#some sharp cheddar some hot sauce

[youandthemountains]

feel like I'm constantly getting groceries and somehow also never have anything to eat

[ghoul-foolery]

Flufftober, Day 15

Impact Play / Cooking

Prompt List - Kink/Flufftober Master List

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> Cooking > Nora >Tags: Fluff, Nora wants grilled cheese > Words: 600

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It starts as a little, wayward inclination one morning that strikes her during a meager breakfast. They eat canned green beans, barely heated through, with a couple strips of dried meat. It makes her long for an omelet; fluffy egg, covered in sharp cheese, loaded with vegetables and doused in hot sauce. With toast, of course. A slice of perfect sourdough bread loaded with butter.

And that’s where Nora’s thoughts catch.

Bread. Sourdough bread.

Nora imagines tearing through a flaky crust as they walk. She imagines cutting thick slices to pair with breakfast, lunch, dinner. And then on a particularly strenuous day she can’t help but think of sinking her teeth into a perfect grilled cheese sandwich. Decadent melted cheese, and crispy bacon on toasted sourdough bread, dipped in silky tomato soup.

The trip to the Boston Public Library is a total waste of time. The place is a mess, and the books that had been left behind are barely legible. And the place is a death trap.

Outside of being pregnant, she doesn’t think she’s ever wanted to cry over something as frivolous as a food craving. When Hancock gifts her with a book filled to the brim with bread, and spread recipes she damn near does. By the end of the week she has sourdough starter tucked away in a corner of Hancock’s office. Whitechapel agrees to feed it when they are out.

It’s two failed starters and a whole month later when Nora finally gets the chance to bake some bread and by that point she’s become proficient in making her own butter, and cream cheese, and has a deal made with Daisy. If she keeps bringing in milk, then Nora will share everything she makes.

Cheese is a different beast entirely, and it only becomes achievable when Hancock brings her a gift in the form of an ancient, stained, recipe card. He passes it to her with a smile, knowing damn well that he might have made her whole year with a simple index card.

Nora knows she had an easy life pre-bombing, but the whole entire process of acquiring ingredients and learning how to make everything from scratch has really put everything into perspective. Cheese, bread, and butter were such simple things, cheap things that she could go buy on a whim — and now it takes scrounging, and time, and resources.

She actually does cry when she takes her first bite of cheese. It isn’t the sharp cheddar that she’s dreamt about, but it’s delicious. It’s a soft white mass that cuts and tears easily. It’s springy against her teeth and gently tangy on the tongue.

Cooking such a simple meal becomes a whole event. The bread is worked and baked fresh that morning, with cheese that had been made just the day before. The tato soup takes more time than average, sifting out seeds, pulverizing the produce, and straining out the chunks is a bit of an ordeal but it’s worth every single second.

Daisy takes a bite of her grilled sandwich, and delights in the way the melted cheese stretches and the bread crunches. All the time was worth it.

MacCready brings the steaming bowl to his lips and guzzles it down despite the searing heat. All the effort was worth it.

Fahrenheit comes back for seconds. All the failed attempts were worth it.

Hancock’s eyes light up when Nora brings him a portion to his office. He dips the corner into the soup, and his whole body sags as he takes a bite. Cooking for the people she loved was worth it.

[dingbatnix]

Lasagna

Gosh dang you notice how weird that is to spell? English is so freaking weird you'd think there'd be a 'Y' in friggin 'la-za-nya' but no I guess not xD. Anyway, so I had some lasagna the other day and it was really good, + I had a small drabble floating around of Sapnap being able to survive being baked in an oven, sooooo this appeared!

O yeah taglist: @i-am-beckyu @brick-a-doodle-do @kayla-crazy-stuffs here you go @da3dm a bit late but oop xD

Also I did an art for this : D

Poor Sap, he is a frighten. Anyway.

Word Count: 2,686

Warnings: Fear of death, fear of being eaten, yeah that's about it. No actual noms this time, but it's very close ; D

The furnace was hot, and the quickly melting cheddar cheese was even hotter. Sapnap tried to wriggle, heart pounding heavily in his chest from the panic and adrenaline that was overwhelming his system, but it was no use. There were layers of pasta, cheese, and sauce weighing down his entire body, and he just could not move. Honestly, he was surprised he could breathe at all, what with the blanket of noodles over his head. He was lucky his earlier wriggling had created a pocket of air, even if it was only a small one.

Sapnap was…currently stuck. He hadn’t meant to fall into the pan of uncooked lasagna during a brief spell when the human had been gone. It was a total accident! He’d just wanted to grab some of the deliciously alluring cheese that was all over the top of the pasta, but he got startled when the human walked back into the room and had fallen in. Luckily, or unluckily, depending on which way Sapnap wanted to look at it, he’d fallen hard enough that he had been embedded deeply into the noodles, and he was fortunate the human hadn’t noticed the indent, but…the bean had proceeded to put more layers of lasagna over the top, trapping Sapnap underneath them.

Sapnap hadn’t been able to struggle free in time, and next he knew, the pasta, and more importantly, he, was put into the blazing hot furnace. The borrower bit his lip with a sharp canine, holding back a long whine of terror. It wasn't the fear of physical injury that was giving him such horrible anxiety, no, not that. Sapnap was born in fire, the heat didn't hurt him. No, it was the fear of discovery that locked his joints and seized his lungs. He didn’t know what was worse: The fact that he might be discovered, or the fact that there was the very real possibility that he might be accidentally eaten by an unaware human.

That, and also maybe the fact that there was a chance he would be impaled by a human's fork.

