elegance on a wooden slab

Cheese Plates. Such an impression and oh, so grand. My sister, Kortney introduced me to a proper cheese plate. Before that, I was a basic extra extra sharp cheddar and pepper jack girl. However, I still crave a good chunk of extra extra sharp cheddar cheese. And, I've graduated from basic pepper jack to Costco's habanero cheddar cheese. mmmmm...

A proper cheese plate can vary each and every time. Flexibility and variety are what make them so special. Start out with an attractive wooden block or cheese plate and load it up with goods. My favorite cheese combinations include: port salut, gouda, blue, manchego, Jarlsberg, goat cheese, sometimes an aged cheddar... by the way... Trader Joe's has the best deals on specialty cheeses. I always shop there. Costco also has good deals, but in larger quantities. Serve the cheese platter with a nice selection of wines.

This display happens to be pretty plain, but I didn't have all my goods when I took the picture.

I like to add sliced pears/apples, walnuts, grapes, mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette. Serve with toasted crostini, multigrain crackers, i.e. Breton brand, etc. One of the best combinations is a pear slice with walnuts and blue cheese. OMG. yum. Almost always is the cheese devoured and gone by the end of the night. Enjoy!

zucchini with prosciutto and fontina cheese

My sister, Kortney, told me about this simple, but tasty appetizer.

zucchini (2-3)
prosciutto (package)
fontina cheese

Slice each zucchini in half lengthwise, then slice each half again lengthwise, so you have slices about 1/4" thick. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Top each zucchini with a slice of fontina cheese and top that with a thin piece of prosciutto. Drizzle olive oil over them and top with cracked black pepper. Broil in oven just until the cheese melts and the prosciutto begins to brown and crisp. Serve.

chicken potstickers (from reier)

My brother, Reier, is another cooking fool. Love to cook with he and his girlfriend, Whitney Jo. So much fun! They frequent Minneapolis occasionally and a good portion of our time is spent in the kitchen. Here is a recipe that my brother is known for... Potstickers. MMM. A great appetizer and in some cases, main course. The sauce adds divine greatness to the potstickers. I hope you enjoy. Thanks, Reier.

Chicken Potstickers

Recipe courtesy of Food Network / Bamboo Restaurant
Serves: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
1 pound ground chicken
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoons shallots, minced
1 cup chunky peanut butter (may cut this down to 3/4 cup or adjust to taste)
1/4 cup brown sugar (may omit, depending on your desired sweetness)
2 tablespoons Thai hot chili paste
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
30 wonton wrappers

In a hot pan saute ground chicken, garlic, ginger and shallots together until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Drain off the excess fat and mix the chicken together in a bowl with the peanut butter, brown sugar, chili paste, basil and cilantro. Chill the mixture, and then wrap in wonton wrappers. Bring the edges into a corner or simply fold into triangles, using a dab of water to "glue" the edges. In a pot fitted with a steamer basket, bring 1 to 2 inches of water to a boil. Steam the pot stickers in the steamer basket for 8 to 10 minutes until the wrappers are translucent. I like to pan fry mine to get brown and a little crispy on each side. Serve with chili mint dipping sauce.

Chili Mint Sauce:

1 small bottle Thai sweet chili sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Puree ingredients in a food processor for 1 minute. Serve at room temperature.

kortney's chile con queso dip

This queso recipe has sort of evolved over time, and continues to increase in intensity each time I make it. When my sister started making it, I couldn't handle the heat. We always had to make two separate batches - how lame was I? Anyways, now my craving for spice and heat is up to par with the rest of my family.

There are many variations you can add to change it up each time. Note: be careful handling the peppers with your hands. You don't want to end up touching your eyes after dicing them. Another Note: this is the one and only time I eat Velveeta. Not a big fan of processed cheese food otherwise. I'm just sayin...

Here is the basic recipe:

2-3 jalapeno peppers, diced
2-3 seranno peppers, diced
1 anaheim pepper, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cans Rotel (tomatoes & green chiles)
3/4 - 1 log of Velveeta cheese, cubed
olive oil for sauteeing peppers & onions

Saute peppers and onions in olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Once soft, add Rotel and cubed cheese and melt over medium low heat, stirring occasionally. Once heated through, remove from heat and serve with tortilla chips.

Variations:

If you're really into heat, add a diced habanero pepper.

To make it more of a "meal," add a pound of cooked and crumbled hamburger or I've also done cooked chorizo sausage - it adds a nice change of spice. And, Trader Joes has a good soy chorizo. You can't tell the difference between the real stuff.

My sister likes to add 3/4 to a can of beer, sort of adds that "beer cheese soup" flavor. She also likes to add cilantro and cumin.

My suggestion is to experiment and find your best mix of flavors. You will not be disappointed.