Savory Cheese Kugel Recipe

December 19, 2016 by 7 Comments

My sister mentioned a show called My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to me, and I ended up binging on the entire first season in one weekend when I found it on Netflix (it’s also available on Hulu). If you haven’t heard of this show, it’s about a girl who runs into her childhood first love and moves to California to follow him. The episodes tend to center around her schemes how to get together with him, believing he is her destiny. You can see where the “crazy” part of this comes in, but the show did a good job in the first season of balancing the realistic fact a woman can be smart yet a bit unsound about love at the same time, fed by unrealistic messages about how true love can rationalize lots of wackiness. There are also lots of humorous musical numbers in each episode with fun lyrics. In a recent episode in the current season, the main character Rebecca makes kugel, and suddenly I wanted it.
Crazy Ex Girlfriend playing Fridays on CW and also available to stream on the CW App, Netflix, and Hulu

Kugel is a Jewish egg noodle casserole dish with a custard of eggs, milk, and cheese. It may be sweet by adding sugar and cinnamon and perhaps vanilla and fruit, but there are also versions that are savory which is what I think the character Rebecca made. They are baked in rectangular pans that are then served in squares.
This Savory Cheese Kugel Recipe is my take on the Jewish casserole with egg noodles, butter, eggs, and cheese, with other optional add ins like here, peas and sauteed onions

This dish is my twist on this version by Farm to Table LA who followed her grandmother’s worn, faded, and well loved recipe card. It used a lot more butter, eggs, and cheese than others, but trust a recipe card that looks like that straight from any grandma. The butter helps create the crispy edges that are 40% part of the highlights of this dish, and the egg and cheese once cooled makes this hold together well.
This Savory Cheese Kugel Recipe is my take on the Jewish casserole with egg noodles, butter, eggs, and cheese, with other optional add ins like here, peas and sauteed onions This Savory Cheese Kugel Recipe is my take on the Jewish casserole with egg noodles, butter, eggs, and cheese, with other optional add ins like here, peas and sauteed onions

I did add additional vegetables with sauteed onions and I had some leftover peas, but you could add any vegetable: if I had it I would have loved sauteed spinach and mushrooms too.

This recipe makes 9 servings.

Ingredients:

  • 16 ounces of wide egg noodles, cooked al dente
  • 1 stick butter
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 32 ounces small curd cottage cheese
  • 5 tablespoons of sour cream
  • 1 cup diced sautéed onions (optional)
  • 1 cup frozen peas, or you can use sauteed spinach, mushrooms, etc.  (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt and more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper and more to taste
  • Grated Parmesan (optional) to serve
  • Chopped parsley to garnish (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Cook the egg noodles until al dente, drain the water and set aside. If you want, you can put in a teaspoon of butter and mix it so the noodles don’t stick to each other while you complete the other steps if not doing them simultaneously.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Put a stick of butter in a 13 x 9 pan and let it melt in the oven as it preheats.
  3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the 5 eggs, 1 cup milk,  32 ounces of cottage cheese, and 5 tablespoons of sour cream. Season generously with the 1/2 teaspoons each of salt and pepper. Optionally also combine in the 1 cup of sautéed diced onions or peas. Instead of peas you could also add other savory ingredients like mushrooms and or sautéed spinach.
  4. Add the cooked egg noodles into the egg and cheese mixture and stir.
  5. Pour the noodles with eggs and cheese mixture directly over the melted butter: no need to further stir.
    This Savory Cheese Kugel Recipe is my take on the Jewish casserole with egg noodles, butter, eggs, and cheese, with other optional add ins like here, peas and sauteed onions This Savory Cheese Kugel Recipe is my take on the Jewish casserole with egg noodles, butter, eggs, and cheese, with other optional add ins like here, peas and sauteed onions
  6. Cover and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes
  7. Uncover and bake for approx another 15-30 more minutes –  keep checking until you see the sides and top of the dish are golden brown and there are lots of browned edges and top, but not so dark brown it is burning.
    This Savory Cheese Kugel Recipe is my take on the Jewish casserole with egg noodles, butter, eggs, and cheese, with other optional add ins like here, peas and sauteed onions
  8. Garnish with the chopped parsley (optional). You can serve the dish warm, but I think it’s best after an hour when the Kugel has set and is firmer. Otherwise when you cut it into the squarish pieces it will not hold together.
    This Savory Cheese Kugel Recipe is my take on the Jewish casserole with egg noodles, butter, eggs, and cheese, with other optional add ins like here, peas and sauteed onions This Savory Cheese Kugel Recipe is my take on the Jewish casserole with egg noodles, butter, eggs, and cheese, with other optional add ins like here, peas and sauteed onions

