Tag Archives: cheddar cheese

Short Rib Grilled Cheese

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I’ve been meaning to post this for a while now, but haven’t been able to find the time to write it. Now this isn’t exactly the cheapest sandwich out there ( close to 30 bucks for all the ingredients!), but it’s darn worth it if you ask me! Plus, most of the work is done by the trusty ol’ slow cooker, so it’s an easy dinner.

This special sammich is tender, red wine brazed chuck short ribs shredded then topped with caramelized onions and cheddar cheese on your favorite baguette and pressed on a panini press (as I call my George Foreman grill).

*Please ignore the side dish! This was a failed attempt at oven fried green tomatoes! I will be posting a successful recipe for green tomatoes as soon as I get around to it!   IMG_2360

 

 

For the short ribs:

  • 2 Pounds Bone-In Chuck Short Ribs
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
  • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
  • a few sprigs fresh thyme
  • 3 bay leaves
  • a couple cloves of garlic
  • 1 cup red wine
  • Enough beef stock to almost cover the short ribs and veggies in the crock pot, I’d buy the 32 oz size just to be safe!
  • 4 tbsp butter, divided

 

In a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat, and sear short ribs about 2 minutes on all sides, and remove from skillet. Add remaining butter to the skillet and add veggies, cook until slightly softened, scraping browned bits of meat from the skillet and add to the bottom of the slow cooker. Put short ribs on top of veggies, add seasonings, garlic, wine, and pour the stock over the short ribs until they’re almost covered. Cook in the slow cooker for at least eight hours.

Caramelized onions:

  • 2 large sweet onions, sliced
  • 1/2 a stick of butter
  • 1 tsp salt
  • a few splashes of balsamic vinegar

Melt the butter in a skillet. Add onions and salt and cook and stir for 30 minutes until onions are nice and caramelized. Add a few drops of balsamic to the onions and remove from heat.

 

To put it all together:

Remove short ribs from crockpot and discard bones (or save as a tasty treat for your pup!).  Shred short ribs and set aside.

Take a loaf of French bread or your favorite baguette and slice it in half. Smear the bread with some horseradish sauce or dijon mustard ( or your favorite sandwich spread ) top one side with the shredded beef, then caramelized onions, and sliced cheddar cheese.

Preheat a panini press or your George Foreman grill. Place a piece of foil on the bottom of the grill then put a piece over the sandwich. Press the sandwich and cook until cheese is melted and bread is nicely toasted.

Serve with chips or fries and an ice cold beer!

Pretzel Chicken With Mustard Cheddar Sauce

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This recipe is one I found in a Rachel Ray cook book and it’s one that’s in our regular menu rotation, but since the whole “no gluten” thing, I didn’t think I’d be eating it ever again. But thanks to all the brands that have produced “gluten free” products, I’m able to eat it once more!

Synder’s Of Hanover makes these wonderfully tasty gluten free pretzels that I crush up to coat the chicken, then pan fry it, and drizzle a mustard cheddar béchamel over top that’s made with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. It really tastes just like the gluten-y version without the nasty side effects! photo 1

For the béchamel:

  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 3/4 cup shredded cheddar
  • 1 tbsp mustard

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, then add milk. Continue to cook, and stir constantly, until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in mustard and cheddar. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep warm while preparing the chicken.

For the chicken:

  • 6 chicken breast cutlets
  • 2 cups crushed pretzels
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • vegetable oil for frying

Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the large skillet over medium-high heat.

Place chicken in a zip-top bag with the flour and shake to coat. Dip a piece of chicken in the eggs, then in crushed pretzels, continue with remaining pieces.

Fry chicken in two batches, about 5 minutes per side, and remove to a plate lined with paper towels.

Spoon a tablespoon of béchamel on to a plate, place two cutlets on plate, then drizzle with a few heaping tablespoons over chicken. Goes great with a salad and steamed vegetable of  your choice.

Potato Chip Salmon With Spinach Cheddar Sauce

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This was one of those “not sure what to make for dinner” nights, and I had a bag of seasoned pepper potato chips in the pantry and leftover spinach dip in the fridge and decided to play with my food. It turned out better than expected! I think not only is this good for salmon, but it would work well with boneless, skinless chicken breasts!

  • 1 1/4 lb salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 4 strips
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/4 tsp water
  • 2 1/2 cups seasoned waffle potato chips, crushed
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 4 tbsp spinach dip
  • 3/4 cup shredded cheddar
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine beaten egg and water in a mixing bowl and pour breadcrumbs onto a plate. Dip each piece of salmon, one at a time, first in egg mixture, then coat with crushed potato chips. Place salmon on a greased baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes, or until salmon is firm and flakes easily with a fork. While fish bakes, prepare the sauce.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a sauce pan, then whisk in the flour. Cook and stir continuously for 1 minute, then slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk constantly until sauce is thickened, then remove from heat. Stir in the spinach dip, cheese, white pepper and salt.

To serve, spoon about 3 heaping tablespoons of the spinach sauce on to a plate then place a piece of salmon on top. Drizzle the top of the salmon with an extra spoonful of sauce. Serve with a salad and a twice baked potato. Yum!