Mozarella Cheese

Stolen from Mel's Diner

So, these are the ingredients for your own mozzarella cheese: A gallon of whole milk, ¼ rennet tablet and a teaspoon and a half of citric acid:

You heat the milk to 50 degrees or so and add the citric acid mixed in a half of a cup of clean water. Bring the milk mixture to ninety degrees and add in the rennet dissolved in a quarter cup more of water. Bring this whole, curdy mix to one 105 degrees and shut off the heat:

Spoon the curds from the whey into a two quart, microwaveable pot. Pour off as much whey as possible and microwave for one minute. Kneed the cheese and pull it like taffy. Microwave for another 35 seconds, kneed the cheese. Repeat. After the third time in the microwave, it should pull like taffy and be shiny. If not, microwave again. It will look like this:

Form into balls quickly and drop into ice water for a half of an hour to cool the cheese. There, you have mozzarella cheese.

Baked Mac n' Cheese

Stolen from nestie Ashleighl

Baked Mac n' Cheese

12 ounces macaroni

1/4 cup butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (or sharp cheddar)

1 cup dry bread crumbs

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

In a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and stir in flour. Cook for about 1 minute, until smooth and bubbly; stirring occasionally. Mix in milk, cream cheese, salt, pepper, and Dijon mustard. Continue cooking until sauce is thickened. Add cooked macaroni and Cheddar cheese.

Pour into 2 quart casserole dish. In small bowl mix together bread crumbs, butter and parsley; spread over macaroni and cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and heated through.

Chicken with Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomato Sauce

Stolen from Rachel Ray

Chicken with Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomato Sauce

2 chicken breast halves
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp sundried tomatoes, chopped and drained, if they are oil-packed
2 ounces herbed goat cheese (I had plain goat cheese, added 2 cloves garlic, dried basil, and ground thyme)
salt and pepper


Sprinkle chicken breast halves with salt and pepper.
Heat skillet over medium-high heat and add oil.
When oil is hot, add chicken breasts. Cook through, about 4-6 minutes per side depending on how thin they are. Set aside and keep warm.

In the same skillet, add wine. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced by half, being sure to scrape up the browned bits from the chicken.

Add chicken broth and reduce that by about half, too.
Add in sundried tomatoes and heat through. Take skillet off the heat and stir in goat cheese.

Enchilida con Pollo

Stolen from Misty Mexican

In a big pan put one cup of tomato sauce. Drop 2 tbsp of chicken mixed with veggies and sour cream on an open tortilla. Roll up to make a cigar and align inside the pan. Proceed with the rest of the tortillias. Cover with more tomato sauce and finish with a good layer of shredded cheese. Bake for 20 minutes at 350F

Baked Ziti

Stolen from Sugar and Spice

Baked Ziti

1 pound tube shaped pasta
3 cups spaghetti sauce
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, cut into chunks and cooked
1 cup grated Romano cheese, divided
8 oz. mozzarella, diced
Shredded mozzarella

1. Cook pasta to al dente. Drain and put into a large bowl.

2. Toss pasta with 3 cups sauce, sausage, 1/2 cup Romano cheese, and diced mozzarella.

3. Pour into 13x9 glass baking dish and top with remaining 1/2 cup Romano cheese and handful of shredded mozzarella sprinkled on top.

4. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 15 minutes until sauce and cheese are bubbling.

Cheesy Baked Tortellini

Stolen from Giada

Olive oil
2 cups marinara sauce
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 pound purchased cheese tortellini
2 ounces thinly sliced smoked mozzarella
1/4 cup freshly grated ParmesanPreheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish.

Whisk the sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl to blend. Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat. Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top the mixture with the smoked mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on top melt, about 30 minutes.

Arugula & Fried Mozzarella Salad with Tomato-Basil Vinaigrette

In this satisfying salad, cheese is battered with egg and breadcrumbs before being fried into warm, crispy-gooey slices. The slight bitterness of the arugula is the perfect foil for the melty, rich fried mozarella. Smoked mozzarella is divine and adds depth to the salad, but regular mozzarella will make a delicious salad, too. Be sure to coat the cheese slices thoroughly so they don’t ooze during cooking.

Ingredients:

1 large (about 7 ounces) smoked mozzarella
1 large egg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups medium diced fresh tomatoes
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
5 ounces baby arugula, washed and dried

Directions:

Slice the mozzarella into eight slices, then again in half crosswise, so you have 16 pieces of cheese. Whisk the egg in a medium bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Put the breadcrumbs in another medium bowl. Working with a few pieces at a time, dip the cheese in the egg, turning to coat all sides of the cheese. Dredge the cheese in the breadcrumbs, pressing to help the crumbs adhere and cover the cheese as much as possible. Transfer the breaded cheese slices to a plate and refrigerate until ready to cook. You can prepare the cheese up to 1 hour ahead. Discard any leftover egg and crumbs.

In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, basil, and garlic and season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper. Let this sit for 5 minutes, then add 1/4 cup of the oil and the vinegar.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Put half the cheese in the pan and cook until the breadcrumbs turn golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Use two forks to turn the cheese and cook until the second side is golden, another 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Using the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, repeat with the second batch of cheese.

Put the arugula in a large bowl. Stir the tomato mixture and toss it with the arugula. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Portion the salad among four plates. Arrange four pieces of cheese on top of each salad and serve immediately. -- Eva Katz

Reprinted from Fine Cooking Annual by the Editors of Fine Cooking with permission from The Taunton Press. Photography by Scott Phillips.

Cream Cheese Chicken

Cream Cheese Chicken
(Source: MaryEllen - found on Now that's What's Cooking Blog)

3 chicken breasts, trimmed and kept whole or cut into strips or chunks
1 can chicken broth, separated
4-8 cloves garlic
red pepper flakes
4 oz cream cheese
1.5 tbs flour
2 tsp white wine

Optional: chopped red and green peppers or 1 chopped jalapeno

1. Put chicken in large pan with a little bit of olive oil

2. Add red pepper flakes and pressed garlic

3. After 1-2 min, add ¾ can chicken broth and white wine; add the chopped peppers at this time if you are using them

4. Bring to a boil then simmer 20-25 min until chicken is cooked- Remove chicken and place in a covered dish; keep warm

5. Mix flour with remaining broth and add to pan; mix

6. Add cream cheese, mix until thick and bubbly

Parmesan Chicken and Rice

Parmesan Chicken and Rice
(Source: Cooking Light)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup uncooked instant rice
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, and mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add chicken; sauté 4 minutes or until the chicken is lightly browned. Add wine, salt, and pepper; cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates.

3. Stir in rice and broth. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

4. Stir in cheese and parsley.