Simple Yet Gourmet

One of my go-to quick weeknight meals, these quesadillas are as tasty as they are easy!  They are layered with  chicken, Mexican cheeses, and a drizzle of pesto.  They come together quickly and are so flavorful! We love to eat these with some fresh guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.   The nice thing about these quesadillas is that they don't require exact amounts of ingredients.  Do what works for you! The ingredients themselves can easily be swapped out for what you have on hand or your preference.  

I have always had a soft spot for warm, soft, salty, chewy pretzels with cheese sauce.  I mean,  there is something so comforting about eating a freshly baked pretzel.  And the cheese sauce just puts it over the top.  Do you have to make the cheese sauce? No.  Will you be sad you didn't? Probably.  It seriously only takes about 5-10 minutes so you can make it while the pretzels are baking.   Speaking of baking/ making the pretzel... It starts out like any other roll recipe.  You add in your water, sugar, and yeast then let it sit for a bit.  Add a bit of melted butter, salt, and flour and keep mixing it up till it forms a nice, soft dough.  Tacky, but not so much that it sticks to your finger.  Here's where it takes a different path from traditional rolls.  Instead of waiting for the bread dough to double, you only need to let it rest for 10-20 min.  Meanwhile, get the soda and water boiling.  After they dough ha...

 I love egg salad sandwiches.  They are quick, easy, and tasty, at least if you have hard-boiled eggs hanging out in your fridge...which I often do.  I like having them on hand for snacks, Brynlee's lunch, or this sandwich. Ok, back to the sandwich.   In the past I've stuck with the traditional components for Egg Salad: eggs, mayo, salt, pepper, and paprika.  Lately I've been making this version though and it's not going anywhere. At first the idea of adding bacon and cheese to egg salad sounded a bit strange to me but I have to admit, I think it's rather delicious.  The crunchy bits of bacon are the best! 

One of my favorite restaurants, Zupas, has a creamy white cauliflower soup that is so good.  My love for that soup sent me on a quest to find a version I could make at home.  After trying a few different recipes, and adding a few tweaks of my own this soup was born.  Now, it's not exactly like the Zupas version, but I love this soup.  As the name implies, it is creamy and cheesy, but hearty as well thanks to the cauliflower.  You can choose to puree the cauliflower for a smooth creamy soup or leave some pieces in there if you like to have more texture in it.  Hope you like it!

If you like Chicken CordonBlue, you'll love this casserole!  All the flavor with a lot less work.  Gotta love that.  You can throw this together just before dinner or prep it ahead of time.  It's hearty enough to serve with a side of vegetables and call it good, and of course it is very tasty as well.  We love this dish and will make it time and time again!

We were invited to a Halloween party and asked to bring a finger food to share.  Normally I would go the sweet route but this time I decided to make a savory snack.  I created this cheese ball out of a memory of one I sampled a year or so ago.  The recipe is simple but was a big hit with the adults at the party!

I love pesto in any form!  My other love is cheese.  When we had a Fondue party for a church function and this yummy dish was served, I was in heaven.  My friend Kristine was willing to share this gem with me, so I in turn will share it with you.  Sorry the pictures aren't the greatest, but the recipe is divine!  Instead of making my own pesto, I buy the fresh kind in the cheese section (right next to the Brie) at Sam's or Costco, easy, easy!  I serve it with bread, broccoli, carrots, pears and apples, but use your imagination and see what combinations you come up with!  It is a quick and easy recipe that your family and friends will love!