Creating a great cheese plate

As you know, cheese is a popular party food and also goes great with wine. However, I often see people just take a few common cheeses, like cheddar, swiss, and american and put them on a plate. But a much nicer way to present a cheese plate to your guests is by selecting cheeses with varying textures. For example, below are 4 different cheese textures and some classic cheese selections for each.

1. Hard: Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino, Gruyere
2. Semi-Hard: Cheddar, Gouda, Swiss
3. Semi-soft: Mozzarella, Havarti, Fontina
4. Soft: Brie, Goat cheese, or anything spreadable

Another interesting way to create a cheese plate is to select different textures from a specific country. France, Germany, Italy, and America have the best selections.

Goto: http://www.cheese.com/ for further reference.

Roasted Vegetable Medley

Ingredients:
1 medium zucchini, cut into chunks
1 medium yellow squash, cut into chunks
1 medium onion, halved then cut into chunks
1/2 pound button mushrooms, quartered or halved
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Combine zucchini and yellow squash pieces with onions and mushrooms in a mixing bowl.
Coat evenly with oil, an then with seasoning and salt and pepper.
Spread them out on to a baking sheet.
Place in oven and roast 20 to 25 minutes until tender.

Beer Roasted Beef Tenderloin

Ingredients:
-2 to 3lb beef tenderloin (which is actuallly filet mignon cut and you will have to ask butcher to cut for you. Typical cost is ~$20/lb.)
-8 oz of beer
-4 cubes of beef bouilon
-ground black pepper
-crushed garlic
-meat thermometer

Instructions:
-Preheat the oven to 500°F.
-Marinate tenderloin with garlic, pepper and oil.
-Sear the tenderloin in a frying pan, until brown on all edges
-Poor 8oz of beer and 4 bouillon cubes in roasting pan
-Place meat in roasting pan.
-Place meat thermometer into its center and place the pan in the oven.
-Optionally surround beef with potatoes and carrots.
-Immediately turn the heat down to 225 °F.
-Check temperature after 1/2 hour; and the every 20 min.
-The thermometer should read 140°F for rare meat.
-When done, remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes.

Brad's "Best Ever" Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:
- 1.5 lb pasta (ie. macaroni)
- 2.5 cups whole milk
- 2 lbs of cheese (equal parts cheddar, mozzarella, swiss, Monterey jack)
- 1 lb cream cheese
- 1/4 lb butter (1 stick)
- breadcrumbs

Instructions:
Cook pasta.
In a large pot, bring milk to a boil and reduce to heat to low.
Add Cheese & cream cheese to milk and stir until cheese is fully melted.
Add pasta to cheese and mix thoroughly.
Add pasta to a baking pan and cook for 45 mins at 350 degrees.

When ready to serve, cover pasta with thin layer of breadcrumbs and distribute the stick of butter on top. Cook until bubbling.

Roasted Red Potatoes

Ingredients:
- 3lb Red potatoes, chopped into 1/4 in pieces
- 2 tbsp Garlic powder
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1/4 lb butter (1 stick)
- 1 tbsp chopped chives or rosemary

Instructions:
Add ingredients to a glass baking dish.
Cook at 350 degrees for 45min and mix potatoes every 15min

This dish is great for dinner parties since you can make the night before and goes great with anything.

Quick Salsa recipe

Ingredients:
- 1 can Diced tomatoes
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 1 jalepeno chopped or can of chopped jalepenos
- 2 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp chili powder

Mix in a bowl and you can't miss.

Mexicali Chicken and Rice

Ingredients:
-Chicken breasts
-Salsa
-Chili powder
-Onion salt
-Chopped Jalepenos
-Shredded Sharp Cheddar
-package of Lipton's Mexican rice (sorry for cheating here, but I may try a better mexican rice later on.)

Instructions:
Place chicken in a baking pan, sprinkle chili powder, onion salt, jalepenos, and black pepper to your liking.
Pour salsa on top.
Cook for 25 min at 375 degress.
Cover with cheese and cook for 5-10 more minutes.
Cook the Mexican rice as instructed on package.

Serve and enjoy.

Stuffed Peppers

Ok, back to food. Besides, everyone likes food, right?

Not sure where this meal originated from, but my mother (german-english) and also my mother-in-law (irish-polish) have been making it for years. And of course, since women don't cook anymore, I will gladly continue this culinary tradition.

INGREDIENTS:

* 6 green\red\yellow bell peppers
* 1 tablespoons butter
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
* 2 cans (16 ounces) of tomato sauce
* 1 clove garlic, crushed
* 1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
* 2 teaspoons salt, divided
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
* 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef or chuck
* 1 1/2 cups cooked long-grain rice

PREPARATION:
Cut tops off peppers; remove seeds. Chop edible part of tops and set aside.
Boil peppers in a large pot for 5 minutes. Drain peppers and set aside.

Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Sauté chopped green pepper (from tops), chopped onion, and for about 7 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, crushed garlic, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine egg with remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Gently stir to blend; add ground beef, cooked rice, and 1 cup of the tomato mixture. Mix well. Stuff peppers with meat mixture and place in a 3-quart baking dish. Pour remaining tomato mixture over the stuffed peppers. Bake at 350° for 60 minutes.

Also, make another 2-3 cups of rice to serve with meal.

Wine Pairing: Merlot

Enjoy!