{ not your grandma's grean bean casserole }

Green bean casserole -- an American classic. I made one last night, and it's not even Thanksgiving, and it didn't even have those canned fried onions on top. Oh, and it has cayenne pepper! Talk about walking on the wild side, no?

Acutally, I was watching Ree Drummond's new show on Food Network. In this particular episode, she shared her favorite pot luck recipes. Her green bean casserole had both Ty and I sold: Immediate recipe replication was definitely in order.

One of the few changes I made to Ree's recipe was to blanche the green beans for a longer amount of time than she did, simply because we like them softer, as opposed to super-crisp. Her original recipe calls for a jar of pimentos, but we used a fresh red bell pepper instead, as she calls for in her updated Food Network version. I substituted light cream for half-and-half, added a bit more cayenne, and finally, sprinkled some grated parmesan cheese on top with the panko, just because, well ... it's more cheese! Other than that, it was pretty much amazingly perfect just the way it was written.

The recipe makes a huge batch, so we have leftovers galore. I foresee a week of green bean casserole on the side of each night's menu! And I'm totally good with it.

Green Bean Casserole
(adapted from ThePioneerWoman)

Ingredients
2 pounds fresh green beans, anapped with ends cut off

5 slices bacon, cut Into 1/4 Inch pieces

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2-1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup light cream

1-1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste

coursely ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

extra milk for thinning, if necessary

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Process
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare green beans by snapping or cutting them in half and cutting off the ends.

Blanch the green beans: drop them into lightly salted boiling water and allow green beans to cook for about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and immediately shock the beans by plunging them into a bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain beans once they're cool and set aside.

Add bacon pieces to a skillet and cook over medium heat for two minutes. Add diced onion, red bell pepper and garlic. Continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes, or until bacon is done (but not crisp) and onions are golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a separate skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle flour into the pan and whisk immediately to evenly mix it into the butter. Cook for a minute or two, then pour in milk and cream.

Continue cooking, whisking constantly, while sauce thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne, then add the grated cheddar. Stir while cheese melts. Turn off heat.

Add the bacon/onion mixture. Stir to combine. Pour over green beans and stir gently to combine.

Pour into a baking dish and top with panko crumbs and parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and panko crumbs are golden.

cheesy jalapeño breakfast casserole

I stumbled upon this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, the Homesick Texan, and decided to give it a whirl when my mom and sister were visiting last week. I tweaked it some, and can absolutely see it becoming a breakfast-time staple in our house. Everyone loved it!

My only complaint is that I actually wish I'd doubled the recipe -- I could've eaten on it for days and days.

It's a perfect (fast & easy) dish for entertaining out-of-town guests, and would be an absolutely super addition to any brunch.

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (4 ounces)
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
• 1 Roma/plum tomato, seeded and cubed
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 jalapeños, stems and seeds removed, diced
• sour cream, tomatoes, avocado (topped with lime juice), and fresh cilantro, for serving

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using non-stick cooking spray, lightly grease an 8x8 casserole dish.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in flour, dry mustard, baking powder and salt.
• Add the cottage cheese, Monterrey Jack cheese, cheddar cheese, butter, jalapeños, tomatoes, and cilantro; mix.
• Pour the eggs into the casserole dish, and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and the center is firm.
  
• Serve warm topped with a dollop of sour cream, chopped tomatoes, cubed avocado with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.
  

Yields 4-6 servings

cheese heaven

When I die, I'm quite certain that Someone will greet me at the Pearly Gates with a platter of delicious cheeses and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

I adore cheese -- cheese of any kind. I'm not too picky, although the British girl in me often opts for "the stinkier, the better."

When I was in elementary school and learning about the treacherous voyage on the Mayflower, I have a distinct memory of reading about how the only thing the Pilgrims had to eat was cheese and bread. My thought/reaction, even as a young girl: "That's not so bad. I'd love that!"

Anyway, given the choice, I'd choose a good cheese tray and cocktail over just about any other food and beverage combination. So imagine my delight when I discovered that our new town, small as it may be, actually has a cheese shop! Yippee! C'est Cheese is a little wine and cheese establishment located in North Hampton, New Hampshire, and quietly doing what my own dream would be -- selling wines, cheeses and related goodies.

When my mom and sister were here staying with us last week, Mom (the good Brit that she is), stopped by C'est Cheese and picked up some munchies for us. We nibbled on Cranberry Stilton, Tintern, horseradish cheddar, Cahill's Irish Porter Cheddar (veined with Guinness and Irish porter!), and Fourme d'Ambert. Divine.

wine, cheese and baseball

It just doesn't get much better.

This Saturday, my hometown Houston Astros are hosting their inaugural Astros Wine and Cheese Night, just prior to the game against the visiting San Diego Padres at (game at 6:05 pm). The festivities will be from 4-6pm in the Union Station Lobby.

Ticket and pregame event includes:
* Two glasses of wine
* Light hors d'oeuvres
* Wine sampling
* Wine classes with Texas' first Master Sommelier Guy Stout
* Wine glass charm
* Silent auction to raise funds for Breast Cancer research

How great is this event?

Proceeds will benefit the Astros in Action foundation with a portion of the proceeds going directly to Breast Cancer research. Go pink for a great cause and enjoy a great event at Minute Maid Park!

three of my loves, combined

Those of you who know (and love) me are well aware of the fact that I'm about as proud a Texan as you'll find. Duh.

I'm also a huge fan of cheese (the stinkier, the better ... it's the Welsh girl in me). Double duh.

Finally, whenever possible, I enthusiastically support homemade products and small businesses above all others -- more of my purchases are made from Etsy stores than any other retailer out there. Nothing inspires me more than someone creatively doing what they love and making some cashola out of the deal.

Enter CheesyGirl.com.

One of my nearest and dearest girlfriends, Laura, suggested that I try some goat cheese from Sealy, Texas. Huh? Sealy? For real? For anyone not familiar with Sealy, it's probably best known for its [mediocre] outlet shopping, its status as a bathroom pitstop about 50 miles west of Houston on I-10, and as the childhood home of legendary football player, Eric Dickerson. But I digress.

It's not a place one would expect to find goat cheese. Much less decent goat cheese. But low and behold, that's exactly what CheesyGirl Cheese Co. provides -- damn good cheese! Based on Laura's suggestion, I grabbed some ("Femme Fatale - luscious and piquant with more than a oui bit of Herbs de Provence") at H.E.B. this afternoon and enjoyed it schmeared on crostini ... with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and a hot bath. Ahhh. Goodness.

A quote on the company's homepage boldly states, "You're going to flat out love it or we'll buy it back. Period," (don't you just love shy Texans?!). I love that. Cheese with attitude.

Oh, and did I mention the other interesting twist? The cheese is vegetarian.

At CheesyGirl we love food. We love animals. We just don't love animals as food. Simple as that. So we make amazing vegetarian cheeses. From goats who spend their day frolicking and nibbling away in acres of lush grass.

As y'all can probably tell from my accent I'm a true blue Texan. Which means I love my truck and I don't like pretense.

Here at CheesyGirl what you'll find is vegetarian cheese that's really good (good for us, the planet, and animals). But the most important thing to you is that it tastes great. I'm talking, ear to ear grin, nod your head and make happy noises, great. Trust me, we're passionate about our cheese and you'll taste the difference.

Rock on, CheesyGirl peeps. You're doing us cheese-loving Texans proud.