Pimento Squeeze Errrr Cheese

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1/4 teaspoon Cayenne
1/2 cup mayonnaise
.5 cup grated Monterrey jack cheese
1.5 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1.5 oz cream cheese (half of a 3 oz package)
2-3 tablespoons pimentos, diced
Black Pepper

The easiest way to make this dish is to bring everything to room temperature, through all but the pimentos into a food processor and blitz it all up. Add the pimentos and fold them in. You can put it into a bowl and use your hands or a spoon to bring it all together. It's an easy dish to make and you can be somewhat creative with the cheeses you use. Make sure you let it sit for a bit after you bring it together so everybody can get happy with each other. It makes a great grilled cheese sammy, or it's good in mac n cheese...

Happy Cheesing!

~Nikko



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Ok this is one of the first cooking videos I ever made. It may say it's episode 13 but really it was the second video I ever did... I'll admit it's pretty bad, and it's not the one I made for this recipe, but it did make a good pimento cheese... I will be doing another video with this (my new fav recipe).

Grilled Cheese & Tomatoes

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Who doesn't like a nice grilled cheese? Ok I know a few people who don't eat cheese (and I don't trust them)... You can add a lot to a grilled cheese to take it up a notch, but a simple tomato adds wonders if you ask me. For some reason since I started cooking I've been the one to always make the grilled cheese in my family. The best thing about a grilled cheese to me is that they don't have to be fancy to be good - white bread and American cheese is good - so is homemade wheat bread with English cheddar...

Bread
cheese
tomato
butter

Bring a pan to a medium heat. Butter one side of each of your pieces of bread. Place the butter side of one down on the pan, add the cheese, the tomato, and a bit of cheese on top then top with the other piece of bread (butter side up). Cover and let cook checking the bottom every so often so it doesn't burn. Once the bottom is nice and grilled, flip the sammy over and cook again. Once finished let sit for a minute or so so the cheese can set up a bit then Eat & Enjoy!

Happy cooking,

~Nikko

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Sausage Dip Recipe

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This is just what the name says - Sausage Dip. It's not a cheese dip because there's not much cheese in there - It's a Sausage Dip!

1 Tube Hot Sausage, Win Dixie brand works best here
1 Large Onion, diced fine
1 tsp Red Pepper flakes
.5 Box Velveeta Mexican Cheese
.25 Cup Pickled Jalapenos, diced

Heat a saute pan to medium high heat, and add the sausage. Cook the sausage till it's about half way cooked then add the onion, jalapenos, and red pepper flakes. Once the sausage is all browned off, drain off all the fat you can. Return the mixture to the pan and reduce the heat to a medium low. Dice up the Velveeta Mexican Cheese and add it to the pan. Cook stirring well until the cheese is melted. Serve with Tortilla chips. Eat & Enjoy!

Happy Cheesing,

~Nikko

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Cheese Danish Recipe

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So we were on vacation in Clearwater Florida and went to Lenny's for breakfast one morning. Lenny's is known for their breakfasts and some would say the best breakfast available in Florida (or the world). The best part about the breakfast is that you are treated to a nice basket of homemade pastries when you order your food! OMG they are delicious! One of the pastries in our basket was a cheese danish. I decided it was about time for me to try my hand at making them so I went to Ina Garten (she's my go to when it comes to sweets) and got a recipe. I adapted this version a bit from hers...

8 Oz. Cream cheese, at room temp (that's one large box)
1/3 Cup + 2 Tbsp Sugar
2 Extra-Large Egg Yolks, at room temp
2 Tbsp Ricotta cheese
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp Lemon zest, grated (about 2 lemons) you can use Penzey's lemon zest reconstituted
2 Puff pastry sheets, defrosted
1 Egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water

Put the cream cheese and sugar in a bowl and cream them together gently until smooth. You do not want to do a fast whip on anything here! You can use a mixer to do this or by hand. Once they are creamed nicely, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix just until combined - do not over work the mixture.

