This hot broccoli dip fit into my plans perfectly. I needed a dip for a family get-together, and I needed a big batch of it to boot. I figured if I was going to have leftovers I had better make a dip that I could use for other than a dip. This dip is more than a dip. It’s also absolutely fantastic (maybe, just maybe, more fantastic than when used as a dip) on baked potatoes.
Great As A Dip. Great On Baked Taters, Too!
This hot broccoli dip was a big hit at our get-together. I’d make it again, and make a little extra for baked potatoes. If you’re serving it as a dip, serve with celery, carrots, crackers or thick chips, such as Fritos Scoops. Wimpy chips need not apply!
Cook bacon in a skillet until crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Crumble or chop fine.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the broccoli florets off the head. Add to the boiling water and let boil for 1 1/2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Chop into small pieces.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Spray a 9″ x 9″ baking dish with non-stick spray. Add the dip mixture and spread out evenly. Cover and bake for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly,
I made a big batch of super-tasty roasted tomato soup the other day. I think it’s pretty much law that you must have a grilled cheese sandwich with a bowl of tomato soup. But, if you know me, I had to do things just a bit different. So, I decided to make pimento cheese. I’ve made pimento cheese grilled cheese sandwiches before. And I loved them. But to change things up I made pimento cheese bread sticks. I just took a great creamy pimento cheese mixture and spread it over toasted ciabatta bread. Under the broiler for a bit and then… fantastic-ness!
Great On Burgers And Dogs, Too
On the off-chance that you have some leftover pimento cheese spread, I cannot recommend enough just how great it can be on grilled burgers or hot dogs.
I highly recommend that you shred or grate your own cheese at home. Don’t buy the pre-shredded or pre-grated stuff. It has stuff added to it to keep it from sticking together. That ‘stuff’ affects how the cheese melts. Get the real stuff.
Combine the cheddar, Asiago and mayonnaise in a bowl.
Empty the jar of pimentos into a small food processor and pulse a few times.
Stir the pimentos into the cheese mixture. Add the pimento juice a little at a time, stirring. Add more juice until you get the consistency you desire.
Grilled cheese sandwiches aren’t uncommon in our household, not at all. They’re easy and good and that’s all you can ask for. But, sometimes I just gotta mix things up. Not crazy mix things up, but crazy good mix things up. The filling in these crab grilled cheese sandwiches is just like a good crab salad. It just needs a little ‘help’, and that comes in the form of melted oooey gooey Swiss cheese on crispy golden bread. A nice crunch then creamy salad and cheese. Perfect.
Simple. Yet Delicious.
The crab salad inside these crab grilled cheese sandwiches is actually quite good and simple. It’d also be perfect inside appetizer sandwiches. Ya know, the fancy ones they serve at teas.
The filling in these crab grilled cheese sandwiches is just like a good crab salad. It just needs a little ‘help’, and that comes in the form of melted oooey gooey Swiss cheese on crispy golden bread.
These grilled open-faced beef, cheese and gravy sandwiches just blew us away. Cooked over charcoal, the sandwiches take on a lovely light smoky flavor. The beef is tender, juicy and packed with flavor. Covered in a tasty beef gravy, every bite is just fantastic. Served over thick, hearty grilled bread, it’s the sandwich you’ve been looking for.
Burgers With A Big Twist
There’s nothing I would really change about this recipe for Grilled Open-Faced Beef, Cheese and Gravy sandwiches. It’s a great alternative to cooking your usual burgers on the grill. You could make this with ground turkey, I would think, though you might have to add a little fat (vegetable oil) to keep the turkey from getting too tough when seared. You might want to grab a bottle of pre-made turkey gravy instead of making the beef version in the recipe below.
Nothing Fancy Here, Folks
The gravy on these sandwiches isn’t anything fancy or fru-fru. It’s simple and beefy and that’s it. It gets just the right thickness to pour over your sandwiches. You’ll get plenty of everything in each and every bite. No need to worry about those dreaded ‘no gravy’ bites.
Grilled Open-Faced Beef, Cheese and Gravy Sandwiches
These grilled open-faced beef, cheese and gravy sandwiches just blew us away. Cooked over charcoal, the sandwiches take on a lovely light smoky flavor.
Fire up your grill for direct and indirect cooking. Charcoal is definitely best for this recipe.
Form the beef into equal-sized patties.
Sear over direct heat on both sides, but do not cook all the way. Remove from heat and place in a large bowl.
