Cheezee Hearts

For any of you out there who on occasion have been known to sit down and devour handfuls of the little goldfish cheesy snacks (guilty as charged), this one is for you.  Now I'm not pretending that these are going to be a healthier alternative, lets face it the main ingredient is cheese!!, but at least this way you can adjust the ratio of flours if you want and even reduce the salt even more, although when an 1/8th of a teaspoon is divided among 100 or more crackers it's not really that much.  More than anything though, if you're anything like me, you've pretty much always got these ingredients on hand, so within an hour of a cheese craving taking hold of you, you can have these little bites of 'love' in a bowl next to you :o)

Cheezee Hearts (or whatever shape you make them :o)
makes 100-120 crackers

1 1/2 cups sharp yellow cheddar cheese, grated
4 Tbs (1/2 stick) butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp salt

• combine all the ingredients in a food processor and mix until it all comes together into a ball of dough - about 2 minutes.
• press the dough into a disc shape, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, to make the dough easier to roll out.
• when the dough has been resting for about 20 minutes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• on a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thickness.
• using a small cookie cutter (I used my 1.5 inch heart), cut out the crackers and place them onto an ungreased cookie sheet, spaced about 1/2 inch apart;  re-roll the scraps a couple of times to get as many crackers as you can (today I managed to get 112 :o)
• bake near the middle of the oven for 12-15 minutes until just beginning to brown.
• let them cool on the cookie sheets over wire racks and then store in a jar or airtight container.

 Cheeze Hearts ingredients.

place everything into a food processor and mix for about 2 minutes until...

it all comes together in a ball of dough (don't worry about little bits being separate, just press it all together)

flatten the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

choose your favourite cookie cutter - you want it to be about an inch to 1.5 inch (I used my mini heart cutter....cuuuute!!)

roll out the dough to approximately 1/8 inch and cut out your crackers - you can re-roll the scraps a couple of times to use up as much as you possibly can.

place them onto ungreased cookie sheets about 1/2 inch apart and bake for 12-15 minutes.

leave them on the cookie sheets, on top of wire racks to cool.

they come out golden and puffed.

....and just the right size for nibbling....

....mmmmmmm.

I stored mine in a large 1 litre mason jar with a screw lid, but any airtight container will do.

yummy....a big jar of love :o)

Honey Mustard Sausage Bites

One of the things that I find about the summer months is that some days you just don't feel like having 'proper' meals, especially on warm days when the hammock is calling to me - those are the days that we more often than not end up snacking most of the day or having something like these little mouthfuls on hand to nibble on with a cold can of beer :o)

Honey Mustard Sausage Bites
makes 20

1/2 pack puff pastry (1 square)
1/4 cup honey mustard sauce
1 cup grated cheese (I used a Tex Mex mix)
4 hot dogs (I had these all beef wieners in the fridge)

• preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• on a floured surface roll out the puff pastry to a sheet approximately 12" x 10"
• brush the pastry all over with the honey mustard sauce.
• sprinkle the cheese evenly over the surface and using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the pastry into quarters.
• roll each hot dog tightly in a quarter of the pastry.
• cut each 'rolled' sausage into five even pieces and place, seam side down, on a baking sheet.
• brush lightly with either egg wash or milk and bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown.

Honey Mustard Sausage Bites ingredients.

roll out the pastry to approximately 12" x 10" square

brush the honey mustard sauce evenly over the pastry sheet

sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and with a sharp knife cut the pastry into quarters.

roll each sausage tightly in the pastry quarters....

....overlapping the edges.

cut each 'rolled' sausage into five pieces and....

space apart on a baking sheet.

bake for 15-17 minutes until gold brown and puffed.

I had to sacrifice one, purely for taste-testing purposes of course :o)

Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

I have to admit that these little stuffed gems came as a nice surprise to my usually mushroom hating tastebuds - okay, 'hating' might be too harsh a word as I do like mushrooms in very small quantities mixed in with other things (I think it's the sometimes 'slimy' texture that I've always been adverse to.)  I made these for my hubby though, as he is a HUGE mushroom lover and they looked soooo good that I had to try some myself - delish!!!

Apologies that there isn't a final 'baked' photo - I was so excited how they turned out and couldn't wait to try them that I completely forgot - oops!!!  Next time I make them I'll try to remember and add it back here :o)

Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
makes about 12-15

12-15 large mushrooms (our local store actually had ones called 'stuffers' because there's a large cavity when you take the stems out)
4 oz garlic and herb cream cheese, softened
2 oz blue cheese
6 drops Tabasco hot sauce
pinch salt & pepper
6-8 slices of thick cut bacon

• using a damp cloth clean the tops of the mushrooms and remove the stems.
• in a medium bowl crumble the blue cheese, add the garlic and herbs cream cheese and mix to combine thoroughly.
• add the Tabasco, salt and pepper and mix again.
• divide the cheese mixture evenly amongst the mushrooms to fill each cavity.
• cut each slice of bacon in half and wrap each half around a mushroom, securing it using a toothpick through the sides.
• place in a high sided dish (I used a disposable foil tray) and either bake in a 400 degree oven or in a covered BBQ for 15-17 minutes or until the bacon is cooked and the filling has melted.

