Baked-Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

Olive oil, for baking sheets

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 large eggplants (2 1/2 pounds total), peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 6 cups (48 ounces) store-bought chunky tomato sauce or homemade Chunky Tomato Sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush 2 baking sheets with oil; set aside. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and 2 tablespoons water. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Parmesan, oregano, and basil; season with salt and pepper.
2. Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating well; place on baking sheets. Bake until golden brown on bottom, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn slices; continue baking until browned on other side, 20 to 25 minutes more. Remove from oven; raise oven heat to 400 degrees.
3. Spread 2 cups sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange half the eggplant in dish; cover with 2 cups sauce, then 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat with remaining eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

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Bacon Cheddar Scones

Bacon and Cheddar Scones (makes 8 large scones)
Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup chilled, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
4 green onions, thinly sliced
10 slices of bacon, cooked, drained and cut or crushed into small pieces
3/4- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
2 Tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on low and mix dry ingredients for 30 seconds. Working with a few pieces at a time, gradually add the butter cubes while the mixer is running. Continue to mix until the butter is pea sized and there are no large chunks. Do not overmix! Add the grated cheese and mix until just blended.

Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Mix bacon, green onions and ¾ cup of buttermilk by hand until a dough has formed. Add additional buttermilk, 1 Tbs at a time, until dough is soft and pliable, but not sticky. Do not overwork the dough.

Place the dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Pat the dough into an 8 inch circle, roughly a ½ inch thick. Cut the circle into 8 wedges. Place wedges on prepared baking sheet.

Beat together egg and water in a ramekin to make an egg wash. Brush scones with egg wash and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked throughout the middle.

Recipe from The Pastry Queen

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Classic Cheese Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 pound whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella
• Marinara
• Fresh Lasagna Noodles, cut into 4-by-13-inch strips and cooked, or store-bought dried noodles, cooked
• 5 ounces coarsely grated Parmesan cheese, (about 1 3/4 cups)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375. Combine ricotta, egg, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. Season with pepper. Coarsely grate 1/2 of the mozzarella, and stir into ricotta mixture. Using your fingers, shred remaining mozzarella into 2-inch strips, and reserve.
2. Spread 1/2 cup marinara in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Place a layer of noodles over marinara. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over noodles, and sprinkle with 1/3 of the Parmesan. Place a layer of noodles over the cheese layer. Spread 1 cup marinara over noodles. Repeat layering (noodles, marinara, noodles, ricotta mixture, Parmesan) 2 more times. Spread remaining marinara over cheese layer, then sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.
3. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until cheese is golden brown and sauce is bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

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Chicken Enchilada Dip Rollups

Chicken Enchilada Dip Rollups

Original Recipe: http://www.deliciousmeliscious.com/2009/04/chicken-enchilada-dip-rollups.html

Ingredients:

• 2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/3 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced (I used the zester for this. A garlic press would work nicely, as well.)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• cayenne pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• 1 small, southwest flavored rotisserie chicken, skinned and shredded
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 10-oz. can Rotel tomatoes
• 1 package jalapeno cheddar tortillas

Directions:

1. Mix cheeses together until well blended.
2. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
4. Place one heaping spoonful onto tortilla.
5. Spread to edges using a metal spatula.
6. Roll and cut into slices.

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Mississippi Sin

Mississippi Sin

• 16oz sour cream
• 8oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup chopped ham
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1/4 tsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• salt
• pepper
• 16 oz French bread loaf

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, except French bread; stirring until well blended.

Cut a thin slice from top of bread loaf; set slice aside. Using a gentle sawing motion, cut vertically to, but not through, bottom of the loaf, 1/2 inch from the edge, to cut out center of bread. Lift out center of loaf. Fill hollowed bread loaf with the dip. Wrap loaf with foil. 

Bake dip at 350° degrees for 1 hour. Serve with reserved bread cubes, crackers, or potato chips.