Serve with salt, pepper, and grated Parmesan to top per each individual’s taste. The best pieces are the corner pieces of course since they offer more crunchy parts. It tastes fine without the grated Parmesan, but I love making it snow cheese.
This Savory Cheese Kugel Recipe is my take on the Jewish casserole with egg noodles, butter, eggs, and cheese, with other optional add ins like here, peas and sauteed onions This Savory Cheese Kugel Recipe is my take on the Jewish casserole with egg noodles, butter, eggs, and cheese, with other optional add ins like here, peas and sauteed onionsThis Savory Cheese Kugel Recipe is my take on the Jewish casserole with egg noodles, butter, eggs, and cheese, with other optional add ins like here, peas and sauteed onions

Have you ever heard of or had kugel before, or any other Jewish dish? Do you watch My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend?

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Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers

December 12, 2016 by 4 Comments

I think these appetizers of Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers are adorable because of the way you can get multiple colors with the orange, yellow and red which are so cheerful, and then presentation wise the way they stand up in little rows or formations so bravely. These are vegetarian but can be made vegan if instead of feta and cream cheese you use Tofutti or some other vegan cream cheese.
Recipe for Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers, easy peasy and are adorable because of the way you can get multiple colors with the orange, yellow and red which are so cheerful, and then presentation wise the way they stand up in little rows or formations so bravely

It does take a little time to stuff these, but I just did it sitting on the couch while watching Gilmore Girls. You can go faster if you pipe these into the peppers, but pushing them in with a little butter knife like I did will also do the trick.

These are perfect for a holiday gathering or potluck as you can just get a 1-2 pound bag of these and with approximately a pepper person get your lil cheese stuffed mini peppers soldiers in line or in wreath or tree formation or whatever you’d like! A 1 pound bag yields about 15 or so mini peppers, at least it did for me.
Recipe for Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers, easy peasy and are adorable because of the way you can get multiple colors with the orange, yellow and red which are so cheerful, and then presentation wise the way they stand up in little rows or formations so bravely

Ingredients:

  • 1 16 ounce bag of mini sweet peppers
  • 5 ounces of fresh, soft feta cheese or alternatively goat cheese
  • 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 4 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves worth of minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • salt, to taste
  • ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

  1. Cut off top about 1/2 inch from the stem to make the hat, and also cut at the bottom about about 1/2 an inch so the pepper can stand upright. Remove the seeds from the top and inside the pepper if any (most of the seeds will be at the stem), and rinse and dry the peppers.
  2. As the peppers are finishing drying, in a mixing bowl combine the 5 ounces of fresh soft feta cheese, the 8 ounces of softened room temperature cream cheese, the finely chopped 4 tablespoons of chives, the 3 cloves worth of minced garlic, teaspoon of red pepper flakes, tablespoon of olive oil, teaspoon of lemon juice. Mix well until everything is a smooth creamy texture

    Recipe for Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers, easy peasy as you combine the feta, cream cheese, chives, garlic, olive oil, red pepper and bit of lemon juice and mix until smooth

  3. Now, it’s just a matter of filling the peppers and topping them with its matching hat! After you are done, you can serve now or refrigerate until ready to serve (say the next day!)

Recipe for Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers, easy peasy and are adorable because of the way you can get multiple colors with the orange, yellow and red which are so cheerful, and then presentation wise the way they stand up in little rows or formations so bravely Recipe for Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers, easy peasy and are adorable because of the way you can get multiple colors with the orange, yellow and red which are so cheerful, and then presentation wise the way they stand up in little rows or formations so bravely

An alternative way to serve these cheese stuffed mini peppers is that instead of whole like you see above, to cut the peppers in half length-wise instead. Then you don’t need to deal with the stuffing… but I couldn’t resist this because I just found it so stinkin’ cute!