 Stuffed Mushrooms ingredients.

clean the tops of the mushrooms with a damp cloth and remove the stems.

crumble the blue cheese into a medium bowl...

add the garlic and herb cream cheese, Tabasco, salt and pepper and mix well.

divide the mixture between the mushrooms, stuffing the cavities well.

wrap 1/2 a slice of bacon around each mushroom and secure with a toothpick through the sides.

Then bake or BBQ for 15-17 minutes until the bacon is cooked....photo to hopefully follow shortly - we ate them before I could get a shot :o)

Cheese, Tomato & Ham Pie

I can't remember where I originally found this recipe.  I've had it in my recipe binder for probably going on 15 years or more now, written on a scrap piece of paper from a 'penguin' notepad.  There aren't even any quantities or measurements for the ingredients because I know that over the years the amounts have really depended on: A) the size of the pie crust that I bought (I've never had much success until now at making my own pie crust :o), and B) the amount of the other ingredients that I just happened to have in the fridge.  So I'm going to give you the recipe as I made it today, but I'm sure that the next time I make it, it will probably turn out to be slightly different :o)

Cheese, Tomato & Ham Pie
makes 1 x 9 inch pie


1 'Easy Peasy' Pie Crust (or any pie crust that you prefer)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup grated cheese (I used a Tex Mex blend today)
6-8 ripe medium tomatoes
1x125g block Camembert cheese
4 slices deli ham (your preference)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp chives, chopped

• preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and place a baking tray inside to heat up (this will help the bottom of the pie to cook evenly)
• using either the 'Easy Peasy Pie Crust' or your own line a 9 inch pie plate with it.
• slice the tomatoes, Camembert and ham into pieces around the same size:  set aside.
• using the back of a teaspoon spread the Dijon mustard evenly over the pie crust.
• sprinkle the grated cheese evenly across the bottom of the pie.
• using a circle pattern, alternate the tomatoes, Camembert and ham until the whole pie has been covered: fill in any gaps with the leftovers.
• brush the whole pie with the olive oil and sprinkle with the chopped chives.
• place the pie plate directly onto the hot baking tray and bake for 30-35 minutes.
• let the pie cool, and firm up slightly, for 10 minutes before slicing and enjoying.

 Cheese, Tomato & Ham Pie ingredients

slice the tomatoes, Camembert and ham (in the last photo)

spread the Dijon mustard evenly across the bottom

sprinkle with the grated cheese

alternate the cheese, tomatoes and ham in a circular pattern until....

....everything is covered and all the gaps are filled

brush the olive oil over the top and sprinkle with the chopped chives

once baked, let the pie cool down for about 10 minutes so that it's easier to slice

we had ours tonight with a salad and a baked potato (couldn't resist a dollop of sour cream on top :o)

Southwest 'Philly' Cheesesteak

Whenever hubby and I go out to a restaurant there are a couple of things that I tend to gravitate to if they're on the menu - along with jalapeno poppers and lemon meringue pie (which doesn't come along too often unfortunately), I love to see Philly Cheesesteak on the page.  Some have fancier bread than others, some add a different twist with the cheese choice, some mix up the veggies, but whatever differences are there I'll usually want to try it.  Well here's my take on one of my favourites, and I'm calling it my Southwest 'Philly' because like so many of my recipes it's turned down the road to Spiceville with the addition of salsa (you may of noticed our penchant for the salsa kick :o)

Southwest 'Philly' Cheesesteak
serves 4

3 small bell peppers, sliced
1 onion, chopped
3/4 cup salsa
1/2 brick cream cheese
300g deli cooked beef
pinch of salt and pepper
loaf of french bread (or individual baguettes)
4 slices of cheese of choice (I used Havarti)

• in a large skillet saute the peppers and onion in a little olive oil over medium to high heat, until softened.
• add the salsa and cream cheese and heat until the cream cheese has melted and the sauce is creamy.
• cut the deli beef up into strips and add to the pan;  mix, reduce heat and simmer until the beef is heated through and the sauce has thickened slightly - 5 minutes.
• cut the french loaf into four pieces and slice each piece in half for the sandwich (today I actually used a 'half-baked' baguette that I had in the freezer).
• heap some of the beef mixture onto the bottom of each baguette piece and place a slice of cheese on the top.
• place under a broiler to melt the cheese or if you've been cooking something in the oven (as I was) pop it inside for a couple of minutes just until the cheese is soft and gooey - yum!!

 Southwest 'Philly' Cheesesteak ingredients.

in a large skillet saute the peppers and onion.

add the salsa and cream cheese.

reduce the heat and simmer until the cream cheese has melted - sorry about the steam making the photo 'misty' :o)

cut the deli beef into pieces - and of course, nobody will blame you if you sneak a little piece - purely for taste test reasons!!

add the beef to the sauce, mix and heat through.

heap some beef mixture onto the bottoms of the baguette and cover with cheese - this was just before I popped it into the oven to melt the cheese.

we had ours today with some sweet potato discs and chive sour cream.