Although I feel like I have been exiled, leaving the warmth of Los Angeles to return to planet Hoth-like conditions in Columbus, today is a good day because it’s National Cheese Lover’s Day! Unless lactose intolerant, I have rarely met someone who actually dislikes cheese. So unless you fall into that prior category, it’s time to put cheese in all the things!

Being Cheese Lover’s Day, I figured it was a good day to reveal The Laughing Cow®’s newest addition, creamy asiago cheese. This release coincides with their declaration of 31 days of curiosity in January, inspiring curious snack creations and reinventing snack time. So I took the challenge and came up with a fun new snack utilizing the creamy asiago cheese. How could I resist?

Originally, I had the brilliant idea to make cheese stuffed figs wrapped in bacon, kind of like bacon wrapped stuffed dates, but alas despite scouring several stores I was unable to located fresh figs. Apparently they are no longer in season, so I went with the nest best thing – fig preserves! I then decided to reinvent the classic grilled sandwich and turn it into a fun snacking version, with mini rye cocktail bread sandwiched around creamy asiago cheese, fig preserves, and even bacon. So good that you may be tempted to make a meal out of them!

With nine varieties to choose from, The Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges are a great snack with endless pairing options. What fun inventive snack pairing option would you like to try? Check their product locator to find your favorite flavors at www.TheLaughingCow.com.

Four years ago: Saltine Cracker Toffee

Five years ago: Papaya Blueberry Almond Granola Bars

BACON, FIG & ASIAGO GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH MINIS

Makes 8

Ingredients:

3 oz. (4 wedges) The Laughing Cow® asiago spreadable cheese

16 slices rye cocktail bread

8 tsp fig preserves

4 slices of cooked bacon

Butter

Directions:

1. Spread 1/4 of each spreadable cheese wedge onto each slice of rye cocktail bread.
2. Spread 1 teaspoon of fig preserves over 8 of the slices and top with 1/2 slice of bacon.
3. Sandwich the slices topped with bacon with the slices with cheese only.
4. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, generously butter the exterior of each sandwich.
5. Arrange sandwiches in a single layer in the hot skillet. Let cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes, and then flip to cook the other side, about another 2 minutes.
6. Serve immediately.

Source: The Spiffy Cookie original

Disclosure: The Laughing Cow® provided me with product and a $50 gift card for this review. However, thoughts and opinions are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the brand.

Since moving back in with my parents my breakfast caloric intake has greatly increased. Between my dad’s killer pancakes, waffles, and breakfast casseroles and my usual onslaught of desserts, it’s not surprising that the portion sizes of the other two meals of the day have shrunk to compensate.

Since my dad does most of the breakfast cooking, I’ve had a shortage of breakfast recipes the past few months. To remedy this I made you a frittata. Actually I made this frittata in June but the photos were taken on a different memory card and were somehow forgotten. Good thing photos of food don’t spoil!

One year ago: Pulled Pork Taco Cups

Two years ago: Chicken Salad with Grapes, Apple, and Pecans

CORN FRITTATA WITH ASIAGO CHEESE

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil

1 (15 oz.) can sweet yellow corn kernels, drained

1/3 cup diced shallots

1/2 tsp salt, divided

1/2 tsp pepper, divided

1/4 tsp smoked paprika (optional)

1/4 cup 2% milk

6 eggs, lightly beaten

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 oz. (1/4 cup) grated Asiago cheese

2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. Heat a medium ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan and swirl to coat. Add corn and shallots to pan and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and paprika. Remove from heat.
2. In a large bowl, add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, milk, and eggs. Whisk until well combined. Add corn mixture to egg mixture and stir to combine.
3. Preheat broiler to high.
4. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels and return to medium heat. Add butter and swirl until melted. Add egg mixture to pan. Cook 1 minute, without stirring. Gently slide pan back and forth to keep eggs from sticking. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 6-8 minutes or until eggs are set and golden on the bottom. Sprinkle cheese evenly over eggs. Broil 1 minute or until cheese browns. Sprinkle evenly with parsley and additional paprika if desired.

