Toasted Ham and Cheese w/ Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Dinner Tonight: Toasted Ham and Cheese w/  Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Winter has kicked in big time here in West Chester! I went out to get the paper this morning and it was freezing. The morning news said it was 9 degrees with a wind chill ranging from -5 to -10 degrees, and that was our high as it going to continue to drop throughout the day. Not a good day to be working outdoors. Cleaned house today and that was about it. For dinner tonight Toasted Ham and Cheese w/ Roasted Fingerling Potatoes.




Toasted Ham and Cheese just sounded good for dinner tonight! I used my new favorite Ham, Boar's Head Smoked Honey Coated Ham. I started using this a few weeks ago and have been hooked on it ever since! With the Ham I used Boar's Head Colby Longhorn Cheese, Kroger Private Selection Sweet Hot Stone Ground Mustard, Kraft Reduced Fat Mayo w/ Olive Oil, and Klosterman Wheat Bread.



I started by toasting the Bread. As that was toasting I added my Ham to a small skillet and heated up the Ham, on medium high heat, for about 5 minutes. Grabbed the Toast from the toaster I spread the Mayo on the bottom slice of Bread, the Ham, Longhorn Cheese, and the Stone Ground Mustard on the top slice of Bread. And I now have one delicious Sandwich! The Boar's Head Ham can't be beat, as all their products, and I think I could have the Kroger Private Selection Sweet Hot Stone Ground Mustard on any meat and make it taste even better.




I also had baked some Roasted Fingerling Potatoes. I cut the Fingerling Potatoes in half, lengthwise. Put the Potatoes in a large bowl seasoned them with; Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic Powder, Sea Salt, Pepper, Chili Powder, and Crumbled Bleu Cheese to top the Potatoes with. Using a large cookie sheet I spread the Potatoes out on the sheet . Then Roasted them at 400 degrees until they were fork tender, about 20 minutes. For dessert later a new one, Breyer's Carb Smart Vanilla Bean Ice Cream in a Waffle Bowl topped with Smucker's Sugar Free Hot Fudge Chocolate Topping. Came across the Keebler Waffle Bowls at Kroger the other day. They're Waffle Cones shaped into a bowl, you can eat the bowl as your eating the Ice Cream.





Oven-Roasted Fingerling Potato Fries

Ingredients:

Fingerling Potatoes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garlic Powder
Sea Salt
Pepper
Chili Powder
Crumbled Bleu Cheese

Directions:

1.) Thoroughly clean and scrub the potatoes.

2.) Cut the potatoes in half. This will allow the fingerlings to cook faster and also gives them a nice crisp.

3.) Toss in olive oil. I used about 1 tablespoons, but this will vary by how many potatoes you use. Just use enough oil to give the potatoes a nice coat. Add your seasonings.

4.) Put on a baking sheet.

5.) Roast in the oven for 25-35 minutes at 450 degrees. The potatoes should be tender in the middle when done. Sprinkle with Crumbled Bleu Cheese when done.

Maytag Blue Cheese

Maytag is a blue cheese produced on the Maytag Dairy Farms outside of Newton, Iowa, the former home of the Maytag Corporation. In 1938, Iowa State University developed a new process for making blue cheese from homogenized cow's milk instead of the traditional sheep's milk.

In 1941, production of the cheese was started by Frederick L. Maytag II and Robert Maytag, grandsons of the founder of the Maytag appliance company, Frederick Louis Maytag I. In the beginning, the milk for the cheese came from a prize winning herd of Holstein cattle that was established by E. H. Maytag, a son of the Maytag founder.
The company is currently owned by the third and fourth generations of the Maytag family.

The process for making Maytag Blue Cheese was discovered and patented by two Iowa State University microbiologists, Clarence Lane and Bernard W. Hammer. Roquefort, another type of blue cheese, had been made for hundreds of years in Europe, but attempts to manufacture a similar cheese in the United States had thus far been unsuccessful. Difficulties encountered in making these types of cheeses produced a less than satisfactory product, and quality control would have been disastrous.
The problems encountered with producing Roquefort type cheeses in the United States for distribution were the lengthy time required to develop the artisan flavor, the mold growth not being uniform, the quality being below average for numerous lots produced, and the color of the curd being too dark.
The process begins with homogenizing the milk that will be used for the cheese. In making Maytag Blue Cheese, the cream is separated from the milk, homogenized and then added back into the now skim milk. This would typically occur between 80 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit (27 and 38 °C) and 2000 to 3500 pounds-force per square inch (14 to 24 MPa) of pressure. This would allow for proper fat hydrolysis, which affects the flavor of the cheese.
There is a ripening period prior to adding rennet (an enzyme that coagulates milk into curds and whey) to the cheese. A typical usage would be to add 3 ounces of rennet per 100 pounds of milk, allowing it to set in a temperature range of 85 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 °C). Better results were achieved using 4 ounces of rennet per 100 pounds of milk and setting in a higher than usual temperature range of 90 to 92 °F (32 to 33 °C).
According to Lane and Hammer's records, their alterations caused the cheese-making process to speed up from this point forward, with the time in between setting, cutting and dipping nearly cut in half. Also, after dipping the cheese and allowing it to cook in hot whey, the draining time was cut from 20–30 minutes to 3–5 minutes.
Penicillium is then added to the finished product, which produces its characteristic green veins.
After the rounds of cheese are made by hand, the cheese is aged in specially designed caves where they are exposed to high humidity and cool temperatures.
The company still uses the same time-consuming method of hand making cheese, using milk only from local dairy farms.

