Puffed Cheddar Cheese Twists

• 1/2 cup packed, finely grated Cracker Barrel sharp cheddar (2.5 oz)
• 1/2 cup flour (2.5 oz)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 egg white (2 tbsp)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
2. Combine the cheddar, flour, salt, and cayenne pepper by swirling it around with your fingers. Add the cubed butter and work it into the flour mixture with your fingertips, working quickly (you don’t want to melt the butter). Once the big butter pieces are broken down, stir in the egg white until evenly distributed. The mixture will be crumbly but you should be able to knead the mixture into a cohesive dough ball fairly easily (do not overwork).
3. Roll out onto a floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into long strips with a pizza cutter and twist them onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes until crisp and a light golden brown. Let cool slightly, then enjoy!

Two-bite Mac and Cheese Cups

Makes 24

• 8 oz elbow macaroni
• 2 tbsp butter
• ¼ tsp paprika
• 2 tbsp flour
• ½ cup milk
• 8 oz Cracker Barrel aged reserve, grated
• 4 oz Cracker Barrel sharp cheese, grated

1. Grease a nonstick mini muffin pan very well with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat, then cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package says. My elbow macaroni said to cook for 7 minutes, so I drained it after 5. After you've cooked and drained the pasta, return the empty pasta pot to the heat and turn the heat down to medium. Melt the butter and add the paprika. Add the flour and stir the mixture around for 2 minutes. While whisking, add the milk. The mixture will be very thick, but that’s intentional. Just make sure you have stirred out any lumps. Remove the pot from the heat and add the cheeses and drained pasta, stirring it all together until the cheese and sauce are well distributed.
3. Portion your mac and cheese into the muffin cups, either with a spoon or a 3-tbsp cookie scoop. Pack the mac and cheese into the muffin cups with your fingers really well. If you don’t pack the mac and cheese down, they won’t hold their shape when you take them out after baking, and you certainly don't want them to fall apart.
4. Bake the mac and cheese cups for 15 minutes until bubbling and gooey. Remove them to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes, then carefully run a plastic knife or toothpick (assuming you need to not destroy the nonstick coating on your pan) around the edges to loosen. Remove the mac and cheese cups from the pan and garnish with chopped chives or scallion greens. Enjoy!

Kimchi Ramen Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Makes 1 sandwich

• ½ package of ramen, any “flavor” (we used a Korean brand, “extra spicy” vegetable flavor)
• ½ of the ramen seasoning packet (you wont need other things like a small oil packet or dehydrated vegetables)
• handful of kimchi, chopped and squeezed of excess kimchi “juice”
• 1 tablespoons oil for cooking (I used grapeseed)
• 2 tablespoon butter, softened
• 2 thick slices very sturdy bread
• handful of mozzarella or jack cheese
• handful American or Cheddar cheese

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Drop the ramen noodles in and cook until the ramen noodles are soft, about 8 minutes (this will depend, obviously).
2. Drain the ramen noodles of the cooking liquid (use a colander), then put the noodles back into the pot or into a bowl. Pour the contents of half the seasoning packet over the noodles. Toss the noodles to combine. Set aside to prepare sandwich.
3. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over low heat.
4. Spread the outside of both slices of bread with softened butter. Place both slices of bread buttered-side down in the oil in the pan. Pile one slice with mozzarella/jack cheese; pile the other slice of bread with American/Cheddar cheese. Cook until bread is toasted and cheese has melted.
5. Remove the grilled bread with cheese to a plate or cutting board. Pile as much ramen noodles on one slice of the bread as you’d like. Add chopped kimchi on top. Close the sandwich with the other slice of grilled bread and cheese. Press together firmly.

Chinese Cabbage Salad Recipe

• 1 (3 ounce) Package ramen noodles, crushed
• 10 Ounces cashewnut pieces
• 1 (16 ounce) Package shredded coleslaw mix
• 1 Bunch green onions, chopped
• 1/2 Cup white sugar
• 1/2 Cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 Cup cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce

1. In a preheated 350 degree F oven, toast the crushed noodles and nuts until golden brown.
2. In a large bowl, combine the coleslaw, green onions, toasted ramen noodles and cashews.
3. Prepare dressing, by whisking together the sugar, oil, vinegar and soy sauce.
4. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss and serve.
5. Chinese Cabbage Salad is ready.

