Tag Archives: Cheese

Nov6

Green Chili Cheesey Queso w/Buttery Rhodes Rolls

Posted on by
Standard
Green Chili Cheesey Queso w/Buttery Rhodes Rolls

If that title didn’t catch your eye, I bet the picture below will:

Recipe and photo credit @newmexicomilkmaid #newmexicomilkmaid

This is the coolest cast iron skillet appetizer creation, and it’s delish and easy to make! I went pretty much by the recipe on round 1, then of course changed it up a bit for round 2. Cutting the rolls in 1/2 before placing them in the skillet will provide more dipping power and don’t be afraid of the pepper flakes! Next time I’m going to add a little more parmesan. I guarantee you that this dish won’t have any leftovers. I hope you give it a whirl – super easy and be sure to hop on over to meet Tara @newmexicomilkmaid

Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Saturday!
~Connie Kaye

Green Chili Queso

  • Servings: 15
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

Rolls:
12 Rhodes Thaw, Rise and Bake frozen dinner rolls, cut in half
2 tbsp melted butter
1/4 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp Italian herb seasoning

Green Chile Queso:
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp red chile pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1 cup romano, parmesan, and asiago cheese blend, shredded (or Italian blend)
1/4 cup sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
14 oz artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup green chiles, drained
Salt, pepper, garlic salt to taste

Directions

*Grease a 12″ cast iron skillet with butter.

*Place 12 frozen Rhodes dinner rolls around the outside of the skillet. Recommend to cute them in half, but either way works. Cover and let thaw and rise at room temperature for 3-5 hours.

*Preheat oven to 375°.

*Using a hand mixer, mix queso ingredients until well combined. After the rolls have thawed, add cheese mixture to the center of the skillet.

*Combine the melted butter and herbs. Brush butter, herb mixture over the top of the rolls. Sprinkle with additional cheese.

*Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° for the final 10 minutes as rolls will get to brown.

Use rolls, tortilla chips, steak cubes, veggies, or just your finger to dip queso!


Advertisement
Jan16

Chicken, bacon, cheese…….

Posted on by
Standard

oh yeah, and jalapenos, but not hot.  I promise.

chicken bacon

Since we had the day off yesterday,  we did a barbeque run to a new spot, and are recovering from some amazing Kansas City BBQ at Slaps in Kansas City, KS.  I highly recommend this joint to everyone.  RIBS.  The end.  We ended up with an entire meal that we brought home, so order lightly.  Oh yeah, and BRISKET.  The best word to go with BBQ is joint, and this place brings it home.  We will definitely be back.  We shopped and then gambled at Hollywood Casino on the way home, and although we didn’t come out on top, it was fun!

Thought I might brew up something a little lighter for dinner, and made these chicken bacon jalapeno wraps.  We had a wonderful Christmas with friends, family and even more friends from Australia, plus an upcoming Mexico vacay in which we might just possibly overindulge, so the hubs and I have been eating a lot of meat, veggies and fruit.

So, let’s bring on the yard bird.  The husband of the house is not a fan of “yard bird” as he and his friend Charlie call it, but this, is delish.  I remove all of the innards from the jalapeno so it’s not hot, and combine with cheese and bacon, and yummo.  It’s about -10 degrees outside so I didn’t grill, which is the best, and most delicious option, but baking works as well.

Happy New Year everyone, and here’s to a fantastic 2018!!

~Connie Kaye

Chicken Bacon Rollups

  • Print
Ingredients:

5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
5 jalapeno peppers
20 strips bacon
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup cup grated colby jack or cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste
Favorite BBQ sauce

Slice chicken breasts in half width wise (each half makes 1 chicken rollup).  Place between 2 pieces of wax paper and pound to 1/4″ thickness.  Season each with salt & pepper.

Slice jalapenos in half lengthwise and remove seeds, ribs and the end with the stem.

In a small bowl, mix softened cream cheese with your grated colby jack or cheddar cheese.

Fill each jalapeno half with cheese mixture.  Place 1 jalapeno half at the end of each chicken piece, and roll up.  Doesn’t always close the way you think it might – no worries, the bacon brings everything together.  Wrap each piece of chicken with bacon, tucking in the ends of the strips.

Preheat grill and cook over indirect heat for 20-25 minutes, turning every 4-5 minutes.  Baste chicken with BBQ sauce every time you give it a flip.  Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees.  If you don’t have a meat thermometer, buy one.  🙂  Just kidding…you can pierce the chicken with a fork, and if juices run clear, you’re good to go.

Alternate method — if you choose to bake, set oven at 375 and bake uncovered for 30 minutes, basting as above.  You can broil at the end so bacon can crisp completely.

Nov21

One of the best side dishes ever…..

