Puffs of Heaven

Thank you Liz for the namesake : ) ...they did turn out quite yummy, not too spicy and melted in your mouth.... I wandered around Meijer's aimlessly on my way to Laurens for a girls evening...had no plan in mind until I saw the Garlic Butter Crescent rolls (mmmm thank you Pillsbury). Four ingredients later I had a plan...took 6 minutes to make and 10 minutes to bake. The leftover cream cheese mix was a perfect veggie/cracker dip too :)

Half a can of black beans

Roll of Garlic butter crescent rolls
Two jalapeños (de-seeded and chopped)
Block of cream cheese


Follow directions on crescent rolls, mix together cream cheese, black beans (drained) and chopped jalapenos. Lauren had a yummy Arizona mix for seasoning (onion powder, chili powder, garlic, salt) add a little sprinkle of season. I cut the crescent triangles into two or three pieces to make smaller puffs, but you can also use the whole roll. Stuff, seal and bake.

For extra yummy add to mix Mexican seasoning, fresh garlic, onions, black olives...like I said I had no plan and they still turned out well. In retrospect could have been stuffed with a lot more goodness.

ENJOY!

Stuffed shells

Misfits- The Shining

So today was day two of an unexpected snow day. I made it a absolute To Do: to create a recipe, eat it and post. It's been three months for goodness sake! I've been going to the gym with the new year and have been realizing I need more protein...I'll eat dinner and then eat again and again. My favorite go to for protein....beans : ) I was able to sneak those stinkers into this recipe. For extra protein some veggie crumbles would be good as well.

1 box of jumbo shells

1 can of cannellini beans (white kidney)

15 oz. of ricotta cheese

4 mushrooms chopped

4 chopped green onions

2 cups of chopped spinach

1 Tablespoon of Earth Balance (I used vegan--tastes so much better than butter!)

1 Tablespoon of Pesto

1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley

1/2 cup of feta (I used tomato and basil)

1 cup of shredded mozzarella (optional)

1/4 cup of egg whites (optional)

Panko (optional)

Marinara sauce (optional)

Start out by following the directions the box of shells. Pre-heat oven accordingly.

Sautee the spinach, mushrooms and green onion with earth balance.

In a bowl mix the ricotta cheese, parsley, feta, mozzarella, garlic powder and egg whites. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. I didn't want my beans to be whole, so I used a food processor and added the basil to this, after grinding I mixed with ricotta cheese. Completely up to you if you want to skip this step. Mashing beans works too.

Mix sautéed veggies with ricotta mix.

Lightly spray your pan and stuff your shells to your hearts content! I saved the red sauce for later, but you can pour on top now. I sprinkled with panko and pepper before baking.  I cooked mine for 40 minutes and the last few minutes I warmed up my red sauce in a bowl.

ENJOY!!!! 

  

Eggplant for Angie- Its about Time!

OK, OK, I know I have been slacking like crazy!! You would think I would have time about to sit down and spend twenty minutes on a post (working lovely summer teacher hours, having no children and nannying two days a week) but in reality I have been spending so much time eating out...eating in...drinking out...drinking in...that I just couldn't force myself to open my laptop...I knew I would be forced to check my work emails and actually sit down and focus for a minute...I have however had lovely company Ms. Katie from Ohio....Ms. Ronja from Germany...Ms. Allegra's get together in Traverse City...spending time with Ms. Kali when she had an hour off and honestly, the lighting isn't that great for a laptop on a sunny beautiful day in Michigan...so yes...food blogging does seem to be easier in the cold winter months.  So here is a recipe from a month ago...its been along time coming..and I was so hot in my kitchen that I didn't take the time to make it look purty...but in the words of Dan..."mmmmm this good."

One Large Egg plant

olive oil

Goat cheese (or your favorite cheese-kiddos may prefer mozzarella, feta would be good too)

Marinara sauce (vodka or mushroom is yummy)

1/2 cup Cous cous (use pasta, orzo  or rice if you prefer)

shredded parmesan

Salt and pepper

Garlic powder

Fresh basil

Pre-heat oven to 350

Chop your egg plant and cook in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper...I love a lot of pepper, but your welcome to take it easy...cook just long enough to add a little color to the egg plant, and flip...about four minutes on high on each side...set aside on a sheet pan.

