Cheese Dip Recipe 1: Pizza Dip

This recipe makes enough to serve about 8-10.


Ingredients:

1 package or about 2 ounces of sliced pepperoni


1 eight ounce package of cream cheese softened to room temperature.


1 14 ounce jar of your favorite pizza sauce


1 ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese


1 can of olives, sliced


1/3 cup diced onion


Chips, crackers or something for dipping


Method:

Use a 9 inch glass pie plate and press the cream cheese into it evenly. Spoon and spread the pizza sauce over the cream cheese, in a thin layer. Then layer on the onions, then cheese, then olives and finally the olives. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then bake for 20-25 minutes. Let stand for about five minutes. This is best served warm with chips or crackers of your choice. It can even be served with baby carrot sticks for dipping.

Alternative Cheese:

Provolone, Cheddar, Muenster, Extra Sharp Cheddar, Colby Jack

When and How Should I Slice My Cheese?

When you are going to slice cheeses you need to consider whether they are of the soft fresh variety or are they hard. The fresh soft ones should be colder when they are sliced to make the slicing easier. The harder varieties should be at room temperature when you slice them. Always use a clean knife to slice them or you can even use a piece of dental floss to slice the softer ones. Generally don’t use the same knife to slice the blues, the brie and the cheddars because you will get mixed up flavors. An unclean knife may cause them to mold faster too.

There are a few guidelines to remember when you are slicing or cutting cheeses. If you are cutting them up into bite sized pieces don’t do it until thirty minutes before they will be served and eaten. The smaller the size the faster it will dry out. So if possible let people bite their own bite sized pieces. When you are cutting it make sure the cutting edge is sharp because you don’t want to saw away at the piece you are cutting. You should generally cut off the rind because many people don’t like it and some cheese rinds can have a very strong taste to them. Never precut the slices or cubes days in advance because you will have to store them somewhere and the wrapped larger pieces are easier to keep for a few days in the refrigerator.

When you serve cheeses generally let them come to room temperature which usually takes about one hour. Remember cold equals dull. They need to bloom to let their taste and smells out. After all they are living and breathing products that will mold in time. Generally figure about one ounce of cheese per person when you are cutting them up. For a nice appearance you can cut off a wedge then slice it sideways to give the pieces a triangular shape. If you are slicing them in advance then cover them up so they don’t dry out prematurely.

If you have some leftover and they look like they are sweating or are oily looking they have not gone bad so just scrape off the layer of oils or liquid then rewrap them and store them in the refrigerator. They should be kept in the warmer part of the refrigerator but remember that warm means mold.

Cheese Recipe 15: Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Burrito Breakfast

This recipe can make enough to feed 6-8 people.


Ingredients:

1 ½ pound mild or hot sausage


1 green pepper, gutted and finely diced


1 red pepper, gutted and finely diced


1 onion, minced well


36 flour tortillas


1 dozen small to medium eggs well beaten


¼ cup milk


32 ounces shredded cheese


1 ½ pound hash browns

Method:

In a large skillet, brown the sausage and drain very well. Mix the eggs and milk, whisking very well then salt and pepper to taste. Cook the potatoes, until soft, and then add the peppers and onions, sauté till soft. Then warm tortillas in oven on very low setting, or microwave with a moist paper towel. Combine potatoes and sausage scoop a large spoonful into each tortilla. Add cheese, roll tortilla up. Place with rolled sides down in a casserole dish, into low oven. Heat and serve these with ketchup, hot sauce and or salsa.

Alternative Cheeses:

Jalapeño Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar, Swiss, Muenster

What are the Best Practices for Storing and Freezing Cheese?

There are many places where you read that you should never freeze cheese. This is a good rule to follow if you are buying those small batch very expensive artesian cheeses which you probably would never buy except for a special occasion or for a very special treat. On the other hand those highly processed big loaves of generic cheeses from the supermarket shelves can be frozen for a while without much damage to the product.

One thing to remember is that cheese is a living breathing product. If you wrap it tightly in a plastic wrap you will encourage moisture growth and that means molding. So when you bring it home you do need to remove the original plastic wrapping on it unless of course it is the big loaf with the waxy covering. The waxy coverings can maintain it for quite a while. They can either store or age in the back of the refrigerator for some months or you can freeze it just like that. But if it is a smaller piece in plastic wrap whether you are going to store or freeze it remove the plastic as soon as you get home.

Freezing it will generally cause it to dry out and become more crumbly so the texture changes. It is good in a melting recipe when you have defrosted it. If you are going to freeze it make sure you put it in a moisture proof and air tight container. It will take about 24 hours to thaw. You may also find that the taste has changed.

Fresh cheeses have high moisture content and are really quite fragile. If they have natural cracks or holes in them they can attract frost crystals and can get freezer damage so you really should not freeze them. They will often weep when they are defrosted.

If you are storing cheeses in the refrigerator you should keep them covered because they will pick up the refrigerator odors. A good thing to wrap them in is cheese paper which is a two ply paper with the outer layer waxed paper that prevents moisture from coming in and the inner layer is a porous plastic that allows the oxygen in so it can circulate. Otherwise wrap them loosely in parchment paper or waxed paper and put them in a plastic baggie. Cheeses should be vibrant and alive with fine texture, aroma and taste.

Cheese Recipe 14: 3 Cheese Omelets Breakfast

This recipe serves one person.
Ingredients:

3 medium to large eggs well beaten


1 ounce Swiss cheese diced, or shredded


1 ounce Sharp Cheddar Cheese, diced, or shredded


1 ounce Provolone Cheese, shredded or diced.


1 tablespoon butter


Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Use a medium non-stick skillet to melt the butter over medium heat. Then add the eggs that have already been beaten. When the eggs have started to thicken add the cheeses evenly over them. Fold the eggs over half to give shape, letting it cook for a moment more. Flip the entire omelet over. Continue cooking until all the cheese is melted. Eggs should start to turn a golden brown. Flip one more time. Cook till eggs are thoroughly cooked, a golden brown, and cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Alternative Cheeses:

Jalapeño Cheddar curds, Provolone, Muenster, Smokey Swiss, Italian Cheddar Cheese Curds, or Garlic Cheddar Cheese Curds, or any combination.