~~Muffuletta Olive Spread~~

 ~~Muffuletta Olive Spread~~

There used to be an olives, pimento, and cream cheese spread in those little 5 oz jars that I liked, (Kraft Cheese Spreads Olive & Pimento Cheese Spread) but are now almost impossible to find now. So I went about to create some… only better!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, drained
• 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, drained
• 1 large pepperoncini, drained
• 2 small pickled onions, drained
• 1 tablespoons drained capers
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 oz. Cream Cheese brick

Directions:

• Bring to room temperature the cream cheese to soften it.
• Place the green olives, Kalamata olives, pepperoncini, pickled onions, capers, lemon juice, and olive oil in a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
• Place the cream cheese in a bowl add the olive mix and fold into the cream cheese. The spread can be stored up to a week in the refrigerator.

Serving suggestions:

• I like it just on bread for a cream cheese sandwich, on crackers, it can also be spread on bagels, or on a ham sandwich.
• If you want the basic Olive & Pimento Cheese Spread just double the pimento-stuffed green olives and fold it into the cream cheeses.

~~Potatoes Au Gratin~~

For such a rich and flavor forward dish, making potatoes au gratins is surprisingly easy...

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup butter
• 1 large sliced onion
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 3 pounds white potatoes sliced about ⅛" thick
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350˚F.
• Melt butter and stir in the onion over medium low heat. Cook until onion is softened, about 3 minutes, remove the onions and set them aside.
• Add flour to the melted butter while stirring to make a roux. Stir constantly. The butter and flour will combine to form a liquid slurry. If you don’t keep stirring, the roux will start to burn and you’ll have to start over, so do not stop stirring. Stirring is a must!
• Add 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese to the roux, stirring until melted.
• Reduce heat to low. Combine milk and roux. Add a small amount at a time whisking to thicken. The mixture will become very thick, continue adding a little bit of liquid at a time whisking until smooth.
• Once all of the liquid has been added, bring to a boil over medium heat while continuing to whisk. Stir in salt and pepper and let boil 1 minute.
• assembly
• Grease a 9"x13" baking dish. Place ⅓ of the potatoes in the bottom and season with salt and pepper. Pour ⅓ of the cream sauce sauce over top.
• Add a layer of onions.
• Repeat adding a layer of sliced potatoes and the rest of the cooked onions, cover with the rest of the cream sauce.
• Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
• Cover and bake for 45 minutes.
• Uncover and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and potatoes are tender.
• Broil for 3-4 minutes to obtain a golden top.
• Allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Variations:

• You can add 1 ½ cups cubed fully cooked diced ham. Mix it in with the sliced potatoes.
• You can add a cup of corn and mix it in with the potatoes
• You can add chopped bacon and mix it in with the potatoes.

Nutrition information: Carbohydrates approx. 39g

~~ Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce~~

 A local restaurant on Cape Cod has Gorgonzola chicken which I liked so I researched the recipes and mashed up this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tsp. butter
• ½ cups heavy cream
• ¼ cup of sun dried tomatoes or an 8 ounce jar sun dried tomatoes (Drained)
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1 Tsp. sherry wine or white wine or vermouth or brandy (Optional)
• ¾ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (Feta or blue cheese my be substituted for the  Gorgonzola)
• 1 Shallots diced
• 1 Green Bell pepper diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat then add the cream, shallots, garlic, parsley, and pepper. Warm slowly, stirring the pan occasionally until the sauce starts to thickens
• Add a 1/2 cup of Gorgonzola cheese stir until the cheeses has melted and sauce is creamy, about 5 minutes.
• Add the sherry and stir.
• Add the rest of the Gorgonzola cheese over the top of the meat.

Can be used on a variety of meats (chicken, pork, and steak) or seafoods (lobster or shrimp) and it can also be used over pasta for a creamy cheese sauce.

Options:

For a fiery sauce add a few dried spicy hot Calabrian Diavoletti Rossi chopped (Warning: these are HOT) and substitute Jalapeno pepper for the Bell peppers.