Colby Jack and Sour cream Queso

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 small cloves garlic, finely minced
• Jalapeño, seeds and membranes removed and finely minced
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• up to 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro, to taste
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Directions

1. In a medium pot, melt 1/2 tablespoon butter over low heat. Add minced garlic and jalapeño and saute for a minute or until starting to soften and garlic is starting to turn golden. Add tomatoes to pot and cook a minute or two more. Remove garlic/jalapeño/tomato mixture with a spoon and set aside.
2. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pot and melt. Whisk in flour and stir continuously for a couple of minutes as roux bubbles and turns golden brown. Gradually whisk in cream, pausing between additions to make sure that lumps are smoothing out. While continuously stirring, bring mixture to a low simmer and cook for about 5 minutes or until thickened.
3. Remove pot from heat. Add 1/2 cup grated cheese to cream mixture and stir until completely melted. Repeat with the remaining cheese, adding 1/2 cup at a time and making sure it is totally melted before adding the next 1/2 cup. Add salt, garlic/jalapeño/tomato mixture, and sour cream. Stir until well incorporated. Taste and add additional salt, if desired.
4. Transfer queso to a serving bowl and top with as much cilantro as you prefer. 

http://www.fivehearthome.com/2014/01/13/cheddar-sour-cream-queso/

The Best Dressing

(Yield:  About 3/4 cup)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used Carapelli)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon tamari sauce (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1-2 teaspoons seasoned salt (more or less to taste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 small white onion, minced
1 small clove garlic, grated on a microplane

Whisk together all ingredients.  Store refrigerated up to 1 week.

Found Here

Rosemary Focaccia Bread

Ingredients
1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 3/4 cups warm water
3 1/2 cups white flour
1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 tablespoons (approximately) good extra virgin olive oil, divided
5 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Several pinches of Maldon salt (or other flakey sea salt)

Instructions

1. Dissolve and proof the yeast. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a medium bowl. Wait a few minutes for the mixture to start to foam up. This is proofing the yeast. (You can skip this step if you are confident that your yeast is good and strong.)
2. Make the dough. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flours and salt to combine. Add the yeast mixture and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Pulse until a rough ball of dough forms, about 1 minute. Remove from the dough from food processor. It should be moist but not too sticky. Form it into a ball. (See Recipe Notes, below, for instructions on making dough without a food processor.)
3. Leave it to rise. Add about 2 teaspoons of olive oil to a large bowl. Put in the ball of dough and turn it so it is coated on all sides. Cover with a tea towel and place it in a warm place to double in bulk, about 2 hours.
4. Put the dough into the pan. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of olive oil onto the baking sheet and rub it over the bottom and sides. Punch down the dough and place the dough on the baking sheet. Using your fingertips, coax and stretch the dough to cover the bottom of the pan; it may not reach all the way to the edges. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place to rest, about 30-40 minutes.

→ You can also divide the dough in half with a sharp knife to make one smaller loaf for smaller gatherings, and freeze the other half of dough for later. Smaller focaccia breads can be baked on a quarter-sized baking sheet (9-1/2" x 13") or in the center of a regular baking sheet. To freeze the second half, place the dough in a freezer bag, squeeze out the excess air, seal, label, and freeze.

5. Preheat the oven and prep the rosemary. While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the middle of the oven. Strip the rosemary leaves from the stems. If the rosemary leaves are large, chop them with a knife. You can leave a few of the smaller, softer leaves whole. You should have about 2 scant tablespoons.
6. Prep the focaccia for baking. When the focaccias have puffed up in the pan a little, sprinkle the rosemary evenly over the surface. Using your fingertips, dimple (make shallow indentations) the surface of the focaccia all over. Drizzle about 2 teaspoons of olive oil over the loaf, so the oil pools in the indentations here and there. Use a little more if needed. Sprinkle the loaf with 2 or 3 pinches of the flaky salt.
7. Place in the oven and bake. Place in the oven and immediately turn the heat down to 375F. Bake about 20 - 25 minutes, checking after 15 minutes. The focaccia is ready when it's golden-brown.

8. Remove from oven and cool. Remove bread from oven. Using a hot pad or spatula, remove the bread from baking sheet and place on a wire rack to cool slightly. Focaccia is best eaten when warm, but perfectly fine at room temperature. If the crust gets too soft, try popping it back in a 350°F oven for a few minutes to crisp it up.

