New Recipe Success!

My hubby took some of the Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting that we made yesterday to work and everyone LOVED them! Yay! I love that. :-) Especially since it was a recipe that I pretty majorly tweaked with some unusual ingredients. They're pictured on the left there as my Brendilly Bakes profile picture. Anyone want the recipe?

Cheddar Cheese Smashies

Mashed potatoes! One of the greatest comfort foods known to man, or maybe just me. Either way they're yummy when you do them right. A little trick for keeping them warm if you're not ready to serve as soon as they're done; place them on top of a slightly smaller pan filled partially with water that's simmering, cover them with a lid or aluminum foil. They'll keep this way for up to 30 minutes.

Try this recipe on for size:

8 medium to large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
3 bay leaves
1 cup butter(or 2 (4-ounce) sticks), cut into chunks
8 ounces shredded
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Directions

Boil the potatoes with the bay leaves until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes well and discard the bay leaves. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes by hand, then stir in chunks of butter and shredded Cheddar. Cover and set aside to let cheese melt. Add heavy cream and sour cream, season with salt and white pepper, then beat until creamy using an electric beater. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cupcakes w/Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

Had some fun with my granddaughter today, making cupcakes.

Oven Quesadillas

This is one of my favorite ways to make quesadillas because you can make more than one at a time. Assemble, toss in the oven, and you're done. There are tons of things you can put in a quesadilla, and these are some of our family favorites. Add the ingredients in the amounts you desire.

Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas
Grated cheddar Cheese
Frozen corn
Black Olives
Crisp cooked bacon

Place cheese and fillings of your choice on one half of a tortilla. Fold the other half over, brush lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Place on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake in the oven at 350 until cheese is melted. Enjoy with sour cream and/or salsa.

NOTE: If you want to make it a little healthier, Greek yogurt is a good stand-in for sour cream.

A Little Treat for Matt's Baseball Team

I didn't get around to the Mocha Cupcake redo (yet) and I made Cookies n' Cream Cheesecake Brownies. Oh yah!

Cheddar Cheese Soup

I would not be doing our highlighted ingredient any justice if I did not include a Cheddar Cheese Soup recipe. So, here you go. This is adapted from an original recipe by Emerile Lagasse. Enjoy!

4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup creme sherry
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
12 ounces sharp yellow cheddar cheese, grated (about 4 cups)
Salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Crumbled bacon, creme fraiche, chopped parsley leaves, optional for garnish

Directions

In a large, heavy saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and peppers and saute until vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the sherry and let cook for a minute, whisking constantly. Whisk in stock, milk and heavy cream. Bring soup to a low boil and reduce heat so that the soup barely simmers. Cook, stirring frequently, until the soup is very thick and flavorful, about 20 minutes. Add the grated cheese in 1/2 cup increments, stirring after each addition until completely melted and smooth. Do not allow soup to boil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve in shallow bowls, topped with some crumbled crispy bacon bits, a dollop of creme fraiche, and chopped parsley, as desired.

My Latest Cookie Experiment

This may look like your ordinary, every day White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie, but looks can be deceiving! :-) I altered the recipe slightly to accommodate for Whole Wheat Pastry Flour. I also added flaked coconut and pineapple juice instead of Vanilla. I still have some tweaking to do. They're not exactly what I was going for yet, but they're pretty good. "Awesome" and "Wonderful" were the words my oldest son used. So, stay tuned for the unveiling of the perfect "White Chocolate Wonder". :-)

Cheesy Popovers

Since we were out of town last week and didn't give Cheddar the attention it deserves, we'll continue with it this week.

The Cheddar cheese in this recipe gets a little help from Parmesan. Popovers are such versatile little creations. You can fill them with all kinds of things, or just enjoy them plain or with butter.

2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup finely grated Cheddar
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons minced chives
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and melted butter. Whisk in the flour and salt and fold in the cheeses and chives until evenly incorporated. Cover batter and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Put a mini muffin pan on the middle rack in the oven to warm for 10 minutes.

Remove muffin tin from oven (careful, hot!) and pour the batter into the cups of the hot tin, filling almost to the top. Lightly sprinkle with cayenne. Bake the popovers until crisp and golden, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.