Bacon Cream Cheese Bites

I had some phyllo dough left over from my post about Spanakopita so I thought I would put it to good use. Phyllo is a traditional Greek pastry dough that is super thin, even thinner than paper. It folds really nicely into triangles and makes a great party appetizer. You can stuff pretty much anything in there as long as it doesn't have too much moisture. I think bacon and cream cheese fit the bill, don't you? ;-)

Bacon Cream Cheese Bites
Makes: 24 triangles

1/2 lb bacon, chopped
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 scallions, chopped
4 oz (1/2 brick) cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Pinch of salt
8 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed
1 tbsp butter, melted

• In a skilled over medium-medium-high heat, brown the bacon until it is crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Reserve one tablespoon of the drippings.
• In the same pan, cook the onions and garlic in the bacon drippings over medium-low heat until the onions are soft but not brown, about five to six minutes.
• In a stand mixer, or with an electric hand mixer, on medium whip the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy, about two minutes.
• Add the bacon, onion mixture, scallions, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, and salt. Continue to beat on medium until well mixed, about 30 seconds. Set the mixture aside.
• Brush a large baking sheet with the melted butter.
• Now you'll need to assemble the triangles. If you read the next few steps and you have no idea what I'm talking about, see my post about Spanakopita which includes photos.
• Take one sheet of phyllo dough, use a barely damp paper towel to cover the rest so they don't dry out.
• Cut the phyllo dough into thirds length-wise with a pizza cutter.
• Place a small spoonful of the filling at the top and off to the right of one of the strips.
• Now you'll need to start folding. You fold these like you would a flag. Grab the upper left corner and fold it down to the right so that you form a triangle at the top.
• Now take the top right corner and fold it straight down.
• Take the top right corner again and fold it down and over to the left.
• Take the top left corner and fold it straight down.
• Repeat until you get to the end and have a perfect triangle. Place it on the buttered baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining phyllo dough and filling.
• If you're making these a day ahead, you can stop at this step, cover it up with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it. Then place it in the oven the next day about an hour before you're ready to serve.
• Bake at 350° F for 30 minutes.

A few tips:

If you haven't invested in a spatter screen yet, I highly suggest it. They're relatively cheap and will save you from getting popped when you fry stuff such as bacon.

If you're not sure what to do with the rest of the bacon drippings, here's what I do. I line a bowl with aluminum foil then pour the drippings in. Once the drippings are cool, fold it up and chuck it in the trash!

Baked Chiles Rellenos

Chiles rellenos is a traditional Mexican dish. Typically, they are made with a roasted poblano pepper, stuffed with meat and cheese, then coated in an egg batter and fried. My version is a little bit different. Mine are made with anaheim peppers. I also skipped the meat. And I figured since we're already stuffing the thing with cheese, maybe we can skip the frying and bake it instead. This method of slow roasting makes the peppers nice and sweet.

These can be served with beans and rice for a great Meatless Monday meal. Or you can serve them as a side for chicken or fish.

Baked Chiles Rellenos
Makes: 4 servings

4 anaheim peppers
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

• With a small paring knife, cut the tops off of the peppers and remove the seeds.
• Mix together the three cheese.
• Stuff each pepper with 1/4 of the cheese mixture. The peppers are long and skinny so you'll probably need to stuff them a little at a time.
• Once the peppers are stuffed, place them all side by side on one large piece of aluminum foil. Fold up the foil making sure that it's tight against the tops so that the cheese doesn't come out when it melts.
• Bake at 350° F for one hour until the peppers are fork tender. Allow to cool for five minutes before serving.

Pimento Cheese

I had never heard of pimento cheese until I moved to Charlotte. This is definitely a Southern classic and everyone has their own recipe. The first time I tried it, I was hooked. You can spread it on some toast or crackers or you can dip some veggies in there. You can even use it as a filling in a grilled cheese sandwich!

First a little background. What exactly is a pimento? It's small red pepper and it's the mildest of all chili peppers. I wouldn't classify it as spicy whatsoever. You usually find them in a jar but you can also find them fresh in the produce section. Pimentos are also sometimes called pimientos or cherry peppers. Now, with that out of the way...

Pimento Cheese
Makes: 8 servings

4 oz (1/2 brick) cream cheese, softened
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 oz jar pimento peppers, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder

• In a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, whip the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy.
• Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
• Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

This is traditionally served cold, but you can bake it in the oven at 350° F for about 10 minutes to make a hot dip!