Garlic Cheese Twists and Easy Puff Pastry Dough

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I haven't made many appetizer kind of items, and I don't usually make decadent savory items, because we try to be on a calorie conscious diet here, but sometimes, we just want something rich, cheesy, and sinful. I thought I would surprise my husband with these garlic cheese twists since her loves Italian bread sticks, and cheese straws.  I am not ambitious enough, nor do I have the time to try and do puff pastry the traditional way, so I thought I would give King Arthur Flour's Fast and Easy Puff Pastry Dough a try.  It did not disappoint. It was fast, and easy, and baked up flaky, butter and tender.  Definitely worked great, and I can't wait to make something sweet like apple turnovers with the dough next.  I made a double batch of pastry dough, and now I have one batch in the freezer just waiting to be used.  What could be easier??

Enjoy these lovely Garlic Cheese Twists for a nice party appetizer at a holiday party, or just to snack on at home.  Can't go wrong!

GARLIC CHEESE TWISTS
(Adapted from King Arthur Flour's Flaky Cheese Twists)

Makes about 34 cheese straws

 Ingredients:

• 1 recipe Easy Puff Pastry, see below (or about a 16-18 ounces of puff pastry dough)
• 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese or pecorino romano
• Garlic Salt  
• paprika
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water 

Directions: 

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Ready a baking sheet by lining with parchment, if you have it; otherwise, just get out a baking sheet, no need to grease it
   2. Place the pastry on a well-floured work surface, and roll it into a 12" x 24" rectangle, about 1/8" thick.
   3. Brush some of the beaten egg/water over the dough, saving the remainder for later. 
   4. Sprinkle cheese over half of the dough, and then sprinkle the garlic salt over the same half, to taste (I like a hint of garlic, so I go light, but go heavier if you like it more).
   5. Fold the dough half without filling on top of the piece with filling, making a 12" square.
   6. Gently roll till the two halves stick together; you'll now have a rectangle about 12" x 13".
   7. Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise to make two rectangles, each 6" x 13". 
   8. Cut each rectangle crosswise into 3/4"-wide strips; you'll cut about 17 strips from each piece of dough, about 34 strips total. 
   9. Pick up a dough strip and twist each end in opposite directions until the dough is a spiraled cylinder. Place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough strips, leaving about 3/4" between them.  
   10. Brush with remaining egg wash.  Sprinkle with more garlic salt and then add a light dusting of paprika if desired, for color.
   11. Bake the twists for 12 to 15 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool slightly on a rack before serving. 

Rolled out puff pastry dough

Dough after it has been brushed with egg mixture, sprinkled with parmesan cheese, and sprinkled with garlic salt.

Dough after folding over, rolling, and cutting into strips.

Twisted, brushed with more egg wash, sprinkled with garlic salt and paprika.

 EASY PUFF PASTRY
(Adapted from King Arthur Flour's Fast and Easy Puff Pastry)

Ingredients:

•  2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt*
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter,* cut in pats 
• 1/2 cup fat free Greek Yogurt  
• 1-2 tablespoons milk (if the dough just won't come together enough)

*If you use salted butter, reduce the amount of salt to 1/4 teaspoon

 Directions:

1. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
2. Add the butter, working it in to make a coarse/crumbly mixture. Leave most of the butter in large, pea-sized pieces.
3. Stir in the yogurt; the dough won't be cohesive. Turn it out onto a floured work surface, and bring it together with a few quick kneads (if it still doesn't come together, add a little bit of milk).
4. Pat the dough into a rough log, and roll it into an 8" x 10" rectangle.  
5. Dust both sides of the dough with flour, and starting with a shorter end, fold it in three like a business letter.
6. Flip the dough over, give it a 90° turn on your work surface, and roll it into an 8" x 10" rectangle. Fold it in three again.
7. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before using. To make pastry, roll into desired size. 
8. Freeze dough for prolonged storage, up to 2 months. To use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.  

Cheesy Cheddar Biscuits

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All that cheesy goodness oozing out from inside....so yummy!

