cheese

Name: Macaroni Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: 1 pound small pasta, macaroni, shells, rotini, etc.; 1 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 2 tablespoons mustard; 1/4 cup sour cream; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 2 tablespoons sugar; 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; ground black pepper; 1 cup ham steak, cut into small cubes; 1 cup cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes; 2/3 cup frozen peas, thawed

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Oct 18, 2017

Thank you Mardi Gras Napkins for sponsoring this post. Learn more about Mardi Gras Conversation Starter Napkins here and grab your coupon today!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup – easy kid-friendly soup! A creamy soup with broccoli, carrots, and cheddar cheese!

Okay guys, dinner time.

Does the whole family sit down at the table?

Does everyone do their own thing?

I’ll admit, I’m terrible at dinner time these days. I’m a stickler for the kids at the table all together, but more often than not, I’m in the kitchen working on the dishes or doing a 2nd batch of biscuits or whatever needs to be done. I’m close enough to hear their conversation but not actually participating, you know?

Then they want to watch videos on their tablets so no one’s actually talking to anyone anyway.

And I’m feeling like it’s time to get rid of that mealtime boredom and bring some fun to the table.

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Bacon Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

Oct 11, 2016

Bacon Cheddar Mashed Potatoes – the perfect side dish for every meal! These potatoes are loaded with sour cream, cheddar cheese, bacon, and green onions!

So if you follow me anywhere, you know I was in Austin at BlogHer Food all weekend. It’s a conference for food bloggers where we all talk about what annoys us about our job and then we eat everything in the city.

And, in case you’ve ever wondered, I am horrible at conferences. (Very good at the eating part though.)

I showed up for 3 things the entire conference. And only stayed the full time for 1 of those.

Sitting still is hard for me, y’all.

Also, I sat down with a group of girls I didn’t know for the closing keynote and they asked if I had a business card.

And I didn’t.

I mean, do I seem like the kind of girl that carries business cards?

Anyway, one of the girls said, “Aww, you must be a new blogger!”

So that was kind of how the conference went for me.

I did get to hang out with friends that I’ve only ever known over the internet which was honestly the only reason I went to begin with so that totally made up for the conference being… ahem… lame.

And also there was lots of food!

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Queso Fundido

May 02, 2016

Queso Fundido – spicy cheese dip with chorizo! Serve with tortilla chips for the perfect party snack!

Happy Monday!

It’s a happy Monday because Cinco de Mayo is just days away! And I think that you deserve to have chips and Queso Fundido for dinner.

Because why not?

So how was the weekend? It monsooned here in Texas. My entire house filled with a burning smell during the storm and that caused me to call maintenance out here at 11 pm on Friday night and, OF COURSE, the smell was gone by the time they got here.

The maintenance guy was like, “Oh yeah, your neighbors car got struck by lightning… so maybe that was it.”

Texas, man.

Just when I start to think I could stay here forever, spring storms come in and you-know-what on my party.

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Twice Baked Red Potatoes

Oct 06, 2015

This article has been compensated by PAM Cooking Spray. All opinions are mine alone. #PAMCookingSpray

One of my favorite things about this time of year is the anticipation of the holidays and holiday meals. I’ve had a forever long list of Thanksgiving menu ideas on my desk since August.

Last year it was kind of up in the air whether my husband would be home in time for Thanksgiving (deployment) and he ended up coming home on Thanksgiving. So it was super simple since the boys and we spent several hours at the welcome home ceremony. This year though? I wanna go all out. Because next year my husband will probably be gone again. So why not?

One of my favorite and most important ingredients in my cooking, especially around the holidays, is PAM Cooking Spray. I use it pretty much every day of my life but because I use my vintage Pyrex dishes (handwash only!) for all holiday meals, I am most definitely spritzing everything with PAM Cooking Spray. PAM Cooking Spray leaves 99% less residue than margarine or bargain-brand sprays so clean up is quick and easy! It just makes life so much easier. Really, who wants to spend time scrubbing dishes after the Thanksgiving meal?