He wriggled again, sucking in another short breath, and squeezed his eyes shut. What a way to go out. It was a good thing he didn’t have any family left, a good thing there would be nobody to mourn him. He wouldn’t be able to live with…or, well. He couldn’t bear it if he were leaving anybody to fend for themselves, alone, in the world that was way too big for them. He’d feel awful.

It was a long, long forty minutes Sapnap was trapped in the maybe-a-little-too-warm oven. Sure, he was a nether-born, and he could swim in lava if he really wanted to, but that didn’t mean that it’d be good for him to do so. He’d get heat-sick.

The borrower was almost relieved when the pan was pulled out of the oven, but the overwhelming thought that none of this was over just yet crushed that feeling very quickly. He still couldn’t get free, the weight of all of the pasta on top of his body too much for him to move.

A thud jarred his body, and then he heard the human’s voice, too muffled and indistinct to make out, high above his head. Then, he heard a nauseating squelch as the lasagna was cut. Sapnap shivered, but didn’t have much time to dwell on it. To his utter, complete horror, the chunk he was stuck in was lifted free from the pan. He still couldn’t see anything, but he felt when everything was jarred again. Vertigo swirled through his head as everything started moving, and he had to try desperately to control his breathing and not burst out into terrified whimpering. 

Sapnap tried struggling again, but everything was still too closely packed, and the jarring movements of the human had made the pasta shift, all but burying Sapnap’s small pocket of air. He tried not to hyperventilate. He didn’t know if it’d be better or worse if he was found unconscious. Probably worse. There’d be no chance to run away if he were comatose.

He felt more than saw the tines of a metal fork scrape underneath him, spearing through one of the big flat noodles underneath his body. He felt a tine scrape along his spine, sending skin-crawling shivers wracking his body, and it took him only a moment to realize that the strap of his bag had been caught around the metal prong. He tried tugging at it as he was lifted up, but the leather was caught too tightly.

Sapnap looked up, chest heaving wildly, and a huge, gaping red maw filled his vision. His heart nearly exploded from the sheer terror, and his breath froze in his lungs. Those teeth were nearly as big as he was! 

The borrower jerked his limbs, attempting to jump off of the fork, but the strap of his bag and the congealed pasta held him stuck fast. He tried heaving himself up, but it was no use! A quick glance back up at his approaching death made his own mouth go dry. He was fire-retardant, yeah, but he wouldn't be able to survive being chewed to bits! 

Sapnap let loose a scream that could rival a phantom’s, sure he was about to die. Be it by the human’s teeth, or by the human’s hands, he wasn’t sure, but his doom was imminently approaching, and there was nothing he could do about it.

°°°°°°°°

George froze, fork midway to his mouth. The hand fiddling with his communicator stilled, and he glanced down with wide eyes, sure he had just heard someone scream. A flash of movement snatched his gaze to his forkful of pasta, and then all George could do was stare.

There was a tiny creature on his fork, tangled up in thick clumps of cheese and sauce. Its little chest was heaving, and its tiny teeth were bared in a fearful grimace as it met George’s eyes.

The creature tried to lunge off of the utensil, but the partially congealed cheese held it stuck fast. As George watched, he realized that the strap of its tiny bag was caught on one of the tines of his fork. A terrified noise escaped from the creature’s mouth, jolting the brunette out of his startled stupor.

George shrieked and dropped the fork, shoving back from the table and shooting to his feet. His communicator clattered to the table, forgotten in the brunette’s panic.

The creature gave another tiny scream of its own as it fell, wriggling and thrashing against the congealed pasta that held it hostage, but it didn’t seem like it was strong enough to break away.

It hit the table with a small, wet splat, snapping the strap of its bag and knocking it free from the fork, and then it was trying to scramble away, but cheese was still gluing its limbs together, even the tiny, tufted tail that trailed from its spine. George gaped, watching in bewilderment as the creature struggled to pull itself off of the table. It finally managed to free an arm, which spurred George into action.

He snatched up Dream's empty cup and slammed it down over the tiny creature, trapping it underneath the ceramic container. A tiny, muffled sound escaped from the mug as George yanked his hand back, staring down at it in disbelief. What the hell…?

"George? Everything okay?" Dream poked his head around the doorframe, concern creasing the shape of his brow. His eyes took in the mess on the table and George standing a good couple of feet away from it. 

"There's a tiny man under the mug." George mumbled, staring blankly at the overturned mug, and then up at Dream. The blond’s face scrunched up in bewilderment, and he looked at George like he had grown a second head. “What?” 

“There’s a tiny man under the mug,” George reiterated, pointing at the overturned pink mug for emphasis. His face suddenly screwed up in disgust. "It was in my food!" He exclaimed, waving his hands emphatically at the barely-touched plate of lasagna on the table. Dream had to hold back a small laugh.

Interest piqued, the tall blonde moved to the table and looked over the upside down mug curiously. It seemed normal enough…

Carefully, Dream wrapped a hand around the mug and quickly flipped it over, cupping his other hand over the top so whatever the creature was couldn’t escape and gently set the cup back down on the table. Slowly, he removed his hand, peering down inside of the mug to see what George was freaking out so much about.

Something was pressed up against the inside side of the cup, staring at Dream. Dream had to stop when he finally got a good glimpse of it, shock and disbelief coloring his expression. George was right. It–err, more namely, he, was just a tiny guy. He was incredibly small, maybe about two or three inches in stature. He had a long, thin tail like a mouse that faded to a rich brown at the tip, where a plume of dark fluff seemed to sprout. The fluff was still tangled and gunked up with pasta, but the little guy either didn’t notice, or didn’t care. Two pointed ears stuck out from the sides of his head, also dark at the tips. Those tiny ears were laid back against the little guy’s head, and were twitching rather frantically.

