If you ask me, nothing is more comforting than a big bowl of delicious, cheesy mashed potatoes! This version features the intermingling of tangy buttermilk with sharp, melty cheddar cheese. Leave the skins on the potatoes for extra texture, color, and nutrition. This dish makes a perfect pair with saucy pork chops, roasted chicken, holiday turkey, or juicy pot roast.

Buttermilk-Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

5-6 medium red potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1/2-3/4 cup buttermilk
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, diced or shredded

Place potatoes in a large pot and completely cover with cold water. Salt the water, if desired. Place on the stove and bring to a boil. Boil the potatoes for about 20-30 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain the water and return the potatoes to the pot. Over low heat, add the butter and mash the potatoes with a masher or ricer. We like to leave ours a little lumpy for texture. Gradually add and stir in the buttermilk, until the potatoes reach your desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Last, add the cheddar cheese and allow it to melt before serving.

This delicious cheese spread was a big hit when we brought it to a St. Patrick’s Day party earlier this month. The sharp cheddar balanced by the mellow stout is a perfect mach with hearty rye toast. With flavors reminiscent of rarebit sauce on toast, this is a perfect appetizer for a casual dinner party!

Guinness-Cheddar Cheese Spread
Adapted from The Galley Gourmet

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup Guinness Stout
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
12 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
A pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, with extra for garnish
Bite-sized rye bread, buttered and toasted

In the bowl of a food processor (or in a bowl using an immersion blender, as we did) combine the butter, cream cheese, Guinness, mustard, and Worcestershire, blending until fully combined. Next, add cheddar cheese, the onion, black pepper, and cayenne. Puree until smooth and fully combined. Stir in the parsley. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but up to 3 days. Allow the mixture to return to room temperature before serving. Garnish with a sprig of fresh parsley and serve with freshly toasted rye bread.

Happy New Year, dear readers!! Best wishes for a wonderful 2011 to you all!!

My mom has been making this recipe since the 1970s when, she says, it was “all the rage.” We have tweaked the original to suit our family’s tastes. It is a delicious and festive appetizer that we often serve during the holidays. My whole family gets excited and hovers around the famous cheese ring. I believe that the combination of cheese, jam, and nuts on a cracker is a Southern thing – if you haven’t tried it, it will change your life!!

Cheddar Cheese Ring
based on Rosalynn Carter’s Cheddar Cheese Ring

1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated
1 cup pecans, chopped and toasted
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
Strawberry jam
Crackers

Toss together the shredded cheese, pecans, onion, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the mayo gradually, using only enough so that the mixture comes together in a mold-able dough-like ball. Use your hands to shape the cheese mixture into a ring on your serving platter. The ring should be about 6″ from edge to edge. You can cover and refrigerate the ring at this stage for up to 48 hours.

Fill the center of the ring with the strawberry jam. Serve with crackers. For those who aren’t familiar with this setup, you smear some cheese on the cracker and then top with a dab of jam. Enjoy!!

I am sad to announce, dear readers, the passing of a much-loved blog that I and many others have enjoyed over the past several years. For unknown reasons, Katie has taken down her food blog, Good Things Catered. In celebration of and appreciation for her contribution to the food blogging community, to our kitchens, and to our imaginations, I am sharing one of my favorite Good Things Catered recipes with you all.

I hope you will enjoy this delicious dip. Katie amped up the flavor of this classic appetizer by roasting the artichokes before adding them in to the creamy, earthy goodness of spinach blended with a variety of cheeses. This is a great recipe to have on hand during the holidays, when guests are dropping by unexpectedly or when we are called on to bring a dish to a neighborhood party. You can even mix these ingredients together up to three days in advance and then warm the dip in the oven just before serving.

Roasted Artichoke and Spinach Dip
from the now deceased blog, Good Things Catered

2 14-ounce cans of premium artichoke hearts (frozen works, too)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
16 ounces baby spinach leaves (frozen works, too)
1 medium onion, minced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (I subbed goat cheese – divine!)
1 1/2 cups assorted cheeses, grated (I used paremsan, cheddar, mozzarella, and romano)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoons minced thyme leaves
A pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated (I used a combo of parm and cheddar)

Preheat your  oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.

Toss drained artichokes with one tablespoon of the olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread the artichokes out over the baking sheet and roast, stirring occasionally. Until browned at the edges, about 25 minutes. Let the artichoke cool and chop coarsely.

Meanwhile heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sautée spinach until wilted. Drain thoroughly and remove from the pan.

Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and add the onion. Cook for until softened, about 5 -7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer the onion and garlic to a bowl with spinach.

Stir in the mayonnaise, cream cheese, grated cheeses, lemon juice, thyme, and cayenne and thoroughly combine. Gently fold in the artichokes and season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the mixture to a large baking dish and sprinkle the top with parmesan. (At this stage, you can cover and refrigerate the dip for up to three days if needed.)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Bake the prepared dip uncovered until hot throughout and top is golden brown, about 20-25 mins. Let cool at least 5 minutes before serving. Served with tortilla chips or sturdy crackers. Enjoy!

Our family strives to put mostly seasonal fruits and veggies on the table.  Not only is it more economical, but veggies that are in season tend to be more nutritious because they don’t have to travel from the other side of the globe before they reach your plate!

Seasonal produce in the spring come as such a refreshing change after the winter.  Asparagus, strawberries, and avocados are such a welcome change!!  Here is a delicious way to prepare asparagus that will tempt even the asparagusphobes in your household.  It also really captures and highlights those fresh-from-the-garden flavors that just sing out “It’s Spring!!!”