From this modified process discovered at Iowa State University, the color, flavor, and texture are more uniform and desired for this type of cheese, thus allowing it to be produced consistently in a manufacturing setting. Maytag has dominated the American blue cheese industry since its inception.

Nutritional information

1 oz of Blue Cheese:
Food energy 100 calories (420 kJ)
Energy from Fat 73 cal (310 kJ)
Total Fat 8 g
Saturated Fat 5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Cholesterol 21 mg
Sodium 395 mg
Total Carbohydrates 1 g
Protein 6 g.

Bleu & 'Shroom Bison Burger w/ Baked Crinkle Fries

Dinner Tonight: Bleu & 'Shroom Bison Burger w/ Baked Crinkle Fries

I had a Ground Bison Sirloin Burger that I seasoned with McCormick Grinder Steakhouse Seasoning. It was fried in Extra Virgin Olive Oil about 4 minutes per side. Always watch Bison when your cooking it as it will get done quicker due to it's very lean. I topped it with Sauteed Baby Bella Mushrooms and Murray Bros. Maytag Bleu Cheese and served on a Healthy Life Whole Grain Bun. I also had a side of Ore - Ida Baked Crinkle Fries. For dessert later a slice of the Pillsbury Sugarless Devil's Food Cake that I baked yesterday with a scoop of Breyer's Carb Smart Vanilla Ice Cream.

Not So Sloppy Turkey Joes w/ Kicked Up Chili Beans

Dinner Tonight: Not So Sloppy Turkey Joes w/ Kicked Up Chili Beans



Love those Turkey Joes! I tried a new Sloppy Joe Sauce. I used Hormel Not So Sloppy Joe Sauce. Very good Sauce! Thick and Hearty with great flavor. Easier to use than Sloppy Joe Mix also. No adding water and extra simmering time. I'll be stocking up on this my next visit to the grocery store. I used Jennie - O Extra Lean Ground Turkey which is only 120 calories and 0 carbs! I fried the Turkey in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and seasoned it with Ground Smoked Cumin, Ground Thyme, Parsley, Sea Salt, and Ground Pepper. When the Turkey was done I drained the skillet of fat and oil and added the jar of Sauce, stirring until mixed and warmed. Easy to fix and delicious. At the end of the post I left the Hormel description and nutrition of the Sauce. I served the Turkey Joe on a Healthy Life Whole Grain Bun and topped it with Maytag Crumbled Bleu Cheese.
As a side I had some Kicked Up Spicy Chili Beans. I used Joan of Arc Spicy Chili Beans and added Frank's Hot Sauce, Crumbled Turkey Bacon, Jack Daniel's Smoked Honey BBQ Sauce, and a teaspoon of Splenda Brown Sugar. For a dessert/snack later a 100 Calorie Mini Bag of Jolly Time Pop Corn.

Not So Sloppy Joe Sauce

Richer and Thicker and Far From Ordinary

Not-So-Sloppy-Joe® sloppy joe sauce is as distinctive as its name. Not-So-Sloppy-Joe® sloppy joe sauce has a hint of barbecue flavor and is richer and thicker than other sloppy joe sauces.

Since its beginning in 1985, there’s been one very graphic way to show the thick and rich texture of Not-So-Sloppy-Joe® sloppy joe sauce: the “drip test.” When you hold up a sloppy joe made with Not-So-Sloppy-Joe® sloppy joe sauce, there are no drips. It’s that rich and thick.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1/4 Cup
Amount per Serving
Calories 70
Calories from Fat 4.5
% Daily Value *

Total Fat 0.5g
    0%
Saturated Fat 0g
    0%
Cholesterol 0mg
    0%
Sodium 810mg
    33%
Total Carbohydrate 15g
    5%
Dietary Fiber 1g
    4%
Sugars 10g
    
Protein 1g
    2%