While your are cooking your egg plant...have your rice, noodles or cous cous cooking...I like cous cous because it is less heavy...for more kid friendly you could use Annie's bunny noodles : )

While your cous cous is cooking, take your cooked egg plant and spread a thin layer of goat cheese on top. Sprinkle with garlic powder and set aside.  

On top of your goat cheese layer (or your favorite cheesy layer)  Add the cous cous...(I mixed mine with marinara ahead of time...but you can also spread it and add a spoonful of sauce on top of your noodles)

After you have your wonderful layer of eggplant,  Cheese...cous cous and marinara, add another egg plant on top and sprinkle a little fresh parmesan with a small teaspoon of sauce. Put in oven and bake for ten minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil, salt to taste and ENJOY!!!

Casa Bolero

116 Portage St.

Kalamazoo, MI 49007

(269) 382-3148

www.casabolerokzoo.com

Benny and I had a wonderful date night riding our bikes downtown Kzoo to Casa Bolero. We had wonderful service in the bar area. Our food came quickly as did our drinks (the bartender was our server and was very on top of things) I have been dreaming of these Enchiladas since I had them a couple of weeks ago (and ate them so fast I forgot to take a picture)....this time I was able to slow myself down and enjoy every bite of it. They also had tequila flights on special....so we sampled two : )

Casa Enchiladas (Mushroom)

(gluten free and vegetarian) -seasoned mushrooms with garlic mushroom cream sauce and Monterey jack cheese. Served with cilantro lime rice and tortilla chips. Mmmmmm these babies left me full and happy. Stuffed with sautéed mushrooms and a sauce that had just the perfect amount of kick. I was so full from guacamole that I was able to take one home and enjoy later.

Tableside Guacamole  (Gluten free)

Tequila Flight with tomato chaser 

Cucumber-jalapeno margarita  

Arcadia Brewing Company-Kalamazoo

701 East Michigan Ave.

Kalamazoo, MI

49007

www.arcadiaales.com

Oh la la, mmmmm mmmm good. Arcadia has wonderful sunshine, fresh vegetarian sides, wine, cider and flavorful beer. Perfect location for us to ride our bikes, meet friends and eat until stuffed. I love that the food is local and I can add fresh jalapenos...and even better they have free dill pickles : )....I am not much of a beer drinker, however I have been dabbling in Arcadias Deliverance and ohhhh boy does it make my taste buds happy. Cant wait to see what's on the menu next time!

So happy to see they have a cider on tap!

 Yellow and purple beet salad, with sour cream dressing, made fresh while we watched.

Pasta and Kale salad with peas.  

 Potato Salad...mmmm mmmm good!

Jalapeno Cheddar Corn bread 

Mac and Cheese- I added the fresh jalapenos and asked for a sprinkle of green onions 

Pretty sure on any sunny day this our go too spot, can't wait for the patio and outdoor area to be finished. Beautiful view of the river and perfect way to greet Kalamazoo out of towners! 

Bean Dip Galore

 No cookin' music today-head has too much going on!!!

This recipe is wonderful cold or warm. Because I used cream cheese, I decided to bake it. If you want a cold bean dip, I would recommend using light sour cream instead of cream cheese. I combined this recipe with B’s mama’s "Mari’s Mexican Bean Dip ‘El Especial." At the bottom you will see the differences in recipes. Both cheesy, warm and delicious. Mari makes her recipe half vegetarian for me, the other half has shredded chicken, which I have heard is quite excelente if you do dabble in meat eating.

You Will Need:

One Cup of Brown Rice/Two cups water

Five green onions-chopped

One can of vegetarian refried beans

One packet of guacamole seasoning (or your own creation-garlic powder, pepper, salt etc.)

One block of low fat cream cheese

One can of Rotel tomatoes (I used tomatoes with chili’s added)

One cup of spinach

One can of black olives

Half of a green pepper

½ cup of mozzarella cheese

½ cup of cheddar cheese

Cook the rice, until tender add green onion and mix well. While rice is simmering open can of beans and spread in a baking pan or flat dish. Spread rice mixture over beans and sprinkle with half a packet of guacamole seasoning. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on rice mixture

Put a layer of spinach over rice. Microwave or warm cream cheese until soft. In a separate bowl mix cream cheese and Rotel. Spread in an even layer over spinach.

Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of cream cheese mixture. Add your favorite toppings. I used black olives and green peppers. Onions, jalapenos, corn, cilantro would all be lovely, I was working with what I had in fridge.

At this point, you can decide to eat warm or cold. I tasted it both ways and it was mmmm mmmm good. Entirely up to you. Great in tacos and burritos as well!

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until cheese is melted. If you want a little crispy, put on broil for five minutes. Serve Warm

 

For Mari’s Bean dip: One can of Rotel tomatoes, One Bag of Mexican Cheese, Two Cans of refried Beans, One block of cream cheese. Follow the same directions above layering, beans, mixing cream cheese and Rotel and topping with a bag of shredded Mexican.

 

ENJOY!!!

Baked Brie with Mushrooms

 John Denver- Take Me Home radio 

I have to say I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago for Easter...hmmmm I guess that's more like three weeks ago...slacker!! I have been a bit un-motivated lately, but now that the sun is shining, things are slowly winding down at work...its time to take care of some recipes. 

This is a very flexible appetizer. I am not a fan of Brie with sweet fruit or syrup added...however if you are, you can substitute my salty for your sweet until your heart and sweet tooth are content.

I bought a wheel of Brie on sale at Meijer's for $6.99 (usually $10.00), I have found good deals at Sam's club as well. If you aren't a fan of mushrooms, you can make more a Mexican Brie, using Black beans, onion and green pepper. If you do want the sweet option, fill with your favorite fruit or jam.

Wheel of Brie ( I used President 16oz)

One sheet of Puff Pastry

Two cups of sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup of chopped onion

Fresh Pepper

Three Garlic cloves

One egg

Salt

Thaw Puff pastry as directed (generally two hours is enough), pre-heat oven as directed. Sautee your chopped mushrooms, onion and use a knife or garlic press to get your garlic into little bits. I love pepper, so I added about ten grinds of fresh pepper. Cook on low.

Take your Brie and slice in half length wise, generally a large bread knife works well.

Roll your puff pastry out, so that it is a large sheet. Take half of your Brie and lay cut side up on rolled out puff pastry. Take your sautéed mushrooms and onion and pile on top of brie, add more garlic or sprinkle salt at this point (optional).

Take other half of wheel and place on top of fixin's 

Carefully fold each corner of puff pastry over the wheel.  Take your egg (I used just the whites) and mix it. Lightly brush egg on top of folded puff pastry.

Bake until a golden brown on top. Wonderful with crackers, bread, or veggies. Best if served right away (On Easter I had to take to sister's house and bake some more, ended up a little bit soggier then usual and a bit more greasy)  

ENJOY!!! 

Baked Polenta- Wyclef Jean Radio

I love polenta...super easy, gluten free vegetarian option. You can use it as an appetizer, for breakfast with eggs or as a main meal piled high with veggies.  This recipe is the appetizer version. Polenta can be found at Meijer's usually in the pasta aisle. Less then four dollars for one roll or you can make your own at home. I have not tried the homemade version, but I imagine it is pretty simple and tastes like grits...mmmmmm mmmmm do I love some cheesy grits.  

One roll of Polenta sliced (about 20 pieces)

One cup of sliced mushrooms

Two roma tomatoes sliced

Rondele cheese (I used artichoke)

1/3 cup of feta cheese

1/3 cup of shredded parmesan

Salt and Pepper and garlic powder

Olive oil spray

Pre-heat oven to 350. To make my polenta less mushy I used a griddle, to crisp up a little prior to baking. You can do either way. If you do not have a griddle, you can use a skillet with a little bit of olive oil. Slice the polenta, one roll gave me about twenty pieces. Spray a skillet or pan with olive oil. Add the polenta and sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder. Repeat after flipping. After you have crisped your polenta to a nice golden yellow on either side. Lay on a cookie sheet.

Take a small amount of rondele cheese and add a small teaspoon side dollop to each polenta. Place one sliced roma tomato on top of the rondele cheese.