Add the onion, tomatoes, chiles, Italian seasoning and rub. Use a potato masher or fork to combine all ingredients and break the ground beef into chunks.
Place a large cast iron pan on your grill over indirect heat.
Add the meat mixture and spread out evenly. Use a spatula or the back of a large spoon to lightly compact the meat into the pan.
Cook for 20 minutes or until the beef is cooked and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Top mixture with the cheese slices, cover and cook another 2-3 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Remove the pan from the grill. Lightly toast the bread slices on the grill.
Serve meat over the bread topped with the beef gravy.
For the beef gravy
Add a small skillet to the grill over direct heat. Add the butter and melt.
Add the beef broth. Bring to a boil.
Add the butter to the skillet and melt.
Add 1 1/2 cups of broth. Bring to a boil.
Combine the flour and water in a cup and whisk into the beef broth.
Continue stirring until the gravy is thickened. Remove from heat.
Notes
You’ll need a large cast iron skillet. Remember to not grab the skillet handle without a heat-proof glove once you’ve placed it onto the grill.
I’ve been inspired lately by my bread making expertise. Ok, not really. But I have been really happy with how great my last few loaves have turned out, like this bread machine jalapeno cheese bread. I make the dough in my bread machine, then roll it out, shape it, and let it rise again. Finally, into the oven and done! I’ve proven to myself too many times before that I should not make dough by hand. I let the bread machine do it. Like this jalapeno cheese bread. Not too spicy, and not too cheesy, but just right and the perfect texture for sandwiches.
Try Some Delicious Substitutions
I think you could substitute just about anything for the jalapenos and the cheese in your bread machine jalapeno cheddar bread. Chopped roasted poblanos and pepper jack cheese would make for a great combination. As would diced green chiles (drained very well first) and Monterey jack cheese. The options are pretty much endless. Just don’t use any ingredients that are extremely moist.
I’ve been inspired lately by my bread making expertise. Ok, not really. But I have been really happy with how great my last few loaves have turned out, like this bread machine jalapeno cheese bread.
I absolutely loved these bacon cheese-stuffed peppers. Every bite was full of my favorite things, like cheese and bacon. And a bit of sharp onion and sweet roasted bell pepper. I left the onions fairly crunchy because I was looking for a great crunch (along with the crunch of the bacon) to contrast the soft pepper and gooey cheese. You can cook yours further if you want but don’t go overboard. Crunch here is a good thing.
Add A Bit Of Heat, If You Want
For a spicier version, substitute habanero jack cheese for the cheeses, and use poblano peppers instead of red bell peppers. A sprinkle or two of red pepper flake on top isn’t going to hurt anything either. You can’t go wrong with bacon cheese-stuffed peppers no matter how you change them up (if you do). And for me, spicier is better!
I highly recommend that you shred or grate your own cheese at home. Don’t buy the pre-shredded or pre-grated stuff. It has stuff added to it to keep it from sticking together. That ‘stuff’ affects how the cheese melts. Shred it yourself and use the good stuff.
I absolutely loved these bacon cheese-stuffed peppers. Every bite was full of my favorite things, like cheese and bacon. And a bit of sharp onion and sweet roasted bell pepper.
Bake for 30-40 minutes until crisp, turning once. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Cut peppers in half vertically. Remove any seeds.
Place peppers on a baking dish and fill the halves with the beer. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, crumble the bacon into a bowl and add the onion and cheeses.
Uncover the peppers and pour off any remaining beer. Fill cavities with the bacon mixture and return to the oven, uncovered, until the cheese is melted.
Until 15 minutes ago, our gotta-have-it-garlic bread was our favorite garlic bread. This chipotle garlic cheese bread is similar in that, boy, is it ever packed with flavor, but oh does it ever bring the cheese. It reminds me of the garlic cheese bread Pizza Hut used to have on the menu but with ten times the flavor and cheese (which reminds me… be sure to check out my copycat of Pizza Hut’s pan pizza). It’s seriously over the top, but really, when you make garlic cheese bread are you thinking ‘healthy’? It’s an indulgence. And then some.
Make Ahead, Enjoy Later
You can make this chipotle garlic cheese bread ahead of time. Just wrap it in foil (loosely, so that the cheese doesn’t stick to the foil) and keep it in the fridge. When you’re ready to reheat it just toss it in a 350 F oven for 10-15 minutes until hot. Let it cool slightly before slicing or the ooey gooey cheese will run all over the place.
