Sourdough Discard Pretzel Bites & Beer Cheese Dip

Long time readers may know that The Hubs and I played trivia weekly at a bar downtown for about 6 years before Lil' Man was born.  We seek out pub quiz and trivia nights at breweries when we travel.  A few months ago, we started up a new team with some of our HomeBrew Zoo friends for a bi-monthly trivia night at a local brewery that doesn't have onsite food.  One night, we saw another group bring in a cake and some snacks for a party, and it occurred to us...why don't we just bring food and eat here?  And thus, Trivia Potluck was born.  

Crockpot in a Brewery...not the weirdest thing you've ever seen.

Recently, The Hubs was craving cheese dip, so I decided to make some sourdough pretzel bites to go with it, using this discard recipe from Pantry Mama.  I stayed true to recipe so if you're interested in making the pretzel bites, just click on that link.  But if you're interested in our cheese dip recipe, it's below!

Note: I accidentally doubled the amount of salt in the pretzel bites recipe...flavor was fine, but I think it impeded fermentation a bit. I would also recommend using warm water to let the yeast bloom for a little while before adding everything else in.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb brick of lower sodium Velveeta-type melting cheese
• 1 lb spicy italian sausage, browned & drained
• 14 oz can of low sodium Rotel tomato-chiles blend (DO NOT DRAIN)
• 1 Tbsp taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup homebrew or other beer (we used a pilsner)

DIRECTIONS;

1. Brown sausage, drain, and set aside.
2. Cube up the melting cheese, place in a small crockpot, and add the Rotel & taco seasoning.  Let melt/blend for 2 hours on Low, or 1 hour on High, stirring frequently.
3. Once it starts to melt & come together, add the sausage and beer, and stir.  
4. Serve warm with chips, pretzel bites, whatever else you feel like dunking in delicious cheese...and of course, with lots of friends!

I only put Everything Bagel seasoning on part of them, since I wasn't sure if it would clash with the cheese dip.

Good times with great friends!

Sourdough Jalapeno Cheddar Loaf

With the madness of the holidays finally over, I had some time to bake full fermented loaves again.  The Hubs wanted something savory, so we settled on this recipe from SueBee Homemaker.  

I didn't stray from her recipe much, so click the link if you're interested in trying this one.  We used slightly less pickled sliced jalapenos than what the original recipe called for because it was all we had on-hand, so I chopped them up to make sure the jalapeno flavor was distributed throughout the loaf. We shredded up some extra sharp cheddar.  The jalapeno was mild enough that even our "Everything's Too Spicy" 8 year old enjoyed eating it.

I tend to prefer using a loaf pan to more free-form, oblong loaves...mainly because I don't have an oblong pan (like this Challenger bread pan) to cook them in, so they would have to be just baked on our pizza stone, which doesn't allow for trapping in steam during the initial part of the bake, which is where you get a lot of really nice rise from.  At least with the loaf pans, there's some structure to help them rise UP rather than just out in every direction.  They're also a lot easier to slice using my new slicing guide.

We made this when it was still pretty chilly outside, so we served this alongside some hearty beef stew and chili.

I rubbed butter on the top of the loaf before baking, which added some flavor but not a lot of shine like egg wash would have.

Boudin Chimichangas and Crawfish Cream Sauce

Hey y'all, bringing you another original recipe, straight from our crazy brains. This was a collaborative effort between myself, The Hubs, and Primo.

Last summer while down visiting in Louisiana, we saw a sign that Bourgeois Meat Market was selling boudin burritos.  

If you're not familiar with the awesomeness that is boudin:  it's simmered pork, mixed with seasoning, vegetables, and rice (generally about a 50/50 mix, though Bourgeois makes theirs with less rice, about 30%), inside a natural casing.  It's often served grilled, or smoked and cut into bite-size links, or the casing is completely removed and folks will roll it up into little balls, bread it, and then deep fry. Piece of Meat restaurant in New Orleans makes a boudin egg roll that is INSANE.

So a boudin burrito makes sense, I mean: rice and meat inside a tortilla?  A logical lateral train of thought.

