cheddar

Homemade Cheez-It’s

August 9, 2013

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Let’s just take a minute to reflect on what a week it has been for NASCAR. First, Kasey Kahne won the Pocono Race!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!! We were sooo excited for that win. Helps him in the Sprint Cup Standings to secure a spot in the Championship. Unfortunately, another driver is surely losing his spot in the Championship standings because of an accident. Tony Stewart was in a Sprint Car accident on Monday night that has resulted in him breaking his tibia and fibula in his right leg. Already he has had 2 surgeries to repair the breaks, including a surgery in which they put a rod in his leg. I hope he has a quick recovery and can get back to racing soon.

Anyway, when I first started the Sprint Cup Snacks series I had planned on making wine slushies for this weekend’s race at Watkin’s Glen. The Finger Lakes Region of New York is becoming known for their fantastic wines and I have always wanted to have a wine slushy, which they serve up at the New York State Fair.

But guess what… if I can’t have a wine slushy now, you can’t have a wine slushy now!!!

So on to Plan B, which was to make Homemade Cheez-It’s because this race is the “Cheez-It 355 at The Glen”. Oh man, Plan B was such a good idea!!

These Homemade Cheez-It’s are just killer. Flaky, crunchy, cheesy, salty, crackers that you can’t resist. Sure you can just buy a box of Cheez-It’s but you’ll want to give these a try just to prove to yourself that 5 ingredients (plus some seasonings) quickly turn into pop in your month tasty crackers. Plus as they puff up in the oven you get teased with the wonderful cheesy smell drawing you in.

The dough can easily be made in a food processor or in a stand mixer. The key thing is to keep the dough pretty cool so it is easy to work with. I chilled it every chance I got to make rolling it out easier, cutting easier, and then transferring easier. Get the picture? There are so many melty things (cheese, butter, and shortening) that is is very malleable but very tacky. Since you don’t flour your working surface it is really important to use the silpat/ parchment. Don’t skip that part! I only give these warnings to make the process super easy and fun… and ultimately tasty!

Last year we loved watching the race at The Glen from our seats behind Kasey’s pit on Pit Road (!!) so I’ll miss going there this year but at least I have these homemade Cheez-It’s to enjoy while watching the race on Sunday.

Homemade Cheez-It’s

Makes 7 dozen crackers

Ingredients

8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
3 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 Tablespoon vegetable shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 cup flour
2 Tablespoons ice water
Coarse salt for sprinkling

Process

Combine the cheese, butter, shortening, and salt in the bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or into a food processor fitted with a dough attachment. The mixture will be crumbly.
Slowly add the flour mixing to combine. Slowly add the ice water. You may add a few more drops of water to help it come together but be careful not to add too much as you don’t want a wet dough.
Divide the dough into 2 discs and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375⁰F.
Cover your work surface with a silicone mat or a piece of parchment paper. Roll each disc to be a 1/8 inch thick rectangle. Using a pastry wheel or pizza cutter, cut into 1 inch squares. Use a toothpick to punch a hole into the center of each square. Sprinkle the crackers with salt prior to transferring to a baking sheet. (If you have difficulty separating and transferring the crackers onto the baking sheet, place the mat back into the refrigerator for 10 minutes)
Bake for 9-13 minutes or until puffed and just browning around the edges. Just be careful not to let them get too dark, it can happen quickly.
Move crackers to a cooling rack.

Slightly adpated from In Katrina’s Kitchen

Pimento Cheese Mini Burgers

May 10, 2013

It’s getting warmer up here in Boston. So we’ve been doing some garden work and busting out the grill. I just love the summer and spending our time outdoors drinking icy cold beers, snacking on chips and homemade guac, and dining on burgers. So lately I’ve been dreaming up all the fun burgers we can make this year (all of these sound awesome) and one such burger on my mind was a Pimento Cheese Burger.

We first had Pimento Cheese Burgers years ago while in Charlotte. Ahhhh-mazing. I’ve only made them a few times since then since they are so rich and indulgent. But the flavor combos are so dang good. I love mayo on my burgers and obviously cheese burgers are better than plain burgers so it all just adds up perfectly.

So when it came to thinking up something for my Sprint Cup Snacks recipe for this weekend’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 in Darlington, SC I pulled out my Pimento Cheese Burgers. So perfectly Southern! I whipped up some Mini Burgers since everything mini is just so dang cute. Plus I’m always trying to think of fun recipes for a crowd or ones to quickly nosh on while watching that week’s NASCAR race.

