Tag Archives: cheese

September 11, 2012 · 3:07 am

Grilled Pitas with Feta, Red Onion, Olives & Tomatoes

I don’t dine at Greek restaurants or try to make Greek-inspired dishes very often, so when I do, I really savor the chance and opportunity to do so. This recipe, Grilled Pitas with Feta, Red Onion, Olives & Tomatoes, looked liked a perfect dish with Greek flavors and I especially liked the fact that I would get a chance to utilize the outside grill yet again this week.

This is very simple to make. All it requires is a few minutes for prep/cutting, patience for the grill to heat up, and a penchant for feta cheese!

Step 1: Cut Tomatoes, Onions, Garlic and Olives

Step 2: Toss Prior Ingredients Together
with Olive Oil and Fresh Mint

Step 3: Brush Pitas with
Olive Oil and Grill

Step 4: Grill Pita and Add Tomato Mixture

Step 5: Cut and Eat!

I happen to like feta cheese, but I realize that not everyone does. I made this with my boyfriend and quickly learned he is definitely not a fan. It’s not fun when he won’t eat any, but at the same time, I get to have more. In these situations, I guess it’s a good thing because I get to have more… unless I just eat the whole thing. In that case, perhaps it’s not the best, but oh well!

Cheers!

4 Comments

Filed under Cook

Tagged as black olives, cheese, Epicurious, feta, feta cheese, fruit, garlic, Greece, Greek, grilled pita, mint, olive oil, olives, oregano, pita, pita bread, tomatoes, vegetables

August 21, 2012 · 12:38 am

Grilled Citrus Marinated Flank Steak with Arugula Salad

I love grilling meat in the Summer just so that I can make meat dishes paired with lighter and fresh flavors. Even though I gouged my finger (on accident) and, yes, major fail, I still love grilling. In my opinion, a lazy Sunday with grilling just can’t be beat!

This recipe is from Epicurious and is titled Grilled Flatiron Steak with Tomatoes and Tapenade. I didn’t prepare all the other items that this recipe calls for; however, I just followed the directions for the seasonings which was I felt was perfect. Plus, I really liked the idea of using an overly abundant use of orange juice and zest to boost the citrus flavor and aroma.

Step 1: Chop Fresh Oregano and
Shallots; Zest and Juice Orange

Step 2: Spread Seasonings and
Chopped Items on Prepared Steak

Step 3: Grill Steak

Step 4: Cool and Cut in Thin Slices; Serve

The key is to let this marinate at least one hour so that the flavors really start to set in. As a result, the citrus flavors really permeate into the meat – not too much, but just enough. Next time, I’d like to add more heat and a bit more paprika. But, all in all, this was a great recipe that I’d like to repeat again!

Cheers!

4 Comments

Filed under Cook

Tagged as arugula, arugula salad, balsalmic, balsalmic vinegar, cheese, citrus, citrus marinated, flank steak, fruit, grilled, grilled steak, grilling, manchego cheese, marinade, meat marinade, oranges, salad, shallots, steak, steak marinade, tomatoes

July 2, 2012 · 11:26 pm

Caramelized Onion and Arugula & Regular Sliders

I’m not sure if any of you are like me on this one… but I absolutely love food items in miniature form. “Bite-size” or in some case, “two-to-three bites” items are perfect for sampling and give the opportunity to try many different things without feeling too full.

Sliders are a great example of this concept. Just think about it… have you ever been torn between which toppings you want to use on a burger? Realistically, it’s not like you’d put half a slice of pepper jack cheese and roasted poblanos on one side of the burger and then put cheddar cheese and ketchup on the other lonely half of the burger. Right?

Therefore, this little problem is cleverly solved with Sliders.

I chose to put carmelized onions, arugula and garlic mayonnaise on one of the Sliders while putting cheddar cheese and ketchup for a plain ole fashioned getup for the other Slider.

Simple to make, enjoyable to put together, and food in miniature form is just so much more fun anyway!

Cheers!

4 Comments

Filed under Cook

Tagged as arugula, beef, buns, burger, burgers, carmelized onions, cheddar cheese, cheese, garlic, garlic mayo, garlic mayonnaise, ketchup, meat, onions, salad, sdfsdfs, sliders, sweet onions, tomatoes

April 9, 2012 · 7:35 pm

Pasta With Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce

I genuinely miss the time I spent studying abroad in Italy. Of course, one of the aspects that I miss the most is the food. However, not only did the food taste delicious, but I also fell in love with the deep aromatic smells of garlic, basil and tomatoes.