But we wanted to go one better.  Because you know what's better than a burrito?  A deep-fried burrito...aka a chimichanga.  Top that with a homemade crawfish cream sauce, and now THAT....that would be something.  I pitched the idea to Primo who responded "10/10 would eat."

So before we booked it back to Missouri, we hit up NuNu's market for some of their amazing boudin, and a packet of crawfish tails. Along with some other essentials.

Now...when it came time to actually make this masterpiece...I didn't actually feel like deep-frying anything. (Especially after having a particularly bad frying incident the week before which scorched my arm and filled our house with smoke.)  So instead, I decided to feaux-fry them (aka oven bake).

INGREDIENTS: (makes 6)
1 lb boudin (fresh or thawed), casings removed
6 "soft taco" size flour tortillas
Oil or butter 
green onions (for garnish)

Sauce:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp dried onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tsp Cajun Seasoning (we use Fontenot & A Half which is extra spicy, so I just use 1 teaspoon)
12 oz crawfish tails
1.5 cups half & half or heavy cream
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese - OPTIONAL (note: most crawfish cream sauces don't call for this, but it wasn't really thickening up for us, so I added the cheese. I'd just recommend having it on-hand in case your sauce misbehaves as well.)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 400F.
Place about 1/2 cup of loose boudin in the center of a tortilla,

 ...fold in the sides, and then wrap/fold the long edges, and repeat six times.

Spray a 9x11 pan with olive oil, and then place the wraps inside, and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and add the onions and garlic.  Then add the flour and stir well.  Next, add the crawfish tails and cajun seasoning and let cook for 2 minutes.

Add the cream & Worcestershire sauce, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer, stirring often.  Let reduce for 20-30 minutes or until thickened/reduced by about half.  If sauce doesn't reduce/thicken to your liking, add the cheese.  

Let the sauce cool for about 5-10 minutes to help thicken, and then pour over the chimichanga and top with sliced green onions.  Enjoy!

Tater Tot Poutine: Because WE CAN.

Poutine.  POOOOOOO-TEEEEEN.  It's just a really fun word.

And a delicious dish.  I mean, our friends up north have really nailed the comfort food arena.  Tim Horton's, beaver tails, Nanaimo bars, and POUTINE.  No wonder everyone is trying to move up there...I mean, that's the REAL reason, right folks?  Nothing to do with who El Presidente is.  Put on your best holier-than-thou act all you want---you REALLY just want to have unlimited access to Timbits and a double double from T-Ho's.  AND POUTINE.  Which, if you're not hip to it, is french fries, covered in fresh cheese curds, and then doused in rich brown gravy.  Go on, tell me you're not salivating.

Anywho...

I was perusing the cheese case at my local wine purveyor's the other day and found a package of jalapeno cheese curds from Edgewood Creamery in Purdy, Missouri.  They were marked down for quick sale, and I was happy to oblige.

What shall I do with these cheese curds? The only honest, respectable thing one can do with cheese curds-- serve them over potatoes with brown gravy.  It's every cheese curd's dream to go out like that.  
BUT...I didn't have fries at home. And I didn't want to MAKE fries.  But what I did have?

TATER TOTS.

So, like a good Midwestern non-Canadian gal, I baked up some crispy, delicious tots...

...and got to work.

INGREDIENTS: (Makes 2-3 servings)
Approximately 2 handfuls of tater tots (or more. I won't judge.)
4 ounces cheese curds
1 cup prepared brown gravy (I use Tony Chacheres)
1/4 cup thinly sliced onions (you could easily add or do mushrooms instead--I had some sliced onions I needed to use up and they went really well in this dish.)

DIRECTIONS:
Bake the tater tots according to package directions until brown and crisp on the outside (generally about 20 minutes).

While that's going, prepare your gravy.  Add the cool water, gravy mix, and onions to a small pan, and heat to boiling, while whisking.  Let boil for at least a minute, then decrease the temperature and simmer until it reaches your desired consistency (I like the gravy to be slightly thick, and to cling to the back of a spoon.)

Once the tots are done, transfer them into small bowls, then add the cheese curds, and top with onion gravy.  

Pairs well with Dark Star black kolsch from Bur Oak Brewing in CoMo.

