Whipped Feta Dip

 Whipped Feta is in vogue right now ever since feta gained popularity when used in that tiktok pasta dish.  I had a little bit of feta left so I decided to try it!  The dip is good!!

Tbh I barely followed the recipe because I had just a bit of feta but here is the link to what I used. I added chives.

https://www.seriouseats.com/whipped-feta-dip

Cheesy Orzo

Did you get an instant pot yet? I admit, I don't use it as much as I thought I would but the other night when we had guests for dinner and a tiny window with which to get dinner ready, I used it. We also sous vide our meat for dinner so it was really hands off!

This cheesy orzo was sooo flavorful. Pretty much the best updated mac & cheese I've ever had.  My 3yo wan't a fan even though she said it was good she didn't want any. My 18m loved it!  So good.  Run don't walk to get the ingredients to make this tonight!

Recipe here and below. I used asiago cheese instead of parmesan and didn't measure exactly cause more cheese is always better, right?

Ingredients:
1/2 onion chopped
3 small cloves of garlic chopped
2 T butter
2 t olive oil
8oz orzo
2 Cups Chicken broth
1/2 t salt
1 C mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 C asiago (or parmesan) cheese
1 Cup whole milk or half & half (I used milk)

Directions:
1. Turn the instant pot to saute and add butter & Olive oil.  Add onions and cook until translucent.
2. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds
3. Add chicken broth and salt and bring to a simmer stirring. Add orzo. Put the lid on
4. Turn off the instant pot and set to manual, high pressure, 4 minutes.
5. Once the 4 minutes is up and it switches to warming, turn to quick release and wait for the button to pop. Open the lid, stir in cheeses & milk, salt to taste, serve immediately

Cheddar Biscuits

A few weeks ago, I made a turkey chili one-pot dinner. The turkey chili portion was so-so. The cheddar biscuits on top were delicious! Ever since we've been wanting to make more cheddar biscuits. What I love about these is that they are drop biscuits--aka no rolling out and cutting dough. You just make rounds of dough like cookies and it works fine! They were still fluffy if not misshapen.

I didn't have buttermilk so I did that thing where you make it with vinegar. You take 1 scant cup milk and add 1 T white vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes until it curdles. This makes too much buttermilk for this recipe but then I just took 1/3 of it.

Next time you're hankering for a biscuit, this is your recipe! And, definitely consider doubling it.

Ingredients:

1 C Flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/3 C buttermilk (I used whole milk with vinegar)
3 T cold unsalted butter
1 1/2 C grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Stir together flour, powder, soda and salt in a large bowl.
2. Cut butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or two knives
3. Add cheese and buttermilk and stir until just combined
4. Drop 1/4 cup balls of batter on a baking sheet sprayed with Pam. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes until golden brown and enjoy warm!

Deconstructed Grilled Cheese

The other day I got this Martha Stewart newsletter that featured this little beauty of a recipe  Grilled cheese wheel. I left this open on my browser for two days. And by the end of the day today I knew I had to have it.  A whole cheese wheel for one person is a little ridiculous...so I had half but it was SO WORTH IT.  I recommend this for your next party appetizer!

Ingredients:
1 baguette
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 round of brie cheese (pick a round that fits the size of your party)

Directions:
1. Heat the grill to 400 and then turn off one burner.
2. Diagonally slice bread. Brush the slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. If you are using less than the entire round of cheese, take the cut piece of cheese and wrap in foil. If you are using the whole cheese, brush lightly with olive oil.
4. Grill bread 1-2 minutes per side over the flame.
5. Grill cheese over indirect heat or on the grill rack for about 2 minutes per side
6. Serve cheese and bread slices immediately and warm

Easy Cheesy Enchiladas

I am always tempted to order cheese enchiladas at Mexican restaurants. There is something about the ooey gooey cheese spilling out of soft tortillas smothered in tangy sauce that makes me feel warm and comfortable. Despite my fondness for them, I didn't realize how easy and economical they are to make at home!

Sure I cheated and bought sauce from the store instead of making my own and it was still good. Next time though, I'll listen to the people at Simply Recipes and try making the sauce myself.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 C cheese (I used mozzarella and colby jack)

1 small jar red enchilada sauce

6 corn tortillas

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spread 1 T olive oil over the bottom of an 8x8 glass square pan.

2. Heat the tortillas in a lightly oiled frying pan over medium high heat. I used this method in step 1 of Simply Recipes Enchilada post. Set aside.

3. Grate cheese and toss to combine.

4. Take one tortilla and place some cheese inside. Roll and place seam-side down in the prepared pan. Repeat, squeezing enchiladas close together to keep their shape in the pan.

5. Pour sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is hot.

Italian Fondue

What is the most romantic kitchen appliance? According to every wedding registry, it is the fondue pot. To me, eating fondue is not really that romantic...but people think it is and so we ordered one for our wedding. And we tried traditional fondue and Joey didn't really like it--it tasted too much like wine and swiss cheese--not a favorite. So the fondue pot went back into the small appliance closet and collected dust.

Until last week, I came across a blog post for Italian Fondue. This fondue, unlike traditional swiss is more like a cheese custard made on a double boiler with eggs and milk. It uses a milder cheese-fontina. It yields the same silky dipping sauce with a milder flavor. Joey and I agreed that it might be delicious if mozzarella were mixed with the fontina but I think this fondue will be added to our recipes as a win.

I copied the recipe from The Gastronomer's Guide except that I didn't add the cayenne pepper. I recommend splitting the cheese to half fontina and half mozzarella if you want a milder flavor and also adding a little bit more salt to the final product.