*vs. leading cooking sprays (except olive oil), after spraying on glass bakeware, baking at 400°F for 30 min, cooling, and then washing in standard home dishwasher with detergent and repeating 4 times.

These Twice Baked Red Potatoes are something you could serve for a holiday meal or just with a regular weeknight dinner! My husband and I used to make these when we lived in our very first apartment before we had kids. We’d make baked chicken with a salad and these potatoes and we felt like real adults. Because we bought raw potatoes and cooked them ourselves.

The recipe is super simple. Just bake the potatoes on a PAM Cooking Spray coated pan until their fork tender. Scrape out the insides and mix it with all kinds of cheesy goodness (and bacon!) and then put it back in the potato shells. So easy and so yummy! You can’t go wrong with potatoes with cheese and bacon!

For more information on PAM Cooking Spray, visit www.PAMCookingSpray.com. Follow PAM on Facebook and Pinterest for recipes and cooking tips!

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Bacon and Pimento Cheese Burgers

Aug 26, 2015

Bacon and Pimento Cheese Burgers – delicious (and easy!) homemade pimento cheese on top burgers with crispy bacon!

Something you may not know about me is that one of my favorite foods is pimento cheese. I don’t know how or why but I have loved it for as long as I can remember.

Almost every week when I do my big grocery shopping trip, I buy a tub of pimento cheese and a bag of those long pretzel rods and then I dip the pretzels in the cheese and that’s all I eat until it’s gone.

I mean, is that not one of the weirder things for someone to be obsessed with?

Pimento cheese on pretzels? And not just pretzels, it has to be the pretzel rods.

So when my dear friend Kita asked me to participate in Burger Month again this year, I knew Bacon and Pimento Cheese Burgers were happening.

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Crockpot Bacon and Swiss Dip

Aug 20, 2015

My favorite time of year is almost here!

(I feel like I say that once a month. What can I say? I just love every holiday, every event, basically everything.)

Football season!

I have been stocking up on Broncos tees for the entire family (including the dogs – don’t judge me), I have been watching all the preseason games, and most importantly, I have been searching for cheesy delicious dips to serve during all the games.

I like to think that calories don’t count during football games since I use so much energy yelling at the TV. So bring on all the cheese!

This Crockpot Bacon and Swiss Dip has all my faves! Bacon and swiss and cream cheese and onions! And it’s made in the crockpot which makes me even happier!

I love doing crockpot dips when we have people over for football games because you can just put the crockpot on warm and let people graze.

You have to give this one a try! Serve it with your favorite crackers and I promise it will be a hit!

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Everything Cheese Ball

Oct 16, 2014

I want to start this off by saying that I’ve spent 20 minutes trying to figure out if it’s “cheese ball” or “cheeseball”. I assumed it was like basketball. But then I thought about soccer ball.

There is no real consistency when it comes to balls, apparently.

Today we’re talking about this Everything Cheese Ball. Because it’s football season and cheese balls are my favorite thing to show up with at football parties. Who doesn’t like cheese balls?! Especially when it’s cheese mixed with fun stuff like bacon and then covered in “Everything” bagel seasoning.

(You can find Everything seasoning on Amazon for a really good price!)

This turned out delicious and it may be my new favorite cheese ball. Plus, cheese balls are so simple to make and you can make this one ahead of time and store it in the fridge (without the seasoning on it) until your party starts. Or until dinner. Or until your kids go to sleep and you can finally have a peaceful moment with the cheese.

Whatever, I won’t judge you.

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Cheesy Garlic Crescent Rolls

Sep 15, 2014

Cheesy Garlic Crescent Rolls – only 4 ingredients! Crescent rolls stuffed with mozzarella and brushed with garlic butter!

Two breads in a row!

It’s carb week on Fake Ginger!

Just kidding.

It’s carb week every week in my life.

Have I told you guys that I’ve been obsessed with Captain D’s recently? Yeah, the fast food seafood place. It’s one of the stranger things that’s happened in my life. I mean, I (very lovingly) make fun of my friends that aren’t from areas by the water when they say that Red Lobster is their favorite restaurant. And now I’m obsessed with Captain D’s? What is life?

