Marguerites Cookbook

A cooking blog all about making vintage recipes from a cookbook we inherited from our grandmother

Cheese Log

Cheese Log Header

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it is officially the holiday season! And that means the start of holiday party season. So here at Marguerite’s Cookbook, we have a series of party recipes you can make for guests or take to someone else’s party. Let’s start with an extremely simple but fancy looking one: a cheese log.

Cheese Log with crackers

Here’s Marguerite’s typically brief instructions:

cheese log recipe

With such a short ingredient list, this is an easy and quick recipe to throw together. Aaron, however, did not really think through what making a cheese log would be like, and didn’t know he would have to grate all the cheese in order to form in into a log that consisted of the other ingredients on the list. I’m not sure how he thought it would happen. Magic maybe? Luckily we had one of those fancy parmesan cheese graters laying around which made it a snap.

Cheese Log

Now we both love cheese, but even with slightly unbiased opinions, this was a tasty recipe. We used a Cracker Barrel extra sharp cheddar, which had more of a kick of cheese flavor than the blander cheese we are both used to eating. That sharp cheddar mixed with the saltiness and crunch of the nuts, along with the aromatic garlic and flavorful paprika make for a unique and exciting appetizer. This cheese log gets the thumbs up from both of us, and Aaron specifically liked the mixture of flavors of the cheese and paprika. My only complaint was that it was difficult to cut much thinner than our photos show. Thinner slices might be more practical for a party.

Christmas Cheese Log

Marguerite’s cheese log is great if you want to put out a cheese and cracker appetizer but are sick of just offering your guests plain cheese, or if you want to take something to a party that looks like you’re a gourmet chef in your spare time.

Holiday Cheese Log

Cheese Log
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
1 Log 15 minutes
Passive Time
2 hours
Servings Prep Time
1 Log 15 minutes
Passive Time
2 hours
Cheese Log
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
1 Log 15 minutes
Passive Time
2 hours
Servings Prep Time
1 Log 15 minutes
Passive Time
2 hours
Ingredients
Servings: Log
Instructions
  1. Grind all ingredients and mix together.
  2. Form into a log. Chill.
  3. Once firm, after about two hours, roll in paprika.
  4. Serve with crackers.
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Basil Burgers

Basil Burgers

A flavorful burger in the middle of winter? Why not!

As excited as we are to try these again in the summer, these basil burgers were a great meal to enjoy on a cold, Chicago night. We also live in an apartment and have no outdoor space to grill, so trying these in the summer won’t make a huge difference.

Here is what Marguerite had to say:

Basil Burgers Original

Last week I mentioned we hosted our parents for a “try our blog food” dinner. Technically, my mother hosted and we cooked because we live 500ish miles away from our parents and needed a place to host while we were in town. In addition to the zucchini bread, the basil burgers were on the menu for the main course. Again, total hit. That was a huge compliment especially from my dad who is the grill master.

Basil Burgers

These burgers have a nice hint of basil which compliments the onion flavor. Neither Aaron nor myself is a huge fan of heavy onion, but paired with the ground beef and turkey it packed a positive punch.

The addition of parmesan cheese “made it” for Aaron. He loved how that flavor worked with the basil and felt like it added that something special to the burgers.

I loved how the basil burgers were 50% beef and 50% turkey, making them just a little leaner and  healthier.

Basil Burgers

When we made these for ourselves, we cooked them in a skillet on the stove. For our parents, we used my mother’s George Foreman grill. We also have one at our place, but forgot to use it until after dinner was ready. Both methods of cooking worked well and there wasn’t a noticeable difference in the flavor, however the grilled burgers had a more consistent texture. Which is to say they were less charred on the outside. If you prefer a more blackened burger, go for the skillet!

Basil Burger

Again, I have a feeling we’ll be throwing this recipe into the regular dinner rotation.

Basil Burgers
Print Recipe
A simple yet flavorful burger recipe.
Servings Prep Time
8 Burgers 20 minutes
Cook Time
10-15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
8 Burgers 20 minutes
Cook Time
10-15 minutes
Basil Burgers
Print Recipe
A simple yet flavorful burger recipe.
Servings Prep Time
8 Burgers 20 minutes
Cook Time
10-15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
8 Burgers 20 minutes
Cook Time
10-15 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: Burgers
Instructions
  1. Combine and mix well the following ingredients: Egg, onion, parmesan cheese, basil, ketchup, garlic, salt, and pepper.
  2. Add the ground beef and ground turkey and mix well.
  3. Cook.
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Homemade Spaghetti Sauce (Meatless)

Homemade Sauce

If you’re looking for an easy homemade sauce recipe, this is about as easy as it gets. The ingredients are few and the steps are simple.

