black pepper Archives - Hello Fun Seekers

I always have a box or two of puff pastry in my freezer. It is a staple because you can use it to make delicious sweet or savory foods. I am especially fond of using puff pastry for savory snacks to accompany drinks when friends come over. Wouldn’t these Parmesan Prosciutto Twists be delicious with a glass of wine?

I would also love to serve them with soup. You could dip the Parmesan Prosciutto twists in the soup. Yum! It might even be better than dipping a grilled cheese sandwich in tomato soup. However, last weekend I made these Parmesan Prosciutto twists for brunch and served them with sunny side up eggs. Twists and yolks for the win. Am I right? Wouldn’t they also be elegant served with soft-boiled eggs in those adorable decorative egg cups?

For those of you do not eat meat, you can simply omit the Prosciutto from this recipe to make a delicious vegetarian twist.

Puff pastry is easy to work with so try it if you have not worked with it before. You will find it in the freezer section of your grocery store. Then, store it in the freezer until needed. I typically remove it from the freezer and put it in the fridge to thaw the night before I plan to use it.

If you like cooking with puff pastry, you may want to check out this recipe for Winter Squash & Havarti Puffs.

Recipe inspired by Cooking Light

I don’t trust people that don’t like queso. How on earth can you resist the warm, cheesy goodness? I know that I can’t resist a bowl that is for damn sure. Queso and tortilla chips are up there at the top of my comfort -food list. Queso is a perfect snack for game time, which if you are sports-obsessed like us, you are always perfecting your queso game.

There is much chatter in queso circles about whether to processed cheese product, like Velveeta or Cheese Whiz, makes the perfect queso. Many foodies turn up their noses at the idea and prefer to make their cheese sauce from scratch with real cheese. I am an equal opportunity queso eater and lover and don’t discriminate against processed cheese product. It is impossible to deny the perfect melting capability of cheese products.

But, sometimes, you may want to fancy up your queso. Maybe you are having friends or family over for dinner and want to impress your coworkers at the holiday potluck. If this sounds like you, then you are going to be excited about this goat cheese based queso. The goat cheese gives the queso a nice tang. Another unexpected ingredient in this queso is white beans. The beans give the recipe a healthful boast of fiber and low-fat protein, but they blend into a smooth perfection that is undetectable to those not in the know.

This goat cheese queso also ups the queso cred with the addition of leeks. Have you worked with leeks before? They look like really big green onions but have a mild oniony flavor. Leeks need to be cut in half from the root all the way to the top. Then, you will run water over each half getting any sand or grit out between the layers. Here’s a video that shows to clean leeks.

I have also found chopped bags of cleaned leeks at Trader Joe’s stores which are a nice short cut if you aren’t feeling Zen about cleaning leeks. If the idea leeks are more than you can bear then you can substitute onions or shallots instead.

Another way to add some health-inducing benefits to this queso is to serve with your favorite chopped vegetables. I recommend thick strips of red bell pepper, cucumber, carrots, and celery, in addition to tortilla chips.

The Passionate Pursuit of Delight

Ingredient: black pepper

Parmesan Prosciutto Twists

Kicked-up Goat Cheese Queso