So many people say that cream cheese is so bad for us- and well for those of us who are lactose intolerant (like myself) it is even worse, but it cannot keep me away from this amazing ingredient, although soon enough I think I will be forced to cut ties altogether (Next blog).
Yes I'll admit, its not the healthiest of choices, but if added in moderation it can take your meal from "meh" to "Oh Yeah!", so here are a few fun ways to use it. Try them out, and pretty soon you will be making a special trip to Grand Forks to buy 24 bricks of cream cheese at Walmart yourself...
Hey it happens right?
Growing up a weird and warm memory of mine was sitting in the kitchen with my family on a cold night and having tea and garlic bread. Really random combo- I know- but brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. I think it was Seb who told me to try cream cheese on my garlic bread when I was really little. Let me tell you- I did it- and I have NEVER looked back. I have eaten this in front of many people and they either 1 of two things: are completely intrigued or weirded out, but usually I can get them to try it and 9 times out of 10 they will tell you its great!
So there is idea 1. Idea 2: Great cheese bread comes from what you put into it. Here is a simple cheese paste to slap on some bread.
Mix together:
- 4 ounces of room temperature cream cheese- also known as half a stick of cream cheese, or 1/2 c (Leave it out over night or most of the day- trust me its worth it)
- 1 tbsp room temperature butter
- 1/4 c cheese whiz... weird but true
- 1/2 tsp of garlic powder or if you can some fresh roasted garlic
- 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
- Parsley for color- make it appealing! Don't just pull these steps out for company- you deserve it too!
- About 1 cup- could be a little less or a little more- of any kind of cheese that you have grated in your fridge. I like medium cheddar, or monterey jack, jalapeno havarti is nice for a change too, but anything you have will do
- pinch of salt
- pinch of pepper
Voila- this is your paste that you should spread on a loaf of french bread. Put this in the oven for fifteen minutes or until your cheesy mixture is brown and bubbly. You will soon regret this because you will eat the whole thing. Sorry!
Another hint- I sometimes do this with pizza dough that I have leftover- make the pizza dough really thin cover it with this paste- drizzle some olive oil overtop and bake it like a regular pizza and it is so much better! Warning: totally addicting!
Random thing to add it to #3:
Lasagna- yeah i know- but you could easily add it into the sauce with a couple of tablespoons. Or by itself on top of your last layer.
Layers would usually go something like: sauce (always on the bottom before noodles to keep them from sticking), pasta, sauce, cheese, pasta, sauce, cheese, pasta.. here is where you would STOP. Take 4-6 ounces ROOM TEMPERATURE depending on how big your lasagna is, and spread that bad boy out on top. Cover this with just a couple of random splashes of sauce and a LOAD of mozzarella. You will have amazing lasagna. No one will know- except those who read my blog- just what made it so amazing- but there you go- keep it between us!
Random use #4:
I use it in almost every pasta dish i make- Don't you want to come eat at my house now, knowing all this??
Lol- Kevin, my trainer- health nut- husband would shake his head if he ever read this, but its true and he knows it.
Add a couple tablespoons to any tomato sauce and you have a rose automatically- usually you would use cream for a rose but not for this easy one, and voila.
Easy fettucini: Boil your noodles and drain as usual. Cook chicken and chop. In a pan melt 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add a couple of chopped garlic cloves and saute until you can smell the garlic- keep stirring because it burns really easy- and don't let it brown too much because burnt garlic will RUIN your meal. Now when your ready add 4 oz or half a stick of cream cheese and slowly whisk this in your pan until melted. Add parsley for color, salt and pepper, and done. If you want add herb and garlic cream cheese and its even better-and faster- but use what you have. (Are you beginning to understand the need for 24 bricks of cream cheese yet??)
If you want a fresh twist- zest 1/2 a lemon and add that in, and done! A dish that can be complicated in its original form to some- is so easy!
I made a creamy balsamic veggie rigatoni the other day which is blog worthy:
On my cuisinart indoor grill (Thank you Art and Kathy) I grilled, one red onion, one red pepper, one zucchini, a couple of mushrooms, all cut in half to start, with some olive oil. Once I saw the yummy brown color on my vegetables I took them off the grill and chopped them up into bite size pieces. I tossed the hot veggies with a couple of tablespoons- maybe 2-3 of cream cheese, my hot noodles, and a squeeze of another amazing product: balsamic glaze of Modena from Presidents choice- AMAZING product- if you have questions about what to use it for- just email.
So again hot veggies, hot noodles, from the fridge cream cheese, balsamic glaze, a bit of pasta water to thin the mixture out, some salt and pepper. Toss this altogether and put on a large plate. To finish with that extra wow factor- drizzle more of the balsamic glaze in a circular pattern and grate some fresh parmesan- the real stuff that costs way too much but is totally worth it, not the kraft JUNK that sits on the grocery shelf- and done. Really impressive and really easy!
You can literally put it on and in anything and it just makes the world a better place- kind of like my other love; the avocado. Let me know how it goes and remember to have fun! Happy cooking!!!
ah, you and your cream cheese. Definitely one of the things I miss about you - I may have told people here about your 'secret' ingrediant (and by may have I mean totally did).
ReplyDeleteI love that you love cream cheese so much cuz let's face it, it sure is delicious.