Basically, I savor any and all recipes that remind me of that summer. One of these recipes that reminds me of Italy is Pasta With Spicy Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce and has consequently become one of my absolute favorites. Sundried tomatoes pack plenty of flavor, especially when used with parmesan and basil. Plus, in addition to the amazing flavor, the wafting smells of garlic and basil while cooking this recipe makes me feel like I’m transporting myself to Italy.

I don’t normally indulge in pastas with creamy sauces; however, even though this does use calorie-laden heavy cream, the intense flavors and aromatic smells are the excuses I’ll use any day (and you should too!) to make this recipe! After all, every once in a while is completely fine in my opinion!

Step 1: Mince Garlic, Chop Basil and
Finely Cut Sundried Tomatoes

Step 2: Grate Parmesan

Step 3: Sauté Garlic, Add Cream
and Sundried Tomatoes

Step 4: Combine Cooked Pasta With Sauce

Step 5: Add Cheese and Basil to Pasta; Eat!

The pure simplicity of this recipe is what guaranteed it’s addition to the usual rotation of dinner menu items. Whether making it for the first time or the hundredth time, this recipe more than satisfies one’s appetite.

Cheers!

7 Comments

Filed under Cook

Tagged as cheese, cream sauce, parmesan cheese, pasta, pasta sauce, Pasta With Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce, sundried tomatoes, tomato sauce

March 19, 2012 · 2:23 am

Chicken and Prosciutto Salad With Arugula and Manchego

I have a huge crush… on arugula. All of a sudden, I’ve developed a penchant for the peppery-garlic-earthy flavor of this salad green whether it’s on pizza, on it’s own or combined into a sauce. In my opinion, it makes eating a healthy salad just that much easier because I love the flavor (as opposed to eating a bland iceberg lettuce that needs calorie-laden dressings to make it bearable). As a result, I’ve been on the hunt for more and more recipes that utilize arugula to add to the usual rotation for dinner.

I was instantly drawn to this recipe after seeing it in one of the latest issues of Cooking Light. This recipe calls for Asiago cheese; however, I substituted Manchego instead. What I particularly liked about this salad is the fact that it uses arugula (obviously) and combines that with a mix of salty, sweet and tangy/citrus flavors through the prosciutto, tomatoes and lemon flavored dressing. Super simple, healthy, filling and a balanced meal!

Cheers and have a great Sunday evening!

8 Comments

Filed under Cook

Tagged as appetizer, arugula, arugula salad, cheese, chicken, chicken salad, citrus, Cooking Light, Cooking Light arugular salad, Cooking Light magazine, Cooking Light recipes, croutons, dinner, grape tomatoes, lemon, lunch, manchego, pepper, recipes, salad, tomatoes

March 11, 2012 · 2:12 pm

Roasted Sweet Potato, Rosemary and Garlic Lasagna

Calk me crazy – but even though multiple layers of meat and gooey cheese in lasagna sounds completely appealing and a recipe that undoubtedly will fulfill my taste buds, I was craving something more and different this past weekend. Don’t get me wrong, I love an original lasagna; however, I need variety and the ability to try new options in my life.

As a result, I ditched the usual meat and cheese combo and choose to feature a starch that packs plenty of vitamins instead – Roasted Sweet Potato, Rosemary and Garlic Lasagna (the original recipe calls for squash but I substituted sweet potatoes instead).

Step 1: Peel Sweet Potato, Chop and Roast

Step 2: Sauté Garlic and Add Flour and Butter

Step 3: Add Milk to Mixture and Let Thicken

Step 4: Add Sweet Potatoes to Mixture;
Layer Noodles then Potatoes
and then Cheese; Repeat

Step 5: Bake and Eat!

Even though this isn’t a traditional lasagna, I liked the variety of the savory and sweet favors that this surprisingly hearty meal provides. A must try recipe and one that is great if you do not eat meat!

Cheers!

15 Comments

Filed under Bake, Cook, Uncategorized

Tagged as cheese, cooking, italian, lasagna, recipe, recipes, sweet potatoes

February 26, 2012 · 12:25 am

Steak and Avocado Fajitas

I don’t have steak all that often. As a result, I find myself encountering an intense craving for it every now and then. To my delight, I stumbled upon this recipe for Beef and Avocado Fajitas this past weekend (But for this post, I’d rather refer to it as steak!). I wouldn’t have thought to highlight avocado and steak as the two main ingredients for fajitas; however, I was intrigued and figured I needed to take advantage of an opportunity to eat flank steak!

Step 1: Chop Onions, Carmelize Onions
and Slice Avocados
Step 2: Mix Spices Together and Rub
Them Onto Flank Steak
Step 3: Cook Flank Steak in Pan,
Let Cool and Then SliceStep 4: Assemble Ingredients Together
Into Warmed Tortilla and Eat!