Parmesan-Crusted Asparagus

1 large bunch of asparagus, washed and trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Drizzle on the olive oil and sprinkle over the cheese and the salt ad pepper. Use your hands to toss the ingredients together until the asparagus is completely coated with the oil, cheese, and seasoning.

Bake for 10 minutes and serve immediately.

Here is a recipe from my Grandma – my dad’s mom.  Most of my recipes from Grandma are simple, but super-flavorful – and this one is no exception!

Grandma’s Cheese Ball

1 jar Old English Cheese
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
4 ounces of bleu cheese crumbles
2 tablespoons onion, grated
1 large garlic clove, grated
1 cup chopped pecans
Parsley, for garnish

Combine the Old English cheese and the cream cheese, blending until completely combined.  Fold in the bleu cheese crumbles, the onion, and the garlic.  Place the mixture in plastic wrap, forming it roughly into a ball.  Chill for at least 1 hour, or until firm enough to handle.

Roll the cheese ball in the chopped pecans until completely coated.  Garnish with parsley.

Sometimes, making an appetizer doesn’t have to be as difficult or complicated as you think it does.  Try the delicious combination of a log of brie cheese drizzled with honey and topped with toasted walnuts.  It’s simple but incredibly elegant.  Most of all, the delicate blend of flavors is absolutely mouth-watering. . .

Brie with Walnuts and Honey

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 round (or log!) of brie
1/3 cup honey (local is best!)
Water crackers

Heat a small skillet over medium-low heat.  Add the chopped walnuts.  Dry-toast the nuts for about 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly.  The nuts will turn lightly golden and become very fragrant when they are ready! Be careful not to burn them!

Place the brie on your cheese board or serving plate.  Drizzle with the honey.  Sprinkle the toasted walnuts on  top.  Serve with water crackers.

This is a really fun and easy appetizer that never fails to please a crowd!  The flaky crescent rolls provide a wonderfully flavorful nest for layers of zesty basil pesto.  You won’t believe how simple it is to make these beautiful little treats.

This is a recipe that you can go wild and crazy with . . . substitute your own flavorful fillings and let me know what you come up with!  Maybe some pimento cheese? Or some olive tapenade? Alfredo sauce perhaps? Sundried tomato pesto?  The possibilities are endless, so get creative!

Pesto Pinwheels

1 8-ounce package of refrigerated crescent roll dough
1/2 cup basil pesto
1 egg
1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease a baking sheet.

Open the package of crescent roll dough and unroll it into a rectangle.  Gently push together the perforations of the dough so that you have one continuous rectangle of dough.  Use a spatula to spread the pesto evenly over the rectangle.  Roll the dough back up in the same direction as it was rolled up in the package.

Use a serrated knife to slice the roll into 1/2″ pieces.  Lay the pieces flat on the prepared baking sheet, about 1″ apart.

In a small  bowl, beat the egg until frothy with a fork.  Brush the egg lightly on top of each pinwheel.  Sprinkle all of them with the grated parmigiano reggiano cheese.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until puffed up and lightly golden brown.  Remove from pan and serve immediately.

Fiesta Rice

2 cups white rice, cooked
1 cup fresh or canned Mexicorn
3/4 cup shredded pepper-jack cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the rice, the Mexicorn, and the shredded cheese, tossing lightly with a fork.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

The four cheeses in my lasagna are not the most traditional cheeses . . . but they sure are tasty!  I like to use turkey for the meat in this one – there are so many wonderful flavors going on that most people who taste this dish don’t even notice that it’s not beef! Plus, I think the turkey makes it seem lighter, which is a nice balance to the richness of the cheese.

Ellie’s Four-Cheese Lasagna

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb. mild italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 lb. ground turkey breast (ground beef works, too!)
1/2 cup diced onion
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 24-ounce jar of your favorite tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
1 8-ounce package of cream cheese
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley OR dry Italian seasoning
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 9-ounce package of no-boil lasagna noodles
1/4 cup grated parmigiano regiano cheese

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 9×13″ baking dish and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium to medium-high heat.  Add the sausage and the ground turkey.  Brown the meat, stirring occasionally, until completely cooked through.  Remove the meat from the pan and add the onion.  Cook until slightly tender, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the minced garlic, stirring until fragrant.  Next, add the meat back to the pan, and stir in the tomato sauce and the water.  Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to your taste.  Lower the heat and simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, soften the cream cheese in a microwaveable bowl for about 20-30 seconds.  Stir in the ricotta cheese until combined.  Add the eggs, the parsley or Italian seasoning, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, folding the mixture together.

To assemble the lasagna, spoon 1/4 of the tomato mixture into the bottom of the prepared dish.  Next, layer the no-boil noodles on top.  Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles.  Spoon over the next 1/4 of the tomato mixture.  Then the noodles again.  Then the next 1/3 of the ricotta.  Then another 1/4 of the tomato mixture.  One more layer of noodles, and one more layer of ricotta.  Spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the top.  Finally, sprinkle with the remaining cup of mozzarella, topping it all off with the parmigiano regiano cheese.

** Note that at this point, you can either continue, **
** or cover tightly and store in the fridge for up to 3 days **
** or the freezer for up to 3 months. **

Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until all cheese is melted and the lasagna is nice and bubbly.  Allow to set for about 5 minutes before serving.