October Marks the First American Cheese Month
August 20, 2011
The American Cheese Society has named October “American Cheese Month” – all American cheeses… not that rubbery stuff… The Lady is attending a meeting next Monday afternoon at the Denver Headquarters of the American Cheese Society to help kick off this first ever American Cheese Month… stay tuned… we will post events as they unfold and are scheduled… woohoo!!!
Sartori Gorgonzola Dolcino Chicken Penne
August 17, 2011
The Man and I love The Lady on vacation… she cooks; she bakes; in general she spoils the two of us…
Last week she met Jim Tassielli, Northwest Sales Merchandiser for Sartori Foods and he graciously sent along a few cheese wedges for moi, your humble Feline Foodie, to taste and share with The Man and The Lady. One of the wedges was Gorgonola Dolcino and The Lady immediately whipped up a tangy salad dressing using it and serving it on lettuce wedges and chopped veggies from The Garden of The Man.
Yesterday, she decided to use the rest to make a pasta dish inspired by “Blue Cheese Chicken Pasta Lauren”. Here’s how The Lady adapted the recipe:
Ingredients:
1 Pound Pasta – The Lady likes penne best, but you use whatever you like or have in the cupboard
4 Tbsp. White Truffle Butter, divided
2 Tbsp. EVOO, divided
2 Tbsp. Bacon Grease, divided
Splash of Chardonnay
3 Red Onions, thinly sliced (Fresh from The Garden of The Man)
2 Tbsp. Sugar
6-8 Fresh Button Mushrooms, sliced
6 Boneless Chicken Thighs, salted and peppered to taste – The Lady only uses Foster Farms
Fresh Herbs from The garden of The Man, chopped – The Lady used oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley
4 Ounces Sartori Gorgonzola Dolcino, crumbled
1 Cup Freshly Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Preparation:
Boil water for pasta – The Lady adds chicken bouillon rather than salt.
In a large saucepan add half of each of the butter, EVOO and Bacon grease. Melt on medium heat. Add the onions, sugar and chardonnay. Cut for about 30 minutes to caramelize, stirring every five minutes until they turn deep caramel color. Add the mushrooms for the last five minutes. The sugar adds sweetness.
In another saucepan, melt the other halves of butter, EVOO and bacon grease on medium heat. Saute the chicken thighs until cooked through and a little brown on each side. Set aside; when slightly cooled, slice into strips and toss with chopped herbs.
When the pasta is done, drain but do not rinse. Place in serving bowl and immediately add the gorgonzola and parm/reg. Mix and allow the cheeses to melt.
Add the chicken and caramelized onions to the pasta.
Toss and serve.
Get The Man to clean the kitchen… he’s really good about that…
For dessert The Lady made and served Le Gateau Nantaise… The Man and I have died and gone to culinary heaven with The Lady home and cooking. God Bless vacation…
FTC Full Disclosure – The cheesemaker/manufacturer sent me their product, hoping I would review the product/cheese.
Sartori Gorgonzola Dolcino Dressing
August 17, 2011
4 – 4 oz. Sartori Gorgonzola Dolcino
1/2 cup Low-fat mayonnaise
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. hot sauce, The Lady used Tapatio
Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste
1 small red onion from The garden of The Man, finely chopped
Crumble Sartori Gorgonzola Dolcino.
Add all ingredients to small mixing bowl. Mix together with spatula or large spoon.
Marinate in fridge for an hour before using.
The Lady served this dressing on Iceberg Lettuce wedges with fresh-picked veggies, tomatoes and herbs from The Garden of The Man.
FTC Full Disclosure – The cheesemaker/manufacturer sent me their product, hoping I would review the product/cheese.
Rocking W Garlic Chive Monterey Jack Quesadilla with Garden of The Man Pico de Gallo
August 15, 2011
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As mentioned over at cheesemonger weblog, The Lady brought home three flavored Monterey Jacks cheeses made by Rocking W Dairy in Olathe, Colorado. We enjoyed the cheeses as a snack last night and this morning I awoke to the smell of bacon sizzling in the kitchen. Naturally I was interested and made my way to discover The Lady making quesadillas using the Rocking W Garlic Chives Monterey. She picked herbs from her herb garden, which is maintained by The Man along with tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and jalapenos from The Man’s garden. She suggested I share the recipe with you, my loyal readers. I also took pictures with her new Droid phone… no easy “feet” for a feline who lacks an opposable thumb…
Here’s what she did…
The lady's Herb Garden
Ingredients
Ingredients:
½ pound of bacon, fried to crisp but not burned
Fresh Herbs; The Lady used parsley, oregano, rosemary, chives and thyme
Bell Pepper, chopped
Jalapeno, half, chopped
Purple Onion, small, chopped
6 ounces Rocking W Garlic Chive Monterey Jack, shredded
4 Flour Tortillas
4 Eggs
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive Oil
While the bacon fried and I rubbed The Lady’s legs to make sure she knew I was interested, she chopped the veggies and the herbs. Then she shredded the cheese and whisked the eggs.
She let the bacon drain on paper towels and then she crushed it up. At that point, I made my intentions clear and was rewarded with my own share of bacon… ahh… I love it when a plan comes together…
Using a bit of olive oil, The Lady scrambled the eggs easy and lightly sautéed the veggies and herb. Then she built the quesadilla inside the sauté pans. She browned them on one side and flipped them to brown the other side. She served them with a Pico de Gallo she made from The Man’s garden bounty (recipe follows) and guacamole from the salsa bar at the Hawthorne Fred Meyer.
Garden of The Man Pico de Gallo:
Ingredients (all veggies and herbs from The Garden of The Man):
Tomatoes; both heirloom and cherry
Jalapeno
Bell Pepper
Chives
Purple Onion
Oregano
Rosemary
Thyme
Taco Seasoning
Chop everything and toss together.
Add the Taco Seasoning to taste.
Refrigerate for an hour to allow flavors to blend.
Famous Dave’s Mac n Cheese Recipe
August 12, 2011
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| Posted: Tuesday, August 9, 2011 7:00 am |
This recipe sounds yummy – The Lady on vacation next week and you can bet she’ll be making it for The Man and moi.
Famous Dave’s Mac ’n’ Cheese
Servings: 8 to 12
- 2 tablespoons butter, plus ¼ cup (½ stick), divided
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- ¾ cup half-and-half
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons barbecue sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
- 4 ounces aged white cheddar cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1½ cups sweet corn niblets
- 2 jalapenos, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 pound jumbo elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
- 8 ounces Colby cheese, cubed
- ½ cup cracker crumbs
- ½ cup panko (Japanese-style) bread crumbs
- ¼ cup unseasoned bread crumbs
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large, heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. Whisk the flour into the butter until thoroughly combined to form a roux. Slowly whisk in the milk, then the half-and-half. Whisk in the mustard, barbecue sauce, salt and pepper.
Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, 8 to 10 minutes to develop the flavors. Whisk in the white cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Stir in the corn, jalapenos and parsley, then remove from heat.
Stir in the macaroni, then the cubed sharp cheddar and Colby cheeses. Spoon the macaroni and cheese into a buttered 13-by-9-inch baking dish.
Melt the remaining one-quarter cup of butter in a small sauce pan.
In a medium bowl, combine the cracker, panko and unseasoned bread crumbs with the melted butter. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the macaroni and cheese.
Bake the mac ’n’ cheese until bubbly and browned on top, about 40 minutes.
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