Ramen Vegetable Beef Skillet

Serves 4

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups shredded napa cabbage
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 package (3 ounce) beef ramen noodles

1. Combine the beef, carrots and onion in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender. Drain, if needed.
2. Add in the water, cabbage, soy sauce and half the package of the seasoning packet. Break the noodles into pieces and add to the pan. Cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the noodles are tender, about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more of the seasoning packet if needed.

Ramen Noodle Bake

• 4 packages Ramen noodles - one must be beef (reserve ONE beef flavoring packet)
• 1 - 26 ounce jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 lb. cooked ground beef or Italian sausage 
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
• 3 1/2 cups water

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Break up ramen noodles into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. They should cover the bottom of the dish. 
3. Sprinkle the cooked meat over dry noodles (I seasoned my beef when I was cooking it). Pour the jar of sauce over the top. Sprinkle the beef flavor packet over the sauce. Sprinkle one cup of the cheese over the top of sauce. Gently mix together. Pour the water over the top. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake 40 to 50 minutes or until liquid is totally absorbed. 
4. Remove from oven and remove foil. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Return to oven for 5- 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Instant Fried Noodles Recipe

Serves 1

• 1 pack of Indomie Mi Goreng (Fried Noodles)
• 3-5 shrimps, shelled, deveined and cut into small pieces
• 1 egg

1. Fry the egg. Fry the shrimp and save the remaining oil. 
2. Boil your noodles and mix with the sauces provided. 
3. Served with the fried egg and shrimp. 
4. Drip the remaining oil on top of your noodles for the extra zest.

Bread Bowl Breakfast

Makes 8 

• 8 crusty bread rolls
• 2 Tb butter, melted
• Salt and pepper
• Assorted fillings*
• 8 eggs

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Slice off the top of each roll and scoop out the soft bread inside, leaving the sides of the roll intact. Brush the inside of each roll with the melted butter and season with salt and pepper.
2. Let your guests fill the roll with their favorite toppings*. Crack an egg or egg white on top, season with salt and pepper, and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes and then cover the pan loosely with foil. Bake an additional 20-25 minutes, or until the egg is just set.

*Grape tomatoes, cilantro, parsley, thyme, shredded cheese, herbed goat cheese, caramelized onions, pre-cooked breakfast potatoes, spinach artichoke dip, deli ham, cooked sausage, crumbled bacon, onions, mushrooms, spinach, feta cheese

Garlic Butter Spaghetti with Herbs

Serves 8

• 1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
• 6 tablespoons butter + more for serving
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large bunch basil, chopped
• 1 large bunch baby spinach, chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for topping

1. Cook the spaghetti according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, heat the butter together in a large nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Add the minced garlic and saute for 3-5 minutes, until soft and fragrant. Be careful not to burn or over-brown the garlic because it will taste bitter. Low and slow is the winner here.
3. Chop the spinach and basil (I had about 5 cups total – it reduces quite a bit as it wilts) into small bite-sized pieces and add to the skillet, stirring for just a minute or two to get the greens softened slightly. Season with salt.
4. Add the spaghetti to the skillet (or vice versa depending on pan size) and season with salt and pepper. Toss well to combine and let it all rest for a few minutes to stick together a bit. Serve with an additional pat of butter and/or fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Layered Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

Makes 9 -12 Servings
Cookie Dough

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Brownie

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the cookie dough: 

1. Cream together butter and sugars, in a large bowl. Mix in egg and vanilla. 
2. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour; mix well. 
3. Stir in chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Set aside.

For the brownie: 

1. Place butter and chocolate in small saucepan set over medium-low heat, stir constantly until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth; remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, egg and vanilla. Whisk in cocoa and salt. Stir in flour until evenly combined.
2. To assemble: Scrape brownie batter into an 8×8 inch baking pan that has been lightly greased and lined with parchment paper; smooth top. Top with chunks of cookie dough, as evenly as possible. Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes, or until cookie layer is set and lightly browned.
3. Let cool completely before removing from pan to slice.