Cheddar cheese | Not Just Sunday Dinner

Campground Sausage Dip

I am sure you are familiar with the quote, “Life happens while you are making other plans.” Unfortunately, sometimes we aren’t fully aware of this until “life happens.”

I am not complaining, but for almost a year now, that’s exactly how it’s been for me. It seems like it has been one thing after another, after another, after another. Thankfully, I have an incredible support team of family and friends. And, I think that maybe I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

With all the madness slowing down a bit, Greg and I could finally get away for a few days. We took the camper, met some friends at a nearby park, and just relaxed. Greg reminded me of how I typically obsess over menus, recipes, and groceries for trips like this, but I even surrendered that. It could have been the most relaxing camping trip to date.

One afternoon at camp, we whipped up this fantastic warm dip. It was packed with delicious flavors, and we could cook everything on the grill. I am calling this Campground Sausage Dip. You can add various ingredients to this dish; we used what we had on hand. We served the dip with corn chips and carrot sticks for a great afternoon treat.

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Campground Sausage Dip

Course Appetizer

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

1 pound hot breakfast sausage cooked, crumbled, and drained well
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 10-ounce package frozen sweet corn thawed and drained
1 10-ounce can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 4-ounce can diced green chiles
2 large fresh jalapeño peppers seeds removed and diced
1/2 cup sliced green onions plus additional to garnish top
kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to grill to 350℉.
Add the sausage, corn, Rotel, chiles, jalapeños, onions, salt and pepper and mix well. Taste for seasoning. At this point you could always stir in additional salt and pepper, or add some taco seasoning, cumin powder, or maybe some cayenne pepper.
Spray a serving dish or skillet with cooking spray. Pour mixture into the dish. Bake in preheated oven or grill until hot and bubbly.
Top with additional sliced green onions and serve with corn chips.

Notes

This would be great garnished with fresh, chopped cilantro.

Buffalo Ranch Stuffed Chicken

Do you ever get in a rut with food? It seems I have a handful of favorites that I cook over and over again. They are simple, delicious, and never let me down. However, I go through phases when I want something new and different. Times when I get tired of the same ol’ same ol’! Are you with me? I can ask Greg for suggestions, but ultimately, it’s always up to me to decide what we are having.

I have had this recipe on the back burner for a while but just recently tried it. Often, it’s not that a new recipe requires more time, effort, or ingredients. It is just something that requires you to actually follow a recipe rather than throwing a few things together.

We are all about anything buffaloed at this house. This Buffalo Ranch Stuffed Chicken has incredible flavor! It was also so simple that it is now a regular in my rotation of dinner recipes. From a blog that I recently discovered, thatlowcarblife.com, this recipe is an all- around winner!

Buffalo Ranch Stuffed Chicken

Course Keto, Main Course

Servings 4

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 6 ounces each
4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 packet Ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup buffalo sauce
Ranch or blue cheese dressing for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375℉. Spay a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Mix the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and Ranch dressing mix, set aside.
Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into the side of each breast, being careful not to cut through.
Divide cream cheese mixture among the chicken breasts and evenly stuff inside the pocket.
Place the chicken in the prepared baking sheet and brush heavily with buffalo sauce.
Bake for 25 minutes, brushing with additional sauce after 10 minutes.
Before serving, drizzle with additonal buffalo sauce and dressing of your choice.

Notes

Blue cheese crumbled may be used instead of cheddar cheese.

Nutritional Info: Net Carbs: 4g; Fat: 20g; Protein: 42g; Calories: 374

Sausage Cheese Balls (Keto, Low-Carb, GF)

Sausage Cheeseballs (Keto, Low-Carb, GF)

Times, they are a-changin’ for my little family!

I am one proud mama. I have two great kids, and they are both moving on to bigger adventures in June. Oh, I knew they would spread their wings and fly, I just never imagined it would be within days of each other.

Wes is marrying the love of his life in June. He has lived at home throughout college and early career. Wes is a teacher and a coach and has a passion for both that I never imagined he would when I was struggling with him to get homework done or study for tests. He has found a perfect mate, and I wish them nothing but happiness forever.

Savannah does not live at home and has only lived here on and off while in college. She is graduating with her master’s degree in May and starts a new job in Atlanta on June 3rd. She is a go-getter, and I know she will be a fantastic CPA, running her own company in no time. However, it’s one thing for her to live just down the road a bit, but this move will put her hours away. No more going to lunch or dinner together on a whim. I hope all her dreams come true.

Savannah recently shared this Low-Carb Sausage Cheese Ball recipe with me. She is a great cook and takes more risk than I ever have in the kitchen. They are delicious with only one net carb per cheese ball. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Sausage Cheese Balls (Keto, Low-Carb, GF)

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Keto

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

1 lb. breakfast sausage cooked, crumbled & drained
4 oz. cream cheese softened
3 lg. eggs beaten
1 c. shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 c. coconut flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉.
While breakfast sausage is still warm add the cream cheese and mix to combine, until there are no cream cheese clumps left. Allow to cool slightly.
Add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each.
Stir in cheese, coconut flour and baking powder until well incorporated.
Set aside for 5 minutes. The coconut flour will continue to absorb moisture so if it seems runny at first, it won't be.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a small scoop place the sausage balls on the baking sheet.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

Notes

Makes 28 cheese balls.

Net Carbs: 1 g.; Fat: 10 g.; Protein: 4 g.; Calories: 115

Keto Cheddar Sausage Breakfast Muffins

KETO-CHEDDAR-SAUSAGE-BREAKFAST-MUFFINS2

As a child and young adult, I was not a breakfast person. It seems I went from no breakfast, to loving a carb-filled breakfast overnight. My breakfast of choice was always French toast, muffins, pancakes, waffles or granola. I could eat more carbs in my morning meal than I now eat in an entire day!

Greg is the breakfast chef at our house on Sunday mornings. I love waking up to the smell of coffee and bacon cooking. Although breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, I do not enjoy getting up to cook. When the kids were small and in school, I felt it was my job to send them to school with a good breakfast in their bellies. Those days have passed. Coming into a clean kitchen in the morning to drag out pots and pans, and make a mess, is not my ideal way to start the day.

Nowadays, I like to prepare something that can last several days, and these Keto Cheddar Sausage Breakfast Muffins are just the ticket. They are by far my favorite keto muffins to date. Greg likes the savory muffin better than sweet, so it’s a family pleaser too.

They are easy and so, so yummy! I have only used breakfast sausage, but I’m sure these muffins would be great with bacon or even diced ham. I plan to try them with country ham soon. Now, if I could just find a keto cane syrup my country girl breakfast would be complete!

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Keto Cheddar & Sausage Breakfast Muffins

Servings 8

Calories 357kcal

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

4 oz. cream cheese softened
1 lg. egg
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. blanced almond flour
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. water
6 oz. sausage cooked and drained

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, combine the cream cheese and egg until well blended.
Add the garlic, salt and baking powder and mix.
Add the almond flour, cheese, heavy cream and water. Mix until ingredients are incorporated.
Fold in the sausage.
Scoop the dough evenly into 8 muffin cups.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until muffins are golden brown and done through.
Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan to a cooling rack. If refrigerating cool completely before storing in a airtight container.

Notes

Nutritional Information:

4g Net Carbs; 32g Fat; 14g Protein; 357 Calories

Apple-Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Scones

Apple=Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Scones

Spring is a busy time for many. We are ready to be out of the house after those cold winter days. Yard work always awaits, and those outdoor projects that we have put off all winter need to be tackled.

Greg and I recently spent three days putting metal siding and a metal roof on an outdoor building. I’m sure we could have hired a professional to do it in a third of the time. However, we did not kill each other in the process, and we have a good feeling of accomplishment!

On these busy days, it’s nice to have something on hand for a quick breakfast or even a snack. These scones are a great savory treat that my family loves. Everything is better with bacon and cheese and these great with a cup of coffee on the go.

Apple-Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Scones

Author:

Amye Melton

Ingredients

3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
½ c. (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1½ c. grated Cheddar cheese
4 green onions, thinly sliced
10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped into 1-inch pieces
¾ to 1½ c. buttermilk
1 lg. egg
2 tbsp. water

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl on low speed. With the mixer running, gradually add the cubes of butter until the mixture is crumbly and studded with flour-butter bits about the size of small peas. Add the grated cheese and mix just until blended. (This can also be done by hand: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Gradually cut in the butter with pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles small peas. Stir in the cheese.)
Add the green onions, bacon, and ¾ cup of the buttermilk to the flour and cheese mixture. Mix by hand just until all the ingredients are incorporated. If the dough is too dry to hold together, us the remaining buttermilk, adding 1 tbsp. at a time, until the dough is pliable and can be formed into a ball. Stir as lightly and as little as possible to ensure a light-textured scone. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured flat surface. Pat the dough into a ball. using a well-floured rolling pin, flatten the dough into a circle about 8inches wide and ½ inch thick. Cut the dough into 8 to 10 equal wedges, depending on the size scone you prefer.
Whisk the egg and water in a small mixing bowl to combine. Brush each wedge with the egg wash. Place the scones on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer sticky in the middle. Serve warm.