Cheese

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

March 23, 2016

Let’s be honest, we really don’t need any excuse to make a cheesy potato dish loaded with crispy bacon and lots of melted butter. The only excuse we need is to be hungry. That’s plenty. Did I mention cheese and butter and bacon and potatoes are involved? Let’s get excited just because of that. This is the only way we’re going to get through the week, and if that means we need to eat copious amounts of cheesy potatoes, then so be it. This Loaded Baked Potato Casserole has everything you love in a baked potato but creamier and cheesier and baconier (total word), which I think just makes everything better. In case you’re like me and are a last minute planner, and are still trying to figure out what in the world you’re making for Easter brunch, then I’ve got you covered. You can whip up this casserole in no time and watch as it’s the first dish to go.

For those of you who don’t know I partner up with the American Butter Institute for their Go Bold With Butter Campaign each month to provide them with two new recipes every month. I share some of those recipes on here from time to time, especially when they’re over the top and inviting like this ultimate Apple Pumpkin Pecan Pie. This Loaded Baked Potato Casserole was too good not to share on here, and since I feel like side dishes during the holidays are always the trickiest to plan out, I thought I’d help you out as much as possible. Since I don’t always repost all the recipes though, be sure to follow Go Bold With Butter on all their social media to stay in the loop, or head on over to the site to check out everything else I’ve done. If you love butter (and why wouldn’t you?) then this site is your new best friend.

…

Beer Cheddar Bratwurst Pizza: An Ode to Madison

August 4, 2015

I’ve slowly been trying out this new segment on the blog, and by slowly I mean once in a blue moon when the opportunity presents itself. It’s this segment right here. The ode to certain places I’ve recently traveled to and have fallen in love with a certain food item segment. It’s a bit long. I’m still working out the title, but I feel like it’s a fun post to continue exploring. Here’s the deal, I take a dish or certain ingredients from a city I’ve traveled to and I convert it into a pizza, because we all know that pizza is the way to go. Pizza is life and we can never have too much of it. Let’s print that on t-shirts and sell them, I’m sure we’d make a fortune. I’m always up for any excuse that involves bread topped with cheese and other delicious ingredients. I’m also always up for exploring new flavor profiles and food combinations that I wouldn’t normally have thought to put on top of pizza. It’s like we’re exploring the city together through food and photographs, and that makes me really happy.

The first post was inspired by a trip to San Fransisco. Pickled Jalapeño and Sausage Pizza is my go to pizza topping from now on. I can never get tired of it. For the longest time I only ate pizza with pepperoni on it. That’s it. Nothing else. It wasn’t until just recently that I started exploring other toppings. Don’t get me wrong, a slice of pepperoni pizza is still a guilty pleasure of mine. The second post was a tribute to one of the greatest cities in this country, New Orleans. Jambalaya Pizza might sound a bit out there (and it totally is) but I promise it’s bomb dot com. Sausage, chicken and shrimp on pizza will change your life forever.

This time around it’s all about the wonderful city of Madison, Wisconsin. Which I just recently had the pleasure to visit and actually fell in love with the people, the food and the cheese. (I’m not being paid at all to say this to you, I promise. I just really love that city). I’d honestly live there if it wasn’t for the whole freezing cold snowing winter part. I wouldn’t survive the first winter, but the food and laid back coolness of the city have me seriously contemplating a move….later in life…in the distant future….like really distant. I always say this whenever I go somewhere that pleasantly surprises me, but then I come back home and I realize Los Angeles is kind of hard to beat. Except for the traffic. And the high prices on pretty much everything. And the pollution. And the traffic (let’s not talk about it).

In these segments, if you’ve been following along and have noticed, I’ve also been including a few non-food photos that I captured with my phone while out and about. Just random photos of things and places around the city. I know it’s not what normally goes down on this blog, but I think it’s a nice, hopefully welcomed, change. Again, I want you to experience these cities like I did. Plus, my mamma always complains that I never show her any of the photos I take whenever I go on a trip. So I put them on here so she can look at them when she reads my posts. (You’re welcome, mamma).

Aside from the amazing cheese Wisconsin has to offer, it is considered to be America’s Dairyland aka Disneyland for cheese enthusiasts such as myself, there is some pretty stellar architecture around Madison. The Capital building was my favorite thing to gawk at. I felt like Lesley Knope as I walked through the building. The inside looked like something right out of Parks and Recreation, I kid you not. I kept my eye out for Lil’ Sebastian but frankly, no luck. I did eat some waffles afterwards though, so it sort of evened out the whole experience.

Of course, there are also fields and farms and corn for days, as far as the eye can see. I’ve also never seen so much sky in my entire life. I looked up and I felt like there was more sky than land which I don’t even think is possible but some how Wisconsin makes it possible because that’s what it does. Wisconsin is a magical miracle maker.

If you want to read more about my first trip to America’s Dairyland (and why wouldn’t you?!) check out this article I wrote for Wisconsin Cheese “10 Things I Learned On My First Trip To Wisconsin.” It’s real, it’s raw and you’ll be glad you read it. Might even be the highlight of your day/week. Maybe.

