Christmas Cheese Ball~Reprise

There is just no good name for a cheese ball. If you can think of one for this recipe~let me know. It is made with Blue Cheese and Blue Cheese Cheese Ball doesn't cut it, in the best of all worlds. Instead of 'name that tune' we can play 'name that cheese ball!' Wanna play?

I have concocted this recipe over the years and we do make it a lot for various gatherings over the holidays. Even people that are not crazy about blue cheese love this. We were looking for a cheese ball that was colorful and Christmasy and delicious. You know how they are normally boring looking with no color and just rolled in nuts? Not this one, it just screams Christmas!

We think we have a winner here. Some people even invite us to their gatherings on the condition we bring this! It takes a little time (especially if you are photographing it) but is easy and I like that part. I am not into a bunch of labor intensive cooking. What I do love is cooking with my hubby, he is a natural in the kitchen. Lucky me! He says food talks to him...OK, so he is a little wacko!

Tomorrow is our big family dinner for our relatives that live in our area, so Jim and I are cooking up a storm. Speaking of wacko, it's Official~ I am totally wacko about blogging! I have discovered it is fun to cook, photograph and to stage the food. It is 10 times more fun that just cooking! Multi-tasking lives on!

Hmmm, people do not always sell their houses but...everybody eats. Maybe I can dabble in a new facet of design for me to supplement the mad money. Actually I am pretty much kidding because these photos need much improvement but we had a lot of fun cooking and shooting the process.  

Chop up some scallions or if you prefer,
some chives or a little finely chopped parsley for color.

Chop up some Craisins or 
dried cranberries
if you prefer calling them that.

Chop up some Walnuts

This is enough for four cheese balls.
Four bricks of softened cream cheese,
a bunch of blue cheese,
(I am not into exact measurements, sorry!)
Craisins, green onions, nuts and some garlic salt~
because everything that isn't sweet need garlic!

I put it in a big mixing bowl and start mixing it together.

Every time I start with a big spoon but soon
find it works best to mix it all by hand and 
shape into balls. Thus the name...cheese balls.
 Brilliant!

Here are the 4 cheese balls I varied 

the sizes for different purposes;

parties, gifts, or whatever.

I put my wedding rings on the cutting board
to remind you to remove them
as it is no fun getting the cheese out of 

the rings if you forget.

Stab it with a cute Christmas Spreader
~Fini~

Here I staged the food for you..
I had to put all these crackers back 
in the box afterwards!
A little Pomegranate Sparkling Cider 
is nice with it!

Try It, You'll Like It!

Orange Almond Molded Jello Salad

My Sister-in-law, Emily, has been making this salad for family gatherings for as long as I can remember.  It is delicious and not your typical jello concoction.  Today we made it ourselves for the first time for Thanksgiving Dinner tomorrow.  Lucky us, that is all we were asked to bring??  Seems criminal, doesn't it while Jim's cousin, Debbie, will be slaving over a hot stove all day. Blessed her heart!  Well, we'll sure give her a hand once we arrive.

Emily said she usually doubles or triples this for large gatherings so we decided to do a triple batch.

 

 ORANGE ALMOND SALAD

Serves 4-6

6-oz can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

2/3 cup water

3-oz pkg. orange flavor jello

3/4 cup lemon-lime carbonated beverage

11-oz can mandarin oranges, drained

1/2 cup slivered almonds

In large saucepan, heat orange juice and water to 

boiling; stir in jello until dissolved. Slowly add 

lemon-lime beverage; chill until thickened.  Fold

in mandarin oranges and almonds.  Pour into 4-cup mold 

Chill until firm.

The above picture is not mine, got it from Google images.  We actually just made it in a festive bowl.  But I like the way the mold looks and the garnish is lovely too.  The orange juice makes this salad opaque and the sprite makes it a little tangy.  The slivered almonds and mandarins are just great combination as well.  It is a winner and so easy!  

What I like is how pretty it will look with that turkey and all the trimmings.  Eye appeal on the plate is important, especially if you like to decorate the plate as much as preparing it.  (Or more!) It just comes with the territory if you are an interior decorator.  Smiling! 

 Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S.  I am thankful for your friendship! ♥

Potato Salad Just For You...

Simply~the Best!
Thanks Mom for 4 generations of enjoyment!

Around this time of the year, there seems to be this unspoken contest going on all over the country about whose mom's potato salad is the best. Have you ever noticed that? Well, just to set the record straight..It is MY Mom!

Here's the thing about potato salad...don't goop it up with too much stuff. The essence of the best potato salad is that it is simply delicious. Here how to find a favorite recipe for it if you don't have a favorite made by your own mother...which of course can never be replaced. Try mine! I always make mine for a crowd so I started out with:

10 pounds of potatoes...peeled, cooked in boiling water for about 20 minutes or until tender and not too mushy. Drain and let them cool and then I sliced them up like I would for an apple pie or crisp...thin, not too chunky.