Add a sliced mushroom on top of tomato and sprinkle with feta and parmesan.  

 

 Bake at 350 for fifteen minutes. If you did not crisp your polenta before, you can bake at a higher temperature or broil for the last 5 minutes.  

ENJOY!!!

Green Pepper Puff Pastry Rolls

Prison Bound-Social Distortion

This is one of my favorite appetizers to make. I try to always have some puff pastry in my fridge to make yummy cheesy snackers. This method is quicker then doing individual biscuits, but it still yummy. You can also switch green pepper out for whatever your favorite veggie is. You can pack these little bites of warm goodness full of whatever your heart desires.


1 1/2 blocks of cream cheese.
1 diced green pepper (or your favorite veggie)
10 shakes of garlic powder
1/3 cup of shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of white chopped onion
Pepper and Salt
1/4 cup of egg whites


Pre-heat oven to 400. Make sure you have thawed your puff pastry for at least two hours prior to using. Package comes with two sheets, prior to thawing, put one sheet in zip lock bag and stick back in freezer if you aren't using right away. It does not freeze well once thawed. Add cream cheese to bowl, mix in green pepper, onion, garlic powder, as well as egg whites. Set aside.
Roll out one sheet of puff pastry, I don't have a roller, so I tossed and turned it until it was perfect size for my pan. Sprinkle parmesan and Swiss cheese on sheet of pastry. I added pepper and salt here as well.




Spread cream cheese mixture on puff pastry sheet, making sure to cover all areas.  

Starting closest to you, roll puff pastry, it will stretch as you roll it. Once rolled into a lovely cheese filled log, spray cookie sheet or parchment paper. Cut log into 1/2 inch wheels and lay cut side down on pan. Bake for 20 minutes, making sure not to burn bottoms. Mine were a little crispy here, but still turned out nice. My batch baked at least 20 rolls. This is the quicker version. Generally I cut individual squares and make pouches. Takes a little more time, but works well if you are adding extra veggies, like artichoke, spinach and asparagus. More recipes coming soon : )

ENJOY!!!

Jalapeno Poppers

 I Need a Dollar-Aloe Blacc

This is one of my favorite appetizers to make...actually favorite to eat. The jalapeno's can be a lil' bit tricky to get every seed out. This particular batch I left some seeds in to add some spice, however they were so spicy that I immediately gave myself the hiccups and my sister had a hot mouth for the rest of the evening. Soooo..with that being said. If you don't like kick.....LEAVE NO SEEDS untouched! Otherwise...leave a few and Enjoy!

If you are not a fan of jalapenos you can make this recipe using your favorite pepper or cherry tomato's.

One package of Neufchatel cream cheese (I bought 1/3 less fat)

9 large Jalapenos

1/4 cup of finely chopped white onion

1/3 cup of cheddar cheese

3 chopped garlic cloves

Salt and Pepper

Something crunchy for on top

(I used jalapeno crumbles that you would put on a salad, which could be why they were extra, extra spicy, you can use bread crumbs or potato chips as well)

Turn oven on to 375. In a bowl add cream cheese, its easier to work with if it is room temperature. You can set out on oven while you go to work on the jalapenos. Cut top of each jalapeno off and then cut length wise. Use a knife to remove all seeds from each side and rinse. Lay on paper towel to dry.

Take your cream cheese and add chopped white onion, cheddar cheese, chopped garlic cloves, 5ish grinds of black pepper and mix well.  Add this mixture to your dry jalapenos, sprinkle salt on top and add your favorite crunchy item.

Bake for 15 minutes.

I like to turn up the heat to 475 the last couple of minutes to get an extra crispy top.

ENJOY!! 

Old Chicago

 

5314 S. Westnedge Ave.

Portage, MI 49002

269-344-1111

http://www.oldchicago.com/locations/portage

Benny and I have been searching for a go to spot for Trivia, yummy food and drink specials. We tried Old Chicago on a Friday after work and it had all three : ) Their starters were all half off and drink specials included ALL draft beers and well liqueur's. Even though I  did get my butt beat in Trivia, still had a wonderful time. Service was great (we sat at the bar, but the manager checked on us, as well as two different bar tenders) Ended up being a cheap date for Benny, thanks to their awesome specials. We left very full! Next time we'll have to try the pizza!