My Italian roots came out in full while making this. You know that Family Guy episode where Peter thinks he can speak Italian and just shouts “Boopa-dee bappa-dee” at people? That was me the entire time we were in the kitchen making this. Aaron was not amused.

Here is what Marguerite had to say:

Meatless Spaghetti Sauce Original

We’re pretty sure the above recipe meant she was using canned tomatoes most of the time, but we wanted to do this “right” so we went for fresh ingredients. Neither of us knew what to do with the tomatoes, and Marguerite, being an accomplished cook, did not need to leave herself notes on the subject for when she was using fresh tomatoes.

Fresh Pasta Sauce Ingredients

Look at those fresh ingredients!

Google and our mothers proved to be immensely helpful in figuring out how to start on this homemade sauce.

After figuring out how many tomatoes we needed and how to peel them (more on that later), we were able to get on with the sauce.

Pasta SauceFor our version, we only used one onion instead of the three originally called for. We’re assuming back in the day onions were quite a bit smaller because a lack of pesticides and such.

Next time we make this, we’ll probably cut back on the green pepper as well, because it overpowered the other flavors. We’ve noted in our version below to only use half a green pepper instead of a whole. We’ll also try to cube the tomatoes a bit smaller because the sauce was a little too chunky.

Homemade Pasta Sauce

Our whole apartment smelled delicious while we made this (as did our entire floor. You’re welcome, neighbors!) We started a batch of spaghetti just as the sauce was finishing so we could enjoy it right away. When everything was cooked, we poured on the sauce, topped it all with basil and parmesan, and enjoyed a delicious meal.

Meatless Sauce Recipe

 

We had plenty left over, which we promptly jarred up and froze for later use.


Homemade Sauce in jar

If you try this recipe, let us know how you adjusted the ingredients to suit the pasta sauce to your taste!

Homemade Sauce

 

 

Homemade Sauce
Homemade Sauce (Meatless)
Print Recipe
A traditional, homemade sauce. Uses all fresh ingredients and no meat.
Servings Prep Time
4-6 (depending on how much sauce you like on your pasta) 25 minutes
Cook Time
1.5 hours
Servings Prep Time
4-6 (depending on how much sauce you like on your pasta) 25 minutes
Cook Time
1.5 hours
Homemade Sauce
Homemade Sauce (Meatless)
Print Recipe
A traditional, homemade sauce. Uses all fresh ingredients and no meat.
Servings Prep Time
4-6 (depending on how much sauce you like on your pasta) 25 minutes
Cook Time
1.5 hours
Servings Prep Time
4-6 (depending on how much sauce you like on your pasta) 25 minutes
Cook Time
1.5 hours
Ingredients
Servings: (depending on how much sauce you like on your pasta)
Instructions
Fresh Tomato Prep
  1. If you're using canned tomatoes, skip these steps. If using fresh tomatoes, you'll need to peel them. We used the boil method.
  2. Bring a pot of water to boil. Next to the stove, have a bowl of cold water (as cold as you can get it. Maybe even add ice cubes.)
  3. Cut off the stems and things from the top of the tomatoes. Cut an x in the bottom of each tomato.
  4. Drop a few tomatoes at a time into the boiling water. Spoon out after 25 seconds (don't leave them in any longer) and drop into cold water.
  5. Once they're in the cold water for a few seconds, the x on the bottom should already begin the peeling process. Remove them from the cold water and peel the rest of the skin right off.
  6. Cube the tomatoes. How small you cube them will depend on how chunky you want your sauce.
Main Instructions
  1. Once your tomatoes are prepped, put them in a pot with the paste and sugar. Salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Simmer while you prep the other ingredients.
  3. Chop onion, pepper, and garlic. Steam and slightly brown in a pan with butter.
  4. Add to the tomato mixture. Turn your stove top to a low/medium heat. Cook for an hour and a half.
  5. If you're planning on using this right away, start the water for your pasta with about 20 minutes left on the sauce. Preserve any leftovers in a jar and refrigerate or freeze.
Recipe Notes

Be sure to use a larger pot so the sauce is more evenly spread over the heat and doesn't burn on the bottom. Also be sure to use a low enough heat.

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