Posted on by
Standard
One of the best side dishes ever…..

I just recently realized that some of my favorite go-to’s never make an appearance here, so I want to share one of the most requested side dishes from our family and friends.

As I’ve mentioned, my parents were in the restaurant business in Kansas City, and I think they were friends with the then-owners of Stephenson’s Apple Farm.  I believe this recipe for Broccoli Rice Cheese Casserole originated from their Green Rice.  It’s super easy and sooo amazingly delicious.  The recipe below makes a 13 x 9 pan, but I usually cut it in half and that works great in an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan.  In any case, I know you will love it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

~Connie Kaye

Broccoli Rice Cheese Casserole

  • Print
Ingredients:

1 bag chopped broccoli
2 cans cream of celery soup
16 oz. cheese whiz
1 stick margarine or butter
1/4 cup diced onion
1 soup can milk
1.5 cups uncooked rice
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease or spray 13 x 9 pan.  Stir all ingredients together and cook for 45 min to 1 hour.  Note:  about 1/2 way through the cooking time, I give it a stir as everything is starting to melt.

Nov13

Yummy Crescent Roll Ups

Posted on by
Standard
Yummy Crescent Roll Ups

The perfect recipe for tailgating or watching football – what can you not like about creme cheese, bacon, jalapenos?  I sure cannot think of anything!  Tried these a few weeks ago, and they did not last long at all.  Super easy, and you begin with crescent roll dough, preferably the full sheet, or if not, just seal the triangles to make a sheet.  Cover with a layer of whipped cream cheese to which you have added chopped jalapenos and crumbled cooked bacon.  Sprinkle with sharp shredded cheddar cheese, and roll, starting with the long end.  Cut with sharp knife, and you should have something similar to this:

img_1455

You’re about 15 minutes away from yummy.  Add shredded cheddar to the top, and bake at 375 degrees or until desired degree of brownness.   Enjoy, and grab one first before your “friends” get to them!

~Connie Kaye

Apr12

A little Mexican for your Tuesday

Posted on by
Standard

Well, not a “real” mexican, but some mexican food.  🙂

Who doesn’t LOVE that white cheese dip that is typically available in restaurants?  Not sure anyone can turn that stuff down.  Here’s a simple recipe to make it at home!  Drizzle this over some quesadillas or chips, and you’ll be in heaven.

~Connie Kaye

Queso Blanco

  • Print
Ingredients:

1 C. Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 half of a small can chopped green chiles
1/4 C. heavy cream
1 tsp cumin
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

For a little more spice, you can add some finely chopped pickled or fresh jalapenos. Combine in small saucepan over low heat until cheese is melted and well blended.  Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn and keep warm until ready to serve

Mar17

Yummy Potato Casserole

Posted on by
Standard

This is not your traditional tater casserole.  Nothing healthy about it, but with Easter approaching, I wanted to share as it would be a delicious addition to your meal.

Keep in mind that this casserole may use shredded frozen potatoes and cheddar cheese, but you use HEAVY CREAM – nope, no canned soup in this baby.  I now use only sharp cheddar but you could go with your favorite.  And, for those of you who want to make it and leave it, I’m pretty sure a slow cooker would work on this.

cheesy-hash-brown-casserole

Happy St. Patty’s Day, and enjoy!

~Connie Kaye

Potato Casserole

  • Print
Ingredients:

4 cups shredded hash brown potatoes
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
1 1/2 heavy cream
Optional:  thinly sliced or minced onion

Alternate layers of potatoes and cheese (and onion, if using), using salt and pepper to taste.  One you have all of the taters and cheese in casserole dish, pour cream over it.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 min covered, then remove lid and continue for another 10-15 minutes uncovered so cheese is bubbly.

 

Dec27

Easy Cheese Ball

Posted on by
Standard

cheeseball1_550A quick post as I’m cheering on the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS!!!!  Made this cheese ball last night and wanted to share.  It’s easy, quick and delicious.  And, it’s made with ingredients that  you typically have on hand.  Hope you enjoy as we do, and I’ll hopefully be making it for a post-season Chiefs game!!!

~Connie Kaye

Cheese Ball

  • Servings: depends
  • Print
Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup each mayo, melted margarine, sour cream
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 tbsp minced onion
1 tbsp steak sauce

Chopped pecans

Mix the first 5 ingredients well.  Form into ball and chill.  Roll in chopped pecans before serving.  Best with Ritz crackers.

Oct19

The Best (and easiest) Homemade Mac & Cheese

Posted on by
Standard

We had a birthday party for the youngest daughter, Kristy, last month, and smoked a bunch of pork butts in anticipation of a United Way fundraiser (today) as well as her birthday.  I had made my famous and delicious cheesy potatoes but as I contemplated the number of men and kids attending, I thought I might whip up a quick batch of mac and cheese.

