Cheddar Cheese Beer Bread

When it comes to minimum input and maximum output in the kitchen, beer bread is about as good as it gets. Five minutes of work rewards you with a heavenly aroma through the house and a warm, crusty loaf in just an hour.

This bread is delicious warm or at room temperature. You can serve it with a side of chilli or even a big bowl of soup, you can even use it to make sandwiches. Another thing you can do, which I've done over the holidays is after it's cooled, you can hollow it out and put a dip in the center and cut up the part that you cut out and us that bread for dipping.  And if that wasn't enough, it even  freezes beautifully.

There are endless flavor variations of beer bread possible; simply add whatever you desire to the basic dry mix. I did not add any herbs this week because Jonathan is on a "I will not eat anything that it green" kick right now. But just because I didn't add anything doesnt mean that you can't try experimenting with different herbs and beers. A darker beer will give you a deeper flavor.

I have to say that this is easy to make and the flavor profile is amazing.  I's still shocked by how few ingredients there are in a basic beer bread. Why pay $10 for a boxed mixed when you can make fresh at home for 1-2 dollars.  

Like always happy Baking and i hope you enoy this as much as we do.   

 

 

 

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

Nonstick spray
8 ounces all-purpose flour
4 ounces whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
4 1/2 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated
12 ounces cold beer,
.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

• Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat the inside of a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with the nonstick spray and set aside
• Whisk together the all-purpose flour, wheat flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
• Add in the cheese and stir in the beer just to combine. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
• Bake on the middle rack of the oven until the bread is golden brown and cooked thru.  This will take about 50 to 60 minutes.
• Best if served hot. 

Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Chicken and Loaded Potato Casseerole

Chicken and Loaded Baked Potato Casserole must I say anything else? When I found this recipe I was ok I'll have to try it one day. Two months later I finally made it and now I keep asking myself, what the heck was I waiting for. This was so tasty that even my picky 5 year devoured everything on his plate.

I came across this recipe on Pinterest to which I ended up make a couple of modifications. As you all know by now with two small children, I prefer to cut out some of the bad when possible. In this case I cut out the heavy cream (it called for half a cup which i omitted completely) I also cut the butter amount in half, added olive oil to coat and made them crunchy .

This is one of those recipes that you want to make when you're going to be home as it takes about an 2hrs from start to finish, but is so worth the wait. It's comfort food without all the guilt and would be the perfect meal on a snowy winter day. I hope you all enjoy it as much and my family and I did.

Like always Happy Cooking!

Recipe adopted from:  http://www.deliciousasitlooks.com/2013/05/loaded-baked-potato-chicken-casserole.html

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

• 3 - 4 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and diced small
• 1 lb. skinless chicken breasts, diced
• 6 slices of turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled (regular bacon works to)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 green onions, sliced thin
•  salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9" x 9" baking pan or casserole dish.
• Drizzle olive oil over potatoes so that they are evenly coated.
• Spread the diced potatoes in bottom of pan.
• Place the diced chicken breasts evenly on top.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper.
•  Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese, and green onions.
• Top with bacon crumbles, and then top with butter pieces. 
• Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
• Uncover and bake another 30 minutes.
• In the last few minutes of baking, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and bake until melted.