Source: Adapted slightly from Cooking Light June 2014.

This oven-fried chicken with prosciutto, arugula and pesto-asiago cream sauce is a lighter version of the popular dish “Chicken Bellagio”.

Jump to recipe

Yesterday’s interview for an adjunct teaching position went very well. In fact they were quite impressed with me! The down-side is that they may only have one class for me to teach in the upcoming term (which translates to a small paycheck). But they might have more next term which starts in December, so getting my foot in the door now could pay off.

I have lots to think about and if you know me at all you are aware of my very pensive mind. Which is a nice way of saying I overthink things, especially when it involved life decisions.

In an effort to not over-think things let’s soothe the mind, body, and soul with some comfort food that’s been lightened up. I first had Chicken Bellagio at an Italian restaurant in Rochester, NY called Bazil but apparently it is also a very popular dish at the Cheesecake Factory.

Either way, after experiencing it I decided I needed to make a homemade version that is slightly healthier. The chicken is oven-fried and served over whole wheat pasta tossed in a light pesto-asiago cream sauce with prosciutto. Top it off with some fresh arugula and it’s a sight for sore eyes! (And reminds me a lot of my avocado alfredo.) A side of Roasted Asparagus and Broccoli Salad would pair very well with this dish, too!

Copycat Recipes

• Cheesecake Factory Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes from Jen Around the World
• Copycat Crumble Sugar Cookie Recipe from Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog
• Copycat Panda Express Chow Mein from Palatable Pastime
• Copycat Wingers Sticky Chicken Fingers from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Homemade Blizzards from Art of Natural Living
• Lighter Chicken Bellagio (The Cheesecake Factory Copycat) from The Spiffy Cookie
• Longhorn Parmesan Crusted Chicken from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Olive Garden Salad Dressing from Family Around the Table
• Passion Tea Lemonade from That Recipe
• Strawberry Poppyseed Salad from Magical Ingredients
• Truffle Smashburger from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you’re at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

One year ago: Jalapeno Cheddar Chicken Burgers with Guacamole

Three years ago: Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Basil Roasted Peaches

LIGHTER CHICKEN BELLAGIO

Print

Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 30 Minutes 30 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

PESTO CREAM SAUCE

• 1 cup 2% milk
• 2 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp light butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup shredded Asiago, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 cup basil pesto

CHICKEN

• 4 thin chicken breasts
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

SERVING

• 7 oz. (1/2 box) whole grain spaghetti, cooked
• 2 oz. (4 slices) prosciutto, cut into thin strips
• 2 oz. (2 cups lightly packed) fresh arugula

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange a wire rack on a large baking sheet; coat rack with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a food processor or blender, combine milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt. Process until smooth and set aside.
3. In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds.
4. Add the milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3-4 minutes until the sauce begins to simmer. Remove from heat, stir in Asiago cheese until melted and cover the pan immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes prior to using. It will continue to thicken to desired consistency.
5. While the sauce sets, prepare the chicken. Place the egg white in a shallow bowl and lightly beat. Combine Panko and Italian seasoning in a second shallow bowl. Dip the chicken into the egg then coat with the bread crumbs. Arrange on prepared rack and spray tops with cooking spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
6. Toss cooked spaghetti and prosciutto in the pesto cream sauce. Serve topped with chicken, arugula and shredded Asiago cheese.

Source: Chicken adapted slightly from my Oven-Fried Chicken & Biscuit Waffles. Sauce adapted from my Lighter Fettucine Alfredo. Inspired by a dish at Bazil in Rochester, NY (similar dish at The Cheesecake Factory).

Items you may need (affiliate links):

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Sometimes I don’t read ingredient lists properly. I either screw up writing down the correct amount needed or the ingredient itself. Take this recipe for example: I bought orzo instead of arborio rice. So viola I made orzo intead of risotto, and it still tasted great. The fried sage and balsamic drizzle are must haves for this dish. Never thought that fried sage would be so wonderful. They turn into crispy little flavor wonders.