Unfold one sheet of the puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10" x 10" square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a knife. Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling into the middle of each square. Brush the border of each square with the egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center - overlap the fold a bit and pinch together well. Brush the top of the pastry with the egg wash. Repeat this step with the remaining pastry sheets. Place the pastries on a parchment lined sheet pan and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

While the pastry is in the refer, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Eat & Enjoy!

Happy Banking!

~Nikko

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Video coming soon!

Not Quite Bruschetta...

This is called not quite bruschetta because there's no bread involved - there's cheese... I had an amazing lunch the other day that involved some of the best marinated tomatoes I've ever had (The French Pantry in Jacksonville Fl). I had to see if I could even come close to their amazingness... These turned out really good, but they still need a little work.

2 Cups Roma tomatoes, diced (about 4-6)
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
1 tsp Oregano, dried
1/4 Cup Basil, either torn or chiffonade
1/4 Cup Olive oil
2 Tbsp White Balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Greek Coleslaw

I had some cabbage that needed used up one day and this is what came out of it. I was going to make some regular coleslaw but I decided to Greek it up a bit - it worked...

2 Cups Cabbage, sliced thin

3 Tbsp White Balsamic

1 Tbsp Penzey's Greek seasoning (www.penzeys.com)

1/2 Cup Feta cheese

In a medium sized bowl, add the balsamic and Penzey's Greek seasoning. Mix together and let sit for a few minutes. In the meantime slice the cabbage thin and crumble the feta cheese. Add them into the bowl and mix well. Eat & Enjoy!

Cheers,

~Nikko

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Tortellini Soup of Goodness

This is a hearty soup that only takes about 10 minutes to make. It's one of my favorites...

3 Cups Whole wheat cheese tortellini, fresh or frozen
4.5 Cups Chicken broth
4 Garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp Sage, dried
1 tsp Thyme, dried
2 Cups Spinach, fresh coarsely chopped
1 16oz can Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 Cup Sun-dried tomatoes (or more if you really like them)
Parmesan cheese, grated
Pepper, fresh ground

You can do this all in the same pot but I think it's better to cook the Tortellini in a seperate pot then transfer it to the soup base. I've tried it both ways and doing this works better. So with that said in a pot of salted boiling water cook the tortellini according to the package - do not overcook because it's going to go into the broth. In another large saucepan, bring the broth, garlic, sage, and thyme to a boil. Stir in the spinach, Cannellini beans and tomatoes. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the tortellini and continue to simmer for a few more minutes. Ladel into bowls, sprinkle with the cheese, Eat & Enjoy...

Happy Cooking & Eating!

~Nikko

FoodBuzz Tastemaker: Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry - Brie in Puff

This one falls into the extremely easy category... Once you have the puff pastry thawed your prep time is less than 3 minutes... This is a great appetizer for home or if you're going to a party it travels well...

1 package Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry, will only need 1 sheet
1 round of Brie Cheese
1 package garlic cheese spread (will use about 3/4)

Start by thawing the puff pastry on a sheet of wax paper. Once thawed slather on a nice layer of the garlic cheese spread. Place the round of Brie in the middle of the pastry sheet and place a nice layer of the garlic spread on top. Fold in the corners of the puff pulling them tight against the brie. Lightly pinch the creases of the puff and place on a lined baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 then raise the heat to 400 for an additional 10-15 minutes until the pastry has puffed up nicely and is nice and brown. Eat & Enjoy!

Happy Cooking & Eating!

~Nikko

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Lasagna For Scott...

It's nice to have some loyal fans - I don't have many, but I don't do this for fame and fortune I do it because I love it... Anyhow a little over a year ago I got an email from a viewer telling me how to make better videos - "hey Nikko i love food vids so i'm going to help you make 5 star shows ! have all your veg cut and ready, and cans open other wise we have to sit through you opening cans and going to the garbage can etc. this way we dont lose our mind and get board plus you can make 1 vid instead of 3 or 4 for 1 dish. ps i love the food you make keep them coming a big fan. Scott" Yes I kept the email - I took the advice and it has helped! Even I get bored watching some of the old videos... Although the blog doesn't get a heap of traffic (yet) the videos on YouTube and Vimeo get quite the hits.