I don’t know, guys. The hushpuppies. They call my name.

And the clams. And the lobster bites. And the fries that are so delicious dipped in tartar sauce.

I’ve been at least 3 times in the last couple weeks. Possibly 4.

I’ve vowed not to go anymore and now that I’ve publicly shamed myself, maybe I’ll stick to it.

So these Cheesy Garlic Crescent Rolls!

Canned crescent rolls are probably my favorite bread to serve with dinner but I very rarely do it because I could easily eat all 8 before dinner is even on the table. What do they put in them to make them so addictive?

I decided to make them even more addictive by slathering them with garlic butter and then stuffing them with mozzarella cheese. And you better believe I ate so many that I was too full to even have a bite of the spaghetti that was supposed to be dinner.

Super simple and I bet you have all the ingredients on hand already!

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Restaurant-Style Queso Blanco

Aug 28, 2014

Restaurant Style Queso Dip – just like your favorite Mexican restaurant! Spicy melted cheese – perfect for dipping tortilla chips or using as a topping for tacos or burritos!

Football is so close I can taste it! (Eww?)

I hope you have your kickoff party menu planned. If not, you should make this. Because there is nothing better than chips and queso.

I’ve been craving Mexican food like mad but really, what’s new? I’ve already told my husband that the day he gets home, we’re going to our favorite Mexican restaurant. I just can’t bring myself to go there without him. Plus, if he’s not there, I can’t order a margarita and what’s the point of going for Mexican if I can’t get a margarita?

And I know you’re all “Why don’t you just go to Chipotle?”

Because Chipotle doesn’t have queso.

Duh.

So I’ve been making this queso blanco and then I have this whole thing that I do. I lay out chips in a single layer on a plate and put a spoonful of queso on each chip and then I top each one with a pickled jalapeño. And then I eat them with a glass of wine over Sonic ice. It’s my nightly routine.

Some people’s nightly routines consist of taking their makeup off and painting their nails. I eat chips and queso in bed at 1 am.

It is what it is.

This queso blanco really does taste like the stuff you’d find at your fave Mexican place. And it’s even better because you can adjust the heat to your liking.

It’s also super simple to make and I imagine you could put it in a small slow cooker on the warm setting to keep it warm all day.

If you love a meatier queso, my Queso Fundido is killer!

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Cheeseburger Mac

Aug 13, 2014

I don’t really like to talk too in depth about my kids on this blog – mostly because there was a time in my life when I would’ve been absolutely mortified if someone had googled my name and stumbled upon my mom telling the story of the time I bit a hole in her shower curtain.

But I had to share this one.

Okay, so, we have 4 sports practices a week. They’re all early evening which… is rough. I have 3 kids, we’re on month 6 of deployment – you’re lucky if I show up anywhere after 3 pm. I’m pretty much done by then. So I’m easily aggravated at these practices and yesterday one of my kids was just driving me insane. Purposely, of course. Because he enjoys it.

It was bad. It was one of those fits that causes you to get close to their face and whisper, “If you don’t cut it out RIGHT NOW, when we get home I’m going to take all your stuffed animals outside and set them on fire”.

So after an hour of that, we were driving home and I asked them if they’re ready to have this Cheeseburger Mac for dinner. Two of the kids were all “YEAH!” and then my trouble maker said, “Uhh, did you make it with water? Because I don’t like things made with water.”

You guys, I’m surprised I didn’t crash the car.

The rest of us really enjoyed it, despite the water. It’s supposed to be like Hamburger Helper but it’s a million times better than Hamburger Helper. And it’s all cooked in one pot so you can spend your night watching Dance Moms reruns instead of washing dishes!

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Macaroni Salad

Jun 26, 2014

Macaroni Salad – pasta, cheddar cheese, diced ham, and peas in a creamy dressing. A classic side dish that is always a hit!

Okay, first up, HAPPY THURSDAY! It’s almost Friiiiday!

Second, my blog will not exist from this coming Sunday night until the following Tuesday morning. So if you’re anticipating needing that Smoky Margarita recipe on Monday afternoon, get it now!