A dozen hard-boiled eggs...cut up into smallish pieces.

A bunch and a half of green scallion onions...Chopped up.

Some plain yellow mustard...I don't measure it but I take the squeeze bottle and just make a grid across the bowl of squiggly lines in both directions. (sometimes I add a little more as I am mixing it to make sure it is enough but not too much.

Mayonnaise, it has to be Best Foods (or Helman's for you east coasters!) It does take a lot of mayonnaise but remember it is something that you have for a treat on special occasions not every day! That being said it will require at least a quart of mayo for this large recipe that will feed many. You will be able to tell when you blend it all together if you need a little more.

Now here is the secret ingredient...
Celery Salt...you have to have it.

I use quite a bit.
I also add garlic salt and black pepper.
And add some paprika to the top or color!

Mix thoroughly and enjoy.

Simple, comfort food ~ extraordinaire and delicious!
Happy Fourth of July tomorrow!

Marie's Pumpkin Crunch Cake

This is the dessert I made for our Family Home Evening Group on Monday night. Yummy! I rarely make any desserts so I was glad I found this one and gave it a try. Thanks, Marie! One interesting thing was I saw this recipe in another place and thought I'll save this. When I went to tag it as a pumpkin dessert in my recipe files I realized that I had the exact same recipe from two sources, Marie being my favorite of course!

Even more interesting was that I am not that crazy about any pumpkin desserts including the pies (I love it but the combination of the pumpkin and the spices tends to give me an indigestion problem and always has) so the fact that I even kept one was kind of odd. But I am so glad we tried it. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it at our dinner, especially Jim which is even more unusual than all the rest of it.

This is the only dessert I can think of that he wasn't packing up to send home with someone, to be kind, yes...but also so we don't consume the extra calories for the rest of the week. I suggested we take it to work yesterday but for some mysterious reason it is still sitting in our refrigerator. Hmmm. I guess my point is, it is a keeper. So this may be The Perfect Autumn Recipe for me as Jim loves it, it is so easy to make, I cannot really eat too much of it, so it will help me stay on my WW program better. So win/win/win! Try it you'll love it.



*Pumpkin Crunch*
Serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe

Move over pumpkin pie! This is fabulous!

1 package of double layer yellow cake mix, dry and unprepared
1 29 oz can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 can of evaporated milk
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon and nutmeg)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
1 cup melted butter
To Serve:
Add Whipped Cream.



Preheat the oven to 350*F. Lightly grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Set aside.

Combine the pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, spice and salt. Whisk together well and then pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over top of all. Sprinkle the chopped pecans over top and then drizzle the melted butter evenly over top.



Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 55 to 60 minutes until golden brown, set in the center and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Spoon out into serving dishes and pass the whipped cream! Marie has the most delightful recipe blog you can find, my friends, right here! Her English Cottage Kitchen produces some amazing delights.

Jen's World Famous Halloween Trail Mix

1. I start with about 3 pounds of basic trail mix: nuts, raisins,

cereal, coconut or whatever you like.

2. Add a pound of candy corn. You can also use the pumpkins

that are made of this same stuff...or both (;

3. Throw in a big bag of Halloween colored M&M's.

4. Add about 1/4 pound of Halloween pretzels.
These are "Bats and Jacks" from Sam's Club.

5. The best part of this mix is the foil eyeballs. They are chocolate

filled with peanut butter. You can get caramel ones too but I like PB best.
(Sorry the photo is so lousy...I couldn't get the camera to focus on
the eyes--just the plate! arggh!)

Toss it all together and you have yourself
several pounds of Haunted Trail Mix.

These are the basic ingredients that I always use. The fun part of a mix is that
you can add anything you like to make it unique.

My Cheese Ball Goes International!

For you, Margaret!
Verona, ah, I always think of you and then Verona!
And then felines and Mr. Bingley!
I know that makes no sense to anyone else
but maybe they'll like the Cheese Ball!

You will not believe this but my friend in Edinburgh, Scotland has requested this recipe! Moi? The person who ran out of ideas about food a few years back! I feel motivated to get with cooking again now! Just kidding!

Usually I post it around the holidays but Margaret needs it now, so here it is! Obviously you can make it for any occasion...just change your spreader to a pumpkin or something!

Here is what I wrote about it a few years ago at Christmas!
I cannot believe Margaret remembered it..bless that girl!
She made me feel so special today! (Smiling)

So, there is just no good name for a cheese ball. Seriously, think about it. If you can think of one for this recipe~let me know. It is made with Blue Cheese and Blue Cheese Cheese Ball doesn't cut it, in the best of all worlds. Instead of 'name that tune' we can play 'name that cheese ball!' Wanna play?