Well I asked Scott what he wanted a video of, and he chose Lasagna. I have made lasagna in the past but none of them were much to talk about. I brought in a ringer and I have to say Lisa put the smack down on this lasagna. It was amazing! This is just a cheese lasagna, but you can certainly stuff it with meat if you want. We're going to do another version that is loaded with meat - so check back...

1 Large tub Ricotta cheese
3 Tbsp parsley, chopped fine
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Lasagna noodles
4 Cups mozzarella cheese
1 Cup Parmesan cheese
2 Large eggs, beaten
1 Jar Ragu Organic Sauce (it's the best I've ever tried)
salt
pepper
13x9x2 baking dish
Large bowl to make your cheese mixture

Start by making your cheese mixture - in a large bowl combine the ricotta, 2 cups of the mozzarella, half a cup of the Parmesan cheese, the parsley, pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper, and the beaten eggs (make sure you beat the eggs before you add them to the mixture). Mix everything together well and store in the fridge until ready for use. Cook your lasagna noodles as directed by the package. After you have drained off your noodles, rinse them with cold water. Now it's time to build some goodness! Lay down a thin layer of the sauce in your baking dish - this will help with no sticking. Put down strips of the noodles to cover the bottom of the dish - top evenly with a third of the cheese mixture. Lay down another layer of the pasta however this time lay them the opposite direction - you will need to cut them to fit. You do this to keep the structure sound when you cut the lasagna later it will stay up and not slide all over the place. Put down another layer of sauce then another third of the cheese. Top this layer of the cheese mixture with a little sprinkling of the mozzarella. Add another layer of the pasta and sauce then the remaining cheese mixture. Add your last layer of pasta, a final layer of sauce then the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cover with tin foil and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Cut, plate - Eat & Enjoy...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko
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Chili Rellenos Casserole

One of the things I love most about this dish is that it's good hot, at room temperature, and cold straight out of the fridge... I have been eating this dish most of my life. We don't have it very often but it's always fun and easy to make. The little one even likes to help put it together because it's so easy to do.

1 lb Ground sirloin
½ cup Chopped onion
1 tsp olive oil
½ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Pepper
1 4 oz can Green Chiles - If you really like chiles you can use two cans
1 ½ cups Shredded sharp cheddar cheese - or a Mexican blend
1 ½ cups Milk
¼ cup Flour
½ tsp Salt
Dash Pepper
4 Eggs beaten
Dash Tabasco

In a medium sized saute pan add the olive oil, onion and a pinch of salt and cook until translucent. Once the onion is ready, add the beef, salt, pepper and cook until just browned (cooked through). Because this dis his going in the oven, you do not have to over cook the beef - it will continue cooking in the oven. Drain all the fat off the mixture and set aside. In a 10 x 6 x 1.5 inch baking dish add half the chilies - if you really like chilies like I do, you can use two cans of chilies. Sprinkle with cheese, and top with the meat mixture. Arrange the remaining chiles over the meat. Combine the remaining ingredients, beat until smooth and pour over the dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 – 50 minutes...

You can eat it straight away or let it come to room temperature - I even like it cold out of the fridge (which is the state it was in when I took the above photo)...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

Blue Cheese Crust...

I've tried many a combination of blue cheese on top of a steak in my days, but this is my favorite way. I've tried many blue cheese butters to put a steak and none really bring that flavor I like. I tried to thThe blue cheese crust is quite simple to make - equal parts blue cheese, bread, and a few tablespoons of butter blitzed in a processor until mostly smooth. Cook the steak until nearly done then carefully top with the blue cheese mixture and broil for 3-5 minutes until the crust starts to brown. Try it sometime...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

The Perfect Dinner

Pâté de Campagne
Tomatoes
Stilton Blue
Smoked Guda
Chev
Cucumbers
Radish
French olive mixture
Arugula
Peppadew
Brie
Peppered Sausage
Pine nuts
Homemade Dijon mustard
Olive oil
Nice crusty bread

Simple but so very good. It's fun to see what type of flavor combination you can come up with for every bite...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko