Cheese Reviews

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Feta cheese is a salty tangy cheese of Greek origin. It’s believed that it was first made somewhere between the 8th and 6th century BC. The literal translation from Greek is “slice.” It’s typically made with sheep’s milk, but there are versions from other countries that make it with goat and cow’s milk. This, of course, alters the taste. Another unique characteristic which makes it so salty is that it is cured in a brine solution.

This traditional Greek cheese is served with the main meal everyday and it’s a major ingredient in many Greek dishes, particularly the Greek salad. Greeks consume more cheese per capita than any other country in the world. It’s not uncommon to see barrels or large chunks of it in markets around Greece.

It seems that any dish that features “Greek” in the title means that it has feta cheese as one of the ingredients. Here are a few authentic recipes.

Traditional Greek Salad

2 large tomatoes, washed and cut into wedges

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced into chunks

1/2 red onion cut into thin rings

8 oz. feta cheese cut into chunks

8 whole pitted black olives

8 Greek salad peppers

olive oil

red wine vinegar

oregano

Arrange prepared vegetables in a large serving bowl. Pour the olive oil and vinegar over to taste. Sprinkle liberally with either fresh or dried oregano.

Tracy’s Greek Saganaki

7 oz. feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped mild banana peppers

1 medium tomato sliced

1/2 lb. aged Gruyere cheese or other aged hard cheese,cut into slices

In a medium bowl, crumble the feta cheese. Add the banana pepper and mix together. Pour the mixture into a 7 cup casserole dish and spread evenly. Cover with tomato slices and then cover that with the gruyere cheese slices. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and cooked through, about 30 minutes.

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I was in my kitchen baking delicious heart-shaped scones. Being emotionally involved with food, I started looking at the hearts and it got me thinking. Can someone ever really die of a broken heart? My belief is yes, but in a different way than anyone else can ever think possible.

The thought was mostly spurred by a movie I was watching that afternoon. In the old movie “Camille” Greta Garbo goes against society and begins a relationship. When the relationship becomes too hard for her lover he calls it quits and she dies right when he returns. It is probably one of the saddest death scenes in movie history.

Did her broken heart kill her? Maybe, but it started in her mind. She wanted to die. She felt that she had lost absolutely everything she had and that it was now time to give up and move on to another place. It just goes to show how much emotions impact our realities.

If you think about one of the times you have felt the happiest in life, you’ll realize that was when you felt the healthiest. Showing the opposite example, if you think back to when you were having a bad time in life, you’ll find that was the time that you were feeling the very unhealthy. It’s all connected and that’s why I believe if someone has severe emotional trauma that it may lead to physical trauma.

So, yes someone can die of a broken heart, but we can prevent it too, by finding the good in a situation, being alive, and doing that which makes us happy.

To get some good whole-hearted positive emotions flowing, try this recipe (it’ll do the trick):

“Camille’s Heart Cheese Scones”*

Ingredients: ¼ tsp baking soda, 3 tbs fat free milk, 2 cups all-purpose flour, 3 oz cheddar cheese, 3 oz mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 1 tbs sugar, 1 tbs Splenda, 1 egg, ½ cup sour cream, 3 tsps baking powder, and 1 tsp salt.

1) Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

2) In a bowl stir the flour, sugar, Splenda, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Stir in the cheeses. In another bowl stir the egg, sour cream, oil, and milk. Make a well in the center of the dry mix; stir in the egg mixture just until moistened.

3) Turn dough onto a floured surface. Knead gently 10 to 12 times. Pat into 1/3 inch thickness. Cut with a floured heart-shaped cutter. Place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes (they should be golden brown). Remove from pan to wire rack. Serve warm.

4) Enjoy with as much loved ones as you dare.

*Base of recipe form Taste of Home and I molded it from there.

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Vegetables are a great way to provide the necessary vitamins and minerals to your family. However, how many times have you told your children to eat their vegetables? Probably a lot.

For some reason, children have an aversion to vegetables. They will cry and sit for hours before you finally give in and send them from the table.

Vegetables do not always have to be the enemy. The key is to find a creative way to prepare them and your family will become vegetable lovers rather than vegetable haters!

Do you remember when you were a child and your mother dropped a soggy green lump of cabbage on your plate. Did you want to eat it? Almost certainly not.

There are various ways to encourage your children to eat their vegetables. You might even need to trick them! Broccoli is an example of a vegetable, which is high in vitamin and mineral content, and there are plenty of ways to prepare it. Here are some tips:

Try it raw. Leave a plate of raw broccoli in bite-size pieces in the refrigerator for your children as a snack. Offer some salad dressing so they can dip it and this is often a hit. Leave the tips of the broccoli on the plate and encourage your child to eat them. You can even make a creative game of this. Grilled vegetable recipes are not the only way to serve healthy vegetables.

If all else fails, bribery often works. Tell your child that they will get a special treat if they finish their vegetables. Make sure you have a treat for them afterwards.

Use cheese. Cheese and broccoli go very well together. If you pour a cheese sauce over the broccoli, you are adding texture and changing the flavor. You might find your children eat the broccoli in cheese before whatever else you have served with it.

Lasagna is delicious with broccoli added. Smothering it in cheese can add to the flavor and disguise the broccoli. Children will be too busy enjoying the cheesy flavor to bother picking out the bits of broccoli. Vegetable pizza is another way of sneaking in broccoli. Nearly all kids love pizza so a healthy vegetable pizza recipe will produce something they associate with fun rather than veggies.

Chop it up – if all else fails, pre cook the broccoli and let it cool a little and put it in a food processor. Chop it up until it is not recognizable and add it to whatever dish you are cooking. Your children will not even know it is there.

Shakes – this might sound weird but it works. Make a milkshake with milk, ice cream, and chocolate syrup. Add some broccoli to the shake (make sure the kids aren’t watching!) and blend it some more. As long as you use a chunky type of ice cream, your kids will not realize the broccoli is there and hopefully they will drink the shake too fast to notice any stray green bits!

Vegetables are high in essential nutrients, especially for growing kids, so it is great that there are so many ways to get them to eat their veggies!

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This pasta salad receipt features everybody’s favorite: tuna with savory stuffed tortellini pasta.

2 (6 1/2 oz.) cans tuna

1 (8 oz.) pkg. Tortellini pasta, filled with Parmesan cheese

4 boiled eggs, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup sweet salad pickle cubes

1/2 cup celery, chopped

Mayonnaise

Directions

Cook pasta in 2 1/2-quart of boiling salted water for approximately 25 minutes; drain and let cool.

Add other ingredients to cooled pasta. Mix in the mayonnaise to taste.

=> Pasta Salad Recipes: Pasta Salad with Spam

Got some canned Spam sitting around in the cupboard? Use it to make this deliciously creamy pasta salad. A cheap and easy recipe for pasta salad.

1 (12 oz.) pkg. pasta curls

1 (12 oz.) can of Spam

1 medium zucchini

1 medium yellow or green pepper

10 cherry tomatoes, quartered

3 green onions

1/4 cup cucumber salad dressing

1/3 cup light vegetable oil

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Chopped olives

Paprika

Directions

Cut vegetables and Spam into julienne strips.

Prepare pasta; drain and put into a medium bowl. Combine the Spam, pasta, zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, olives and onions. In a small bowl, combine dressing, oil and pepper.

Add to salad mixture, then toss. Sprinkle with cheese and paprika. Cover and chill. Stir gently before serving.

=> Summer Pasta Salad: Seafood Pasta Salad

Here’s a great crab pasta salad that will be a hit at any gathering.

Salad

4 ounces pasta, uncooked

8 ounces crab surimi seafood chunks

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1/4 cup bell peppers, chopped

2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup chili sauce

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.

In another bowl, stir together the salad dressing ingredients.

Toss dressing into crab mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

=> Pasta Salad Italian Dressing: Italian Pasta Salad with Pepperoni

You can’t beat this zesty Italian American pasta salad featuring your favorite noodles, mushrooms and pepperoni.

7 ounce box pasta noodles

1 small can sliced ripe olives

1/4 cup green pepper, diced

1/4 cup onion, diced

1 ounce pepperoni, chopped

1 small can sliced mushrooms

Italian salad dressing

Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Directions

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.

Drain the juice from the olives and mushrooms; add to pasta. Add in peppers and onions; stir. Mix in the Italian dressing to thoroughly coat salad.

Add in the pepperoni and Parmesan cheese to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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If you have never seen or tasted a cheese curd you might not be anxious to put one in your mouth because “cheese curd” is kind of a strange name and doesn’t necessarily conjure up images of something tasty. But a cheese curd is very tasty. I think once you try one you’ll be eating a lot more of them!

I’m from Wisconsin and grew up eating cheese curds (and yes, lots of other cheese too). I thought everyone ate cheese curds and that you could buy them anywhere. When I grew up and started to travel outside of the state I learned in a hurry that a lot of things were different and that cheese curds were a specialty item only available in areas that produced cheese. That’s changed a little bit now. Cheese curds, along with a wide variety of other types of cheeses, are more readily available in all areas of the United States.

What are cheese curds? Most cheese curds (at least most of the ones made in Wisconsin) are a cheddar cheese product, but think baby cheddar cheese or newborn cheddar cheese. Cheddar cheese curds are what cheddar cheese is before it is pressed into a block and aged (cheddar cheese you see in your grocery store is aged at least 60 days and up to 10 years for the really sharp cheddar cheeses).

Cheese curds are a very fresh product and have the best flavor if they are eaten the same day they are made. But going to a cheese factory and purchasing cheese curds the same day they are made is not an option for many people.

Cheese curds are still very tasty a few days after they’re made, but after a week or so they start to lose their flavor very quickly. Although “fresh” cheese curds may be available at your local supermarket, it’s likely they are at least one to two weeks old by the time they reach the store’s dairy case. Don’t buy them from your supermarket or grocery store (unless you’re certain they really are fresh). Instead order directly from a cheese factory via the Internet or phone. Look for a place that ships the cheese curds the same day they are made (do an Internet search for “cheese curds” – there will be lots of choices of businesses that send cheese curds out the same day they make them). You’ll be glad you went to the trouble of ordering the freshest cheese curds possible.

Cheese curds are available in several flavors. Although the traditional yellow cheese curds are the most popular and most widely available, I’ve also seen and tried white cheddar cheese curds in addition to the following flavors: garlic, dill, jalapeno (they have a “kick” to them), Cajun (also have a “kick” to them), pesto, chipotle (these are spicy too), and paprika. Cheese curds have a smooth texture. Plain cheese curds have a mild salty flavor. They come in their natural shape and form which is small random chunks.

Although most cheese curds are made from cheddar cheese; colby, mozzarella, and monterey jack cheese curds are also available.

One fun thing about cheese curds is that they “squeak.” A fresh cheese curd will make a squeaky noise while you’re eating it. That’s one of the reasons why kids love to eat cheese curds (and many adults too).

Besides eating them fresh, another yummy way to eat a cheese curd is to deep-fry it (which, like deep frying a mushroom, turns a cheese curd into a not so healthy but really great tasting food). You can purchase special batter mixes made especially for cheese curds, but general purpose batter mixes like Golden Dipt All Purpose Batter Mix (made by McCormick) works fine. But my personal favorite type of batter for deep fried cheese curds is beer batter (have I mentioned I’m from Wisconsin?).

If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to try cheese curds, I hope you try them soon. I think you’ll be glad you did. Happy eating!

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I’m not sure I’ve ever met a child who did not like macaroni and cheese. As a mom, it’s a quick and easy lunch or dinner for the kids, but not a personal favorite to serve adults.

Here are several ideas to dress up plain old macaroni and cheese and turn it into a true family meal that even adults will enjoy.

Start from scratch. Home made macaroni and cheese beats the taste of a box and powdered cheese any time. Here’s a simple recipe to create your base of macaroni and cheese:

1 package macaroni

1 c. grated Colby Jack cheese

1 c. grated Cheddar cheese

Sprinkle of flour

Boil your macaroni shells until soft. Place in a 9 x 13 inch pan and sprinkle enough flour to lightly cover your shells. Add grated cheeses over top. Cover and bake in 350 degree oven for 1/2 hour. Uncover for the last 5 minutes of baking.