One year ago: Chicken Pad Thai

BUTTERNUT SQUASH ORZO WITH PINE NUTS, BALSAMIC DRIZZLE, AND FRIED SAGE

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Directions:

Since I have never had spaghetti squash before, I decided I should try out her recipe. It involves a white cheddar cheese sauce inspired by Annie’s White Cheddar Mac ‘n Cheese, which meant it had to be good!

Upon my first bite, I was first surprised by the little bit of crunch that the squash still had despite being fully cooked – but I liked it! And the white cheddar sauce was so good I would love to pour it all over every pasta dish I make in the future. Thanks Laura for great first experience with spaghetti squash!

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH WHITE CHEDDAR CHEESE SAUCE

Serves 4

Ingredients:

SQUASH

1 large spaghetti squash

1 tomato, diced

1/2 red onion, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

WHITE CHEDDAR CHEESE SAUCE

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp whole-wheat flour (regular all-purpose works too)

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup plain almond milk

Dash white pepper (black pepper is fine if you don’t have white)

1 cup shredded white sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup shredded Asiago cheese, plus more for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the spaghetti squash in half (lengthwise) with a heavy duty kitchen knife. Once open, use a spoon to scrape away the seeds and stringy bits, until the inside is clean. Bake rind side up about 30 to 40 minutes in about 2 tablespoons water.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in sauce pan over low heat. Using a whisk blend in flour, salt and dash white pepper. Add milk all at once, cooking quickly, stirring constantly until mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove sauce immediately upon bubbling and add cheese. Mix, cover, and set aside.
3. Check to see if the squash is cooked by sticking a knife into it. The knife should slide in easily. Flip the squash over with a spatula so that the cut side is facing up. Using a dinner fork, scrape the flesh of the squash, moving gently around the shell fluffing up the strands of squash. Transfer to a large bowl.
4. Fold in the tomato, red onion, salt, pepper and cheese sauce until mixed. Serve immediately with freshly grated Asiago cheese.

Source: Adapted slightly from A Healthy Jalapeno.

As a note, my only issue was not being able to knead the dough with a stand mixer. I have the 5 quart, 325-watt motor (middle sized of the Kitchenaid stand mixers) and it sounded like it was struggling a bit. Didn’t want to ruin my fun kitchen gadget, so I used another tool – my boyfriend. He’s so handy (quite literally in this case)!

Ingredients:

SPONGE:

1 tsp instant yeast

4 cups unbleached high-gluten or bread flour

2-1/2 cups water, at room temperature

DOUGH:

1/2 tsp instant yeast

3-3/4 cups  unbleached high-gluten or bread flour

2-1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp malt powder OR 1 Tbsp dark or light malt syrup, honey or brown sugar (I chose honey)

8 oz Asiago cheese, shredded

TO FINISH:

1 Tbsp baking soda

Cornmeal or semolina flour for dusting

1 cup shredded Asiago cheese

Directions:

1. To make the sponge, stir the yeast into the flour in a 4-quart mixing bowl. Add the water, whisking or stirring only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter (like pancake batter). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the mixture becomes very foamy and bubbly. It should swell to nearly double in size and collapse when the bowl is tapped on the countertop.
2. To make the dough, in the same mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer), add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir. Then add 3 cups of the flour and all of the salt and malt. Stir (or mix on low speed with the dough hook) until the ingredients form a ball, slowly working in the remaining 3/4 cup flour to stiffen the dough.
3. Transfer the dough to the counter and knead for at least 10 minutes (or for 6 minutes by machine*). Add the Asiago cheese during the last minute or so of kneading, and knead until evenly distributed. The dough should be firm, stiffer than French bread dough, but still pliable and smooth. There should be no raw flour – all the ingredients should be hydrated. The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77 to 81 degrees. If the dough seems dry and rips, add a few drops of water and continue kneading. If the dough seems sticky or tacky, add more flour to achiever the stiffness required. The kneaded dough should feel satiny and pliable but not be tacky.
4. Immediately divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (I got 12 pieces that were just under 6 oz each). Form the pieces into rolls.
5. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for approximately 20 minutes.
6. Line 2 sheet pans with baking parchment and mist lightly with spray oil. Proceed with shaping the bagels: Push a hole through the center of the roll with your thumb and stretch out the hole to 2-1/2 inches in diameter, making sure that the resulting ring has a fairly even thickness all the way around.
7. Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pan. Mist the bagels very lightly with the spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the pans sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
8. Check to see if the bagels are ready to be retarded in the refrigerator by using the “float test”. Fill a small bowl with cool or room temperature water. The bagels are ready to be retarded when they float within 10 seconds of being dropped into the water. Take one bagel and test it. If it floats, immediately return the tester bagel to the pan, pat it dry, cover the pan, and place it in the refrigerator overnight (it can stay in the refrigerator for up to 2 days). If the bagel does not float, return it to the pan and continue to proof the dough at room temperature, checking back every 10 to 20 minutes or so until a tester floats. The time needed to accomplish the float will vary, depending on the ambient temperature and the stiffness of the dough.
9. The following day (or when you are ready to bake the bagels), preheat the oven to 500 degrees with the two racks set in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (the wider the better), and add the baking soda. Have a slotted spoon or skimmer nearby.
10. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many as comfortably fit (they should float within 10 seconds). After 1 minute flip them over and boil another minute. While the bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment-lined sheet pans with cornmeal or semolina flour. Sprinkle the bagels with the shredded Asiago as soon as they come out of the water.
11. When all the bagels have been boiled and topped, place the pans on the two middle shelves in the oven. Bake for approximately 8 minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving the pans a 180-degree rotation. (If you are only baking one pan at a time, keep it on the center shelf but still rotate 180 degrees.) After the rotation, lower the oven temperature to 450 degrees and continue baking for about 8 minutes, or until the bagels turn golden brown.
12. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for 15 minutes or longer before serving.

*I could not use my dough hook for this, my motor was starting to wheeze and I didn’t want to ruin my stand mixer (5 quart, 325-watt)! If you have the 6 quart, 575-watt stand mixer it’ll probably work just fine.

Source: Brown Eyed Baker

CHIPOTLE PEPPER CREAM CHEESE

Ingredients:

4 oz cream cheese (or Neufchatel)

1 tsp ground chipotle pepper

1 Tbsp onion, minced

Salt & pepper, to taste

GARLIC & CHIVE CREAM CHEESE

Ingredients:

4 oz cream cheese (or Neufchatel)

2 Tbsp chives, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients together. Refrigerate in airtight container.

Source (cream cheese): The Spiffy Cookie original

Grilled cheese is the perfect pair with tomato soup. But what cheese are you using? Be bold and try a blend of three!

Jump to recipe

Is there ever any doubt that the perfect sandwich to pair with tomato soup is grilled cheese? Surely there is not! Which is why when I made the Creamy Tomato Basil Bisque this sandwich was a necessity.

The only dilemma I ran in to, was deciding on which cheese to use. There are so many delicious options and combinations! Smoked gouda is a frequent pick.

The first time I posted this recipe I went with a three-cheese party including asiago, sharp white cheddar, and fontina. When I updated this post 9 years later I went with provolone, smoked gouda, and smoked sharp cheddar. I’ve also added cream cheese before (obviously not shredded) for the ultimate creamy factor!

What cheeses are on your perfect grilled cheese sandwich?

Post updated 10/20/20, photo above is the original.

GRILLED THREE CHEESE SANDWICH

Print

Yield: 1 serving Cooking Time: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

2 slices of preferred bread

1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)

3/4 cup shredded cheese (1/4 cup each of 3 types)

Olive oil or butter

Directions

1. Heat a pan over medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, lightly coat one side each slice of bread with olive oil using a pastry brush (or butter with a knife).
3. If using, spread mustard on the opposite side of one slice of bread. Distribute the cheese evenly over the mustard, and season with fresh black pepper and top with the second piece of bread, oil/butter side out.
4. Place the sandwich in the hot pan and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until browned. Carefully flip over, and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
5. Let cool for a couple minutes, then slice and serve!

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