Miniature blue eyes stared back up at Dream, and the pure terror he could see radiating out of them was like a punch to the gut. Dream immediately felt bad for the little thing, and was quick to try and reassure him.

“Hey–” Dream started, but was quickly interrupted by George. "Why were you in my food?" The brunette demanded, stepping closer to the table and leaning over the ceramic cup to see the little creature better. He quailed under George’s gaze, his whole, tiny body trembling as his breath hitched up.

“George, you’re scaring him,” Dream cut in, dropping a hand over the shorter man’s shoulder and gently tugging him away from the mug. Seeing George’s petulant expression looming over him couldn’t have been too nice for the little guy.

“I’m scaring him?” George snapped with a scowl. “Well, I’m not the one who was in the freaking lasagna! I nearly had a heart attack!” He glowered at the tiny ravenette, crossing his arms and straightening up his spine.

"I just…I wanted some cheese, man! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to fall in!" The voice, quiet and breathless and shaking, was a surprise to both Dream and George, but it was nice to know that the little guy could speak, nice to know that he could understand them.

"Well...here," If all the little guy wanted was some cheese, Dream wasn’t going to just deny him any. That would be mean. The blond snagged a small plate from the clean dish rack and set it on the table, then scooped up a forkful lasagna and plopped it in the center of the new plate. He then reached towards the mug, intent on letting the little dude out so he could get some of the pasta. Before his hand was even close, the tiny man shrieked, throwing himself down to the bottom of the cup and shielding his head with his arms. Dream froze, shooting a concerned glance at George, who shrugged, uncertainly. Wh…why was the little guy so scared? It wasn’t like Dream was going to hurt him.

Dream stooped down a little bit, trying not to loom over the guy’s head so much, and dropped his voice down to a whisper. “Hey, it’s alright. You’re alright. I’m not gonna hurt you, okay?” The ravenette only whined, body shaking as his tiny, tufted, cheese-infused tail curled around his form. Dream frowned, and tried again, slowly reaching out to wrap his hands around the mug. “Do you…I’m going to let you out of the cup now, okay? Then you can have some of George’s lasagna. We’re not going to hurt you, little guy.” He assured again, trying to reiterate that everything would be alright.

Carefully, Dream lifted the mug and slowly tipped it over next to the plate of pasta, wincing guiltily when the tiny man uncurled from his ball with a yelp and tried to scramble back up the side of the mug. He slid out onto the table with barely a sound, and he stumbled backwards until the backs of his thighs met the rim of the plate. He tipped over, arms pinwheeling, but managed to land in a sit on the edge of the ceramic. He froze then, staring up at George and Dream while sucking in short, panting breaths of air.

“It’s alright, you’re okay,” Dream tried again, a flash of guilt flaring up in his chest. He and George weren’t…really that scary, were they? Dream hoped not. The tiny guy had nothing to fear from them.

While Dream tried to calm the small man down, George turned to one of the cabinets and pulled out a rag. The little ravenette was still caked in pasta, and it had to be annoying. He ran it under the faucet for a good few seconds, then turned back to the dinner table, where he saw that Dream had crouched down to be closer to eye level with the little guy. George set the warm, damp rag next to the tiny ravenette. “Here. So you can get all of that off you.” George offered. The tiny guy flinched away from George’s hand, but then hesitantly took up a corner of the rag and started working through the tangled mess of fluff and pasta at the end of his tail. George winced sympathetically as he sat back down. That looked like it hurt.

“So…do you have a name, dude? Or should we just keep calling you, ‘little guy?” Dream asked, leaning his elbows against the table as he slid into the chair opposite George’s. 

“S…Sapnap. I–my name is, is Sapnap.” The little guy offered, his tiny voice nearly a whisper. The two humans very nearly couldn’t hear it, and had to lean a bit closer to hear him properly.

“Were you…did I—were you in the furnace?!” George suddenly blurted, stomach twisting. He would have noticed if there was a tiny man in the pasta when he’d gotten some, wouldn’t he? Like if there was an indent or something, right? Maybe George had missed it. He hoped he had. There was no way the little guy would have survived being baked in the nearly four-hundred degree furnace.

“O-oh. Er, yeah, I was.” He seemed to notice the horrified expression of George’s face, because then he raised his hands and shook them disarmingly. “I–don’t worry, I’m fine! I was, I was born in the nether, I can take a little heat!”

George didn’t look like he fully believed him, and when he glanced at the other human, Dream, he looked mostly concerned, but Sapnap didn’t really care. It’s not like it mattered, right? It…they weren’t planning to stick him back in the furnace, were they? He tugged viciously at a particularly stubborn tangle and winced, pushing most of his thoughts to the backburner. He was alive, he wasn’t hurt, yet, and the humans seemed content to just watch him, for now. 

He couldn’t run away as he was right this moment. His bag was still tangled around the pasta-covered fork dozens of inches away, and there was still lasagna all over him, making it harder and harder to move as the cheese started to cool down and congeal. He’d…he’d have to escape later.

Sapnap hoped desperately to End that they weren't going to kill him after all of this. Maybe they just wanted to keep him as a pet…? Even though the thought was so distressing that Sapnap nearly whimpered, it’d be better than being outright killed. At least, if they kept him as a pet, at least he’d have a chance to escape. 

Eventually.

[dreamerinsilico]

Stovetop Mac 'N Cheese

Because I just ate my leftovers from yesterday and am still happy about it:

(Please note all measurements are guesses; I didn't actually measure anything.)

8 oz pasta of choice (I like cavatappi but anything works, really)

1-2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

1/4 to 1/3 cup ricotta cheese

1 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 oz grated romano cheese (or your other favorite hard, salty Italian cheese)

1 slice American cheese, like a Kraft single (yes this is important)

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

splash of half-and-half, milk, or water

salt & pepper

sprinkle of nutmeg

Any kind of powdered onion/garlic/allium to taste

Cayenne and/or paprika if you feel like it

Chopped parsley, also if you feel like it

Boil the pasta in salted water with a splash of oil to al dente. Drain and set aside.