I have concocted this recipe. Barbara & I have made it over the years for parties and small gifts. We both do make it a lot for various gatherings around the holidays. Even people that are not crazy about blue cheese love this. We were looking for a cheese ball that was colorful and Christmasy and delicious. You know how they are normally boring looking with no color and just rolled in nuts? Not this one, it just screams Christmas!

We think we have a winner here. Some people even invite us to their gatherings on the condition we bring this! It takes a little time (especially if you are photographing it) but is easy and I like that part. I am not into a bunch of labor intensive cooking. What I do love is cooking with my hubby, he is a natural in the kitchen. Lucky me! He says food talks to him...OK, so he is a little wacko! (Food has never talked to me except to discuss which part of my body it would like to attach itself to permanently!)

Tomorrow is our big family dinner for our relatives that live in our area, so Jim and I are cooking up a storm. Speaking of wacko, it's Official~ I am totally wacko about blogging about food! I have discovered it is fun to cook, photograph and to stage the food. It is 10 times more fun that just cooking! Multi-tasking lives on!

Hmmm, people do not always sell their houses but...everybody eats. Maybe I can dabble in a new facet of design for me to supplement the mad money. Actually I am pretty much kidding because these photos need much improvement but we had a lot of fun cooking and shooting the process.

Chop up some green onions

Chop up some Craisins or dried cranberries
if you prefer calling them that

Chop up some Walnuts

This is enough for four cheese balls.
Four bricks of softened cream cheese,
a bunch of blue cheese,
(I am not into exact measurements, sorry!)
Craisins, green onions, nuts and some garlic salt~
because everything that isn't sweet need garlic!

I put in in a big mixing bowl and start mixing it together.

Every time I start with a big spoon but soon
find it works best to mix it all by hand and shape into balls. Thus the name...cheese balls. Brilliant!

Here are the 4 cheese balls I varied the sizes for different purposes;
parties, gifts, or whatever.

I put my wedding rings on the cutting board
to remind you to remove them
as it is no fun getting the cheese out of the rings
if you forget

Stab it with a cute Christmas Spreader~Fini~

Here I staged the food for you..
I had to put all these crackers back in the box afterword!
A little Pomegranate Sparkling Cider is nice with it!
Try It, You'll Like It!

Ways Rising Food Costs Will Eat Your $

Flickr

I wanted to share an article that I read this morning with you because I feel the contents are important. I think this information is particularly valuable to those of you who are LDS as you think about food storage and what to store more of in the days ahead.

Flick

I know this is "corny" but he that hath "ears" to hear...

Insert Smiley Face here! ;-D

OK here's the article...

This is written by Angie Mohr @ Financially Fit.

"Prices are on the rise in grocery stores across the country. You may not notice the changes right away; that loaf of bread may be only a dime more expensive than it was last year. The soda you buy may be the same price but it's now 1.5 liters instead of two. Many of the major cereal manufacturers, such as General Mills, have warned of impending price increases.

Why Are Grocery Prices Going Up?

While almost every grocery store aisle is affected by rising prices, a large part of the reason all comes down to two commodities: wheat and corn. Both food staples have been hit hard for the past two years - a combination of climate change, natural disasters and crop disease. Russia has experienced severe drought for the past two years and had stopped exporting wheat altogether to ensure enough of a domestic supply. They have resumed limited exports as of July 2011 but supplies are still short. A disease called wheat rust UG99 has wiped out crops across Africa and is spreading to other wheat-producing countries at a rapid pace.

There have been many corn crop failures across North America also, but the real culprit for corn is that it is being used to make ethanol, an arguably sustainable fuel. Hundreds of thousands of acres that once grew corn for people now grow it to power our cars.

At first glance, it may seem like these increases will only mean you'll be paying more for a few grocery items like bread and popcorn, but wheat and corn are included in the vast majority of foods that you may eat every day. Here are four areas where you will see rising prices.

1. Cereals, Breads and Pasta Products

Most processed cereals are made from corn and these will be hit hard by price increases in the next year. The commodity price of corn has nearly doubled since 2010 and is rising again due to the massive drought Texas is facing. Breads, rolls, cakes and cookies will all rise in price from the steep jump in the price of wheat. According to food manufacturers, the industry has been holding back from increasing retail prices but cannot absorb the costs any longer.

2. Sweets

Most processed "sweets," from soda to cookies to jam, are made with high fructose corn syrup. The lack of corn supply is causing prices in these areas to steadily rise. Watch out for shrinking packages, as well. Many companies will keep the same price point but drop the amount you get.

3. Beef, Pork and Chicken

Almost all industrialized meats fed on corn, mainly because it was the cheapest feed available. As the price of corn rises, there are still no cheaper alternatives, so the price of meat rises because of the higher input price.

4. Cat and Dog Food

Pet food contains grains in one of two ways: processed dry food often contains corn as one of its primary ingredients and canned food contains meat chunks or wheat-based thickeners. It's not just the cost of human food that will go up.

