Happy Cheesy New Year

New Year.  New Blog.  New Post.

We moved to Cache Valley 4 years ago.  A year later, we made new friends who happened to share our love for cheese, good food and games.  Hence came our annual "Cheesy Holiday Party."  A party we look forward to each and every year. 

You can't have a "Cheesy Holiday Party" without...  Cheese.

We'll start our cheesy description with Havarti with Dill (Chris's personal favorite).  We include the tags in order to identify the type and flavor of the cheese.  We also make sure to buy specialty breads from a local artisan bakery called Crumb Brothers.

Chris also put in a special request for Gruyere and Gouda cheeses made by Rock Hill Creamery, located in Ogden, Utah. And no, I didn't drive to Ogden.  Thankfully, you can find it at Gossner's in Logan.  I made it just as they were closing early this afternoon -- Phew.

Even though the theme of the party is totally "cheesy," we also include meat & crackers.  A caramel dip was made for dipping fruit and cake.  I should also mention that what you see in the pics is not all... this is only just what I prepared.  Our friends brought Brie Cheese baked in pastry dough, Boursin Cheese (a family favorite) and for dessert, Cresent Rolls filled with dark chocolate, with a milk chocolate drizzle on top.  Mmmmmmm.

Another holiday staple that I couldn't pass up making was my Mom's "Glog-Nog."  Sounds appetizing, doesn't it!  Don't be a doubter -- it's super delicious and super creamy.  Don't you see all that wonderful, frothy goodness?  A great alternative to the thick, rich flavor of straight Egg Nog.  Let me share with you the recipe...

In a large bowl, add about a 1/3 cup Orange Juice Concentrate (just trust me).  Next, pour in a half gallon of Egg Nog and a 1 liter bottle of Sprite.  That's what makes it frothy.  Stir to combine.  Just before you are ready to serve, add 8 or 9 scoops of vanilla ice cream (that's the "glog").

Now that you've had a glimpse into our holiday cheesiness, you should try being cheesy yourself.  You won't be disappointed.  Full maybe, but definitely not disappointed.

Breakfast Cups

We always try to do something special for breakfast on Conference Weekend and these little breakfast cups did not disappoint.  They've got a crispy toast bottom and an egg, cheese and bacon top.  It's similar to a breakfast casserole, but not nearly as generic and much more fun to make.

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees.  

In a skillet, cook 6 pieces of bacon until just underdone. You want the bacon to still be pliable.  I promise, they will finish cooking in the oven.

While the bacon cooks, spray a large muffin tin with cooking spray.  Line the bottom with regular white bread, cut into circles with a cookie cutter or in my case, a glass cup.  Top with some shredded cheddar cheese and place in the over for about 3 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

Crack an egg into each cup, line with a slice of the almost cooked bacon and sprinkle with pepper.  I suggest omitting salt because the bacon itself is plenty salty, and more salt would just be too much salt.  So leave out the salt.

Place back in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or just until the egg white is cooked through.  The bacon will become crisp and the egg yolk stays nice and creamy, making almost a sauce.

They were so easy to make!  So yummy to eat!  And that's why they made it to the Recipes I Love section of my blog.