Melt butter in a pot/pan (preferably nonstick) that will comfortably accommodate all the pasta. Whisk in flour to make a loose roux, and cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly, or until it smells appropriately nutty.

Splash in liquid (half and half, water, milk, stock, or even cream) to make it looser, also stirring/whisking constantly, then add ricotta. Stir that till the ricotta is warm.

Add the drained, cooked pasta back to the pot, with some reserved cooking water if you've thought that far ahead (I didn't); otherwise just some water or whatever other liquid, just enough so it doesn't stick to the pan.

More butter if you feel like it.

Sprinkle in grated cheese and American cheese slice, and add mustard, salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you want.

Add more liquid as needed. Stir until hot and the consistency you want.

Top with parsley, tomato, paprika, whatever. Maybe stir in some steamed or roasted veggies, for a full meal.

(American cheese singles have an emulsifying agent that's actually important for getting the sauce right, here.)

[sandwichtribunal]

Fall River's Physics-Defying Hot Cheese Sandwich

"It was soft, the mouthfeel was cheeselike, it had the sharpness of cheddar punctuated by the savory Coney sauce and the pungent bites of pickle, onion, and mustard. It shouldn't have worked but it did." Fall River's Physics-Defying Hot Cheese Sandwich

I can’t always track when I learned about a sandwich down to a specific day or time or occasion or source. Some are easy–many of the sandwiches in the oft-mentioned 2003 documentary Sandwiches That You Will Like, for example. The St. Paul sandwich. The Hot Brown. Chipped chopped ham. But there are plenty of sandwiches mentioned in that documentary that I clearly already knew about, well-known…

[furrama]

I saw this macaroni and cheese TikTok uploaded on Tumblr late last year and it looked so good. Like watch it, isn't it the most delicious thing you've ever seen?

Did you watch? Okay, I made it. Went to her website and followed the directions exactly. My advice is to not make it.

The reasons are simple: One, it's just. Too much cheese. Like it looks good in a video, but if you put that much of those kinds of cheeses into something there's going to be. So much oil. Just everywhere. Even if you take care not to overbake, it's going to be overflowing over the sides of your casserole dish. Did you see in the video that at some point she had a pan under it? Like she put it in the oven filled to the top (which is asking for spill over anyway) and then we cut back and there's an oily pan for a second? Yeah, you eat this and you will be on the toilet for days. Did it taste good once you blotted up some cheese oil with paper towels? Yes. Was it worth it? No.

The second reason is that it's stupid expensive to make this recipe. The cream and cheese add up, it's going to cost like 30+ dollars depending on cheese brand and availability. Macaroni and cheese should be affordable, this recipe isn't.

My hunch is that this was made to be a video first, and I wasn't supposed to take it seriously.

I have spent the last couple of months fueled by something akin to vengeance, trying to make a good mac just to spite the video, and after talking to my dad who used to manage several Luby's Cafeterias and searching online and stealing the chicken bouillon in the noodle water idea from the video, this is the cheapest and best version I have after making it and fiddling around several times. And you will not die of cheese grease. Probably.

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Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

You will need:

11/7 casserole dish, aluminum foil, a cheese grater, a little oil for the dish

2 cups of small dry elbow macaroni

4 tablespoons of nonfat dry milk

2 tablespoons of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon of white pepper

1 and 1/4 cup of boiling water

1 tablespoon of butter

1 pound block (16 oz) of sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 pound block (8 oz) of american cheese (check the deli counter for this one, you need to be able to grate it. And yes it's worth it, the way it breaks down in hot water is important to getting creamy sauce.)

Roughly 6 hours before eating boil water for macaroni in a medium sized pot, and put the bouillon and salt in the water. Cook according to package directions, then set aside in the water to cool. Stir the noodles once in a while to break them up. Make sure they stay just covered in water. Once lukewarm put in the fridge with a lid. Noodles should get big but not mushy.

Also roughly six hours before you will start the cheese sauce. Grate all of your cheese. Add the milk powder, flour, white pepper, garlic powder, and butter to a large bowl. You can optionally add another 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt here. Pour in boiling water and whisk together. Then add half a cup of shredded american cheese and half a cup of shredded sharp cheddar. Whisk them together until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Then let it cool, then cover with plastic wrap or a lid and put it in the fridge. This will help it thicken up. Mix the rest of your shredded cheese together and put it in the fridge until it's time to bake.

When it is time to bake set the oven to 350 degrees. Oil the bottom and inner sides of your casserole dish and set aside. Drain your noodles thoroughly, water likes to hide in them and it can cause your mac to become watery. Then put the noodles in the bowl with the sauce and combine. Then add another cup of the mixed cheese and stir. Put the mixture in the casserole dish and cover it with foil. Bake for 30 minutes.

Then take the foil off and cover the top with the rest of your shredded cheese mixture. Bake until the cheese melts. You can broil it until brown spots appear but that will separate out some of the cheese grease so be aware.

Let the dish rest for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!

(Costs about 12 dollars a dish too.)

[rabbitcruiser]

National Cheeseburger Day 

There are many ways to make a cheeseburger. Try something new and exciting like a Reuben Cheeseburger, or get a classic at your favorite restaurant or drive-thru.

Cheeseburger day is celebrated annually on the 18th of September. This celebration of one of the most iconic and delicious foods of the USA, has been taking place every year since the early part of the Roaring 20s era. While its plain cousin, the hamburger was likely invented somewhere around 1900 in the United States, it is believed that putting the cheese on top didn’t enter the picture until 1924.