 Ah, the taste of cheesy, tender, slightly salty, buttery, garlicky biscuits...like the ones that you get from that famous seafood restaurant.... Most of us know which one I am speaking of.  Well, my husband has never had the pleasure of trying their rolls, which I think is the only reason to go there frankly.  I made some cheesy straws a few days ago, and my husband turned to me after eating ones and said "I would be doubly happy if you could make these into rolls!!"  Well, my husband very rarely requests anything, so I jumped up from my chair (literally) and started pondering how I could do this.  Then it came to me--these taste just like that seafood restaurant's biscuits, and there are copycat recipes I have seen.  Of course, I looked through all my bookmarks, thinking surely I had marked it down once out of the 100 times I saw it, but of course I didn't.  After not being able to find it, I turned to my wonderful Facebook friends, and they helped point me in the right direction.  Since I did not have bisquick baking mix, I had to find a recipe that didn't need it.  I finally settled on Food Networks Almost-Famous Cheddar Biscuits recipe.  After making some changes to the recipe to make it closer to the cheese straws I made, and having now devoured one in like 2 seconds flat, I can say that I am so happy with how they turned out!  I think they are better than that seafood restaurant's.

These biscuits are tender, cheesy, not too salty, and have a light and fluffy interior.  Absolutely perfect.  I packed one in my husbands lunch, so I am anxiously waiting to hear what he thinks of them, but I am pleased with them.  These would be a beautiful addition to Thanksgiving dinner as well!  They only take a few minutes to throw together, and only 16 minutes to bake.  Nice and simple!

Mmmmm see the cheese crusty goodness on the outside, my favorite part!

Enjoying my new photo setup area, had to take lots of pictures since I had good light this morning...

CHEESY CHEDDAR BISCUITS
(Adapted from Food Network's Almost Famous Cheddar Biscuits)

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 7 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 ounces grated colby jack cheese (about 1 cups) 
• 1 ounce grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup 2% evaporated milk, or regular milk 
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

Topping:

• 1-2 tablespoons butter
• garlic salt, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. To make the biscuits, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.  Add the butter and cut in with a fork or your fingers, until you have pea sized pieces of butter throughout.  Add the colby jack cheese and parmesan cheese and mix together.  Add the yogurt and  milk and mix until the dough just comes together, it will have some dry bits.  
3. Drop by scant 1/4 cup portions onto baking sheet, 2 inches apart, and flatten slightly.
4. Bake in oven for 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown.
5. Right before they are done, melt the butter in a a small microwave safe dish.  When the biscuits come out of the oven, brush the tops with a bit of butter and sprinkle with garlic salt.  Serve warm.

White Bean and Green Chili Grilled Cheese

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I love grilled cheese.  My waist line does not.  I have not made any grilled cheese-type meal in so long I can not even recall how long it has been.  This was inspired by a Yahoo article I read a long while back on how to make the best grilled cheese, and they mentioned mixing in white beans to make it a more filling meal.  I took that idea, and used it to cut back on the amount of cheese needed, and in the end it yielded a hearty, flavorful, lighter version of a grilled cheese sandwich.  It was more a hint of cheese, but of course, if you can spare the calories and want ooey gooey melty cheesy goodness, by all means, double the cheese.  This likens more to a pressed sandwich than grilled cheese in some respects, but to me, it tasted like a mild, yet delightfully tasty sandwich version of a jalapeno popper--without the guilt.  I used some delicious whole wheat hoagie rolls that we had that needed to be used, and they provided a wonderful crispy crust , perfect for this.  I am sure it would be fantastic with even regular sandwich bread though too, and it will be my next one with the filling I have leftover from today.

I really enjoyed this sandwich.  It was filling, satisfying, and did not leave me with the greasy, still hungry, feeling of a typical grilled cheese.  And it provides some extra protein and fiber as well, without all the fat!

WHITE BEAN AND GREEN CHILI GRILLED CHEESE

Makes 4-6 sandwiches, depending on how much filling is used.

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 oz) can white beans, rinsed and drained well
• 2 Tbs. fat free plain greek yogurt (I like Fage)
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 small (4 oz.) can diced green chilies (drained of any excess liquid)
• 2 oz. colby jack cheese, shredded
• 1/4-1/2 tsp salt, to taste
• 4 to 6 (6 in.) hoagie sandwich rolls, or 8-12 sliced sandwich bread, depending on filling use

Directions:

1. In a bowl, using a fork, mash the rinsed and drained white beans into a paste.  This can also be done in a food processor.  
2. Add in greek yogurt, cumin, chilies, cheese and salt, and mix thoroughly.
3. Heat a saute pan on medium low heat.
4. If using rolls, split them length-wise down the side and spread 1/4 to 1/6 of the white bean mixture inside.  Close the roll back up.
5. If you desire, spray the pan with some olive oil spray, drizzle of olive oil, or a pat of butter and place the filled sandwich rolls in the pan.  Place a plate on top of the sandwich and top with a heavy can.  This will help press the sandwich and give it a crunchy exterior.
6. After about 3-4 minutes, or when the bottom is browned and crisped, flip sandwich over, replace the plate and can and press for another 3-4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the exterior is crisp.