My sister came up with this recipe and it’s super easy, cheesy and delicious.  All you need is mac and cheese, powdered milk, velveeta and sharp cheddar.  I might add that at first I was only able to find these huge boxes of powdered milk, but now you can buy little packages of it which are really handy and work for those of us who don’t use this on a regular basis.

Be sure to use sharp cheddar and the more liquid the better when you pop it in the oven.  (I’ve actually started only buying sharp) Sooo good!

mac and cheese

Enjoy!

~Connie Kaye

Homemade Mac & Cheese

  • Print
Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 325 for glass dishes; 350 for metal.  Spray a 9 x 13 dish with non-stick spray.

Ingredients:
2 cups small size elbow macaroni
1/3 cup nonfat dry milk
1 lb. Velveeta (1/2 of package)
8 oz. (at least) sharp grated cheddar cheese
1/4 pound butter

Fill a 3 qt saucepan 2/3 full with water, salt generously, and bring to a boil.  Add mac to boiling water, stir.  Allow water to return to boil and cook macaroni just to al dente stage.  This does not take long!!  It will cook more as you melt the cheese and also in the baking process.   Drain some of the water – leaving just enough to “almost” cover the macaroni.

Add nonfat dry milk to the macaroni and water.  Stir until milk is dissolved.

Cut Velveeta into chunks and add to the macaroni mixture.  Stir well, cover loosely and return to very low heat.  Add 1/4 lb. butter, cut into chunks and add to the mac and cheese mixture. Stir frequently until almost all of the Velveeta is melted.  Once that happens, pour into baking dish.  You may want to add more water or milk at this point.  Top with shredded sharp cheddar.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned to your preference.

Jul30

Anybody else crazy about avocados???

Posted on by
Standard

Have you ever tried grilling them?  Well, I hadn’t and my biggest issue with an avocado is that I usually eat it before I can do anything with it!  However, you should give this a whirl.

IMG_0602

Finished product!

I halved my little green gems (they need to be pretty ripe but not mushy), removed the pit, and placed them upside down on a hot grill.  Move them around a little to get some good grill marks:

IMG_0600

grill marks galore!

I removed from the grill and dressed with a mixture of Mexican shredded cheese.  Place back on grill (cheese side up, of course), lower lid and let cheese melt.

IMG_0601

Before attacking these little morsels, I added a little salsa.  I was afraid that the salsa, etc., would overwhelm the flavor of the avocado — NOT!!  Oh soooo good!   Thanks for dropping by, and hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

~Connie Kaye

Grilled Avocados

  • Print
Ingredients

Avocados, halved and pitted
Shredded cheese (mexican blend or monterrey jack)
Salsa

Place avocados cut side down t get some grill marks, flip over, add cheese.  Place back on grill to let cheese melt.  Top with salsa and enjoy!

Jun7

Pizza……on the grill!

Posted on by
Standard

We like to grill.  A.  Lot.  So I could take the really homemade route and make the pizza dough from scratch.  However, I opt for the ready-made wonders that you can find anywhere, and I typically buy the crispy version.  Here’s my ingredients that I assembled:

IMG_0432

Pepperoni, sausage, cheese, black olives, mushrooms, canadian bacon, etc.  Yep, we’re meat lovers.  So when we bought our house, our realtor failed to tell us that it came with awesome neighbors.  I ended up with a helper last night, my buddy Gab, who I quickly put to work with kitchen shears (what, she said, are these???) to cut up the canadian bacon:

IMG_0435

Meet Gab (a.k.a. The Gabster)

I then had the girls assemble their mini pizzas while the grill warmed up:

IMG_0436

This is a fun way to personalize your own food, and everybody gets exactly what they want.  To cook the pizzas, get your grill nice and hot, then oil the grates (we use a vegetable oil-soaked paper towel and rub the grates using tongs).  Once you’re ready to cook the pizzas, turn one side off and cook the pizzas on that side checking the bottom crust frequently to make sure they don’t burn.  Here’s the finished product that I ate:

IMG_0437

My yummy finished product!

IMG_0438

Looks like my cooking partner in crime liked her pizza!

Enjoy your pizza, and summer outside with friends and family!

~Connie Kaye

Pizza On The Grill

  • Print
Ingredients:

Packaged pizza crust
Pizza sauce
Your choice of toppings
Mozzarella or Italian blend cheese

Preheat grill, and oil grates.  Lightly brush pizza crust with olive oil, then layer sauce cheese and toppings.  Turn off one side of the grill, or turn to very lowest setting.  Grill, watching bottom crust so that it doesn’t burn while the toppings melt.  Remove with tongs and serve with grated mozzarella and crushed red pepper, if desired.