Pimento Cheese is yummy with just crackers but slather it on some burgers and it will become your favorite way of enjoying it. But, of course, putting it on sliders makes the whole situation that much better. Plus the best thing is that it is super easy to whip up. As much as I love our grill, I used my cast iron skillet since I didn’t want to run the risk of flipping the mini burgers through the grates. In all it took about 15 minutes of prep for this dinner. awesome!

I swear these will be a hit with you crowd!

Pimento Cheese Mini Burgers

Makes 6 sliders

Ingredients

Pimento Cheese

8 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 ounce jar of diced pimentos, drained
1/3- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
cayenne and black pepper to taste

Burgers

1 pound of 85/15 ground beef
1 teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
pinch of black pepper
6 whole wheat dinner rolls

Process

To make the Pimento Cheese, combine the cheese, pimentos, and mayo. Mix thoroughly. Add the cayenne and pepper to taste. Set aside to chill for at least 1 hour.
In a large bowl combine the ground beef and the Seasoned Salt and black pepper. Evenly divide the burgers into 6 rounds. Shape and flatten each burger so they are slightly thicker than 1/4″.
Cook the burgers until desired doneness.
Slice the dinner rolls in half. Place each burger on the bottom portion of the buns, then scoop about 2 tablespoons of the pimento cheese on each burger, and top off with the rest of the bun.

Pimento Cheese adapted from Epicurious

Cheddar Thyme Soup Scones

March 12, 2013

Post from 3/12/2013, Pictures Updated 3/6/2018

You know what’s good with soup? A piece of bread or a hot roll.

You know what’s better than that? A hot herby cheddar scone.

Doesn’t hurt that it’s loaded with so much buttery goodenss. Cheddar + Butter Love!!

…

Bacon, Mushroom, Onion, and Cheese Stuffed Bread

October 29, 2012

It’s been a year since I’ve started to participate in Secret Recipe Club and I have really enjoyed this past year.It’s been so much fun getting to interact with other bloggers and to make some really fun recipes. I can’t wait for the next year with this great group!

This month I had Anne’s blog called Anne Jisca’s Healthy Pursuits. Wouldn’t you know I think the pick the 1 indulgent thing on the blog. She has great soups, breads, so many other great fresh homemade recipes on her blog. Of course I pick one with bacon and cheese. It’s just that once I saw her Bacon Cheese Stuffed Bread I knew I needed to have it. It would just work out perfectly to enjoy on a leisurely Sunday with some NASCAR and Football on. Plus, some Frankenstorm updates watching didn’t hurt! Oh, Hurricane Sandy, please be nice!

I made some changes to the original recipe in that I don’t have bacon bits at home so I used regular bacon and then I added mushroom and onion to the mix. I just figured adding some mushroom and onion would add to the overall flavor. Plus knowing it would basically be lunch it should have a veggie in there. ha! This was really simple to prepare and was so good. I highly suggest making this or a few different kinds, maybe with sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, or some sauteed chopped broccoli. It’s the perfect game day treat!

Bacon, Mushroom, Onion, and Cheese Stuffed Bread

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 boule loaf of bread (8oz)
4 slices of bacon
8 oz o mushrooms, chopped
1 small white onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 pinch red pepper flake
2 oz of freshly grated cheese, such as cheddar or Gruyere

Process

Prepare the bread but cutting a cross hatch in the loaf almost all the way through. Place the bread onto a baking sheet lined with a large piece of tin foil.
Cut the bacon into small pieces. In a medium sized skillet, cook on medium low until completely cooked. Drain on a paper towel. Discard all but 1 tablespoon bacon drippings.
Over medium heat, cook the mushrooms and onion in the same skillet with the bacon drippings as well as the butter. season with red pepper flake, salt and pepper. Once the mushroom and onion are cooked down add the bacon back into the skillet.
Add the bacon, mushroom, and onion mixture into the crevices of the bread. Freshly grate the cheese over the entire bread. Gently, wrap the foil over the bread to tent it over the cheese.
In a preheated 350 degree oven, bake the bread for 15 minutes. Open the foil to expose the top and broil for 1-2 minutes to get a golden brown top.

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