Cheesy Pretzel Bread

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 25-35 mintues

Serving Size: 4-5 people

This is a loaf of bread stuffed and packed with a pound of two different cheeses.  I got the idea from a random Tumblr account, I saw something called "Cheesy Pull Apart Bread".  I made my own version of it based off what the picture on Tumblr looked like.. so this is an original recipe! What's better than a pound of soft gooey melted cheese and warm bread? 

So I want to tell you about this chihuahua cheese, because until recently I had no idea what it was. It is mexican, it can be used to make white queso, or queso blanco.  I always get chihuahua cheese on my pork tacos at Barrio in Lakewood, so when I saw it in the cheese section at Heinen's the other day I knew I wanted to try it with this recipe.  You've all dipped chips in white queso before right? Well that is the same kind of cheese thats melted into this bread! SO GOOD. 

Ingredients:
1 lb of cheese. Whatever kind is your favorite.  (I used one medium sized block of gouda cheese and another medium block of chihuahua queso cheese). 
1/2 cup of chopped green onions.
1 round loaf of any bread really but I used pretzel bread.

Cooking Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice the bread up like a checker board, first longways, then sideways.  Make sure you cut all the way down to the bottom because when you want the melted cheese to melt all the way down to the base of the loaf. It helps to hold the pieces together while cutting through because you don't want to accidentally rip one of the sections off.  Slice slowly with a firm grip.
3. Fill the cracks with pieces of cheese, or if you are using sprinkle cheese then fill up all the crevices with that.  Once again, make sure the cheese gets in every crack all the way to the bottom of the loaf. 
4. Once filled with cheese, sprinkle some fresh scallions on top and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes. (You can also sprinkle garlic salt, or any type of seasoning on the top to add more flavor).  
5. After the bread has been in the oven for the 25 minutes, check to see if the cheese is melted all the way through. You do this by sticking a knife in the middle all the way down to to see if the cheese at the bottom is melted.  If it's not, leave it in the oven for 5-10 more minutes and check again.  You can cover the top of the bread with tinfoil if it starts to burn. 
6. When it's finally done you can pull out the squares of bread and dip them in whatever kind of sauce you want.  Definitely one of my favorite snacks I have ever made!

Sweet Chili Chicken Spring Rolls

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Serving Size 2-3 people

Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts
1/2 cup of sweet chili sauce
3/4 cup of matchstick carrots
1 package of spring roll wrappers
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 bushels of mini bibb lettuce

Cooking Instructions:
1. Put the carrots in olive oil on low heat and let simmer.
2. While the carrots are simmering put the chicken breasts in a skillet on medium heat and cook for 6 minutes on each side.
3. Prepare a small amount of the glass noodles according to the directions on the box they were packaged in. Drain the noodles and cut them into pieces about an inch or two long. 
4.  When the chicken is white on the outsides pour the sweet chili sauce ontop and keep adding it as you continue to flip the chicken.  (The chicken will be done as soon as the inside isn't pink.)
5. Remove the carrots from heat, and chop the chicken into small cubes. Set out all of your materials in order to assemble the spring rolls.
6. Wet a rice wrap in warm water, it will then be easier to roll without cracking or breaking. 7. Place the lettuce leaf sideways and fill it up with the glass noodles, chicken, and carrots. 

8. Start to wrap the lettuce leaf starting at the bottom, just like a burrito.  (Tip: Be gentle, because the wrap is extremely thin and can rip very easily when it's moistened.) It will stick together and will be ready to eat once rolled! 

FYI:  Glass noodles are really hard to find, and are usually sold at foreign or exotic supermarkets.  They are made from only sweet potato starch and water!  Much healthier than regular pasta, and also, they are gluten free.  The texture is very smooth, slippery, and stretchy. You can use them in soup, in a stir fry, or even just plain with sauce. Here is a link where you can buy them from if you don't happen to live near a Chinese supermarket. http://www.amazon.com/Dragonfly-Sweet-Potato-Vermicelli-ounce/dp/B005S9U0A8

Tortellini & Mushroom Curry Soup

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time:  15 minutes

Ingredients:

3 cups water

1 cup coconut milk

3 tablespoons of Sriracha hot sauce

3 tablespoons of red curry paste

1 tablespoon of salt

2 chicken bullion cubes

1 cup of sliced mushrooms

3 cups of tortellini 
1/2 cup of chopped scallions

Cooking Instructions:

1.  Bring salt, bullion cubes, water, and coconut milk to a boil.

2.  Add in the red curry paste and Sriracha, then mix, you should notice the broth turning a 'macaroni orange' color.

3.  Add in the mushrooms, scallions, and tortellini and let boil on low heat for about 10-15 minutes. 

4.  Eat it while it's still hot! If you want it to be spicier you can always add in any type of hot sauce or red pepper flakes.