What’s your favorite holiday appetizer to bring to a party?

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Cornbread Salad

November 28, 2016 by 3 Comments

This is my take on cornbread salad. I will disclose now that I don’t like beans and so I left them out. However, I added baby romaine lettuce to make this a real salad, versus just corn bread with some veggies layered in. My version also sears the corn kernels before adding them to the salad. I also did make bacon, but served it on the side so that the corn bread salad is by default vegetarian and can feed everyone, and people can add the meat if they would like. You can add or omit ingredients according to your preference so this salad is very flexible. With the colors of the lettuce, corn, tomatoes, pepper, and cheese it also just looked so pretty!

Recipe for cornbread salad - my version is an actual salad with romaine lettuce, and I omitted the beans but you can add the if you'd like just need a bigger bowl to put your salad in! I also served the bacon crumbles on the side so it could be vegetarian by default Recipe for cornbread salad - my version is an actual salad with romaine lettuce, and I omitted the beans but you can add the if you'd like just need a bigger bowl to put your salad in! I also served the bacon crumbles on the side so it could be vegetarian by default

Ingredients:

  • 8-14 ounces of Corn Bread mix plus any ingredients to make it – you will need to already have prepared this and let it cool, or purchase already made cornbread. If you use the larger amount, use your judgement on whether you use all the corn bread or not in the salad depending on how much you want the ratio to corn bread and salad.
  • 10 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
  • 15 ounces of corn kernels
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 4 small green onions
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 package of grape tomatoes (you can also use other tomatoes – you want the equivalent of two large beefsteak almost)
  • 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
  • 10 ounces of baby romaine lettuce
  • 2 cups of chopped pecans (optional)
  • 1 can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained (optional)
  • 1 – 1.5 cups of your favorite Ranch Dressing

Directions:

  1. Prepare the cornbread per package directions or purchase already made cornbread. If you are making it, set it aside to cool.
  2. If you are using the bacon, cook the bacon as you like (I like to cook it in the oven) until crispy. Let cool so you can crumble it.
  3. Heat a pan on high with 1 tablespoon of butter. Once it is melted, add the 15 ounces of corn kernels and spread so it is a single layer and all coated with butter. Do not mix again until one side of the corn kernels is slightly browned – stir so the browning is even and then set aside to cool.
  4. Chop the 8 small green onions, the 1 orange bell pepper, and if using grape tomatoes cut in half the grape tomatoes otherwise chop the other kind of tomatoes you chose to use. I personally like grape tomatoes because it still has a nice firmness when halved vs other tomatoes.
  5. In a large bowl, mix the seared corn, chopped green onions, orange bell pepper, tomatoes, 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, and mix this with the 10 ounces of baby romaine. You can also include the bacon in now, or what I did is serve the crumbled bacon on the side for those who wanted it so the cornbread salad is by default vegetarian.
  6. Serving options:
    • If you want to present this in a layer, first put in some of the dressing, put in half of the corn + veggies and romaine mixture in your glass bowl. Next, crumble in half of the cornbread. Drizzle more dressing. Add the rest of the corn and romaine, and top with the crumbled cornbread you have remaining. Spread the rest of the dressing on top.
      Recipe for cornbread salad - my version is an actual salad with romaine lettuce, and I omitted the beans but you can add the if you'd like just need a bigger bowl to put your salad in! I also served the bacon crumbles on the side so it could be vegetarian by default
    • Or if you  prefer having more time for the flavors to all blend, mix everything all up in no layers – corn and romaine, cornbread, and dressing – and let chill in the fridge for a couple hours while prepping other dishes for the meal.
  7. As an option, during the blending step you can also add pinto beans that have been rinsed and drained, but I don’t like beans so I didn’t use them. Also optionally, you can toast 2 cups of pecans on a pan until fragrant and add it into the salad for crunch.

Since you will know your cornbread best, you should use your judgement on how much to use ratio-wise with the salad – some cornbread is denser, some sweeter, etc. If your cornbread is very soft, you could consider toasting it after cutting it into smaller squares almost like toasting croutons.

Now don’t get me wrong – I still served creamed corn at my Thanksgiving because I’ve always remembered corn niblets of some sort at my Thanksgiving growing up – but I wanted to have another version of corn as it so represents harvest and liked having a “healthier” version via this salad.