Grilled Cheese Panini With Tomato Soup Dip $5.89        

Handmade ciabatta bread stuffed with five cheeses, layered with marinated cherry tomatoes, garlic sauce and black pepper. If you are craving a grilled cheese and tomato soup this is perfect! Couldn't beat the half off price of less than $3.00!! Warm and cheesy with lots of flavor. 

Artichoke Dip $8.09 

Artichoke hearts melted with cream cheese and our own spice blend. Served with fresh garlic bread and veggies. This appetizer came with garlic bread that would have been good on its own, but the dip made it perfect. Tons of veggies hiding underneath the bread too...green pepper, carrots, celery and cucumber made a vegetarian very happy. I like that the dip is made with cream cheese and not mayo as well, lots of garlic. mmmmmmmmmm mmmm good.  

Angry Orchard and Soft Parade with Trivia....Perfect~!

 

Shakespeare's Pub

241 E Kalamazoo Ave #100, Kalamazoo, MI 49007

(269) 488-7782

www.shakespearespub.com

"Oh, how I missed you"

I have not had Shake's nachos in over 8 months (trying to eat healthier??)...after having them again

I am wondering why it took me so long to order them...Ted (co-owner.. convinced me to try them again)

They came out hot, smelling wonderful.

I added olives and they were stacked high, layers of cheesy goodness, queso, tomato, purple onion

and a side of salsa and sour cream. If you want some extra kick ask for a side of their spicy buffalo

or add jalapenos.

I would not have been able to eat them all...well probably could have..but would not NEED to..

my sister helped me finish them off and we proceeded to finish our game of cards.

Saturday evening happy hour went from 6-9, we were able to get a good table, watch the

games, enjoy the food and good company.

Nachos

Golden tortilla with diced tomatoes, onions, lettuce, queso dip and shredded cheddar cheese.

 Served with a side of salsa and sour cream

small order $6.99 full order $8.99

‎

 

Artichoke, Asparagus, Mushroom Quiche

Marry You-Bruno Mars

This is a version of my momma's quiche...she has been making it for years and years, ever since

I was a wee lass. I have tried and tried again to perfect her recipe, however it is never

quite the same. I will not give up and I will keep trying to create a bite that melts in your mouth

like her version...one day. In the mean time, here is my quiche version...cheesy, veggie, warm and gooey. Feel free to substitute or add veggies as you like. Experimenting with cheese is wonderful too, I was on a budget this week, so I went with regular cheddar, however Goat, Feta, Swiss all add some lovely flavors.

1 cup of sliced mushrooms

1 tablespoon of soy butter or regular butter

1 cup of shredded cheese

1 cup of artichoke

1 cup of chopped asparagus

 Pie crust (I found some on sale at health food store Wholly Wholesome Organic Crust)

1/4 cup of white onion

3 eggs

1 cup of soy milk

3 potatoes or one can of potato's (optional)

Black pepper

Salt

Garlic

Pre-heat oven to 350, while oven is warming up place pie crust in oven for 4 minutes to soften. Use a skillet add soy butter, mushrooms, asparagus and three shakes of salt. Grind five-ish turns of black pepper and add a teaspoon of garlic powder. Let simmer on low. Take crust out and poke with fork several times, sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese of your choice on bottom of crust. Put back in oven for 4 minutes. In a bowl, mix eggs with cup of soy milk...you can add seasoning to this as well (I think you can never go overboard with garlic...fresh garlic is super wonderful in eggs and milk mixture), pull crust out of oven, layer with mushrooms and asparagus mixture, add a layer of artichoke and then potatoes (I forgot potato's at store, this is why they are not pictured...still tasted yummy without), add the rest of the cheese. Sprinkle with white onion, carefully pour egg and milk mixture in over veggies...push veggies down if needed. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Bake for 40 minutes. I usually put pie crust on a pan, because the egg can frequently leak over and leave a stinky smell in your kitchen and oven. You can always add extra cheese after 30 minutes. If top of quiche starts looking too dark, cover with aluminum foil for the remainder of time.

ENJOY!!!