Basil Kale Pesto & Italian Sausage Pasta

Last week I picked up some kale at the store...this bunch was MASSIVE.  Like, wouldn't even fit in the crisper drawer of our fridge massive.  I froze about half of it to use later on, made a batch of Zuppa Toscana with some, and then put most of the rest of it into this pesto. I've made a kale pesto before, but since I have basil in my garden this year, I figured it would be pretty tasty to use both together!  

This was a super-easy dinner to throw together after work.  I had the sausage cooking on one burner, the pasta water going on another, and then the pesto being blended in the food processor, so you can really work on all the elements at once.

INGREDIENTS: (makes 6 servings)
1 lb italian sausage, without casings
10 oz bowtie pasta
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic

pesto:
3-4 leaves fresh kale, stems removed
1 loose cup of fresh basil (~10-15 leaves)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4-1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS:
In a large skillet, cook the sausage until fully browned.  Drain the fat.
At the same time, start a pot of water for the pasta, and season with the salt and garlic.  When it's up to a rolling boil, add your pasta and stir occasionally. Boil your pasta 'til al dente.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the ingredients for the pesto and then blend until the kale & basil are finely minced and everything is combined into a big beautiful green mush. Should be a slightly thin paste.  Season to taste, as kale can be a little bitter--the lemon juice will help to offsite that.

When the pasta is finished cooking, drain the water, and then combine all ingredients (pasta, sausage, and pesto) in that pot.  

Garnish with extra parmesan, cracked black pepper and some basil chiffonade, if you're feelin' fancy.  Serve with a side of bread, or salad, or both if you're wild & crazy like that.  Enjoy!

NutriFacts: (per serving)

• Calories485.3
• Total Fat26.8 g
• Saturated Fat10.5 g
• Polyunsaturated Fat4.0 g
• Monounsaturated Fat17.8 g
• Cholesterol60.6 mg
• Sodium1,153.6 mg
• Potassium394.8 mg
• Total Carbohydrate41.8 g
• Dietary Fiber3.6 g
• Sugars2.5 g
• Protein20.1 g

Bacon Mushroom & Swiss Pizza

Last fall The Hubs & I took a trip down to Eureka Springs before the baby arrived.  We ordered a Mushroom & Swiss Cheeseburger Pizza at the Skybar (located at the top of the beautiful & reportedly haunted Crescent Hotel).  It was....okay.  Super cheesy, but lacking some depth of flavor that would have really made it taste like a Mushroom & Swiss Burger.  So, we decided we'd see if we could top it.
And this was our result.  Pretty darn tasty (though if I make it again, I'll use more cheese).

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup brown gravy (preferably made from Tony Chachere's Brown Gravy Mix)
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp smoked salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Montreal Steak Seasoning
1-2 Tbsp yellow mustard
1/2 medium onion, sliced into rings
2 cups smoked Swiss, shredded (note:  Swiss melts somewhat translucent, so feel free to add in some mozzarella to maintain that uber-cheesy pizza look)
2 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 pre-made crust (we did thin crust, you can opt for hand tossed if you prefer)

DIRECTIONS:
In a large skillet, brown the ground beef along with the Worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic, steak seasoning, and yellow mustard (you can use ground mustard if you prefer--I was just out at the time).  These seasonings are intended to help your ground beef element taste as "burger-like" as possible.  If you have some other seasonings that you prefer to season your burgers with, by all means use those instead--it's all about tricking YOUR palate into thinking "Ooh, cheeseburger!"  The mustard plays a big role in that, so don't leave it out.  As they say on Food Network: "taste your food".  Season it until it tastes like a tasty burger that you would enjoy eating...then you're done.

When the ground beef is cooked through, use a slotted spoon or spatula to spoon it out & place in a bowl.  Then use the drippings that remain in the pan to saute the mushrooms & onions.  Cook until the onions are nice & caramelized.

Now it's time to assemble your pizza.  Preheat the oven according to your crust's instructions (for us it was 425F), and spread the gravy onto the crust.  Then add the ground beef, mushrooms, and onions.   Cover generously with cheese (all the way to the edges, peeps!!!) and cook according to the instructions that come with your crust (since the thin crusts are pre-cooked, that was like 7-9 minutes for us, but a hand tossed crust is going to take longer).