You can add just about anything to this base. You can add ground meat, or ground turkey. You can add cut up hot dogs for the kids. You can add shredded chicken, and of course you can add any veggies you like. To make it simple add the frozen vegetable mixture. There are carrots, peas and corn in the simple mixtures.

Want some crunch for your macaroni and cheese? Add some meat to the mac and cheese and then put the mixture into a taco shell. Top with some lettuce and tomato and you have a very interesting taco.

If you enjoy spicy foods, try adding some spicy sausage to your macaroni and cheese. You can also add half a package of the hot taco seasoning mix for a macaroni and cheese with a kick. You can also add a teaspoon full of hot sauce to the casserole.

Have you ever made a 7 layer dip? Try using hot macaroni and cheese as your base. Then add sliced olives, sliced onions and diced tomatoes on top. Grab some tortilla chips and start dipping.

Have fun with your mac and cheese. Add whatever you have in the refrigerator and create your own wonderful combinations.

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Dutch Oven cooking is fun and easy. Dutch oven recipes are abundant and adapting them from your favorite home recipes is easy. With a little experience you’ll find that it is fairly simple to cook with your Dutch oven. Here are some easy Dutch oven recipes to try:

Easy Dutch Oven Mountain Man Hash

1 lb. Bacon or sausage

2 lbs frozen potatoes (shredded or southern style)

1 dozen eggs

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cut bacon/sausage into smaller pieces (about 1″). Cook the bacon or sausage in the Dutch oven. Add potatoes, cover with lid with coals on top. Cook until potatoes are done, stirring occasionally. Mix eggs together in a bowl and pour on top of potatoes. Replace lid with coals on top and cook until eggs are done (shouldn’t need a long time if the lid is hot). When eggs are done, sprinkle cheese on top, replace lid and bake until cheese is melted. Serve as is, or wrap spoonfuls in warmed flour tortillas to make breakfast burritos (provide salsa).

Easy Dutch Oven Taco Pie

1 ½ lbs. Ground beef

1 medium jar of taco sauce

6 large corn tortillas

8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

8 oz can of tomato sauce

Brown the ground beef and drain it. Mix the taco sauce and tomato sauce. Line the Dutch oven with tin foil and put 3 tortillas in the bottom. Put ½ of the ground beef on the tortillas and cover with ½ of the sauce. Put 3 more tortilla shells on top, and put the remaining ground beef and sauce on top of those tortillas. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Cover the Dutch oven, place a few coals on top, and bake until the cheese is melted. You could also add onions, olives, mushrooms for some variety.

Easy Dutch Oven Au Gratin Potatoes

8-10 potatoes, sliced thin

2-3 Tbsp. Melted butter or margarine

2-3 medium onions, sliced thin

15 oz can of cheese soup

¼ cup milk

½ cup cracker or bread crumbs

1 cup shredded cheese

Put a little oil in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Put a layer of potatoes in the bottom and brush with the melted butter. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Add a layer of sliced onions. Continue the layering with potatoes and onions as described until all have been used. Mix the soup with the milk and pour over the top. Sprinkle the top with the bread or cracker crumbs. Add any additional desired seasonings. Put Dutch oven over 6-8 briquets and 16-18 briquets on top. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove and sprinkle the top with the shredded cheese. Replace lid and let the cheese melt-shouldn’t take long.

Easy Dutch Oven Cowboy Stew

4 potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

1 can of corn

1 can of peas

1 can of stewed tomatoes

1 can of green beans

1 can of baked beans

1 can of tomato soup

Bay leaf

Brown ground beef and onions. Add all other ingredients (don’t drain the cans). Add bay leaf and any other desired seasonings, such as salt and pepper. Cook until the potatoes are done.

Easy Dutch Oven Cinnamon Bread

4 cans of refrigerated tube biscuits

1 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 cup of sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. Mix the sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a zip-lock bag. Put the biscuit quarters in the bag and shake until they are all well-coated. Place the biscuit pieces in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Melt the butter and then pour over the biscuit quarters (you can do this with another pan, or you can use the inverted lid of the Dutch oven to melt the butter). Put 6-8 coals underneath Dutch oven and 14-15 on top. Bake for 30 minutes.

Each of these is a quick and easy Dutch oven recipe and will help you get started with Dutch oven cooking. Have fun!

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Ah, cheese fondue! The aroma of meltingly pungent cheese and wine – bubbling gently and ready for dippers of bread. It’s a romantic dinner for two, or a wonderful ice-breaker for a party or get-together. It’s the perfect meal to foster intimate conversation and create lasting memories of good times by all.

Lots of Pots

Cheese fondue can be used as a meal, or as an appetizer. The pots made for cheese fondue are of heavy, heat resistant earthenware or heavy metal. A controllable heat unit that maintains low, even heat is what keeps the cheese melted and slightly bubbly without burning the cheese or over heating it. You want the consistency to be smooth and sauce-like.

If you don’t have a fondue pot, you can also use a casserole dish or one of ceramic material – it must be heat resistant! Use it over a well-regulated alcohol, canned heat, or butane flame. You can also try it over an electric hot plate or candle warmer, although this is not recommended! Other types of fondue pots are the classic fondue bourguignonne pan, electric fondue pots and chafing dishes.

Control Your Heat!

If your heat source isn’t manageable, you will end up with cheese that cools too much and the result is a big glob of hardened cheese that becomes undunkable. If your heat source is too hot, the cheese ends up being stringy and starts to separate into a globby, gooky mess.

It’s not as hard as it seems. That’s why making a small investment into a real fondue pot is worth it. Your fondue pot usually comes packaged with the right style of forks, your controllable heat source and a pan that was made for this kind of cooking.

Okay, ready to try out a great cheese fondue recipe? Look no further! I have them all right here for you. Create your own memories. Make your guests smile. Treat your family to something entirely different than Hamburger Helper. You’ll be happy you did!

What you’ll need:

- 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cup of buttermilk

- 1 lb. Swiss cheese (diced or shredded)

- 3 Tbsp flour

- 1/2 tsp dry mustard

- 1 clove of garlic (halved)

- Keilbasa sausage or other dippers*

- Asparagus Tips or other dippers*

- Fondue pot or equivalent

If you choose to use processed Swiss cheese, just be aware that it tends to thicken up more readily than natural cheese and normally needs to be thinned if it stands very long.

First, heat the buttermilk and garlic halves in a pot. Once the buttermilk is heated through, remove the garlic halves. Don’t bring to boiling point. Then combine the cheese, flour, and seasoned salt. Add to the hot liquid by small handfuls and stir until all the cheese is uniformly melted and blended.

Next, place the buttermilk cheese sauce mixture over a low flame (your canned heat or equivalent) to keep the cheese simmering gently – you don’t want it to boil! You might find you’ll need to add a little more of whatever liquid you have left to keep the cheese properly thinned and for a good dipping consistency.

This yummy recipe serves 5 or 6 as an appetizer and easily serves 2 for a meal. For a variation on the theme, try Swiss Cheese Dipping Sauce.

*Some other dipper ideas are small cubes of cooked ham and toast to dip into the melted cheese. Chill your tender asparagus spears and serve with the Keilbasa. Can also be served with cherry tomatoes and rye bread slices.

At the table dip your dippers into the cheese and use the rye bread to catch the drips from pot to plate. YUMMY!

Check out the histories of food, little tidbits of info, and some great recipes at http://www.easy-appetizer-recipes.com. You won’t be disappointed!

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You might not be obese, but you are very likely part of the 70% of people in the US who are overweight. This number is continuing to grow quickly, but with the help of a healthy weight loss platform you can learn many tricks to get rid of those cottage cheese thighs for good! Learn some of the following:

- A muscle that you can use to blast weight loss

- What to eat and when

- How to eat more and lose more

- The secrets of using water in your diet

- How to drop 14 lbs in 14 days

Drop the ridiculous fad diets that you have been trying. They don’t work. Have you ever heard of some of the following ridiculous diets?

- Cayenne pepper, syrup, and water for a week!

- Ridiculous boxed meals that limit your choices!

- Atkins or ‘all meat’ diets!