At first glance, you would think this recipe would need more heat, perhaps in the form of salsas or peppers. But, I was pleasantly surprised by the strength of heat from the spices. Aside from spicy flavors, the avocado and carmelized onions provided a nice splash of cooler flavors. All in all, I really liked this recipe and will look forward to making it again in the summertime!

Cheers!

7 Comments

Filed under Cook

Tagged as avocado, carmelized onions, cheese, cilantro, dinner, fajitas, flank steak, food, Mexican food, onions, recipes, steak, steak fajitas

December 5, 2011 · 4:23 am

Saley

I love crepes – especially because of the versatility to make them either savory or sweet. I have made crepes only one time in my life; however, my crepes did not turn out in as of a tasty concoction as I wanted them to. As a result, I figured I would leave any type of crepe making to the experts.

Through Yelp, I was able to find Saley, a crepe restaurant in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle and happened to visit it this past Sunday with a few girlfriends. Although the space inside was tiny, the vibe, atmosphere and most importantly, the crepes, more than completed the experience. The server suggested to order the #6 – “The Queen”. As my mind contemplated between savory and sweet, I finally decided to follow the servers suggestion of “The Queen” crepe which was filled with chicken, tomatoes, spinach, cheese and Saley’s secret sauce.

In addition to this delicious crepe, I figured I would complete the meal with a cup of joe for a daily boost of caffeine. Well, the only thing that would have made it truly complete is if we could have been transported to Paris…

Someday!

Cheers!

Strawberry-Almond-Cream-Tart

So, continuing with this past weekend’s trend of using almonds, I found a recipe for a Strawberry-Almond Cream Tart during a recent shopping excursion at the local grocery store. After looking through recipe after recipe in the grocery store magazine aisle, I finally settled upon this one. But, I’m not going to lie, at first glance, I solely wanted to try this recipe because it looked “pretty” and it contained almonds. It wasn’t until after my impulse buy and I was in the car already on the way home that I realized that this would be a perfect dessert for a dinner party: light, summery, and the strawberries I had chosen were actually ripe!

Step 1: Crush Graham Crackers (You
Can Use a Food Processor — I Just Chose
to Smash Them in Bags!)

Step 2: Combine Crushed Graham Cracker
Crumbs With Butter and Sugar

Step 3: Spray Pan With Cooking Spray;
Press Graham Cracker Crumbs Into Pan

Step 4: Mix Cream Cheese With Almond
and Vanilla Extracts Plus Sugar

Step 5: Cut Fresh Strawberries

Step 6: Add Strawberries and
Almonds to Top; Bake and Enjoy!

Although I altered a few things from the original recipe, I’m happy with how it turned out. I really liked implementing nuts into this dessert because I often don’t ever think to add them to desserts. The key for the best flavor is to toast the almonds and the key to the best construction of this dessert is to use enough cooking spray (I didn’t and had some architectural failure when taking it out of the spring form pan). Anyway, all in all, this is a flavorful dessert that is light and doesn’t leave you feeling too full which is just perfect for summertime!

Cheers!

4 Comments

Filed under Bake, Cook

Tagged as almonds, berries, butter, cake, cheese, cheesecake, Cooking Light, cream, cream cheese, crust, dessert, eating well, food, fruit, graham cracker, graham cracker crust, nuts, pie, strawberries, strawberry-almond cream tart, sugar, tart, vanilla

August 7, 2011 · 3:19 pm

Baked Macaroni & Cheese With Garlic Bread Crumbs

“It tastes so good, it must be bad.” This thought kept reverberating through my mind while both making this dish (no judgments — I had to sample!) and during consumption. Sometimes, I just get the itch to make comfort food and this past Saturday was no different.

The idea to make macaroni and cheese dawned on me when I happened to peruse down the aisles of the grocery store and spotted one of my childhood favorites in a box: Macaroni & Cheese. Although some of the boxed kinds of Macaroni & Cheese are too die for, I decided to forgo the powdered cheese and unknown-mysterious-overly-processed-can’t pronounce ingredient combination in order to try the “real deal”. However, in making this decision, I knew I would be consuming exorbitant amounts of butter, cream, milk, and cheese in order to delight my taste buds. But, every now and then, I truly believe these types of good (but, oh-so-bad) foods are just absolutely necessary. My final response? Dig in!

Macaroni & Cheese With Garlic Bread Crumbs.

Step 1: Grate Cheeses; Chop Garlic

Step 2: Melt Butter; Whisk Flour &
Mustard; Pour in Cream & Milk