…

Mushroom and Chorizo Queso Fundido

April 15, 2015

If queso fundido is on the menu (any menu), you better believe I’ll be ordering it and I’ll devour the entire dish all by myself. I’ll pretend it’s the most awful piece of garbage I’ve ever tasted, too, just so that I’ll be the only one eating it. “Ugh, you DO NOT want to taste this! Oh it’s awful! Yuck! You’re better off not trying it! I’m doing everyone a favor by eating it all, trust me.” Just the mention of queso fundido and all my self control goes right out the window. With this dish right in front of me, I forget about such things as portion control and moderation. Huh? Come again? Portion what? All bets are off. Can you blame me? I mean, who can resist a piping hot skillet filled with melted bubbly cheese? I count my blessings every morning, as soon as I open my eyes, thankful that I’m not allergic to cheese or dairy because if that were the case, I’d be suffering every single day of my life. I’d probably cry myself to sleep each night from the sadness. The thought of not being able to eat melted cheese dip frightens me. I’m terrified right now just talking/thinking about it. Let’s move on, I’m getting chills.

Julian and I order this appetizer so often that I wanted to start making it at home for us. The worst decision I’ve ever made in my life, or the best? I haven’t decided yet, ask me again later. After a long and tiring work week, the greatest thing you can ever possibly treat yourself to is a few cold cocktails (obviously), queso fundido and a giant bowl of tortilla chips for dipping into said cheese. Picture it, you out in the backyard on a lounge chair right by a pool. The warm sun hitting your face. Drink in hand garnished with one of those tiny cocktail umbrellas (I love those umbrellas), someone fanning you as you lay back and worry about nothing, and just when you feel a bit hungry, there’s queso fundido right to the side of you for all of your snacking needs. Sounds amazing, right?

Give it a try soon, but don’t say I didn’t warn you when you wake up in a daze not knowing where you are or why there’s cheese on your face and crumbs on your shirt (how embarrassing for you, pull yourself together) or why all of a sudden you’re wishing you had more mushroom and chorizo queso fundido on hand. It’s that addicting. No, scratch that. It’s magical. It’s an outer body experience and if food had the power to cure ailments, I swear this dip would be a miracle worker. Maybe I’m hyping it too much or maybe I’m exaggerating (I’m not) either way, if you have no idea what I’m talking about or have never tried fundido, you need to stop everything you’re doing right now and get in the kitchen. Okay, now that I think about it, it’s probably a bad idea that I’m making this at home now. It’s all I’m going to be eating for the next couple of weeks. Help! (But don’t help).

…

Spinach, Garlic and Chicken Chardonnay White Pizza

October 6, 2014

We’re beginning to settle into our new place just nicely these days. I’m starting to cook a lot more, once again, and even getting back into the rhythm of creating new recipes for the site. I’ve been away far too long if you ask me. The very first thing we bought for our new home was a pizza stone, even before we got some of the more important things like a lamp or dining table. I wanted to make sure we had our pizza nights locked in. This is actually the first pizza stone I’ve ever owned. As a matter of fact, someone on instagram recommended it to me a long time ago and I immediately thought about their comment when I picked it up at the store. They were absolutely right, pizzas are 100 times better when cooked on this round ceramic pizza cooking contraption. It’s like magic. Like the future. It makes it so easy to achieve that artisan pizza taste and texture. (The following has been a PSA for Pizza Stones of America. Is that an actual thing? It totally should be).

Moving and unpacking has taught me that we’re all looking for quick and easy recipes that require little to no time in the kitchen. Sometimes we’re just too tired to whip up something fancy during the week, or we simply don’t have the time to devote ourselves to a meal that takes way too long to make. That’s okay. Instead of reaching for that take-out menu, though, we should be focusing on creating simple recipes that taste just as good (if not better) as the restaurant version. I’m always trying to come up with new and exciting ways to incorporate pizza into my daily life. If I had it my way, we’d be eating pizza every single night. Oh, different kinds of course. I mean I do have some standards. Pizza everyday for dinner just sounds like a dream come true, doesn’t it?

One easy way to turn a drab meal into something fun and exciting is by incorporating wine into the dish. Sure, wine is great to drink with dinner, but it’s also great to cook with! I’ve partnered up with Barefoot Wine to bring you this delicious Spinach, Garlic and Chicken Chardonnay White Pizza. It’ll change the way you think about pizza and wine forever! Get ready to eat the entire pizza by yourself, especially with the creamy white garlic sauce that gets slathered on top of it underneath all of that cheese and tasty toppings. Are you rethinking that “pizza every night” thing we talked about earlier? You should be.