History of National Cheeseburger Day

The story goes that a teenager, Lionel Sternberger, who was working in his father’s sandwich shop, The Rite Spot in Pasadena, California, USA, just decided to put a slice of American cheese on a burger one day. He found it to be tasty so he shared the idea with his dad who liked it too. And, thus, the cheeseburger was born.

Although the idea was thought to be created in California in 1924, the first actual sandwich to be marketed using the word “cheeseburger” was at Kaelin’s restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, USA in 1934. But the following year, in 1935, the term “cheeseburger” was actually trademarked in another place, at the Humpty Dumpty Drive-in in Denver, Colorado. It seems that people all over the United States have taken credit for the invention of the cheeseburger!  

National Cheeseburger Day is marked in a number of different ways, but it can be celebrated and enjoyed in almost any way a person chooses–as long as it involves a cheeseburger, of course! Try these ideas for paying homage to the day:

One of the most common ways National Cheeseburger Day is celebrated is by major and local fast-food chains offering free cheeseburgers to customers alongside other special offers.

Usually, the free offers have some sort of limit to prevent people from taking advantage of the generosity. This may be limiting the free cheeseburgers to one per customer, to only the first ten thousand visitors to the fast food store, or through making them available only for a one or two hour period on the day. Some places offer a free order of fries or drink with the purchase of a cheeseburger.

How to Celebrate National Cheeseburger Day

A few examples of restaurant chains that have served free or discounted cheeseburgers in the past include Burger King, Slater’s 50/50, Farmer Boy, Jack in the Box, Red Robin, White Castle, and many more. Just check online or pop into a local burger joint to see what kinds of discounts they are offering around National Cheeseburger Day this year!

Get Creative Making Cheeseburgers at Home

To mark the day, many burger makers will use their creativity and culinary skills to make new variations on the traditional cheeseburger. This usually involves using premium types of cheese, other meats, and a variety of unusual garnishes. Try out these interesting ideas for making a standard cheeseburger into something excessively delicious:

Cheddar Cheeseburgers with Fried Shallots and Slaw. This unique twist on a regular cheeseburger combines the tang of sharp cheddar cheese with vinegared-cabbage (made into slaw) and a delightful topping of crispy, fried shallot rings.

Poblano Pepper Jack Cheeseburgers. Heat things up a bit with a slice of pepper jack cheese and top with a pile of roasted poblano peppers. Yikes, that’s hot!

Reuben Cheeseburgers. Changing the cheese up to Swiss and adding Thousand Island dressing channels the vibes of a Reuben Sandwich. Of course, this concoction definitely needs to be served on a rye bun.

Bacon, Kimchi and American Cheeseburger. Inspired by a Shake Shack burger, this unique sandwich holds a couple of slices of bacon, a slice of American or cheddar, a dash of Indonesian chile sauce mixed with mayo, and a little pile of drained and chopped cabbage kimchi.

Listen to Some Songs About Cheeseburgers

To get in the mood for National Cheeseburger Day, have fun creating a playlist that channels the utter joy that makes people want to write songs about them! Try these songs out on a playlist to get started, then add some other fun songs to get inspired for the day:

Cheeseburger in Paradise by Jimmy Buffett (1978). Any self-respecting lover of cheeseburgers will be perfectly familiar with Jimmy Buffett’s tribute to the cheeseburger.

His Cheeseburger by Veggie Tales (2011). Sure, it’s a kid’s song. But it’s also a rock love ballad describing the deep emotions of a gourd named Mr. Lunt who is in love with cheeseburgers.

The Cheeseburger Song by Lucinnio (2020). A singer-songwriter from Romania who mostly writes about food, Lucinnio also sings songs such as The Muffin Song, The Pancake Song and The Chicken Nuggets Song. He does seem to love to have “everything on it”.

The Cheeseburger Family by Jack Stauber’s Micropop (2018). This avant-pop folk indie lo-fi band first released only a 30 second clip of this song but then, due to high demand, put out the entire 4 minute version that can now be found on YouTube, complete with a picture of a clay hamburger face.

Host a National Cheeseburger Day Party

Grab a few friends or family members, fire up to the backyard grill (or stove!) and get to making some burgers in honor of National Cheeseburger Day. Or make a fun day of it at work and host a cheeseburger bar during the lunch hour.

Have different people sign up to bring buns or various items to place on the toppings bar, including a variety of types of cheese slices, tomato slices, lettuce, pickles, mayonnaise, ketchup, barbeque sauce, or anything else that goes deliciously on top of a burger. Don’t forget to create a festive atmosphere by playing some of the previously mentioned Cheeseburgers Songs!

Try Some Crazy Cheeseburger Foods

Tired of that boring old hunk of meat stacked with cheese between two buns? Well, National Cheeseburger Day is just the day to get absolutely ridiculous with the way Cheeseburgers are eaten! Take a look at these interesting ways some people have chosen to eat their cheeseburgers on this day and all throughout the year:

Cheeseburger Pizza. Okay, so maybe this one isn’t too crazy. It takes all of the flavor of a cheeseburger and, instead of piling it on a bun, it’s piled on top of pizza dough. It’s delicious and it still maintains the ability to be eaten with your hands.

Cheeseburger Milkshake. What goes better with a cheeseburger than a pile of fries and a milkshake? With this in mind the Cheeseburger milkshake was started–combining a flavor-packed milkshake (chocolate, strawberry or some other flavor) that is topped with a cheeseburger placed right on the straw as a garnish. Wow!

