Tag: cheddar


Jun
2014

French Onion Mac and Cheese

categories: Recipes

Well Dined | French Onion Mac and Cheese

I know it’s way too hot out to be making this sort of thing, but I don’t care.  It is sooooooo good.  This is a French onion soup inspired macaroni and cheese with caramelized onions, boatloads of cheese, and a buttery breadcrumb topping with thyme.  Yum, yum, yum.  Oh yeah, and a little bit of white wine (shoutout to Broken Dreams – my fave white of the moment).  I made this with Melissa of Smells Like Brownies and it was one of those magical recipes that is so much fun to make and doesn’t stress you out during the process (though that may have been the wine taking effect…).

Well Dined | French Onion Mac and Cheese

Step one is to get the onions going, of course.  Can’t have French onion soup without onions!  Pop those bad boys into a heavy bottomed pan with olive oil, butter, and thyme.  Is there any better flavor combo than onions and thyme?  I like to start them at medium high heat, then reduce heat to medium low once they are translucent.

Well Dined | French Onion Mac and Cheese

After 15 minutes, they should look kind of like this.  Add a splash of white wine and a sprinkle of salt and keep cooking for another 15-20 minutes.  Remember to take out the thyme stems when they are done.

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Jul
2013

Homemade Veggie Burgers

categories: Recipes

Well Dined | Homemade Veggie Burgers

Oddly enough, Melissa (Smells Like Brownies) and I both ended up with no plans for the 4th of July this year.  So we decided to go about our weekly vegetarian lunch as usual and, in spirit of the typical holiday food, decided to try making veggie burgers.  Based on her memory of a particularly delicious restaurant version and a couple of online recipes, we came up with our ingredients.

Well Dined | Homemade Veggie Burgers

Mushrooms and lentils were to be the base; with the help of carrots, onion, garlic, and cheddar cheese.

Well Dined | Homemade Veggie Burgers

We seasoned with salt and pepper, thyme, and dry mustard, then bound it together with breadcrumbs and egg.  We saved the “fancy” breadcrumbs (panko) to form a bit of a crust on the outside of the patties.  We learned the hard way that you definitely want to let the mixture chill in the fridge for about 30 min before you form the patties, or you will have a hard time. (more…)


Feb
2013

Quinoa and Kale Crustless Quiche

categories: Recipes

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Here is a dish that is simple, easy, healthy, and totally delicious.

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All you do is mix together cooked quinoa, wilted kale, caramelized onions, eggs, and cheese; then bake until set.

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It sets up a bit like a frittata.  So simple!

Quinoa and Kale Crustless Quiche
adapted from Food 52
serves 4-8

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch kale, stems removed and cut into ribbons
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese (or whatever you like)
3 oz reduced fat cream cheese (or Laughing Cow), cubed
4 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a 9″ pie dish (either butter the dish thoroughly or spray with baking spray).

Rinse the quinoa.  Combine the quinoa and water in a pan.  Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and then reduce to a simmer.  This will take about twenty minutes.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, start to caramelize the onions.  Heat the olive oil in a large saute on medium heat.  When the oil is shimmering, add the onions.  Slowly cook until the onions are soft and browned.  Remove the onions from the pan, and place them in a large mixing bowl.

Add the kale into the hot onion pan.  On medium heat, cook until the kale is wilted and bright green, about two minutes.  Allow the greens to cool.  Squeeze out any extra liquid using a sieve or a clean dish towel.

Add the kale, quinoa, garlic, cream cheese and cheddar to the mixing bowl.  Stir the ingredients so that they are evenly distributed.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs so that they are well combined.  Pour over the quinoa/kale mixture.  Stir until the egg clings to the greens.  Add salt and pepper.

Pour the mixture in the prepared pie dish.  Bake for about 45 minutes, until the top is golden and the pie has started to pull away from the edge of the baking dish.  This dish is delightful hot, but even better at room temperature.


Dec
2012

Christmas 2012

categories: Recipes

I wanted to do a big Christmas dinner, but I didn’t want to be in the kitchen all Christmas Day. I also wanted to try something different than the usual rib roast and Yorkshire pudding. So I decided to do dinner on Christmas Eve and to do some easy, low-prep dishes for Brunch on Christmas Day.

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I ordered a half fresh ham through Whole Foods to try cooking a Christmas ham for the first time, but I made a few mistakes.  I wanted to cook it in the slow cooker with brown sugar and cider to make a glaze, but I didn’t realize that “fresh ham” is not really what we consider ham – without the curing or smoke, it is more like a pork roast – so I didn’t really get the flavor that I wanted.  I also couldn’t get the whole thing to fit in my (very large) slow cooker insert, so I had to chop a chunk off – which actually ended up being a good thing because I roasted that piece and it came out better. (more…)


Dec
2012

Quinoa Mac and Cheese

categories: Recipes

The recipe calls this “mac and cheese”, but I feel like it is more of a “cheesy casserole”.  Either way, it is tasty and good for you – packed with protein rich quinoa and tasty veggies.  You can make it even healthier by using fat free milk and fat free cheese.  It is also totally customizable to your tastes!

Start by sauteing whatever veggies you want to use.  I went with leeks and tomatoes as suggested by the recipe, but you could do onions or shallots, bell peppers, corn, spinach, anything you want.

Add the quinoa and allow to toast a little bit to get extra flavor. (more…)


Jun
2012

Recipe Showdown: Chicken Crescent Rolls and Hashbrown Casserole

categories: Recipes

Cruising around on Pinterest I found two very similar recipes for crescent rolls stuffed with chicken, and another two for a casserole made with hashbrowns.  In each case, I couldn’t decide which recipe I preferred over the other; so I decided to settle it with a recipe showdown.  I would make one pair of recipes one week, and the other the next, in order to decide the winners. (Note that none of these recipes are particularly healthy…) (more…)