Cuisine: Cheese

Hatch Chile Rice

I know I should have posted my Irish recipes, but I made this Hatch Chile Rice last night and it was really good. You could add chicken to it and make it more of a main course. I found these El Pinto chiles at my local supermarket. I am glad that Hatch Chiles have finally made it into the mainstream. I used to go every September and buy a VERY large Hefty Bag of them and have them roasted. Then I would bring them home and freeze 6 in ziplock bags. It took up most of my freezer! My car smelled like chiles for months! My daughters were not thrilled with this when they were little. Yes, I know I have a problem!

By Leslie Blythe

Baked Feta Pasta Trend From TikTok

I usually view viral recipes with a raised eyebrow, though I have to admit, this is a brilliant method for making cheesy pasta with absolutely no effort.  As I usually do, I changed it to suit my taste. Instead of using a block of feta cheese, I used goat cheese and used fresh thyme, and oregano instead of basil. I  also added some onion. The beauty of this dish is that you can make it your own and use what you have on hand. I'm sure I will get a lot of flack for going off the rails, but tant pis (means too bad in French and also the name of our family cat - it's a long story!...)

This viral TikTok recipe originally came from Tiiu Piret, who posted a version of the dish on her blog in February 2018, fellow Finnish blogger Jenni Hayrinen is credited with making uunifetapasta (Finnish for “oven-baked feta pasta”) go viral in her country after posting her simplified version a year later. The stores actually ran out of feta cheese. See Washington Post article. Because I am a lazy cook, this suits me to a tee!

By Leslie Blythe

Artichoke Heart Carbonara

Our whole family is obsessed with carbonara. When there is nothing to eat, this is our go-to meal. It's simple, fast and so good. This Artichoke Heart Carbonara is a vegetarian version (no bacon here!). Oh, and did I mention, we LOVE artichokes?! Fortunately, I always have cans of artichokes in my pantry. 

By Leslie Blythe

Artichoke Melts

Here's a different idea for lunch. We tend to have a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches, and that gets rather boring. So to change it up, try these Artichoke Melts. I always have cans of artichoke hearts in the pantry. It has slices of hard-boiled eggs on the bottom and is topped with a mixture of artichoke hearts, cheddar cheese, Dijon mustard, mayo, garlic powder, and some dill before going under the broiler until it's golden brown. Yum!

By Leslie Blythe

French Onion Cauliflower

I love French Onion Soup and decided to take the idea and transform a head of cauliflower. It turned out rather delicious. I caramelized some onions and topped the florets with some Gruyère cheese and croutons. I went back into my archives and found my recipe for French Onion Chicken Meatballs, which is also a winner.

By Leslie Blythe

Arancini

I have never been a fan of leftovers. However, I do like to turn leftovers into a completely new dish. These Arancini are a perfect example.

Arancini are the epitome of southern Italian street food. They are stuffed with mozzarella, dredged in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried. They are great as hors d'oeuvres dipped or served on a bed of lettuce as a light lunch.

By Leslie Blythe

Creamy Parmesan Skillet Eggs

This recipe for Creamy Parmesan Skillet Eggs is from Chrissy Teigen. Oh, to be her, lounging around the house in silky pjs with John Legend! My friend Alice gave me a stack of cookbooks that someone was throwing away. I have to say, this book is genius. I told my husband to go through a put post-it notes on the recipes he wants me to make, which is practically every page! And yes, he stares at the photos of the lovely Sports Illustrated model. Anyway, back to the recipe. I made several changes - 1) no salt needed, because parm has a lot of salt already, ditto for butter - I used unsalted. 2) I only used one egg. 3) I finished it off under the broiler.

By Leslie Blythe

Buffalo Chicken Nachos

Well, for starters, I'm not a huge football fan. I only watch the Super Bowl for the ads and typically root for the team that is winning. I'm only half paying attention, though I do provide good snackage! I used to make my late mother-in-law a plate of nachos while she watched the USC games. She loved nachos and I loved making them for her. I always enjoyed hearing her screaming "GO, GO, GO!" This is a rather long-winded intro to my Buffalo Chicken Nachos, which is a variation of the traditional nacho recipe. You can make this buffalo chicken in the instant pot or a slow cooker. There was also the infamous Buffalo Chicken Pizza Incident, which you can read about...

By Leslie Blythe

Scottish Rumbledethumps

This Scottish Rumbledethumps is game-changing. Rumbledethumps is a traditional dish from the Scottish Borders. The main ingredients are leftover mashed potatoes and cabbage. Similar to Irish colcannon, and English bubble and squeak, it is either served as an accompaniment to a main dish or as a main dish itself.

The beauty of the dish is it can be made the day before and heated up. It can be a side dish alongside a hearty stew, or, if you prefer to eat it on its own, with a fried egg on top.

By Leslie Blythe

Beans with Leeks, White Beans and Cheddar on Toast

So, this Beans with Leeks, White Beans and Cheddar on Toast is a recipe that I adapted from a recipe from Nigel Slater. It was posted in The Guardian and it's basically "posh beans on toast". Beans on Toast is a British institution. The reason I made it is because I had the ingredients on hand and because I love leeks. Leeks are massively underappreciated and really add so much so many dishes. It was delicious and I initially thought I would have to serve soup with it, but that was not the case. You can adapt this recipe to ingredients you have.

By Leslie Blythe