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Baked Cheddar-Broccoli Rice Cups

Ingredients:

1 cup quick-cooking rice, like Minute Rice (can substitute about 2 cups regular, cooked rice and omit the 1 cup stock below)

1 cup chicken stock

1 10-oz. box frozen, chopped broccoli, thawed and excess water squeezed out

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1/4 cup Homemade Ranch Dressing or store bought

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Prepare rice as directed on package, substituting stock for water.  Place cooked rice in a large bowl and let cool slightly.  Add the remaining ingredients, using only 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese, and stir until combined. Transfer mixture to eight well-greased muffin cups–I like to use an ice cream scoop–and top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.  Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees or until tops are lightly browned and edges are starting to get crispy.

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Mini Tomato & Goat Cheese Tarts

 (MAKES 24 MINI TARTS)

INGREDIENTS:

Tomato & Cheese Tarts:

1 package (17.3 ounces/ 2 sheets) puff pastry, defrosted
Good olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced yellow onions (2 large onions)
4 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons dry white wine
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese, such as Montrachet
2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons julienned basil leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly to an 11 x 11-inch square. Using a 1 ½ -inch-wide biscuit cutter to cut 10-12 circles from the sheet of puff pastry, discarding the scraps. Repeat with the other puff pastry.
3. Place the pastry circles on 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Sauté for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet.
5. Add ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, the wine, and thyme and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Remove from the heat.
6. Using a sharp paring knife, score a ¼-inch-wide border around each pastry circle. Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a teaspoon of grated Parmesan on each round, staying inside the scored border.
7. Place one Tablespoon of the onion mixture on each circle, again staying within the scored edge. Place slice of tomato in the center of each tart. Brush the tomato lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper. Crumble a couple small pieces of goat cheese on the top of the tomato.
8. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. The bottom sheet pan may need an extra few minutes in the oven. Serve hot or warm.

Adapted from: Barefoot Contessa

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Cajun Chicken Stuffed with Pepper Jack Cheese & Spinach

Ingredients:
Serves 4


Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded (you can use up to 6 oz)
• 1 c frozen spinach, thawed and drained (you can also use fresh cooked spinach)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning - click here for my homemade Cajun spice recipe
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs (I use Italian style)
• Sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Lots of toothpicks 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Flatten the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness.

In a medium bowl, combine the pepper jack cheese, spinach, salt and pepper.

Combine the Cajun seasoning and breadcrumbs together in a small bowl. 

Spoon about 1/4 c of the spinach mixture onto each chicken breast. Roll each chicken breast tightly and fasten the seams with several toothpicks.  This part requires a tiny bit of skill and I typically use about 8 toothpicks in each roll to ensure none of the filling seeps out.  Be sure to count how many total toothpicks were used!

Brush each chicken breast with the olive oil. Sprinkle the Cajun seasoning mixture evenly over all. Sprinkle any remaining spinach and cheese on top of chicken (optional).

Place the chicken seam-side up onto a tin foil-lined baking sheet (for easy cleanup).  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove the toothpicks before serving.  Count to make sure you have removed every last toothpick.  Serve whole or slice into medallions.

Enjoy!

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Stuffed Cheese Buns

Peeta's Stuffed Cheese Buns

1 cup warm water (probably somewhere between 105º and 115º. I just get it hot from the tap. Don't get it too hot or it will kill the yeast.)

2 tablespoons yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

-At least 8 oz. of cheese, the more the merrier (I used chunks of mozzarella for the inside and a mixture of shredded colby and swiss for the top. I was just trying to use up all the forgotten chunks in the hidden corners of the fridge)

-Parmesan cheese

-A few tablespoons of melted butter mixed with a sprinkle of garlic powder and some fresh herbs if you want. 

Mix together the yeast and water and let it sit for a couple minutes. Add the sugar, garlic powder, melted butter, and oil. Add the flour a little and a time, mixing in your stand mixer with a dough hook. Add the salt. Knead for 10 minutes, in the stand mixer or by hand. Let the dough rise in a greased bowl (I used the same bowl) covered with a wet cloth for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375º. Divide the dough into about 20 pieces or so (you can make them as big or small as you want). Put about a 3/4 inch chunk of cheese in each one and make sure you pinch all the edges back up tightly. Put the pinched side down on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle the buns with more shredded cheese and some parmesan cheese. Bake at 375ºF for about 11-15 minutes until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Brush with the melted butter and serve warm.

