Lemony Pasta with Capers and Greens

A quick, light, and refreshing pasta with tilapia, greens, and a bit of lemon.

Avocado Macaroni and Cheese

Mac and cheese made creamier with avocado.

Dátiles Con Tocino

Bacon wrapped dates stuffed with blue cheese - a perfect combination of sweet, savory, and smoky.

Caramelized Onion Squash Galette

Butternut squash, perfectly complemented with sweetly savory caramelized onions and made even more awesome with a trio of cheeses.

Egg in a Tater

All the flavor and tastiness of potato skins, made filling and healthy enough for breakfast.

Cheesy Guacamole

Combine guacamole with cheese for a synergistically flavorful cheesy guacamole.

Tater Skins

Melty cheesy goodness topped with green onions and crumbled bacon in a potato skin.

Feta Avocado Dip

Try this feta avocado dip - creamy and spicy with just the slightest tang.

Bacon and Bean Quesadillas

Cheesy bean quesadillas flavored up with crispy bacon and green onions.

Parmesan Crisps

Got some Parmesan cheese and 5 minutes? You can make yourself some Parmesan crisps! Great as crackers or with dip.

Garlic Parmesan Swirl Biscuits

Another of my Five Friday Finds, this time from Good Cheap Eats. These biscuits are slightly similar to the Garlicky Cheddar Biscuits - just switch the cheddar for some parmesan and add a swirl! I love these types of recipes, where it looks like it took time and effort, but really, it didn't. Don't you?

We ate these swirl biscuits for breakfast, but you could just as easily serve them as a side to Little Lasagnas. In fact, if you served these biscuits with the Little Lasagnas, you'd be well on your way to starting a muffin tin meal! Wouldn't that be fun?

Whenever I eat something with a swirl like these biscuits (or Hua Juan, for example), I always like to peel it apart and especially taste the fillings/texture of the inside. Tell me I'm not the only one?

Garlic Parmesan Swirl Biscuits

by CJ Huang

Mingling the flavors of garlic and Parmesan in a mouthwatering swirl biscuit.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: 12 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
		2 cups		flour	I used half whole wheat and half white.
		1 teaspoon		salt
		1 tablespoon		baking powder
		1/4 cup		butter
		3/4 cup		milk
		2 teaspoons		garlic powder
		3 tablespoons		Parmesan cheese, grated
				Garlic Parsley Butter, melted	optional

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder, and then cut in butter until homogeneous.
	3. Mix in milk until dough forms, and then roll out in a rectangle.
	4. Sprinkle garlic powder and Parmesan cheese on top, making sure not to forget the edges.
	5. Roll up dough and pinch to seal.
	6. Cut dough into 12 pieces, about an inch wide.
	7. Place each piece in a greased muffin tin and bake until golden brown and delicious, about 15 minutes.
	8. (optional) Brush Garlic Parsley Butter on top of each biscuit.

Hint: Try cutting each biscuit apart with dental floss. It's a lot cleaner and neater than a knife (at least for me)! Plus, you get perfectly round biscuits. Just slide the floss under your roll, where you would cut, bring the two ends up, cross, and pull. That's it!

Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks

Since I had made some flatbread pizza, I started thinking about breadsticks. Breadsticks always seem to go quickly and they're so tasty! I had made some cheesy peppered breadsticks before, but this time, I wanted something like a less greasy version of the traditional garlicky breadsticks you can get when you order pizza. I have to say, these breadsticks definitely qualified, and, they were tastier too! These breadsticks finished in almost no time at all, especially since I used some of the instant flour mix. I opted to twist the breadsticks so that they would look nicer, but it's certainly optional. If you wanted to bring the twisted ones to a party or gathering, you certainly don't have to tell anyone there how quick and easy these breadsticks were to make!

Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks

by CJ Huang

Quick and easy breadsticks - a tastier and less greasy version of the traditional breadsticks.