Once baked, let it cool for a bit (this time helps allow the cheese to "glue" the toppings in place before slicing), then slice and devour.

Enjoy!

The Grilled Club (An Inside Scoop recipe)

This was probably the most popular sandwich we had on our menu--which is understandable since it was super-tasty. I still make them at home on occasion.  We initially introduced it as a "Special of the Month" early in Year Two, and it sold so well that we made it a permanent addition.

This is easiest to make if you have a George Foreman grill, panini press, or similar.  If you don't, you can still make it in a skillet or on a flat top like a traditional grilled cheese, but with all the fillings it can be tough to flip.  It will also cook faster in a grill/press, which is nice if you're in a rush or have several to make.

INGREDIENTS: (per sandwich)

• 2 slices good bread (we like Orowheat 12-Grain, but anything more substantial than typical thin sandwich bread will work)
• 1 Tbsp Herb Mayo
• 2 slices provolone cheese
• 4 slices Black Forest ham
• 2-3 slices tomato
• small handful fresh baby spinach
• 2 small slices bacon, or crumbled bacon 

DIRECTIONS:

Heat up your grill/press/skillet/flat top; then spread half the herb mayo on the OUTSIDE of the first piece of bread.  Yes, you read that right.  You're using it to "butter" your bread.  Just trust me. (Sciency bit--the smoke point of mayo is higher than butter, so it's less likely to burn the bread before the guts of the sandwich get melty & hot.  And the oil & egg in mayo make for crispier, more evenly grilled bread.  And the fact that we're using the herb mayo gives a HUGE wallop of flavor.)

Lay that piece down, then begin assembly: 1 piece of cheese, ham, spinach, tomato, bacon, other piece of cheese, and then the last piece of bread, with the rest of the herb mayo facing OUT.

Grill until golden and the cheese is melty.  Serve warm with chips.

NutriFacts:

Calories		423.7
Total Fat		17.5 g
	Saturated Fat	7.5 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	1.0 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	2.0 g
Cholesterol		70.0 mg
Sodium		1,230.9 mg
Potassium		41.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate		38.3 g
	Dietary Fiber	6.2 g
	Sugars	7.0 g
Protein		28.2 g

Smoky Shrimp & Grits

As expected, holidays around here were hectic. I’m sure you can empathize!  But I hope you had a wonderful holiday season, and filled your bellies with delicious, warm, comfy foods, and perhaps got a few nice gifts!  I hope your children & extended family didn’t completely destroy your home, and that you had a few moments to rest & put your feet up.
Today’s recipe is perfect for a cold, snowy day when you need something creamy, cheesy & satisfying.  Plus, if you use instant grits, it takes less than 30 minutes to make.  Perfect for after work when you need to throw something together on the fly that still feels gourmet—plus it’s under 300 calories per serving!
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup instant grits
• 1 cup smoked gouda, shredded
• 4 slices bacon, 1/2” diced
• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup sweet corn
• 2 green onions, sliced
• smoked salt (to taste)

DIRECTIONS:
First, cook your grits according to the package.  If you’re morally opposed to instant grits, you can make regular, I was just saving some time.  Once the grits are fully cooked, stir in the cheese.
Next, in a large skillet, cook the bacon until crispy (6-8 minutes).  Pull the pieces out & let drain on a paper towel.  Then add the shrimp, tomatoes, corn, Cajun seasoning & smoked salt to the skillet & cook until the shrimp are done (3-5 minutes).  Stir in the green onions at the last minute, then serve over grits.
NutriFacts:
 Calories 281.8
  Total Fat 5.1 g
  Saturated Fat 2.9 g
  Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g
  Monounsaturated Fat 0.3 g
  Cholesterol 228.5 mg
  Sodium 769.3 mg
  Potassium 366.1 mg
  Total Carbohydrate 27.4 g
  Dietary Fiber 2.1 g
  Sugars 1.8 g
  Protein 29.7 g

Homemade Mozzarella!