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Cheesy Sweet Potato Crisps

Cheesy Sweet Potato Crisps

Recipe inspired by Epicurious

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup liquid egg whites
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425. Set a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Spray rack with non-stick spray.

Peal sweet potatoes.

Grate sweet potatoes and then squeeze the moisture from them. (I just used my hands to press out the liquid.) The more moisture you remove, the crispier they get in the oven.

To the grated sweet potatoes, add the egg whites, cheese, pepper, and rosemary. Mix until combined.

Scoop out potato mixture and set on wire rack. (I used an ice cream scoop.)

Press sweet potato mixture as thin as possible. Repeat until potatoes are gone.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are dark around the edges and crispy.

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Cheesy Pesto Pull-Apart Bread

Cheesy Pesto Pull-Apart Bread

Time: 10 min. prep + 15 min. baking

Yield: 7 servings

1 large crusty loaf of bread, unsliced

1 C basil pesto

salt and pepper

2 C mozzarella cheese, grated

1 C Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray. Set one large crusty loaf of bread in the center.

2. Slice the bread carefully, without cutting all the way to the bottom of the loaf. 

Then slice it going the other direction so that you have lots of little 1 inch squares all over the top of the loaf.

3. Grab yourself about 1 cup of pesto, pour it into a small bowl and add just a bit of salt and pepper.  I like to buy Pesto at Costco. It will keep for about a month in the fridge. If I don’t use it all and the expiration date is approaching, I pour it into and ice cube tray, cover it with plastic wrap and store it in the freezer. 

4. Using a butter knife, spread pesto inside the loaf along every sliced part of the bread. 

5. Pull the slices apart and push a bit of shredded mozzarella cheese and shredded Parmesan cheese into each little crevice. 

6. Wrap the bread up in the aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Uncover the bread and allow it remain in the oven until the cheese is melted and a bit golden in color. 

7. Take the bread out of the oven and let it cool just a bit before serving. 

***NOTE: This bread is best served warm from the oven. However, if you have leftovers store them in the refrigerator and reheat them in the microwave when you are ready to enjoy them. 

Enjoy!

http://jamiecooksitup.net

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Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Time: 15 minute prep + 35 minutes baking

Yield: 7 servings

Chicken:

4 large chicken breasts

2 sleeves Ritz crackers

1/4 t salt

1/8 t pepper

1/2 C milk

3 C cheddar cheese, grated

1 t dried parsley

Sauce:

1   10 ounce can cream of chicken soup

2 T sour cream

2 T butter

 

1. Cut each chicken breast into 3 large chunks. 

 

2. In a small food processor grind up the ritz crackers. 

 

 

3. Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans. Toss the 1/4 t salt and 1/8 t pepper into the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture around to combine.

4. Dip each piece of chicken into the milk…

then the cheese. Press the cheese into the chicken with your fingers. Some of it will fall off when you add it to the cracker crumbs, don’t worry about it.

Press the cheesy chicken into the cracker crumbs and press it in. By the time you are coating the last piece of chicken, the dish you are using for the crumbs will be full of cheese. Don’t let it get you down. Once the cheese melts in the oven it will adhere nicely to the crumbs and the crackers.

5. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken inside the pan. 

6. Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken. 

7. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the tin foil, bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy. 

8. Into a medium sized sauce pan combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter with a whisk. Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is nice and hot. Serve over the chicken. 