Cheeseburger Flavored Cheetos. It seems that Asian cultures have a slightly different palate when it comes to flavors of chips and snacks. This particular version of Cheeseburgers Cheetos has been featured in Japan–but the marketers never did try to bring it over to the United States. However, another equally interesting option would be to try piling a stack of Cheetos onto a cheeseburger for a crispy, cheesy taste.

Source

[autumngracy]

In honor of all the impending Super Bowl parties, here's my take on the famous Buffalo Chicken dip!

Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe

2-3 cups shredded chicken, fully cooked

1 8oz pachage or cream cheese

1/2 cup of shredded cheese of choice (I used a mix of colby jack, sharp cheddar, and mexican)

1/2 cup hot sauce of choice (Frank's Red Hot is a popular choice; I used Crystal)

2/3 cup of blue cheese (ranch dressing can be substituted)

Salt and pepper to taste

Onion powder or flakes to taste

Mix together in an ungreased quart sized baking dish sized 9x9 to 10x10 or equivalent. Ceramic works best.

Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

Don't forget some tortilla chips!

[osaka-lilac]

yooo hi allie! hope ur doing good tonight, and since i’m hungry, what are ur 5 things to eat when ur sick, sad, or just craving smth? mine are:

maruchan ramen noodle soup (chicken flavor)

smartfoods cheddar popcorn

pan-fried dumplings

crab rangoon

straight up dried seaweed :)

hello hi theo uhhhh sorry for not responding i fell asleep n then i forgor BUT those snacks sound fucking delicious!!! personally my favorite ramen flavor is the picante chicken :)

ANYWAYS the comfort foods.

- andy’s hot fries. peak spicy gas station snacks. they’re crispy. spicy. sometimes they like. explode with grease when u bite into them. they’re SO not good for you but my dad n i eat them all the time

- clam chowder soup!!!!! creamy. potatoes. clams. so fucking good. i am not on the sea so i have not had Peak clam chowder but im on the Lake so that’s pretty close. also. hot take. canned clam chowder is NOT bad , yes it’s not “authentic” but for a broke 20 year old like me it’s pretty damn good

- pretzels n french onion dip. currently eating this right now. if you put a container of dip and pretzels in front of me, regardless of if i’m hungry or not. i will eat it. all

- my mom’s beef stroganoff. it’s uh. egg noodles. beef. mushrooms. n some cream of mushroom n milk. cook the noodles n mix it all together n put it in the oven n that’s it. it’s so yummy guys like its simple but it’s wonderful. same goes for my moms green bean casserole like its so easy to make side dishes like even i’ve made it before!

-cheezits. specifically the “duos” box with sharp cheddar and parmesan flavors. no notes. a perfect snack

-uh spaghetti with red sauce n mushrooms (this list shows that i am a mushroom enjoyer)

thank u for the ask theo ily

send a sleepover ask! (yes i’m still gonna do this)

[nbula-rising]

Cheddar Cheesecake with Apple Butter Caramel

Total: 11 hr (includes chilling time) Active: 45 min Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

Crust:

8 ounces butter crackers, such as Ritz (about 70 crackers or 2 sleeves)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 cup)

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake:

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

4 large eggs, at room temperature

Apple Butter Caramel:

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup store-bought apple butter

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup light brown sugar

Directions

    Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Wrap the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan with 3 pieces of heavy-duty foil.

    For the crust: Add the crackers, sugar and cheddar cheese to a food processor and process until fine crumbs form, about 1 minute. Pour in the melted butter and pulse until well incorporated and the mixture holds together when pinched between your fingers, 10 to 12 pulses. Press the crumb mixture into the prepared springform pan, taking care to get the crust evenly to the edges. Bake until golden brown and set, 10 to 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes then place in a large roasting pan.

    For the cheesecake: Beat the cream cheese, cheddar cheese and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until well combined, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until just combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, until just combined. (Take care not to overmix or the cheesecake will puff up and crack.) Pour the batter evenly over the crust, smoothing the top. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come about halfway up the sides of the foil-wrapped springform pan. Bake until the outside of the cake is set but the center is still slightly loose, about 1 hour 10 minutes.

    Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another hour. Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan to a cooling rack. Run a knife around the edge and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours.

    Run a knife around the edge of the pan once more and unlock to unmold the cheesecake. Remove from the springform base and transfer to a serving platter or cake stand and smooth the edges with a knife.

    For the apple butter caramel: About 2 hours before serving the cheesecake, whisk the heavy cream, apple butter, corn syrup, butter, vanilla extract and salt in a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until very smooth, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

    Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly in a medium skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the sugar melts and is smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and slowly drizzle in the warm cream mixture, whisking constantly. Return the skillet to medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer; cook, whisking frequently, until smooth and a deep amber color, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a heat proof container and refrigerate, uncovered, until cool, about 1 hour.

    Pour the caramel sauce into the center of the cake and use an offset spatula to spread it out, letting some of the sauce drip over the sides. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

[sendpseuds]

The people must know: What are your favorite sandwiches???

Ah, sandwiches. What a magical food.

Since you graced us all with a whole dissertation I feel like I owe you the same level of detail, let’s see what we can do here.

While I am not actually vegetarian, I LOVE a veggie sandwich. One of my all time favorites to make at home is seeded rye with hummus on one side and homemade herby cream cheese on the other [usually parsley, green onion, mint, dill, and fresh garlic. Also sometimes this is chèvre instead of cream cheese]. Between the bread we have sliced cucumbers [seasoned with salt, pepper, and lemon juice], big slices of tomato, and arugula [sprouts if I can get my hands on them]. This whole ordeal is fabulous with turkey or bacon if you want more protein, I’ve also done smashed chickpeas in place of the hummus for a heartier option.

