Showing posts with label cheese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cheese. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Soups on Our Menu: Onion Soup


A few years ago, I was served onion soup in a restaurant. The soup was awful and I did not eat it. Since that was the only time when I had onion soup, I thought I could try to make some good one for us.

I found a recipe, which seemed easy, and decided to follow it.


There was no problems with making the soup, except the final part. The recipe calls for broiling the soup, bread + cheese in the oven and we do not have small soup serving bowls which are oven proof. I did it anyway - in a bit different way -  just used a big pyrex dish.

The results were not good enough though. The slices of bread were mushy.
I also tried melting the cheese in the microwave: the soup got extremely hot but the cheese did not melt entirely.  All in all, no matter what my attempts where, the final effect was not very enjoyable.

Attempt #1
We ate the onion soup - attempt #1 - even though it was very sweet. Too sweet according to our likes.

Some time later, I made it again but that time I skipped the sugar. The onions, prepared according to the recipe are sweet enough, so no sugar is needed at all.
Finally, before serving, I topped the soup with a 'good' amount of shredded cheese and some croutons (instead of broiling bread and cheese slices). And this is our  way of making and serving the French onion soup.

As my husband said: 'The soup gives a good taste to the palate'. It is very good for an appetizer indeed.

Final result which we like......

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Soups on Our Menu: Ground Beef & Beans Soup

I found this recipe on Leanna's pages here. When I first read it, I thought I would make the soup for us. The day came yesterday - I was ready to cook it. However, I modified the recipe (ingredients) a bit, to adjust it to the Texas cooking style and our likes as well.

What I used:

  • 1lb ground beef,
  • 3 celery stalks - cut into pieces,
  • 1 big onion - as above,
  • 3 garlic cloves - chopped,
  • 1 tsp salt,
  • 1 tsp cumin,
  • 1 Tsp chili powder,
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper,
  • 4 cups water,
  • 2 chicken bouillon cubes,
  • 1 can diced tomatoes with green chili,
  • 1 can cannellini beans - drained,
  • 1 can red kidney beans - drained
  • grated Mexican cheese (Queso Quesadilla) & chips to serve with the soup.


While making the soup, I followed the procedure given in Leanna's recipe.



At the end, when the soup was already in the bowls, I sprinkled it with some grated cheese.
It was a very nice meal which we both enjoyed. Certainly, the recipe is a keeper.



Thank you Leanna!

Monday, July 27, 2015

Baked Potatoes with Cheese & Chives by Chef Pol-Tex

This recipe was 'invented/developed' by myself. The potato dish can be served as an appetizer or a side. It is quite tasty and we really like it.

What you need (for two persons):

  • 3 or 4 medium size potatoes,
  • shredded cheese,
  • chives (cut into small pieces),
  • salt and black pepper,
  • some canola oil,
  • baking dish.

What to do with it all:

  • Heat oven to 400F/ 200C.
  • Peel potatoes and cut them into halves and then in halves again - you will have little 'potato boats'.
  • Grease baking dish slightly with some canola oil.
  • Place potato boats in your baking dish.
  • Season the potatoes with salt and black pepper.
  • Sprinkle the potato boats with some oil.
Potato 'boats' - ready to be put into the oven
  • Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes.
  • After that, take the baking dish out of the oven and turn the potatoes.
  • Bake for 30 minutes again.
  • Take the dish out of the oven - sprinkle the potatoes with shredded cheese and pieces of chives.
  • Bake them for 5 to 10 minutes.

Have a nice meal! 

 

Baked potatoes with cheese and chives

Monday, June 15, 2015

Potato Gratin

This is one of our favorite 'potatoes for dinner' options.

What you need (for two servings):
  • 1/3 cup half and half,
  • 1/3 cup 2% milk,
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder (or one garlic clove sliced/crushed),
  • salt and pepper,
  • 3 - 4 medium size potatoes,
  • grated cheese of your choice
and also: baking dish, some butter to grease the baking dish, aluminum foil.