Combine the butter and chipotle chili powder in a large bowl. Add more seasoning if you want it spicier.
Add the remaining ingredients except for the bread (and parsley garnish). Gently fold to combine.
Place bread halves onto a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
Spread the cheese mixture onto the bread. Don’t be shy. If you have leftover mixture consider yourself lucky (not all loaves are the same size, so it happens!).
Place bread under the broiler until starting to brown, 3-5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before garnishing with parsley and slicing for serving.
It was meatball week here. I made a monster batch of my homemade meatballs with plans of using them in all sorts of dishes, from spaghetti and meatballs to meatball sandwiches and meatball soup to, of course, 4-cheese meatball pizza. I love the texture of meatballs on a pizza. They add a nice meatiness to each and every bite, plus they add even more wonderful Italian flavor.
The No-Leftover Zone
The combination of four different cheeses made for a delightful pizza feast. There weren’t any leftovers. That happens with pizza around here. Roasted cauliflower? Probably gonna have some leftovers. Leftover 4-cheese meatball pizza? Nope.
I highly recommend that you shred or grate your own cheese at home. Don’t buy the pre-shredded or pre-grated stuff. It has stuff added to it to keep it from sticking together. That ‘stuff’ affects how the cheese melts. Shred it yourself and use the good stuff.
8meatballscooked, cut in half (I used my homemade meatballs. See the note below). If using frozen, thaw first.
Any other desired toppingsI added mushrooms and black olives… plus a few pinches of dried red pepper flake
1cupprovolone cheeseshredded
1cupcheddar cheeseshredded
1cupMonterey Jack cheeseshredded
⅓cupfresh Parmesan cheeseshredded
Instructions
Note: I used my homemade meatballs. Normally I make them at least 2 ounces each. For the pizza I made 1 ounce meatballs instead. You can still use large meatballs, but instead of halving them you will probably want to quarter them.
Preheat oven to 420 F
If using store-bought pizza dough or crust, prepare per the package instructions.
Ladle sauce onto the pizza and spread out edge-to-edge.
Distribute the meatballs around the pizza.
Add any other toppings that you desire.
Sprinkle with the cheeses.
Transfer to a pizza stone or pan and bake 10-12 minutes or until the dough is crispy and the cheeses are melted.
This is exactly what little hot dogs hope they’ll grow up to be. Smothered in chili. Covered in cheese sauce. Sprinkled with crumbled Nacho tortilla chips and jalapenos. Cheese and heat, a marriage made in heaven! And of course there’s some nice cool sour cream topping it all off. These nacho hot dogs are the stuff dreams are made of!
Pile It High!
With every bite you get crunch, heat, cool and cheese! Perfect! And of course you can kick your dogs up even more by using a really spicy chili or spicy cheese. I use the zesty cheese sauce from La Preferida for this and other dogs that call for cheese. It’s smooth and creamy and has a little bit of a spiciness to it. Make sure you pile your toppings high. Get every inch of the dog covered with goodness.
Obviously, I had to make a copycat McDonald’s Quarter Pounders with cheese. After making a version of the Arch Deluxe burger from McDonald’s, I could not stop jonesin’ for a good version of my all-time favorite fast-food burger from the chain restaurant. Simple but tasty. Sure, I might have cheated a bit and actually made a Third Pounder cheese burger, but hey, that just means I had more yumminess!
Ah, Just What I Was Looking For!
These copycat McDonald’s Quarter Pounders with Cheese came out fantastically. It wasn’t until after my teen years that I also became a fan of the Big Mac, which I’ve made at home several times. And now that I think about them, I’m going to have to make them again, and soon. Want an even bigger Big Mac? Try my Big Mac hoagies. Yep, that’s right, all the great flavors of a Big Mac on a big ole hoagie bun. Not into big Big Macs? My Big Mac sliders are perfect for a party.
After making a copycat of the Arch Deluxe burger from McDonald’s, I could not stop jonesin’ for a good version of my all-time favorite fast-food burger, the Quarter Pounder with cheese.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword burgers, cheese, copycat
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Total Time 25 minutesminutes
Servings 2servings
Calories 1739kcal
Author Mike
Ingredients
For the burgers
2 ¼poundburgerformed into patties. To keep it authentic use pre-made patties from your grocery store
2burger bunssesame seed
4slicesAmerican cheeseget the deli style, it’s a bit thicker and tastier