Spring Salad with Maple Mustard Vinaigrette

With the weather starting to warm up, and fresh produce is easier to find, preparing salads is so much more enjoyable. The following salad is one example of that.

Breakfast Spinach, Cheese and Ham Mini Bakes

Starting the day with an egg dish is always a popular choice. However, when there’s a need is for more than one or two, things can get a bit more complicated.

Tomato, Rosemary and Cheese Flat Bread

Most times, when I’m up to baking bread, I opt to my basic focaccia recipe. This time, however, I wanted something different, and started looking around, to see what I can add to the dough I was about to create.

As I had some tomato sauce ready, I was wondering, how it will work as part of the bread itself, rather than as a topping. This led to another idea – why not add some cheeses to the dough, along with it?

Orange, Rum and Raisins Ricotta Cheese Cake

Ricotta cheese has a fresh, tangy flavor, and a slight grainy texture. It can be used in both savory and sweet dishes. Mixed with sugar, it makes a tasty filling for sweet pastries, and it is often used to bake cheesecakes, as in the following recipe.

Mushroom and Beet Greens Mini-Bakes

Mushroom bakes are a favorite of mine, especially in the winter, and I prepare them often, with different variations.

Multi Grain Spicy Baked Cheese Balls

Pepper Jack is the spicy version of Monterey Jack cheese, a semi-soft cheese that originated in California. It relies mostly on jalapeno peppers for the mild spicy flavor, which works beautifully with its’ creamy texture. This made the cheese a good ingredient to start with, when creating the following baked cheese balls.

Collard Greens, Spinach and Beet Greens Cheesy Bake

As much as winter brings cravings for heavier comforting foods, it’s good to remember the importance of green leaves, even when it’s gray and cold outside.

Savory Puff Pastry Pinwheels and Cheese Dip

The following crispy puff pastry pinwheels, are loaded with colorful and flavorful Mediterranean ingredients, that complement each other beautifully: garlic cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, Feta cheese, oil cured black olives, sun dried tomatoes, and fresh rosemary and thyme – all create an aromatic and tasty filling for the buttery crispy dough.

Sweet Farmer Cheese Russian Pancakes

The following pancakes are quite different than the more familiar American pancakes, as their main ingredient is curd cheese, rather than flour.

Corn and Cheese Mini Bakes

With fresh corn season about to end, I chose the next best thing, frozen corn, to make the following tasty mini bakes.

Baked Camembert Cheese with Kumquat Marmalade and Brandy

Baked white rind cheese, such as and Camembert or Brie, is one of the easiest, yet most festive dishes for relaxed entertainment. Baking the cheese turns it even creamier, enhances its flavor, and keeps it in the perfect texture for serving with tasty additions, such as crackers and fruits. The pairing of delicately salty cheese and sweetish/aromatic additions is loved by all.