Procedure:
1. Heat oven to 375F/ 190C
2. Heat the milk and half and half + garlic in a pot on the stove  (set it to #4).
2. Peel and slice the potatoes (each slice = 1/5 inch thick).
3. Grease your baking dish slightly.
4. Place 1 layer of sliced potatoes in the baking dish (see the picture).



5. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper.


6. Pour a bit of the milk and half and half mixture over the potatoes.
7. Place another layer of sliced potatoes into the dish, repeat step #5 & #6 etc.
8. Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake the potatoes for 20 minutes.
9. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake for 20 minutes more.
10. Take the dish out of the oven, cover the potatoes with grated cheese.
11. Bake it all for 10 minutes till the cheese is melted and a bit brownish on sides.

12. Enjoy!


Thursday, April 23, 2015

Mastering Chicken Quesadillas

I have mastered making Chicken Quesadillas (thanks to a great recipe by Ree Drummond - The Pioneer Woman). The ones made at home are much better than the quesadillas served by a local food place. With Tex-Mex rice (made by myself also) and refried beans, these Chicken Quesadillas make a great dinner.


 What I use to prepare Chicken Quesadillas:

  • 1 chicken breast - diced
  • Taco seasoning
  • 1/2 onion - sliced
  • 1/2 - 1 green bell pepper - sliced too
  • 6 flour tortillas
  • shredded Mexican style cheese (Queso Quesadilla)
  • some oil - to fry the meat
  • some butter - to fry the quesadillas
  • a bit of hot sauce 

The rest of the recipe you will find here.


Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Baked Mac & Cheese

before baking...
First time when I was asked whether I would like some mac & cheese, I did not know what the 'mac' stood for. When I learned that fish is traditionally served here with macaroni and cheese, I was quite surprised. I would have never thought of such a meal configuration before. Where I come from, fish is always served with potatoes - either fried (french fries) or boiled, but never with elbow shaped pasta and cheese! Nevertheless, the two and fish match quite well and I learned to like it. Mac & Cheese goes nicely with fried meat too.
I have tried quite a few mac & cheese recipes, including making it on the stove, but this one seems to be the best of all.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Happy Spring to You!

'My sheep hear my voice,
and I know them, and they
follow me: and I give unto them eternal life'
- John 10:27, 28

Happy Spring! Happy Easter! Happy Passover!

 

Some snack ideas - not only for Easter:

Pecan pie muffins
...... will disappear from the plate quite quickly......

For meat lovers:

Rotel cheese and ground beef dip - really tasty!



Have a wonderful time :)

 


Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Important things

'For thou, Lord, wilt bless 
the righteous: with favor
wilt thou compass him as
with a shield.'
-Psalm 5:12
It's so easy to forget what really important is - being busy with everyday matters, when we are constantly being disturbed by a million things. So easy to lose the path and forget the universal laws of life...
'The world within creates the world without', J. Murphy

The good you do comes back to you. The bad things you do, evil thoughts you send to others, will come back to you too. So the choice is obvious as it simply doesn't pay off to choose the latter option. It may seem quite shallow but it's only part of it all what really matters, and all starts with it at the same time.

Mexican food night
Unexpectedly tasty: cheese tortillas - made from scratch

*
oatmeal and raisin molasses cookies

'biscuits from the ice box'


Monday, March 24, 2014

After St. Patrick's Day

'Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature:
old things are passed
away; behold, all things
are become new.'
-2 Corinthians 5:17

Maybe some of you have also watched 'The Rising of The Moon' by John Ford. Quite an interesting compilation of three very different stories. Part 2 - "One Minute Stop" was quite funny, the third part was the most serious though. All worth watching if you haven't seen it yet. Anyway,  I enjoyed listening to the Irish accent too.


A new Duckie joined our Duck Dynasty. Although he is wearing a red jacket, he has very much to do with St. Patrick's Day. Still not known whether he can swim. :)



As far as I know, cherry cheese cobbler is not a traditional Irish treat but we enjoyed it anyway :)

cherry cheese cobbler
best when it's fresh - just taken out of the oven