Do what I do, take a iPhone picture of the recipe ingredients and then try to figure out exactly what you’re supposed to do with them later.

It makes for a fun game. Sometimes it ends horribly but hey, you win some, you lose some.

I’ll remind you guys again tomorrow just in case.

And finally, macaroni salad!

I hate macaroni salad. My husband is obsessed with the grocery store deli kind that doesn’t taste like anything. Like, it doesn’t even taste like pasta. It’s just nothing.

Or at least I think so.

But I made this macaroni salad last summer for the first time and I think I’ve made it 10 times since then. It’s become our go-to side dish for anything grilled. It’s super flavorful and I love the big chunks of ham and cheese. Give it awhile to sit though or it will just taste like pasta coated in mayonnaise. Once it hangs out in the fridge for awhile though? The best macaroni salad ever! And the only one you’ll catch me eating.

Yield: 12 servings

Macaroni Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound small pasta, macaroni, shells, rotini, etc.
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons mustard
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
ground black pepper
1 cup ham steak, cut into small cubes
1 cup cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
2/3 cup frozen peas, thawed

Instructions

Prepare macaroni to al dente according to package directions. After macaroni is cooked, drain and rinse in cold water. Once macaroni has cooled down, drain well.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
In a large bowl toss macaroni with ham, cheese, and peas.
Fold in mayonnaise mixture until pasta is well coated.
Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit overnight.
If the salad seems a little dry after setting up overnight, add some milk a little bit at a time until salad becomes nice and creamy again.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 382Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 606mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 11g

Macaroni Salad - pasta, cheddar cheese, diced ham, and peas in a creamy dressing. A classic side dish that is always a hit!

Chili Cheese Dog Fondue

Jun 25, 2014

I’m going to apologize right now for this recipe.

But, you guys, tell me this isnt the perfect thing to take to a 4th of July party!

I’ve been trying to justify buying a fondue pot for years now but I’ve never gone for it because how often would I really use it? Plus I am queen of wanting and wanting something and finally putting it into my cart at Target, only to circle back around and put it back on the shelf an hour later. I’ve told you before, it’s one of my favorite hobbies.

Ask me how many times I’ve put a fondue pot in my cart.

Ugh.

Well now that I have this recipe, I can finally buy one! Because chili cheese dog fondue is going to be a regular during football season! Everyone in my life is obsessed with pigs-in-a-blanket and this is just that but with chili cheese dip on the side to dip your piggies in!

Definitely give this one a try next time you are stumped on what to bring to a get-together!

Chili Cheese Dog Fondue

adapted from Pillsbury

Ingredients

2 cans crescent rolls
1 16 ounce package Lil Smokies
1 pound Velveeta
2 15 ounce cans chili without beans

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Unroll one can of crescent rolls and separate into 8 pieces according to perforations. Take each piece and cut into 3 smaller pieces. Roll a Lil Smokie in each piece and set on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining Lil Smokies. (You'll have crescent rolls left over. Bake them and have a snack!)
Bake for 13 - 15 minutes or until golden brown.
While the Lil Smokies are baking, melt Velveeta and chili together in a fondue pot or a saucepan over very low heat. Stir frequently until all the Velveeta is melted.
Serve hot fondue with the warm Lil Smokies.

Easy Cheese-Stuffed Breadsticks

Jun 19, 2014

We have less than a week until Big Brother.

Who else is excited?!

I wait all year for Big Brother. All year. I bought the live feeds weeks ago and plan on staying up 24 hours a day, reading all the forums, and basically being a psycho. So if you don’t hear from me for the rest of the summer, you know why.

Also, if you want me to respond to an email/tweet/text/whatever, you may want to mention the show. I’m telling you, for the next 3 months, my life is Big Brother.

It’s such a weird thing to be obsessed with, right? Like, a bunch of strangers move into a house with cameras on them 24/7. And they’re always boring 23 hours of the day. But that one hour of fighting or crazy drunken antics…

I can’t explain my own obsession.

