb cooked chicken
6 slices bacon, crumbled
2 cups shredded cheese

Start with the bacon.  You could fry it in a pan or try cooking it in the oven.  Just lay the slices on a baking sheet and put in a 350F oven for 20 minutes.  Flip once.  Cool and crumble. Set aside.

Meanwhile cook the pasta following your package directions.

To make the sauce heat the butter in a pot and whisk in the flour.  Continue whisking as you add the milk and chicken broth.  When the sauce is warmed through add the dip or cream cheese and don't forget the salt and pepper.  Stir and cook until the sauce thickens.

Mix together the cooked chicken, pasta, cream sauce, half the bacon and 1 cup of the shredded cheese.

Pour into a greased 9 X 13 baking dish.

Bake covered with foil at 350F for 20 minutes.

Uncover and top with remaining cheese and bacon and bake a further 10 minutes.

Beef and Cheese Buns

This recipe can be made a number of ways. Cream of mushroom or celery soup could be substituted for the cheddar cheese soup.  Cheddar could be replaced by most any cheese.  I used onion buns because I like the flavour it added to this dish, as well it is a soft bun so it stayed nice and crispy. French baguette might be a good choice too.

1 1b ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 can cheddar cheese soup
2 tbsps milk
2 tsps worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
1  1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
5 onion buns

Cut buns in half and scoop out some of the bread into a large bowl.

Brown beef, onion and garlic powder in a frying pan.  Drain off excess grease.  Mix soup, milk, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, along with the reserved bread. Fold in the meat mixture.

Fill bottom halves of buns with meat mixture, evenly distribute the cheese and cover with bun tops.

Bake in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes.

Cool 5 minutes before biting in.