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
		2 cups		instant flour mix	Or Bisquick
		1/2 cup		water
		1 teaspoon		pepper
		1 tablespoon		garlic
				red pepper flakes	optional
				cheese, grated	I used Romano.

Methods:

1. Combine instant flour mix and water.
2. Add in black pepper, red pepper flakes, cheese, and garlic.
3. Mix well and roll dough out to about a half inch thickness.
4. Cut into strips about 1 inch across to make breadsticks. At this point, I opted to twist them a bit. You could do the same thing to make them look "fancier" without much extra work!

Taquitos

These flavorful and cheesy taquitos make an amazing on the go snack or meal. Almost like a taco burrito!

Bacon Parmesan Scones

Savory Bacon Parmesan Scones - a buttery treat with the heartiness of bacon nestled among the peppery notes of green onion and warm, embracing flavors of cheese and rosemary.

Spinach and Tuna Fettuccine Alfredo

A quick and easy (skinnier) Fettuccine Alfredo with Italian seasoned tuna and spinach.

Bruschetta

Chopped tomatoes and onion, mixed with basil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and Parmesan cheese, then piled onto a toasted slice of Italian bread for serving.

Mexican Cotija Corn

Back when I worked at a chromatography company, I went to a tapas restaurant for lunch, and had some Mexican Corn. Unfortunately, I can remember neither the restaurant name nor the location anymore. However, I do remember the delectably yummy and flavorful Mexican Corn on the Cob. (We recently went to another restaurant, and I believe this corn is also called Elote.) Since we'd purchased some corn on sale, I thought back to the scrumptious corn I enjoyed back in what seems like another lifetime. I made this Mexican Cotija Corn in a oven, and it'll taste even better if you make it on a grill. The hardest part of making this corn was getting it to stay submerged while soaking - they just want to roll and float! I ended up using a rice cooker pot partially filled with water on top of a plate to keep the corn down. So once you've soaked the corn, drain and roast it. (Unless you're lucky and have access to a grill. Then grill the corn.) :) Once the corn's cooked, slather it with some Chipotle Mayo and roll it in some Cotija cheese. Then it's time for the best part - gobbling!

What's your favorite way to eat corn on the cob?

Mexican Cotija Corn

by CJ Huang

Smoky chipotle mayo and salty Cotija cheese perfectly complement sweet corn in this Mexican Cotija Corn.

Prep time: 60 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 90 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
			6 ears	corn
		1/2 cup		chipotle mayo
128 grams	4.5 ounces			cotija cheese, grated

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Soak corn in water for about an hour.
	3. Bake corn at 400F for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through. (Or grill!)
	4. Remove corn husk and silk, leaving the stalk as a handle. Slather with chipotle mayo, and then cover with Cotija cheese.

Shared with: Wonderful Wednesday, Wednesday Showcase, What's Cookin' Wednesday, Creative Ways, Thursday Favorite Things, Foodie FriDIY, Throwback Thursday, Pinworthy Projects, Bloggers' Pit Stop, Happiness is Homemade, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sustainable Sunday, What's for Dinner? Sunday, Over the Moon, Motivation Monday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday

Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

I first found out about Rebekah's Family Food and Fun when I was assigned her blog previously. I knew I wanted to make this recipe when I saw it, but I didn't have enough time before I left for Savannah. Well, I finally got to give this recipe a try, and I'm certainly glad I did! This green bean casserole's definitely not like your usual green bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup and onion strings on top. (Although onion strings on top of this green bean casserole might make for a tasty modification!) This green bean casserole's got a creamy cheesy filling with bits of bacon mixed in. The bell peppers also added a nice sweet flavor. Next time I make this cheesy green bean casserole, I'm thinking I'll try it with onion strings on top. Maybe they'll give me some motivation to finally make some onion strings while I'm at it! I finally made onion strings!

What's your favorite version of green bean casserole?

Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

by CJ Huang

Cheesy green bean casserole baked with peppers and bacon along with a crispy bread crumb (or onion string) topping.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 55 minutes
Total time: 60 minutes
Yield: 12 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
			5 slices	bacon, crisped and crumbled	or bacon bits
	6 ounces		1	bell pepper, chopped
		2 tablespoons		butter
	4 ounces	1 cup		cheddar cheese, shredded
	2.25 pounds			green beans, trimmed and cut
		4 tablespoons		flour
		1 tablespoon		garlic, minced
		3 cups		milk	I used whole.
			1	onion, diced
		-3/4 cup	1 slice	bread, crumbs
		1/2 teaspoon		chili pepper powder
			1 batch	onion strings	optional

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Cook garlic and onion in a bit of oil until fragrant.
	3. In a separate pot, melt butter.
	4. Add in flour.-
	5. Mix into a paste.
	6. Add milk, and stir into a homogeneous mixture.
	7. Add bell peppers to onion and garlic mixture.
	8. Melt cheese into milk mixture.
	9. Add in a bit of chili pepper.
	10. Combine the bell pepper mixture and bacon into the milk mixture.
	11. Stir in green beans.
	12. Place into a 13 x 9 inch baking container.
	13. Top with bread crumbs (or even better - onion strings) and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

Chicken Tostadas

I've made various sorts of quesadillas over the years. One thing about quesadillas is they can get a bit soggy over time. I also saw tostadas for sale recently, so I thought about using those instead of regular tortillas. (Of course, I had to make my own. :P You can make them the same way as tortilla chips, just don't cut them beforehand.) I stayed pretty basic with these - just a bit of chicken, salsa, avocado, and of course, cheese. Give them a try and see what you think!

Do you prefer the crunchy open faced tostada or a soft quesadilla?

Chicken Tostadas

by CJ Huang

Try these chicken tostadas - avocado and salsa on top of a crispy, crunchy tostada layered with cheesy goodness.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
			8	tostadas
	4 ounces			cheese, sliced or shredded
221 grams		2 cups		chicken, shredded
285 grams		1 cup		pico de gallo
			1	avocado, sliced

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Layer cheese, tomatoes, and chicken on a tostada. Heat until cheese melted. Place another tostada on top and garnish with additional tomatoes and avocado.

Shared with: Wonderful Wednesday, Wednesday Showcase, Waste Less Wednesday, What's Cookin' Wednesday, Creative Ways, Throwback Thursday, Foodie FriDIY, Pinworthy Projects, Happiness is Homemade, What's for Dinner?, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sustainable Sunday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, What'd You Do This Weekend?, Turn It Up Tuesday, #recipeoftheweek

Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

When I saw this recipe on Mountain Mama Cooks, I knew I wanted to give it a try. Fortunately, I had mushrooms and cream cheese around! I decided to make a quarter the amount Kelley did, mainly because I only had four ounces of button mushrooms. It made the perfect amount for one serving each. However, this recipe actually gets more efficient if you're making a large batch because regardless of your batch size, you only make your filling and bake once. Aside from scaling the recipe down, the only major change I made was substituting onion powder for the minced onion. She mentioned the mushrooms getting soggy because of a mushroom's high water content. Using onion powder instead mitigates the moisture issue by both removing the moisture from fresh onion as well as having the powder soak up some moisture. These Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms aren't too pretty, but they sure make up for it in taste!

What's your favorite filling for stuffed mushrooms?

Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

by CJ Huang

Fill some button mushrooms with a bacon and onion cream cheese mixture to make Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 2 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
			2 strips	bacon, crisped and crumbled	or bacon bits
		2 teaspoons		onion powder
		1/2 teaspoon		garlic, minced
	4 ounces		9	button mushrooms
	1 ounce			cream cheese
		1 tablespoon		Parmesan cheese, grated

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Pull stems out of mushrooms. Place all materials except mushroom caps into food processor.
	3. Stuff mushroom caps with mixture, then bake at 350F for 15 minutes, until mushrooms cooked and filling hot.