Have you ever had cornbread salad or heard of it before? What’s your favorite kind of salad during late autumn/winter?

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Roman Style Pizza Bianca

November 14, 2016 by 9 Comments

Meatless Monday drool fest with Roman Candle Baking Company, which offers a Roman style Pizza Bianca. This style pizza is simple and showcases just good ingredients. This is available during their lunch service (they are open only for breakfast – end of lunch, 7 AM – 4 PM) with lunch service starting at 11 AM. Roman Candle Baking Company is located at 3377 Southeast Division Street – it’s a bit of a pain finding parking here sometimes, but you can also call ahead and order all of these to go via (971) 302-6605 or delivery via Caviar.

Here is the Roman Candle Roman style pizza slice of Pomodoro with Tomato, oregano, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt.
Roman Candle Baking Company offers a Roman style Pizza Bianca- here is Pomodoro with Tomato, oregano, xvoo, sea salt Roman Candle Baking Company offers a Roman style Pizza Bianca- here is Pomodoro with Tomato, oregano, xvoo, sea salt

The entire point is this think fluffy inside with a lil crunch flatbread that is a bit reminiscent of foccacia
Roman Candle Baking Company offers a Roman style Pizza Bianca- here is Pomodoro with Tomato, oregano, xvoo, sea salt Roman Candle Baking Company offers a Roman style Pizza Bianca- here is Pomodoro with Tomato, oregano, xvoo, sea salt

My preference is for getting a slice of Blanca with Mozzarella, ricotta, basil, pickled peppers. That creamy cheese with the pickled peppers is divine.
Roman Candle Baking Company offers a Roman style Plaza Bianca- here is a slice of Blanca with Mozzarella, ricotta, basil, pickled peppers Roman Candle Baking Company offers a Roman style Plaza Bianca- here is a slice of Blanca with Mozzarella, ricotta, basil, pickled peppers

The other two types, which are not pictured here, are the Margherita (with tomato, mozzarella, and basil) and the only one with meat, Pepperoni (with tomato, mozzarella, and pepperoni). If you come between 11 AM – 1 PM, that is when breakfast and lunch overlap (breakfast menu is 7 AM – 1 PM) so you can also get a breakfast bun!
Roman Candle Baking Company breakfast fun with their breakfast bun, an Everything Bun, available 7 AM - 1 PM Roman Candle Baking Company breakfast fun with their breakfast bun, an Everything Bun, available 7 AM - 1 PM

Have you been to Roman Candle Baking Company before? Have you had Roman style pizza? Which of these would you pick to eat?

Roman Candle Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Wild Rice Recipe with Apples and Pecans

October 10, 2016 by 3 Comments

Did you know that when you eat an apple, there’s a strong chance that it’s a Washington apple? The state of Washington grows almost 2/3 of all the apples in the United States, which is the 2nd biggest national producer of apples behind China. September and October are the peak of apple season, so I think this texturally awesome Wild Rice Recipe with Apples and Pecans of a rice dish really celebrates the bounty of autumn. The mix of brown and wild rice is healthy, but has crisp tart bites from the apples and butteryness of the pecans. Though I make it most often in the fall and winter, I just like this all year round as a side dish.
Wild Rice Recipe with Apples and Pecans - a great textural dish that also celebrates apples in the fall and is a wonderful side dish to many mains Wild Rice Recipe with Apples and Pecans - a great textural dish that also celebrates apples in the fall and is a wonderful side dish to many mains, here with a chicken breast stuffed with broccoli and cheese

The original recipe calls for 1 cup of brown rice and 1/8 cup of wild rice, but you can save yourself making that mix by purchasing packaged blended rice (I used Lundberg Wild Blend, a mix of Long Grain Brown Rice, Sweet Brown Rice, Wild Rice, Whole Grain Wehani Rice, and Whole Grain Black Japonica Rice). Lundberg Farms are family farms now owned by 3rd and 4th generation of the family and they have always been caretakers of the land. They have a strong philosophy of sustainable, organic, eco-farming.