…

Loaded Baked Potato Scones

April 7, 2014

I don’t think I have to explain my undying love of potatoes to you. I think you just get it. If I were to say to you that potatoes are the best vegetable/starch ever, like in all the worlds, well you would know I wasn’t lying. You’d most likely agree with me, because umm hello, potatoes. I have this obsession with potatoes. That’s where Potato Tacos and Potato Balls come into the picture. Not like a “they’re so good I’m obsessed can’t get enough of them” kind of obsession. While yes that’s true, it’s more like a “I need to eat potato everything and anything because they’re that good,” kind of obsession. I think it’s a healthy addiction. Nothing to worry about. It’s quite common if you really think about it. Don’t look at me like that!

I know that at some point I’ll be asked if these are scones or biscuits, and to tell you the truth, I’m not quite sure myself. I have no idea. Let’s be frank, they look exactly the same. All I know is that they’re flaky and delicious and I want to eat them all. I guess we can call them biscuit scones. Biscones. Or sconsuits. Hey look at us, we’re inventing new things. Aren’t we clever? The answer is yes. Always, yes. In all honesty, jokes aside, scones and biscuits, they’re pretty much the same thing, right? I mean, I can’t really tell the difference. Some sources claim to know the answer. The answer being that scones have eggs in the dough. Um no. I know plenty of scones that don’t have eggs in them so therefore, are they biscuits? Others claim that scones are scones if they are triangular and biscuits are biscuits if they are circular. This might be the case but at the same time, I’ve seen circular scones so I don’t think there’s a right answer here. I think the people who invented each of them got together and decided to play a trick on all of us. They wanted to mess with our heads.

The bottom line is I made these potato scones/biscuits with bacon and cheese and I can’t think of anything more delicious at the moment. They’re something out of this world, especially right out of the oven all warm and flaky and delicious looking. Am I convincing you yet? These biscuits/scones are sort of like the ultimate snack, perfect for on-the-go. It’s potatoes, cheese and bacon and bread in a small package that you can eat with one hand while you (safely) drive to work or school or where ever else you drive. How about now? Are you convinced? These scones/biscuits are all like, “Hey look at us, we’re loaded with potatoes and crispy bacon and delicious cheese. You need to eat us!” They’re calling out to you because they know you can’t resist. Don’t fight it anymore, go on and make these biscuits/scones for yourself.

…

Faux Danish Pastries

August 25, 2013

I want to be completely honest with you, I think our relationship deserves that much, don’t you? Real talk. I love danish pastries. Come on, you know you do too. I can’t get enough of them. In fact, I love them so much that I can eat about twenty and it still wouldn’t be enough. I’d want more and more. All day, everyday. I’m not even kidding. Okay, maybe a little, but I only exaggerate out of my love for danish. Real talk. The problem with my infatuation for these treats is that I want to be able to make them at home and feel like I’m a fancy Danish baker that specializes in making homemade danishes. Real talk. The one thing that stops me from fulfilling said danish dreams is the fact that I’m really lazy when it comes to procedures in the kitchen that take way too much time and effort. I don’t like overly complicated recipes. Honest to goodness real danish pastry dough is so time consuming and involves all these not-so-complicated-steps-but-to-me-they’re-the-most-stressful-steps, steps. Not only is it labor intense but it also takes a lot of time to rest and do it’s magic. Who can wait that long?! Not me, my friends. Real talk. I don’t have that kind of time. Something tells me, you might be in the same boat and don’t have much time for tedious pastry work either. If that’s the case then you’ll want to stay tuned and continue reading because I’m bringing you not one, not even two, but three—yes friends THREE—fake out danish pastry recipes. You’re welcome.

How do you fake out danish, you might ask? Well I’m so glad you did ask, because boy do I have the perfect answer. Two words for you, puff pastry. Wait. Scratch that. I have four words for you, store bought puff pastry. That sounds a lot better, no? Yes, it does my friends. Yes it does. It might not be the most authentic version of danish—it’s actually missing that yeast factor shhh—but it’s still just as tasty, and when it’s all said and done folks, isn’t that all that really matters? Well that, and that I’ve just cut your danish making time in half. I expect a monument named after me for this. Real talk. I’m only partially kidding about that one.

Sure I could have just offered you one danish recipe and called it a day, but what kind of person would I be if I didn’t share all three recipes with you? I’d be a selfish human being that’s for sure. Especially since I had all three ideas in my head for the longest time. I couldn’t decide which one you’d prefer more. That’s a lie. The truth, real talk, is that I couldn’t decide which I really wanted to eat more. Okay there it’s out there now. So instead of limiting myself to devouring just one pastry, I decided to have all the pastries. ALL THE PASTRIES. I put on my wizard hat and started calling myself “The Danish Magician.” I wouldn’t respond to people calling me by any other name. My family kept saying, “Jon this…” and “Jonathan that…” but whatever they said went unacknowledged and unanswered until they referred to me as The Danish Magician. Or Danish The Great. Real talk. That really didn’t happen. I couldn’t get them to call me either of those things. So for now, I’m still just plain ol’ Jonathan. That’s not even majestical, but it’ll have to do. Plain ol’ lousy Jonathan with three killer danish recipes. Real talk, you’ll love them as much as I did.

…