Recipe Notes:

• Make Focaccia in a Mixer: Knead the dough in a standing mixer fit with a hook attachment for 5-8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Make Focaccia by Hand: Mix the dough in the bowl with a sturdy spoon until it is as smooth as possible. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes.
• Make Focaccia Rounds: To make 4-8" round focaccia, just divide the dough in half and bake in two 8" cake pans.
• Additional Toppings: Add any of these toppings before baking — very thinly sliced lemons, olives (whole or sliced in half), thick slices of fresh garlic or shallots, a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, a few chopped sundried tomatoes, cubed pancetta. Instead of rosemary, try using fresh thyme, chives, or oregano. If you want to use fresh basil, sprinkle it on after baking.
• Working with Refrigerated Dough: The dough can also be held overnight in a covered container in the refrigerator, which will retard the yeast and result in a slow rise and extra flavor. Pick up the instructions with step 4 above. No need to warm the dough before using, but allow extra time for it to rise before baking.
• Working with Frozen Dough: If you are using frozen dough, let it defrost in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. When you are ready to bake, take it out of the refrigerator and stretch it in the pan, as directed in step 4 above. Continue to follow instructions from there.

Found here

One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 onion, diced
• 8 ounces ground beef
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 3/4 cup canned white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 10 ounces elbows pasta
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion and ground beef, and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
• Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a simmer and stir in pasta. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 13-15 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Top with cheese and cover until melted, about 2 minutes.
• Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

found here

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Shrimp Cobb Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon Emeril's Essence Creole Seasoning
• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 2 large eggs
• 5 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
• 1 cup canned corn kernels, drained
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
FOR THE CILANTRO LIME VINAIGRETTE
• 1 cup loosely packed cilantro, stems removed
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 jalapeño, optional
• 2 cloves garlic
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 c mayo
• 1/4 c Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

• To make the cilantro lime vinaigrette, combine cilantro, lime juice, jalapeño and garlic in the bowl of a food processor; season with salt and pepper, to taste. With the motor running, add olive oil and vinegar in a slow stream until emulsified; set aside.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place shrimp onto the prepared baking sheet. Add olive oil and Emeril's Essence, and gently toss to combine. Place into oven and roast just until pink, firm and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes; set aside.
• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.
• Place eggs in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Cover eggs with a tight-fitting lid and remove from heat; set aside for 8-10 minutes. Drain well and let cool before peeling and dicing.
• To assemble the salad, place romaine lettuce in a large bowl; top with arranged rows of shrimp, bacon, eggs, avocado, corn and goat cheese.
• Serve immediately with cilantro lime vinaigrette.

NOTES

Howard's Baked Beans

My dear friend Andrea was gifted the best baked beans recipe from her step dad. You will never use another!! 

3-15oz cans of pork & beans, drained

1 lb bacon

1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup molasses*
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 T Dijon mustard
Coca Cola

Cook the bacon reserving 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.  Saute onions in bacon grease until tender.  Pour onions and grease into a large baking dish.  Add drained beans, molasses, brown sugar, and mustard to the baking dish.  Stir the ingredients together.  Crumble the cooked bacon and stir into the bean mixture.  Add a small amount of Coca Cola.  I usually start with about 1/4 cup.

Cook covered at 300 degrees for approximately 2 hours watching to make sure the beans do not get too dry.  Add more Coca Cola if the beans get too dry and stir.  The beans can be eaten right away or made ahead.  If you make the beans ahead of time, just add more Coca Cola to the beans when you reheat them.

Found here http://thecrosseyedblog.blogspot.com/2014/05/howards-baked-beans.html

Poppy Seed Chicken

5 cups chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1 cup sour cream

2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup 

2 cups crushed Ritz crackers (about 1 1/2 rolls of crackers)

1/2 cup melted butter

1 T poppy seeds

Additional Ingredients to make it fancy:

1 tsp Worchestire sauce

1 tsp minced garlic

1 T lemon juice

1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil raw chicken breasts with salt and pepper until done. Let chicken cool slightly and cut into one inch cubes. Place cubed chicken in a 9X13 casserole dish.

Stir together the condensed soup and sour cream. If you wish to add the additional flavorings stir in theworchestire, celery salt, garlic, lemon juice, and pepper to the soup and sour cream mixture. Pour over the chicken.

In a separate bowl, stir together the crushed crackers, poppy seeds and melted butter. Sprinkle over the chicken and sauce.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top of the casserole is browned and the sauce is bubbly.