Cheese, in any of its many forms, is considered a comfort food or an ingredient that will take a recipe out of the ordinary category.
This week’s recipes offer three ideas for making use of cheese to give a boost of taste.
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No Yeast Cheese Buns
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsps. mayonnaise
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Spoon into greased muffin tins. Cook at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until golden brown. While still warm, top with melted butter. When cool remove from tins.
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Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
12 slices bacon, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
4 tbsps. butter
1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 cup celery, diced
1 3/4 lbs. potatoes, cubed and peeled (4 cups)
3-4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup heavy cream or whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream
16 oz. shredded Velveeta Cheese
In a large pan over medium heat, fry bacon until crisp then set aside.
In drippings, brown ground beef for 3-4 minutes then crumble. Cook until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium low, add butter and melt then add onion and cook about 5 minutes. Add vegetables and cook 7-10 minutes until tender.
Add 3 cups broth, dried herbs and seasonings. Add in beef and stir. If too thick, add 1 more cup broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered until potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes.
Reduce to low. Add cream and milk. Turn off heat. Add cheese and stir until it melts. Stir in 3/4 of the chopped bacon.
Serve, garnished, with rest of bacon. Serves 8.
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Broccoli Cheese Omelettes
4 tsps. vegetable oil
1-10 oz. can condensed broccoli and cheese soup
8 eggs
2 cups cooked, chopped broccoli
dash ground black pepper
grated Parmesan cheese
Whisk eggs and gradually mix into soup. Stir in half the broccoli and pepper.
Heat 1 tsp. oil in non-stick skillet over medium heat.
Add 3/4 cup of the egg mixture. As it begins to set, lift edges allowing uncooked egg mixture to flow to bottom. Cook until set but still moist. Top one half with 1/4 cup broccoli.
Fold omelette in half using a spatula and slide onto plate. Sprinkle with cheese.
Repeat for each of the 4 omelettes. Serve with crusty bread.
Joyce Walter can be reached at [email protected]