The Bottom Line

You might not be able to do anything directly about rising grain prices, but you can shop smarter. Look for loss leader sales on those groceries that you purchase regularly. Make more of your own food directly from raw ingredients, such as cookies and rolls. Pet food can be stored for six months to a year so stock up when you can find a good price. Paying more attention to prices in the grocery store will help you stretch your food budget the farthest.

This article is part of a series related to being Financially Fit"

************************************************************

This is me now...Food for thought, isn't it? I want to store more wheat, not cookies! There is always so much to think about, isn't there? Honestly, it could make you crazy if you let it all descend upon you at once. One Day at a Time...we can do this. Who is with me as we try to keep up the with ever-increasing pace of these latter days?

Chewy Pretzel Bites

Chewy Pretzel Bites*

*Makes about 2 dozen pretzel bites

Thank you, Missy, for sharing this fun recipe with all of us at our family reunion. The chewy little bites were just so delicious and smelled heavenly while baking! You really have the knack and we all appreciate it!

*Note: if using active dry yeast, increase the yeast to 1 tablespoon. Proof the yeast in the warm water and sugar (let it bubble and foam - maybe about 5 minutes) before adding it to the flour and salt.

Dough:

2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

1 cup (8 ounces) very warm water

Topping:

1/2 cup (4 ounces) warm water

2 tablespoons baking soda

Coarse salt (optional)

3 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to just combine. Add the water and mix well, adding more flour, as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth and quite slack. The goal is to get a really soft dough that isn't overly sticky. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 500°F. Don’t be afraid of the high heat! This is what will help those pretzels to brown up perfectly and stay soft on the inside. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or lightly greasing them.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into about four strips of equal length. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda in a liquid measuring cup (deep enough to dip the pretzel bites into). Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved. Sometimes I have a hard time getting the baking soda completely dissolved, so I just lightly stir up the mixture right before adding each pretzel.

Cut each strip of dough into about 6-8 pieces, about 1 to 1 ½ inches in width. You don’t have to be completely exact, just eyeball it. Dip each pretzel bite in the baking soda solution (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

"I just love cooking with Kosher Salt, don't you? It makes me feel so gourmet! "

{Said Gramma Bonbon!}

Bake the pretzels for 5-6 minutes or until they're golden brown. Bake one sheet at a time - it won't hurt the other pretzels to chill out for a little longer.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you've used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that's what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave on low heat.

*from melskitchencafe.com

Flickr photos except for Melissa, of course!

Summertime, Finally!

Healthy can be Beautiful!
{Taken at the Ferry Building open air market this morning.}

Tortellini Soup

A recipe for the winter we are trying
to call late spring, early summer!

This recipe is one we got from our good friends, the Leals years ago. We use to eat this all the time with them and it was a staple on our quiet New Year's Eves when it would be just the four of us. We loved relaxing, chatting, snacking and watching movies and enjoying the "no party" aspect of it all. We kissed in the New Year in 2006 with them and Bill passed away at the end of the month from liver cancer. I can truly say New Year's Eve has never been the same since. We haven't even been in CA since then as it seemed to coincide with when we started our annual trips to Utah at Christmas Time. But anyway, this soup always reminds us of our happy times with the Leals.

You can brown a pound or two of the
Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage or use the
sausage links or put in some of each
as Jim did here.
You determine the "Hotness"
by what you select. And set aside.

Every good soup stock starts with
sauteed garlic and onions and fresh parsley, right?
We didn't have fresh parsley so we just
used the dried, who knew? It works fine.

Garlic to taste, we like a lot.

The base for 10 hearty servings is 8 cups
of water flavored with chicken or beef bouillon.
We use the chicken powder,
1 heaping teaspoon per cup of water or a little more.

Then add 2 cans of stewed diced tomatoes.

And one can of tomato sauce.

Add some basil, oregano and pepper
1 tsp or more as desired.

Chop up a green pepper,
add 2 cups of sliced carrots and
3 or four sliced zucchinis.
Jim quartered and then sliced them.

It is recommended on the recipe to cook the veggies in the stock without the sausage, tortellini or zucchini...however we just throw it all in and it works fine. Jim is far too rushed for such delays!

Here is the tortellini we used this time.

This is extremely yummy and delicious
with french bread and a salad.
If you try it let us know how you like it.

Ingredients list:
1-2 pounds of sausage
1 cup chopped onions
minced garlic
parsley
8 cups water
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced zucchini
1 chopped green pepper
1 tsp. basil, oregano, pepper
(we probably use more since we do not measure out teaspoons usually.)
2 cans stewed diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce

Cook until everything is tender and the tortellini is done.
Serve with bread or salad or whatever
you like to accompany a great bowl of soup.
Enjoy!