“Leave The Land Better Than You Found It.”
– Albert Lundberg

They didn’t sponsor this post or ask me to do anything: I just really like this mix as an alternative to the Thai Jasmine rice I normally have as a staple or Seeds of Change Brown Rice + Quinoa. The Wild Blend has the best texture with its blend – you can find it nationally at Whole Foods, and locally here in Portalnd I see it at New Seasons and Zupans all the time. Plus, I appreciate their commitment to the earth while still providing healthy and delicious products to consumers.
Lundberg Wild Blend, a mix of Long Grain Brown Rice, Sweet Brown Rice, Wild Rice, Whole Grain Wehani Rice, and Whole Grain Black Japonica Rice

I’ve made a version of this with quinoa, but I added a lot more herbs and used walnuts instead and it turns out a little dryer to go with dishes that are already a little buttery or have a lot of sauce (say Chicken Kiev), while this original version is more on the buttery side and I stuck with a mix of brown rice and wild rice here.
Wild Rice Recipe with Apples and Pecans - a great textural dish that also celebrates apples in the fall and is a wonderful side dish to many mains Wild Rice Recipe with Apples and Pecans - a great textural dish that also celebrates apples in the fall and is a wonderful side dish to many mains

The original recipe also calls for adding salt to the broth when making the rice but I did not, plus I used low sodium vegetable broth. You can easily get away with just using water to make your rice instead of broth as well, but using broth can add extra flavor (though I think you get the most depth if you use chicken broth but then it wouldn’t be vegetarian).

The yield of this is enough for four – six people as a side dish (six if they only get about a cup of cooked rice each).
Wild Rice Recipe with Apples and Pecans - a great textural dish that also celebrates apples in the fall and is a wonderful side dish to many mains, here with a chicken breast stuffed with broccoli and cheese

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 1/2 cup brown and wild rice blend
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup chopped apple
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. In a large pot, heat the vegetable broth to a boil and then add the rice. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with a lid. Simmer to cook the rice for the next 40 minutes or so, stirring every once in a while so there is never rice that gets burnt at the bottom. You can substitute this with other packages of wild rice, brown rice, even quinoa if you would like – you will have to adjust the ratio to grain ratio accordingly.
    Lundberg Wild Blend, a mix of Long Grain Brown Rice, Sweet Brown Rice, Wild Rice, Whole Grain Wehani Rice, and Whole Grain Black Japonica Rice
  2. Meanwhile , as the rice is simmering and cooking, in a medium sized skillet, melt the butter. Saute the pecans in the butter until the pecans are golden brown and smell nice and toasty. Remove pecans from the pan and set aside on a paper towel to cool. I admit I usually make twice the amount in the recipe because I keep snacking on half of it before I put it in the rice…
    Wild Rice Recipe with Apples and Pecans - the pecans are toasted in butter until golden brown
  3. In the same pan that should still have a bit of butter, now add the olive oil, and sauté the chopped onion until the onions are translucent. Add the chopped apple and saute for a few more minutes based on your preference of how cooked or raw you want the apples to be. Add the nutmeg and if you’d like, more salt and pepper to taste.
  4. When the rice is done, stir in the apple onion butter mixture as well as the pecans and serve hot, warm, or even room temperature – they are all good.
    Wild Rice Recipe with Apples and Pecans - a great textural dish that also celebrates apples in the fall and is a wonderful side dish to many mains

I like this dish as a savory way to enjoy apples instead of what you usually find, which is in dessert. Do you have a savory apple dish you like – what is it?
Wild Rice Recipe with Apples and Pecans - a great textural dish that also celebrates apples in the fall and is a wonderful side dish to many mains Wild Rice Recipe with Apples and Pecans - a great textural dish that also celebrates apples in the fall and is a wonderful side dish to many mains

Looking for another savory apple loving recipe? Check out my previous post: Apple Slices with Brie and Walnut and Honey or Agave Nectar, easy and pretty and awesome for a party (I made mine for a women’s wine get together!)
Red and Green Apple Slices with a bit of Aloutte Smoked Bourbon Brie, Walnut and Agave Nectar

Besides the regular fall apple picking opportunities that abound now, this weekend also is the Hood River Valley Harvest Fest outdoors along the Hood River waterfront and for an indoor festival option at the Portland Expo Center is the Portland City of Cider Festival.

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