There are few things better than a tray of Pepper Jack cheese, some hearty crackers, and a cold glass of beer.  You’re probably thinking, “What more could you want”?  Here’s my dilemma, if you want to call it that.

My husband had an event at his work place and there was a lot of left-over food, including some blocks of cheese that hadn’t even been opened.  We both love Pepper Jack cheese, so as they were dividing up the food to send home with everyone, he offered to take the Pepper Jack off their hands.  Good for him!  So, now we have a big hunk of Pepper Jack cheese in our refrigerator.

Pepper Jack cheese is really just Monteray Jack cheese with a kick.  It has a very unique flavor.  How can I describe it… it’s HOT!  When you snack on it you have to be prepared.  So, I can’t imagine what you could cook with Pepper Jack cheese that could stand up to the flavor of the cheese.  I’m guessing Mexican food would be the best bet, maybe a quesidilla.

Does anyone have an idea where I could best use my stash of Pepper Jack cheese?  A six pack of beer later, and my husband and I are still looking at a huge hunk of cheese.  Help!

I usually have a couple of those green containers of “sprinkle cheese”, as my little one calls it, in the refrigerator.  Of course, that’s not what I like to use in recipes that call for Parmesan cheese, so I usually have some whole blocks to grate up, too.  In other words, I have a lot of Parmesan cheese in the house.

Like I said, normally I like to use the fresh grated style in my casseroles like Eggplant Parmesan.  The “sprinkle cheese” variety is good for topping spaghetti noodles, and my family actually prefers that to fresh grated on spaghetti.  What happens is that we end up with quite a supply of the containers of the sprinkle variety and don’t really eat spaghetti that often. 

I do have one other use for the sprinkle variety, and that is in a coating.  Because it has a rather dry texture, it works well and doesn’t seem to get melty… it just flavors.  I mix about half Parmesan cheese (the container stuff, not fresh grated) with half cornmeal for a coating for chicken pieces.  This makes a wonderfully cheesy oven-baked chicken dish. 

You could do the old “dry wet dry” coating, too.  Lay out cornmeal in one pan, egg and milk mixture in another, and Parmesan cheese in a third pan.  Dip your chicken pieces one by one first in the cornmeal, then egg/milk mixture, and finally in the Parmesan cheese.  Then put on a baking sheet and oven bake at about 400 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the size and type of chicken pieces, or until done.  This turns out nice and crispy and juicy, too.

Other than using Parmesan cheese as a coating, has anyone tried cooking with the sprinkle variety?  I’d love to hear from you!

You caught me.  I love those little bowls of frosted goodness.  I can’t blame it on the little one… it’s me.  I would like to come up with something to make with them just so I have an excuse to have more in the house.  Please help me out.

In my family, we actually make a mini cornflake wreath at Christmas time.  You make it like rice krispies, but throw cornflakes in the melted marshmallows which have some green food coloring added.  Then we very quickly form little wreaths out of the gooey flakes and stick on little cinnamon candies.  They’re really cute and wonderfully delicious.  I’m wondering if the frosted flakes would do something funny to the recipe, or if they would just be sweeter?

Seeing as they are sweet, I know it probably wouldn’t work to use them crushed up for a coating for fish or chicken, like you can do with regular cornflakes.  But, I wonder if there is a dessert bar or cookie recipe that could use frosted flakes for the crunchy part. 

I’m just looking for a few ideas to help support my Frosted Flakes habit.  Anything you can share will be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

If you’ve got kids in the house, you know about filling high-chair trays with Cheerios.  This is the perfect “keep them busy” snack for toddlers.  Their little fingers just stay so busy trying to pick up those yummy treats!

You have probably even played with one of the Cheerios books; pages filled with Cheerios-inspired interactive pictures.  Cheerios for the wheels on a truck, Cheerios as innertubes floating in the pool, and on and on.  The fun never ends.  So, when you reach the end of the book, what can you make with all those Cheerios?

We usually buy boxes and boxes at a time.  At some point, the children grow up, you don’t go through as many Cheerios as you used to, and now there are boxes piled in the pantry that aren’t getting eaten… or played with.  Is there anything you can make out of Cheerios?