Earlier this year I bought a cheesemaking kit.  It’s their base kit, but with it & the booklet that comes with it, you can make butter, cream cheese, ricotta, mascarpone, mozzarella, chevre & queso blanco—basically most fresh & soft cheeses.
Those of you who’ve been reading here for a while know I did a stint as a cheesemonger down in New Orleans during grad school, where an already (perfectly natural) love of melty cheesy goodness was transformed into a bit of an obsession.  I spent my days memorizing the specific deets about over 200 types of cheese… periodically rearranging them in our display case so that for a while, they were sorted by milk type (goat, sheep, cow), then by region (US, France, Spain, Italy, etc), then by type (Swiss vs. bleu vs. gooey-stanky-French). 

I spent hours tasting various cheeses with various spreads on various crackers, determining which combinations complemented each other best, so that we could sample them out to customers together & boost sales.  I learned which cheeses went best with which wines.  I built cheese plates:

(…and ate a lot of them too.)

But as yet, I hadn’t tried to MAKE cheese.  So, I figured it was about time.  When the kit arrived, I bought a half-gallon of whole milk, busted out the instruction booklet, and gave it a whirl.

Unfortunately, something went awry with the first batch—I think I overcooked the curds, because it ended up super crumbly, like Feta.  It still tasted good, but was definitely NOT mozzarella. (BTW—we still totally ate it.  Crumbled on salads, pizza, tacos, even stuffed inside crescent rolls.)  So then I decided to hit up YouTube.  I watched a few different videos, and each of them made it essentially the same way—and DIFFERENTLY than what my instruction booklet told me.  Grr.
So during my second attempt (this time, with a FULL gallon of milk, since trying to make a half batch requires only 1/16 TEASPOON of rennet, and I was concerned that maybe my attempt at eyeballing such a tiny amount during the first batch might have had something to do with its failure), I pulled up this nice Canadian fellow’s video to watch on my tablet as I went through the process step-by-step.
INGREDIENTS:
1 gallon whole milk
1.5 tsp citric acid
1/4 rennet tablet (or 1/8 tsp of liquid), dissolved into 1/4 cup water
Cheese salt (non-iodized) to taste (if you use iodized salt, it can add a green tint to the cheese)
Optional: 1/2 tsp calcium chloride dissolved in 1/4 cup water (If you’re using store-bought milk or goat milk, this reportedly helps to make a firmer curd & helps the cheese retain more of the calcium when the curds form).  They don’t use this in the video and their cheese turns out fine, so I basically only used it because it came in my kit.
Directions:
In a large pot, add the milk and the citric acid and stir gently.  Heat over medium heat (around 4-5 if your stovetop goes to 10) and stir periodically until it reaches 88F (if you opt to use the calcium chloride, add it now).  If not, continue on to a temp of 95F.  You’ll be seeing some separation.  That’s normal. 
When it hits 95F, move it off the burner and add the rennet.  Stir for about 30 seconds—you’ll see big curds forming.  Then put a tight-fitting lid on the pot & let it sit for 25 minutes.  It’s a good time to watch Big Bang Theory, or part of Cutthroat Kitchen. :)
After the 25 minutes are up, use a mesh strainer or slotted spoon to remove the curds.  Drain as much of the whey as possible, and transfer the curds into a microwave safe bowl. 
Drain off the whey form the bowl, and then, using your hands (gloved if you can, though he doesn’t in the video), squeeze the curds to get as much of the whey out as possible.  He spends about 2 minutes on this in the video. 

Next, you’ll nuke the bowl of curds in the microwave for 1 minute.  This will pull more of the whey out—just drain it off.  Turn the curds out onto a mat or cutting board and sprinkle with cheese salt—then knead!  The heat causes the curds to come together.  You can fold it over on itself several times & mix salt in as you go, to taste.  If you want to add in any flavorings (I did a few with basil & rosemary mixed in), mix that in with the salt when you start kneading.

The more time you knead it, the more whey you’ll work out of it, so the harder it will get.  If you want a really soft mozz, you can just knead/fold a few times and then roll into balls.  You can also make little knots if you want, or ropes.

Then you’ll need to “preserve” the cheese in someway to protect it until eating.  You can wrap each ball in plastic wrap (what I did this time), OR, you can store them in a jar of olive oil—or even seasoned olive oil to make “marinated” mozzarella & add flavor that way.
 


I’m SOO looking forward to when my tomatoes finally ripen so I can make some caprese salad!!!