Once upon a time there was... Crockpot Chicken Enchiladas

We have one more recipe left to share from our October Greek Week, but it's going to take a while to finish. Rather than leave you hanging again, we have a great simple recipe for crockpot chicken enchiladas.

We first discovered these at Samster Mommy - her recipe looked so delicious and easy that it inspired us to give it a try. We combined hers with the one on the enchilada can and some new ideas of our own to create this Castle Farm version. This is a really great weeknight recipe and it makes fantastic leftovers for lunch all week!

Once upon a time there was... Scalloped Potatoes

You might notice a little bit of a theme this week. CHEESE.

We highly recommend putting cheese on as many things as possible. Potatoes, of course, are one of the best pairings for cheese. Twice-baked potatoes, cheese fries, cheesy mashed potatoes... there are so many possibilities when it comes to mixing cheese and potatoes. Today, we will show you how to make just one of them: scalloped potatoes.

Once upon a time there was... Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Cheddar-Mustard Sauce

This is one of our all-time favorite recipes. As you may be aware, we really enjoy smothering things in cheese. And it just so happens that this recipe makes a giant pot of cheese that can be used for smothering! Rachael Ray is behind this terrific idea - we've only slightly adapted her recipe.

Once upon a time there was... Mac and Two Cheeses with Caramelized Shallots

Alright Castle Farm Cookbook readers, today you are in for a delicious treat.  This macaroni and cheese recipe is pretty much the best thing ever.  Why top your noodles and cheese with dried out bits of stale bread when you could gloriously coat them with buttery caramelized shallots instead?  That's what we thought.

We were originally introduced to this recipe when a friend brought it to us as part of a potluck.  After stealing all of the leftovers for ourselves, we took her recipe, too.  (She found it at Epicurious.)

International Tour of America, Part 2

Hi readers, we are very sorry for our lack of posting, but we have been so busy with our various trips and events! Before we leave for another two week adventure, here are some more pictures from our International Tour!

Here's the Parthenon:

And the great pyramid of Memphis:

Here we are with the famous Peabody ducks:

And with a kangaroo! (they are really soft and furry, by the way)

And in case you forgot this was a food blog, here we are with some cheese:

That doesn't really have anything to do with the International Tour, but we do love cheese!

We'll get back to actual recipes soon, we promise.

Moo!

Once upon a time there was... Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

So, we are not the biggest fans of eating our vegetables. . .

But we do like cheese! So, in order to eat our vegetables, we smother them in cheese!!! Really, this is an excellent idea that can be applied to most foods you might not otherwise like.  (Adding some onion and butter can't hurt either.)  There are a lot of variations of broccoli and cheese soup out there, but we really liked this classic, simple one we found on AllRecipes.

Once upon a time there was... Cheddar and Beer Risotto

There are few things we enjoy more than cheese and alcoholic beverages.

For those that were wondering, Cal did wonder at one time if it was ok for him to eat dairy - but that only lasted like 5 seconds because he really REALLY likes cheese. Anyway, we decided there was no better way to dress up plain risotto than with both of those.

Here's the recipe we made up:

ingredients

1 cup uncooked arborio rice

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp butter

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

12 oz lager beer

1.5 cups chicken broth

5 oz shredded yellow cheddar cheese

3 oz shredded sharp white cheddar cheese

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

tabasco sauce, a few drops

salt, pepper

instructions

1. saute onion and garlic in oil and butter for 2-3 min

2. add rice, cook another 2 min

3. Add 1 cup of broth, cook until liquid is mostly absorbed

4. add 1 cup of beer, cook until liquid is mostly absorbed

5. add 1/2 c of broth and 1/2 cup of beer, cook until liquid is mostly absorbed

6. add all the cheese, garlic powder, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste, and a few drops of tabasco sauce. stir into rice until all the cheese is melted and all ingredients are mixed.

serves 4.

Both Cal and I agree it was a fantastic dinner and it reminded me of Melting Pot cheddar fondue. We only wish we had thought to chop ourselves some dippers!

Pig, out.