I’m thinking there has to be a sweet snack of some sort.  Perhaps mixed with cashews and other crunchy goodies.  A trail mix?  How about a Cheerios form of Rice Krispy Treats, if that’s even possible. 

This may truly be a silly request, trying to make use out of a surplus of Cheerios, but I don’t think it’s unusual.  Silly I accept.  I welcome your help!

I know what you’re going to say… lasagna, silly!  But, there has got to be a lot of recipes for this soft, rich and mild cheese.  I understand there are some dessert recipes that use Ricotta cheese.  That would be fun!

Ricotta cheese isn’t quite a cheese.  It’s really a cheese by-product made from the whey from provolone, mozzarella, and other cheeses.  It’s mild, sweet taste makes it the perfect pairing for a lot of foods. 

This is one cheese that has apparently been under-rated!  Instead of trying to chug glasses of milk every day, I could get almost all my calcium for the day with just one cup of ricotta cheese.  And, it’s naturally low in fat!  All good things, indeed.

One thing to keep in mind is that Ricotta cheese is somewhat delicate.  Watch the expiration date closely, and after you open it, use it within a week.  It can be frozen, though, for about six months.  Defrost it in the refrigerator, not on the counter, and never in the microwave. 

So, what happens if I see a good sale on Ricotta cheese?  Should I buy a couple containers and hope I can use it in time?  I don’t want two or three trays of lasagna in my refrigerator and freezer, so what else can I make with Ricotta cheese?  How about something as simple as a nice twice-baked potato?  Cheesecake seems like a natural to me, considering how mild and sweet Ricotta cheese is.  Anyone have a good recipe?

I’m sure anxious to see your reply!

Even though alfalfa sprouts have taken a hit due to some outbreaks of salmonella back in the 1990’s, I’m still a huge fan.  I love those crunchy little things! I’ve even sprouted my own years ago, but now prefer to buy them from my friendly neighborhood grocery store.  They’re flavorful and packed with nutrients. 

Take the same care with sprouts as you would any other vegetables, and you should be able to enjoy your fair share. Choose only crisp sprouts with the buds attached that are being kept in a refrigerated section of the grocery store. Do not buy any musty or slimy sprouts. Be sure to keep the sprouts refrigerated at home in a cold setting, no higher than 40 degrees Fahrenheit. As always, wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling any raw foods. Give your sprouts a good bath in cold water and thoroughly rinse and drain them with clean water before use.

Now that we’re done with that, what am I going to make with my sprouts?  I love them on salads, but what have you tried that made you go “yummy!”  I do enjoy a nice grilled provolone cheese and sprout sandwich.  What do you think about some sort of soup?  Have you mixed them in a meatloaf?  Tossed them into a pot of spaghetti sauce?  I know there must be different ways to eat sprouts, but can’t think of anymore right now.

That’s why I look forward to your ideas! 

If you live anywhere in the South, you are familiar with black eyed peas.  Not a pea, of course, but a legume, the black eyed pea has deep roots in Southern cooking tradition. 

Probably the most well know dish with black eyed peas is Hoppin’ John. This is a pretty simple dish to make but is so warm and comforting.  Of course, you can tweak the recipe to suit your own taste, but a basic recipe would be this general method as follows:

Rinse and soak about a cup of black eyed peas in cold water over-night .  The next day, take a nice, meaty ham bone, put it in a big soup pot and cover it with cold water.  Bring it to a boil, turn it down and let that ham bone simmer for a couple hours.  Then, pour in your black eyed peas and let them cook slowly until they are just about tender.  Meanwhile, cook about one cup of good, long grain rice.  Take the ham bone out of the pot and trim any of the good ham off the bone.  Add the meat back to the pot and mix in the rice when it’s done. 

This is an easy recipe to play around with.  I also like to add some onion.  Don’t forget to salt and pepper, too.

So, here’s my dilemma.  I’m tired of my plain ol’ Hoppin’ John.  Does anybody have some ideas to jazz it up?  Or, even better, does anyone have some suggestions what I can make with black eyed peas OTHER than Hoppin’ John?  I’m looking forward to your input!