Another veggie sandwich I love is from a local bakery and if I knew exactly how they made it I would tell you, but it’s fresh crusty sourdough liberally coated in amazing olive oil, with this incredible carrot purée, thinly sliced fennel, Calabrian chilis, and arugula. So fucking good.

Okay, let’s talk about something less “healthy”

If you’ve ever been to Buffalo, New York [Go Bills] there are TWO sandwiches that I think about all the time.

The first is pretty ubiquitous through western New York: Beef on Weck. This is roast beef, dipped in hot jus, and piled on a kimmelweck roll [basically a Kaiser roll with crunchy sea salt and caraway seeds]. That’s it. Personally, I like to add an almost unadvisable amount of horseradish, but that’s it. It’s perfect.

The second is a true drunken indulgence. The Stinger Hoagie from Jim’s Steakout. If you are unfamiliar with Jim’s, most locations are open until 5am [bars in Buffalo close at 4am. A real drinking town] and the employees can often be seen wearing shirts that say “I see drunk people.” The Stinger Hoagie is their beautiful monster. Cheesesteak meets chicken finger sub. Shaved steak, chicken fingers, fried onions, melted American cheese, lettuce, tomato, Frank’s Red Hot, and Jim’s special sauce. [I am fucking drooling right now, I haven’t had one of these since I was in my twenties.]

When it comes to deli meat, I tend to lean toward turkey, but I want some really soft seeded multigrain bread with crispy Romain and good tomatoes. Thick slices of sharp sharp cheddar, mayonnaise, and Nance’s Sharp and Creamy mustard. I might toss in some cucumber or parsley, maybe apples and bacon if I’m feeling extra, but the specific mustard is very important.

[this isn’t really a sandwich but I’ll often take a big rib of Romaine lettuce and make a little deli boat with turkey, cheese, and Mayo. I’m sure I can blame that on high school, my mother, and all the lovely disordered eating habits I developed as a teen]

Grilled cheese… I’m sort of all over the place with grilled cheese, always experimenting, but for me, the most important thing is using GRATED CHEESE [and to be clear, I mean block cheese that you grate at home, not the pre-grated stuff in the bag, please, this is important, that shit doesn’t melt right] I want the cheese pouring over the sides of the bread, hitting the pan, oozing and bubbling until it’s gold and crispy and perfect.

I’ll give you one fancy grilled cheese: deviled egg grilled cheese. Two hard boiled eggs, whites sliced thin, yolks mixed with mayo, mustard, pepper, paprika, dill. Into the pan goes bread, cheese mixture [gruyere and cheddar, shredded and mixed with a little Mayo and mustard], yolk mixture, sliced whites, more cheese mixture, bread. Done.

This is getting out of control and I haven’t talked about chopped italian sandwiches, or banh mi, or my mom’s famous roast beef and mock Boursin sandwiches, or my obsession with Calabrian chilis [oh! Add those to the mayo on a turkey sandwich], or the time I put an entire meatloaf on an entire loaf of bread and called it a sandwich.

I haven’t even TOUCHED on breakfast sandwiches but if I get into that we’ll be here forever.

So, for now, I’ll cap it there, but there’s plenty of room for a sequel.

Hope that answers your question!

[malinastharlock]

Just some random food art I've done that I put through an AI filter.

Mango Margarita (Mango flavored Margarita from Don Juan's)

Chili Cheese Dogs with Macaroni and Cheese (beer & onion boiled Nathan's Hot Dogs topped with ketchup, honey mustard, onions, chili, and sharp cheddar cheese. Then it's toasted in the air fryer. The Mac and Cheese is Kraft)

Sweet Pork Tacos (Pork Carnitas on Sweet Hawaiian tortillas, topped with sharp cheddar cheese and toasted in the air fryer, then further topped with sweet red onions, home made taco sauce and some sour cream.)

Fruity Pebbles Treat (Fruity Pebbles mixed with melted marshmallows and rainbow chocolate chips)

Big La-o 🍔 (a 1/2 inch thick burger patty on a grilled Sweet Hawaiian Burger bun topped with pineapple, smoked provolone cheese, sweet red onions, honey mustard, and Sweet Baby Ray's Hawaiian style BBQ sauce.)

[hetalia-club]

How do you not like butternut squash!? It’s soo good!

Like to be fair im an extremely picky eater and I don’t particularly like many foods. I think butternut squash smells really good when it’s cooking but it doesn’t taste like what it smells like.

List of things everybody loves but I absolutely hate that I constantly get ragged on for:

Hamburgers

Salad/lettuce

Grilled foods of any kind, I hate the charred taste

Hot Dogs

Bacon

Cooked pepperoni, cold is good tho

Any cheese that isn’t mozz, parm or sharp cheddar

Tacos (Taco Bell is good tho)

Raw veggies

Oranges

All lunch meat

Sandwiches of any kind

Any and every fish and or sea food it’s the smell that does it for me really I can’t get past it.

All candy (I like Chocolate but I have to be in the mood for it and craving it other wise I don’t want it. I’ll go through spurts with it though where I’m really into it.)

Pop/soda however you want to call it. Have not had a sip of it in over 10 years and I don’t miss it.

BBQ sauce, i don’t like it it’s too sweet.

Ham, again it’s too sweet I don’t want to eat sweet with meat.

These are just some of the beloved things I hate that everyone else loves. To be fair I know I’m picky and I will eat these things I just don’t like them or look forward to it. Like if everybody wants to go to let’s say a hamburger place I will find something to order and I won’t complain or make it about me. I know I’m picky. But it’s not everyone else’s problem

[theforumcat]

You said you had home made macaroni! Did you make it yourself? If so, can you share the recipe? Thank you!

oooooooooh. Uhhh.

No? Yes, but no?