These kinds of dieting fads might be all the rage right now, but they are not the types of programs that promote healthy weight loss. To get rid of cottage cheese thighs now, and keep them gone forever, people need to work hard and utilize a good, solid, healthy weight loss system.

A lot of different people throughout the world have had success with one particular program – Strip That Fat. Check out some of their comments here:

“It has only been a few weeks but I have been able to lose some weight already and actually keep it off. I have been on countless amounts of meds and tried numerous types of diets, but nothing has helped me as much as the program at Strip That Fat has. You’ve changed my life!!” – Lisa, Manchester, UK

“We almost forgot to send you a note about our success we have had with your program. I say WE because our whole family has taken part in the Strip That Fat diet program. We each created our own diet plans and have stuck to our guns. Our family (2 kids, 2 parents) has lost a combined weight of over 60 pounds in just over 5 weeks. Thanks a million!” – The Grates Family, Arizona, USA

“STF is the bomb. I can’t believe I have spent $1000’s on diet schemes over the years. I will never have to spend a dime on crap again now that I have your program.” – Jacob, California, USA

Get rid of your cottage cheese thighs by learning how to lose weight in a healthy way.

You can burn more calories to get rid of cottage cheese thighs!

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If you like Caesar salad, but don’t want to spend a lot of time making it, whip up this quick recipe for Caesar salad.

1 medium head Romaine lettuce

Freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup croutons

Caesar Dressing

Directions

Mash with a fork in a shallow bowl, the following: 1/4 teaspoon prepared mustard sauce, 6 anchovy fillets and 1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Stir in 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1/3 cup olive oil.

Tear washed and dried Romaine into pieces and place in salad bowl. Pour over dressing and toss lightly. Add Parmesan cheese, pepper and croutons.

=> Caesar Salad Recipes: Golden Caesar Salad

You can make this Caesar salad with ingredients you probably already have around the kitchen.

2 bunches Romain lettuce

Pinch of sugar

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons milk

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 bottle golden Caesar salad dressing

Croutons

Directions

Mix all ingredients together top with croutons.

=> Best Caesar Salad Recipe: Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Here’s a scrumptious chicken Caesar salad recipe that features chicken, pepper, garlic,croutons and cheese. It’s much heartier than the regular version.

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound boneless chicken

1/2 teaspoon each salad and pepper (divided)

2 teaspoon garlic

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 dashes hot pepper sauce

2 slices bread of choice (cut crust and cube)

3 tablespoon ground Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat broiler. Salt and pepper chicken; place 3 inches from broiler. Cook completely. Cut chicken into 1/4-inch strips. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet; add bread cubes and cook until light brown. Drain and cool.

In a salad bowl, mix garlic.1 1/4 teaspoons salt. Add in the lemon juice, mustard, pepper sauce and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; mix well. Gradually add 1/3 cup oil; blend well.

Add chicken and coat well. Add lettuce, bread cubes and cheese; toss well.

=> Fiesta Caesar Salad Recipe: Mexican Caesar Salad

Here’s an original Caesar salad that has a real kick to it. It features roasted peppers, Jack cheese, beef, and tortilla chips.

1/2 red pepper, julienned & roasted

1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

Tortilla chips for garnish

2 plum tomatoes

1/4 cup pinon nuts

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon garlic, chopped

4 bunches fresh basil

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 anchovy strips (or as desired)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

12 oz. Beef fillet (must be all 1 piece)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 tablespoon ground coriander

Pinch white pepper

Directions

Combine chili powder, granulated garlic, cumin, coriander and white pepper; coat the tenderloin with the spice mixture. Coating should be about 1/8 inch thick. Roast for 15-20 minutes until medium. Allow meat to cool.

Meanwhile, combine pinon nuts, garlic, basil, lemon juice, anchovies and Parmesan in a food processor. Continue to process while adding the olive oil in a slow drizzle. Use a feed tube if possible. If the mixture is too thick, add a bit of warm water or lemon juice.

Cut the lettuce across the leaves as for a standard Caesar salad, and toss it with the dressing. Put on plates, top with shredded cheese and place 3 to 4 strips of meat per serving atop the salad. Garnish with tortilla chips, quartered tomatoes, the red pepper strips and a dollop of dressing on each meat strip.