The Ultimate Cauliflower Cheese

I have a confession to make. Thanks to my wife, I’ve been sucked into the world of Cotswold, UK fashion vloggers. Think crunchy homestead vloggers in the US, but with renovated manor houses and Land Rovers. However, the thing that I really watch for is their gardening and cooking. Many of them grow their own produce and source local ingredients. Ironically, that’s something you can easily do right here in our own region. I’ve featured recipes from Josie Irons before, but now her husband, Charlie, has started his own channel dedicated to cooking and gardening. This recipe is for a cauliflower cheese, a classic British side dish that is simple, filling, and healthy.

Cheesy Lemon Chicken Pasta

Pecorino Romano and Parmesan give cheesy flavor to this easy lemon-chicken pasta dish that's sure to please the whole family!

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package linguine pasta

• 1 cup frozen peas

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 (8 ounce) package button mushrooms, sliced

• ½ cup diced onion

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks

• kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

• ½ (8 ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese, cubed and softened

• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

• 2 teaspoons lemon zest

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

• ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

• ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

Directions

• Step 1

  Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook linguine at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes, adding frozen peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Drain pasta and peas, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.

• Step 2

  While the pasta is cooking, heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and onion; cook until mushrooms are brown, 5 to 7 minutes.

• Step 3

  Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook in the same skillet over medium-high heat until browned and no longer pink, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms back to the skillet. Add cream cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest; stir until cream cheese is melted. Remove from heat.

• Step 4

  Fold in Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheeses, then parsley. Toss with pasta and peas, adding reserved cooking liquid as necessary to make a sauce.

Smothered Chicken with Spinach, Potatoes, and Mushrooms

If you are looking for a creamy, cheesy, flavorful recipe - this is it! Comfort food is always welcomed in every home. I think most of you will love this dish!

Ingredients

• ½ cup all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon onion powder

• 1 tablespoon paprika

• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

• salt and ground black pepper to taste

• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into thick strips

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed

• 6 small red potatoes, quartered

• 1 tablespoon butter, or more as needed

• 1 (8 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms

• 3 green onions, diced

• 3 cloves garlic, diced

• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

• ½ cup sherry wine

• 1 (8 ounce) package fresh spinach

• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Step 1

  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Oil a baking dish.

• Step 2

  Combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, poultry seasoning, salt, and black pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken and toss to coat well. Shake off excess breading.

• Step 3

  Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken on both sides, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Cook and stir potatoes in the same skillet until almost tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the baking dish.

• Step 4

  Add butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat. Saute mushrooms for 2 minutes. Add green onions and garlic and saute until garlic is browned, about 3 minutes. Add soup, broth, and sherry. Bring to a boil and cook until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.

• Step 5

  Pour sauce over chicken and potatoes in the baking dish. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cover dish with aluminum foil.

• Step 6

  Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes more.

Hash Brown and Egg Casserole

This is a family recipe that has been handed down through the years. This casserole is a nice and cozy breakfast or brunch meal that everyone will enjoy. It's got the perfect taste with lots of cheese. Yum! Be sure to use a baking dish that is deep enough to cover with aluminum foil.

Ingredients

• 1 (2 pound) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed

• 1 pound pork sausage

• 1 small onion, diced

• 5 eggs

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

• salt and ground black pepper to taste

• 12 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2 quart baking dish. Place the hash brown potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish.

2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and cook and stir the sausage and onion until the sausage is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink; drain. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, milk, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and pour over the potatoes. Layer with half the Cheddar cheese, the sausage mixture, and the remaining Cheddar cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove cover; return casserole to the oven and bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Mini Philly Cheesesteaks

Miniaturized sandwiches don't usually float my boat, or submarine, as they're almost always not as good as the full-sized versions, but these mini Philly cheesesteaks really captured everything I love about the classic.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter, or as needed

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as needed

• 1 cup cold milk

• 2 ounces shredded provolone cheese, or more to taste

• 1 pinch ground nutmeg

• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

• salt to taste

• 1 (12 ounce) skirt steak

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided, or as needed

• 1/4 cup water

• 1/3 cup diced onion

• 1/3 cup diced sweet peppers

• 2 baguettes, or as needed, cut into 48 1/2-inch thick slices

• 1/4 cup shredded provolone cheese, or as needed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking sheets with aluminum foil.

2. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk flour into hot butter and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is pale and flour taste cooks off, about 1 minute. Pour milk into flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is hot and thickened, 3 to 6 minutes. Add 2 ounces provolone cheese, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and salt; stir until cheese is completely melted. Remove from heat.

3. Season steak all over with salt and ground black pepper.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Cook steak in hot oil, turning occasionally, until meat is slightly firm and pink on the inside, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate.

5. Return skillet to heat and pour water into the skillet; bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Pour liquid from the skillet over steak. Cool steak to room temperature; dice meat and place meat and accumulated juices from the plate into a large bowl.

6. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; saute onion and peppers in hot oil until softened and slightly translucent, about 5 minutes.

7. Stir peppers and onions mixture into diced meat; season with salt and pepper.

8. Spread bread slices out on prepared baking sheets and drizzle remaining olive oil over the top. Turn slices over so that the oiled-side is facing down. Spread a thick layer of cheese mixture onto each slice. Spoon meat mixture over cheese. Sprinkle provolone cheese over the top of each slice.

9. Bake in the preheated oven until browned and cheese is melted, 12 to 15 minutes.

Crock-pot Buffalo Chicken Dip

Jordan Smith from New Haven, WV shared this recipe that quickly went viral on Facebook last year.  This dip is sure to wow at your next tailgate party, pot luck or holiday gathering.

Ingredients

• 4 - large boneless chicken breasts boiled & shredded
• 1 - 16oz bottle ranch
• 1 - 14 oz bottle of Franks Red Hot
• 1 - 5 oz bottle of Frank’s Red Hot (19 oz total)
• 3 - 8 oz blocks of Philadelphia cream cheese
• 1 - 8 oz bag of shredded sharp cheddar
• 1 - 8 oz bag of shredded Monterey/Colby Jack

Add all ingredients to a crock pot for 90-120 mins on high.

Note: The additional 5oz bottle of Frank’s is optional, I just like a little extra kick so I used 19oz total instead of 14oz.

Crock-pot buffalo chicken dip. Good eatin! 🤘🏽 (4) large boneless chicken breasts boil & shredded (1) 16oz bottle...

Posted by Jordan Smith on Sunday, October 8, 2017