A lot of things I know how to make I just Know How To Make. I have a lot of extremely varied cooking heritage (from a dad who loved to cook, to a couple of chef apprenticeships, to devoted study of my family’s sort of folk-hero matriarch) that has resulted in a great deal of foods that I can just… make.

So I know how to make macaroni and cheese, which is actually very easy, but unfortunately the closest thing to a recipe for the macaroni I made the other day would be:

Pasta (it was a kale and spinach spiral, because that’s the pasta I use for everything) - about 3/4 box

Milk (I used goat milk because I tend to use goat milk, but any milk is fine. Thicker is better, so ideally cream or super creamy non dairy. Buttermilk is also yummy) - how much? Idk. The right amount. I think a cup?

Buttermilk powder - a tablespoon. Ish. I just use a regular spoon and eyeball it. It goes in a lidded cup with the milk (I use a jam jar)

Flour - like two tablespoons. Also goes into the milk

Flour - like two tablespoons. Does NOT go in the milk

Butter - probably half a stick but I really wasn’t paying that much attention

Pasta water - one cup, set off the the side. This is like the only thing I used a measuring cup for, and of course it’s just as a reservoir container for something used as needed

Lemon juice - a whole lemon’s worth. I left the pulp in; it wasn’t hurting anyone.

Garlic - a whole head, crushed

White onion - somewhere between a quarter and half cup, minced. Probably closer to half. Big handful.

Cayenne pepper - a little sprinkle

Chicken bouillon concentrate - a bit

Cheese - two cups ish of extra sharp white cheddar, grated

1. Butter in pan. Hot. Melting.

2. Garlic, onion, stock concentrate. Let the onion kinda disappear and the onion and garlic start to smell good. Splash in some lemon juice but not all

3. Put flour over it and whisk in. Let this brown up and brown up and brown up, and do not let it stop moving at any point ever (okay, it’s not actually that fussy, but until you get the hang of making roux start with those instructions)

4. once you have decided that letting it brown up any more is going to scorch, add the rest of the lemon juice and turn the heat down

5. Shake the milk and company container vigorously for a while. If you think you have finished, shake it that much again. Do not accidentally churn the milk into butter, but do get it really good and mixed and frothy

6. Add some cheese to the pan and let it start getting melty, whisking into the butter and lemon

7. Add the milk jar

8. Get it hot enough to maybe simmer but not boil and keep adding cheese a bit at a time until you’re out of cheese. If the sauce gets too thick (flour-gloopy or cheese-stringy) add splashes of pasta water to smooth it back out

9. Cayenne pepper to taste

10. Mix in pasta

I tried to make this as helpful as possible, but I do a lot of cooking wherein “cup” means literally just whatever cup was at the front of the cupboard, or sometimes a really full handful, or just however much I decided to put in and call a cup. A lot of my steps are just “cook it” or “make sauce” or whatever, and while this is a little more specific, because it’s in particular the white cheddar and lemon macaroni variant I made the other day and quite a simple thing, anything with a bigger list of ingredients will vary wildly on what’s actually in there (what’s in Cheeseburger soup? Cheese, beef, tomato paste, vegetables. what vegetables? Vegetables!) or anything that isn’t a specific variant (like if I just gave you a “Mac n cheese recipe”) will often include illuminating entries such as “spices.” Somewhere I have a recipe card that just lists “the spices,” and you just have to know/intuit/decide/guess what that means. There are also a lot of things measured in “assloads,” “some,” and “splooshes” and “splashes” (and the precise amount that qualifies as some or an assload, of course, varies by ingredient). Sometimes I’ll also work in helpful measurements like “bowl full” and it will be several different bowls.

Anyway, I am a disaster cook but the things I make are very good. I’ve got that sweet, sweet ancestral guidance and blessing~

[privatelabeling]

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[wuxiaphoenix]

Feed the Writing Beast: Meatloaf

The heart wants what it wants, and sometimes what the heart wants is meatloaf.

No, I still can’t do anything wheat. I shall explain. But first, an improvised recipe.

Pan Meatloaf

1 ½ lb ground beef. (Roughly.) Can be fresh or frozen.

1 ½ tsp dry mustard

1 ½ tsp salt

2 oz. tomato paste. (About.)

Dash or three of cayenne pepper. (Season to desired heat, the cheese will soak up most of it.)

½ cup shredded cheese - parmesan and sharp cheddar are good. Adjust to taste; I go for even more cheese, but then everyone knows I’m cheesy.

You can mix these ingredients all fresh and slam it in a breadpan in the oven at about 400 F for a bit less than an hour...

Or, if you’re tired and just got home and really really want spicy meat, you can dump a lump of frozen meat-for-making-whatever into a frying pan with a bit of water, cover and start cooking it as you take care of everything else that needs to get done/put away, and just keep scraping off partly cooked stuff as you add the spices, tomato paste, and as much cheese as desired. The object is that there’s still liquid in the pan when the meat’s all cooked, so you have minimal cheese stickage or tomato paste burning. Plus the resulting liquid makes an excellent sauce to pour over leftover rice, noodles, what have you. Which you then top with the meatloaf.

Yes, it’s a loafless meatloaf. You can put it on bread if you want; would probably be excellent! So I guess it’s more like a spicy meatball-ish creation. To me it tastes like meatloaf; likely the combo of tomato and mustard powder. It’s definitely a change of routine from most meals.

And I desperately needed the mildly-hot-spicy aspect. Sometimes frustration and general argh at the world locks up your brain and you can’t get anything written. In my experience, hitting your brain with some spicy heat is the mental equivalent of “have you tried turning it off and on again?” It can clear some of the frustration your brain is hanging on, and help get the words flowing again.

And if nothing else, a good protein meal always helps.

Enjoy!