Cheesy Garlic Bread

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/ 2 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 

Shredded Cheddar cheese 

Shredded mozzarella cheese 

One loaf French bread 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice the French bread in half. Place on ungreased baking sheet. 

Combine softened butter, Parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Spread onto the bread. Top with Cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. I sprinkle it on the bread generously. 

Bake for 10 minutes. Slice and enjoy!

Chicken with Chipotle Cheese Sauce

            This recipe comes from the folks over at Campbell's. You can see a photo at their website and check out lots of other recipes with cheese, one of my favorite things.

One thing I love about the Campbell's site is that it allows reviews from those who have tried the recipes. One person substituted red cayenne pepper for the chipotle chile pepper. That's a good substitution for me because red cayenne pepper is something I always have on hand. Another person suggested using 1 cup of onions instead of two. I suppose it's probably just a matter of what you like.

Chicken with Chipotle Cheese Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 large onions, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until well browned on both sides. Remove the chicken from the skillet.

Heat the remaining oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until tender-crisp, stirring occasionally.

Stir the soup, milk, chile pepper and tomatoes in the skillet and heat to a boil. Return the chicken to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with the cilantro, if desired

Makes 6 servings.

Four-Cheese Lasagna

This is another one of those wonderful recipes from Kraft. If you haven't already signed up for their free e-newsletter, which is filled with wonderful recipes, you should!

photo by:

kraft

 Four-Cheese Lasagna

 

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, softened

1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN 2% Milkfat Low Fat Cottage Cheese

1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided

1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

1 egg, beaten

1 jar (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves

12 lasagna noodles, cooked

 

HEAT oven to 350°F.
BROWN meat with onions in large skillet. Meanwhile, mix Neufchatel, cottage cheese, 1-1/2 cups mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan and egg until well blended.
DRAIN meat; return to skillet. Stir in spaghetti sauce, tomatoes and oregano; simmer 5 min. Remove from heat. Spoon 1 cup meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; top with layers of 3 lasagna noodles, 1 cup cheese mixture and 1 cup meat sauce. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining noodles, meat sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan; cover with foil.
BAKE 50 min. or until heated through, uncovering after 40 min. Let stand 10 min. before cutting to serve.
Makes 12 servings.

Easy Weeknight Bacon Mac 'N Cheese

This recipe -- another great one from Pillsbury -- is especially for those of us who LOVE cheese. And it's easy! Just note that if you check labels, you'll find a whole lots of sodium in this dish.

 

Easy Weeknight Bacon Mac 'N Cheese

 

3 cups uncooked penne pasta (10 oz)

1 can (18 oz) Progresso™ Recipe Starters™ creamy three cheese cooking sauce

1/2 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon chopped garlic in water (from 4.5-oz jar) or 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (6 oz)

2 oz American cheese loaf, shredded (1/2 cup) or 4 slices American cheese, diced

1 bag (2.5 oz) cooked real bacon pieces or bits

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper, if desired

Garnish, if desired, Progresso® Italian style panko crispy bread crumbs

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.

 

Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, heat cooking sauce, milk and garlic to boiling. Remove from heat; stir in cheeses until melted. Stir in pasta, bacon and bell pepper. Spoon into casserole.

 

Bake uncovered 20 minutes or until edges are bubbly. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Cheese Biscuits

This recipe looks like it might have come from a newspaper insert but really I have no idea. But these sure do look good!

Cheese Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus flour for dusting the board
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Salt to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 cups finely grated Cheddar cheese (about 6 oz.)
2/3 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons milk, approximately
6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 oz.)

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Put the ingredients in a food processor and add the butter, shortening and grated Cheddar. Blend briefly until well mixed. Do not overblend this dough at any point. (If a food processor is not used, put the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the butter, shortening and cheese and blend, using a pastry blender or two knives.

Add the buttermilk while blending briefly a second time. Gather the dough into a ball. The dough may be wrapped tightly in freezer or plastic wrap and either frozen, if made a week ahead, or chilled overnight, or it may be rolled out immediately.

On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough one-quarter inch thick or slightly thicker. Using a biscuit cutter with a two-inch diameter, cut the dough into circles. Arrange the circles neatly on baking sheets. Gather together into a ball any remaining scraps of dough, roll out and cut out more circles. Arrange them on a baking sheet. There should be about three dozen biscuits. Brush the top of each biscuit lightly with a little milk.

Place the baking sheets on the center rack of the oven and bake about eight to 10 minutes, or until the tops of the biscuits are lightly browned. Sprinkle the top of each biscuit with a little Parmesan cheese. Continue baking for three minutes or longer, until the tops are golden brown and the biscuits are cooked through.

Yield: Eight to 10 servings

Lite 'N Easy Cheese Dip

This sweet little clipping is apparently from an advertisement for Sargento cheese. I say that because it’s got their brand of cheese in it. Hey, many wonderful recipes are created by the folks who are promoting their products. The “lite” caught me. The tuna almost stopped me. I like tuna but it just seemed odd. What do you think?

Lite ‘N Easy Cheese Dip

1 cup light mayonnaise
1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 8-oz. package Sargento Fancy Mild Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well-drained
1 6 ½ oz. can chunk light tuna in water, drained
2 tablespoons chopped pimento, optional

In medium bowl, mix mayonnaise, yogurt and mustard. Add remaining ingredients and stir well.

Makes 3 cups.

Serve with Devonsheer Melba Rounds or Toast.

Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

This is one of those easy meals -- and no, quiche is not just for women. I don't really know where that got started but it's just not true. Making men don't think it's "substantial" enough for them. Whatever. Just serve it with a nice salad and it's a great meal. If you really want to make it festive, Kraft suggests adding 1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers to filling before pouring into the pie crust.

Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup each chopped onions
1 cup chopped broccoli
5 eggs
1/3 cup MIRACLE WHIP Dressing
1/3 cup milk
1 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 frozen deep-dish pie crust (9 inch)


Preheat oven to 375°F.

Place vegetables in skillet sprayed with cooking spray; cook on medium heat 5 min. or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; set aside.

Beat eggs, dressing and milk in medium bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in vegetable mixture and cheese; pour into pie shell. Place pie shell on baking sheet.

Bake on baking sheet 40 to 45 min. or until center of quiche is set and top is golden brown. Let stand 10 min. before cutting into slices to serve.

Makes 6 servings

Cheesy Spinach and Bacon Dip

This recipe comes from Kraft Foods. Everyone needs a really good dip recipe. Kraft suggests serving the dip with cut-up fresh vegetables or Tortilla chips. Of course, I'll always go for the chips. I know it's not the most nutritional but they are my weakness.

Kraft also suggests that when you serve this dip at a party, pour the prepared dip into a small slow cooker and set the temperature on low. This keeps the dip warm for several hours. Just be sure to stir it every now and then to avoid hot spots.

Cheesy Spinach and Bacon Dip

1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 lb. (16 oz) VELVEETA, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz pkg) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1 can (10 oz) RO*TEL diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
8 slices OSCAR MAYER bacon, cooked, crumbled

Microwave ingredients in microwaveable bowl on HIGH for 5 minutes or until VELVEETA is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 3 minutes.

And it's only 70 calories per 2 tablespoons (not counting the chips!).

Two-Cheese Enchiladas

I have cheese enchiladas. Love them! I always tell myself I'll order something else when I go our to eat Mexican food. Nope. I gaze at the menu and remind myself that I rarely get out anymore. So I order them again. Now, I can make them at home. And so can you!

Two-Cheese Enchiladas

1 15-oz container part-skim ricotta cheese
3 1/2 cups (packed) shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 14 oz), divided
2 cups bottled mild green taco sauce, divided
1 4-oz can diced mild green chilies
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnishing
5 tablespoons corn oil
12 6-inch corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix ricotta, 2 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, 1/2 cup taco sauce, chilies, onions and 1/4 cup cilantro in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, as desired.

Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Using tongs, add tortillas one at a time to oil. Fry just until softened, about 5 seconds per side. Transfer tortillas to paper towels and drain.

Spread one cup taco sauce over bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon generous 1/4 cup filling into center of one tortilla. Fold bottom of tortilla over filling; roll up tortilla to enclose the filling. Place seam side down in prepared dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Top with 1/2 cup taco sauce and one cup Monterey Jack cheese.

Bake enchiladas, uncovered, about 30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with additional cilantro.

Makes 6 servings.