Homemade Cup Cheese Food

HASH BROWN MAC AND CHEESE CUPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray.
• Divide the hash browns between the muffin tin cups and firmly press into the base and up the sides of each to create a cup shape. Bake until golden around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk and whisk constantly until the milk thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the salt, cayenne and nutmeg. Slowly fold in the Gruyere and Cheddar and stir until the cheeses are melted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the macaroni.
• Divide the macaroni among the hash brown cups. Bake until the tops of the cups are golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and combine with the breadcrumbs.
• Remove the mac and cheese from the oven, top with the breadcrumbs and bake until the breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 5 more minutes. Top with chives.

ONE-POT MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Put the milk and macaroni in a medium saucepan. Bring the milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to keep the macaroni from clumping, then cook, stirring frequently, until the macaroni is tender and the milk has thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the Cheddar, mozzarella, cream cheese, butter, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and stir until smooth, thick and creamy. Serve hot. (The dish will thicken as it cools; thin it out with a little hot water if desired.)

MAC AND CHEESE CUPS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Coat a 24-cup mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
• Cook the elbow macaroni according to the package instructions. Drain in a colander and set aside.
• Working with one wonton wrapper at a time, cut tiny slits in all four corners of the wrapper, so that it nestles easily into a muffin tin opening. Repeat until you have 20 to 24 wonton "cups." Bake until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Carefully remove the wonton wrappers from the muffin tin and let cool.
• In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, and when the roux forms small balls, slowly whisk in the milk and continue to whisk constantly to avoid scorching the sauce.
• Add the cheeses, salt, and pepper and cook, whisking, until the cheese is incorporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, then add the hot sauce, powdered bouillon, scallions, parsley, and the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and cook, whisking occasionally, until the sauce is velvety and coats the back of the spoon, 4 to 5 more minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine the cooked elbow macaroni with the warm sauce and stir to completely coat the pasta in the sauce. Spoon the mac and cheese mixture into the wonton cups, add any desired toppings, and serve.

HOMEMADE FRESH CHEESE

Steps:

• Pour the milk into a large pot, and heat until the temperature reaches 195 degrees F (90 degrees C), or almost boiling. Stir constantly to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pot. When the milk reaches the temperature, remove from the heat, and stir in the vinegar. Let stand for 10 minutes.
• Line a strainer with cheesecloth, and set over the sink or a large pot or bowl. The milk should separate into a white solid part, and a yellowish liquid (whey). Stir the salt into the milk, then pour through the cloth-lined strainer. Let the curds continue to drain in the strainer for 1 hour. Discard the whey.
• After the cheese has finished draining, pat into a ball, and remove from the cheese cloth. Wrap in plastic and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Fresh cheese will usually last about a week.

AMISH CUP CHEESE

Steps:

• 1. Let milk sour until it is very thick. Heat to 120 degrees and pour into a coarse cloth bag and let drain overnight.
• 2. Crumble curds until they are fine, then mix soda with cheese thoroughly. Place in bowl, cover with a cloth and let set at room temperature for 3 days. Stir every morning and evening.
• 3. At the end of the third day, place the bowl of cheese in the upper part of a double boiler. Over heat, stir in salt and water until smooth. Cheese should be thick and yellow and have a sharp smell.
• 4. Pour into cup sized containers. Cool, then spread on bread to serve.

HOMEMADE CUP CHEESE

Steps:

• Cut milk through several times with a long sharp knife, then heat slowly to 90F or scald until curd is very dry.
• Remove from heat and place in a damp cheesecloth bag.
• Press under a heavy weight for 12 to 24 hours or until cheese is dry.
• Force through a cheese sieve or grate finely.
• Place in a wooden bowl, cover with a heavy teatowel and keep in a warm place for 3 to 7 days until soft and ripe, stirring occasionally.
• Then place in a skillet, cook and stir constantly until lumps are all dissolved.
• Add salt and butter; mix well and pour into cups or bowls.

AMISH CUP CHEESE ' SPREADING CHEESE'

Steps:

• Heat milk and water to boiling.
• Mix with cheese and soda.
• Melt in microwave or oven till completely melted.
• Beat until smooth.

POTATO NESTS WITH PEAS, HAM AND CREAM CHEESE

Steps:

• Position two racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup and a 24-cup mini muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
• Cut the ham into small matchsticks similar in size to the hash browns. Set aside and reserve 1/3 cup of the ham. Mix the remaining ham, hash browns, 1 teaspoon salt and some pepper in a large bowl. Divide the mixture evenly among the sprayed cups, using about 1 rounded tablespoon each. Press the mixture in a thin layer across the bottom and up the sides of each cup to make a nest, leaving the edges uneven and jagged.
• Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the nests are dark brown around the tips and golden and crisp on the outside, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese, lemon zest, milk 1/2 teaspoon salt, and some pepper together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed. Scrape the mixture into a resealable plastic bag, cut off the tip and set aside.
• When the nests are ready, remove them from the oven and let sit until they are cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Carefully lift the nests out of the tins using a small offset spatula or butter knife and transfer to a cookie sheet. Pipe the filling evenly among the nests. This may be done ahead; the nests can be set aside at room temperature until ready to serve, up to two hours.
• When ready to serve, heat the filled nests until the cream cheese is warm and the potatoes are crisp, about 7 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the frozen peas and cook until they are warm but not shriveled, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the peas in a colander, shaking to remove excess water.
• Transfer the nests to a serving platter. Top each with 1/4 teaspoon of the reserved ham, 3 peas and about 1/4 teaspoon chopped chives. Sprinkle with paprika and serve immediately.

MAC AND CHEESE CUPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cook macaroni according to package directions, drain. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in cheese and butter until melted., In another bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, sour cream, salt and pepper until blended. Add to macaroni mixture; stir until well blended. Spoon macaroni into 24 well-greased muffin cups. Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes.

CHEESY STUFFING CUPS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Melt butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add celery; cook and stir 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Stir in water. Bring to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in stuffing mix, cranberries and nuts. Add 1 cup cheese and egg; mix lightly.
• Spoon into 8 muffin pan cups sprayed with cooking spray, mounding stuffing mixture as necessary to fill cups. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Bake 10 min. or until stuffing cups are heated through and cheese is melted.