But today I bring you bread! Really, really easy bread made from Bisquick (or whatever baking mix you use) and cheese sticks. They aren’t the prettiest breadsticks but my kids ate the entire batch the night I made them and them begged me to make them the next day.

Easy Cheese-Stuffed Breadsticks

from Weary Chef

Servings: 8 breadsticks

Ingredients

2 1/4 cup Bisquick plus more for dusting
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 string cheeses
1 tablespoon butter melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk together Biscuick, Italian seasoning, and salt, removing any large lumps. Add milk, and stir to combine.
Generously dust work surface with baking mix. Turn out dough, and knead about 15 times. Shape into a ball, then roll into a 1/4" thick rectangle.
Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 8 strips. Place a string cheese in the center of each piece of dough, and fold the dough around the cheese. Stretch the dough as needed to entirely cover the cheese, and seal edges.
Place stuffed breadsticks on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with melted butter.
Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until brown.
Serve warm!

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Jun 17, 2014

Sour Cream Noodle Bake – cheesy baked pasta with ground beef and a creamy sauce! The whole family will love this recipe!

I’ve really been failing at dinner since my husband deployed. My seven year old actually asked me why I never cook anymore.

To which I said, “What are you talking about? I made 6 kinds of ice cream last week!”

Apparently ice cream does not count as real cooking.

I go through this whenever my husband is gone.

When he’s here, I know that whatever I cook, it’ll get eaten. When it’s just me and the boys, we always have leftovers for days and then I still end up trashing stuff.

And that’s really frustrating to me.

So wee end up doing sandwiches and Cheetos for dinner just about every night.

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Chicken and Bean Enchiladas (Easy Cooking)

Jun 11, 2014

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser.

Delicious homemade enchiladas made with the best canned tomatoes!

I am going through withdrawals from my favorite Mexican restaurant right now. My husband and I go ALL THE TIME but since he’s deployed, it feels kind of wrong to go by myself. So I’m toughing it out and dealing with my taco cravings and my neon margarita cravings and it’s all been pretty awful.

I was really desperate recently and had to have an enchilada. Like, I wasn’t going to make it through the day without an enchilada.

I used to always buy enchilada sauce in a can but I’ve found recently that it’s just as easy to make your own! I went to Walmart and bought some Hunt’s tomato sauce which was the base of my sauce. You just add in the spices and bam, enchilada sauce!

Hunt’s is my favorite canned tomato brand. I counted the Hunt’s diced tomatoes in my pantry just so I could share with you guys aaaaaand…. 13. Yeah, I think I have a Hunt’s diced tomatoes problem.

Hunt’s uses a really unique flashsteam peeling method that you can read about here if you’re interested.

So for my enchiladas I wanted chicken and beans. I don’t typically got for beans in my enchiladas but I just really wanted some pinto beans!

The filling is just the chicken and the beans and the sauce. That’s all wrapped in corn tortillas and rolled up. And then they are topped with more sauce and lots of cheese! I topped mine with some sour cream, fresh tomatoes, and cilantro but I really wished I’d had some avocado on hand, too.

These totally satisfied my enchilada craving and for the first time in a long time, I was actually excited about eating leftovers!

You can find more great recipes featuring Hunt’s canned tomatoes at www.hunts.com and www.readyseteat.com.

Be sure to follow Hunt’s on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest, too!

Chicken and Bean Enchiladas (Summer Recipes)

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 15- ounce can Hunt's Tomato Sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 15- ounce can pinto beans drained and rinsed
12 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups Mexican blend cheese
sour cream cilantro, tomatoes, olives, etc for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds until fragrant. Add chili powder, cumin, crushed red pepper flakes and salt.
Pour in Hunt's Tomato Sauce and chicken broth. Whisk to combine. Bring to a boil and allow to cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and set aside.
Stir the shredded chicken and pinto beans into the remaining sauce.
To assemble, place your corn tortillas on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for about 20 seconds or until soft and pliable.
Working on one tortilla at a time, spoon about 1/3 of the chicken mixture into the tortilla. Wrap up and place seam side down in the prepared pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Pour the reserved sauce over top and sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with garnishes if desired.

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