Enjoy!

http://jamiecooksitup.net

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Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

For the eggplant parmesan:3 medium eggplants
Dozen eggs
Milk
Italian breadcrumbs
Fresh Mozzarella cheese ball
(16-oz.) Ricotta cheese
Vegetable oil
Paper towels
Large casserole dish

For the sauce:Extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 (28-oz.) cans San Marzano crushed tomatoes
1 (6-oz.) garlic & basil flavored paste
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
20-oz. water
4-oz. merlot
Fresh basil finely chopped
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan Reggiano cheese, grated

Directions

Heat oven to 350º F. Peel eggplants and thinly slice to about a 1/8 of an inch. Make a mixture of eggs and milk in a medium bowl. I start with 4 eggs and about 1oz of milk and continually make more as it gets low. Coat the eggplant slices in the egg mixture and then cover each side with breadcrumbs. Fill ¼ inch of vegetable oil in sauté pan and heat over medium to high heat. The bigger the sauté pan the faster the process of frying the eggplant will go. Fill sauté pan with the eggplant and fry each side until golden brown. Drain the grease from the eggplant on paper towels. You’ll need to change out the oil a couple of times in order to fry all of the eggplant. In a medium size bowl, mix 2 eggs with the container of ricotta cheese. In another bowl, grate mozzarella cheese.

In your favorite large casserole dish, coat a very thin layer of sauce in the bottom. Start to layer the eggplant, ricotta mixture, mozzarella cheese, and then sauce again. Repeat this process until you fill the casserole dish. I like to put an extra layer of mozzarella cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbling.

http://www.pauladeen.com

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Baked Chicken Stuffed with Pesto and Cheese

Use very large chicken breasts for this and then pound the heck out of them until they're as thin as you can possibly get them!

Mix together pesto, sour cream, and grated mozzarella to make the stuffing.  (If you use commercial pesto, it will probably be darker green than my homemade Basil Pesto with Lemon because I like it creamy.)

Spread a thin layer of the stuffing mixture over each chicken breast, stopping about 1/2 inch away from the edge.

Then roll up the chicken breasts and use toothpicks to keep them together.  (Don't worry if they look a bit messy like my one in the back!)

Prepare two bowls, one with beaten eggs and the other with a mixture of parmesan and almond flour.  (I used two eggs, but I think you could get by with one.)

Dip the chicken breasts first in the egg and then in the parmesan-almond flour mixture, patting it on so the chicken breasts are well coated.  Place them in a sprayed casserole dish.

Bake at 375F/190C until the chicken is firm to the touch and slightly browned.  I started checking at 30 minutes when they looked like this.

And I ended up leaving them in for 5 more minutes until they looked like this.  Be careful not to overcook though, or the chicken will dry out.  Serve hot.

Baked Chicken Stuffed with Pesto and Cheese
(Makes two servings, but recipe can easily be doubled or tripled; recipe created by Kalyn in 2005 and adapted again in 2011.)

Ingredients:2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T Basil Pesto with Lemon or your favorite commercial pesto
2 T low-fat sour cream
2 T grated mozzarella cheese
(I used heaping tablespoons of pesto, sour cream and cheese) 
2 eggs, beaten (or if they're large eggs one will probably be enough)
3 T finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 T almond flour (or almond meal, but almond flour is better for this because it's more finely ground)
black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375F/190C.  Spray a small casserole dish with non-stick spray. Trim any visible fat from chicken breasts, then put them one at a time inside a heavy plastic bag and pound with meat mallet until the chicken is as thin as you can get it.  Don't worry too much about the shape or whether there are some loose pieces, you can tuck them in when you roll up the chicken.

In a small bowl mix together the basil pesto, sour cream, and grated mozzarella.  Use a rubber scraper to spread a thin layer of this mixture over each chicken breast, stopping about 1/2 inch from the edge of the chicken (so it doesn't run out so much as it cooks.)   Roll up the chicken breasts and secure them with a couple of toothpicks.  (I roll them so the finished piece is as thin as I can get it so they will cook quickly.)

Prepare two bowls, one with the beaten egg and the other with the grated Parmesan-almond flour mixture, seasoned with black pepper to taste.  Dip each chicken breast roll first into the egg mixture and then into the Parmesan-almond flour mixture, patting it on so the chicken breast roll is well-coated with the mixture. 

Put chicken breasts into the casserole dish and bake until the chicken is firm and lightly browned.  (Start checking after about 25-30 minutes; total baking time will be 30-35 minutes.)  Serve hot.

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