At my old work, one of my coworkers would bring in a cheese ball to the Christmas party. It was good and very popular. One year she told us that it was pretty easy to make. I figured I would make one. They are real easy to make. I made mine with a little bit of heat but this recipe is easily adaptable to your preference. I used a food processor since I used it to shred the cheese first then to crumble the bacon. What a tasty treat!
Bacon and Cheddar Cheese Ball
1 package (8 oz.) reduced cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
16 slices crispy bacon stripes, crumbled
Directions:
- In a food processor, combine the shredded cheese with the cream cheese until well incorporated.
- Add half the crumbled bacon. Mix well.
- Form the cheese mixture into 2 balls.
- Add the remaining bacon crumples onto a plate.
- Roll the cheese balls into the bacon crumples.
- Wrap the balls in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours before serving.
Adapted from Kraft.
One year ago.........................I made Vanilla Cookies.
Two years ago.......................I made Candy Cane Cookies.
Did you already know..........
-American Neufchatel is a reduced fat cream cheese.
-Neufchatel has 1/3 less fat than regular cream cheese.
-European Neufchatel is very different than the American version.
My daughter purchased me a cookie cookbook. She came home from school and showed me what she got me from the book fair. I was pleasantly surprised. I was also impressed how thoughtful she was to me. So, we spent some quality time making these cookies. They are exactly a cookie should be with a gooey center. Since I had peanut butter chips in the cabinet, I added them to the mix. My daughter was happy with these cookies.
Jumbo Four Chip Cookies
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cups peanut butter chips
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
- In a large bowl, cram the sugar, brown sugar, and butter until fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the creamed butter.
- Slowly, add the flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated.
- Fold in all the chips.
- Scoop about 1/4 cup of the dough onto the baking sheet. Space the dough 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for 6 minutes. Rotate the pan.
- Bake the cookies for another 6 minutes or until light golden brown.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely.
Recipe adapted from Toll House Nestle Cookies Cookbook.
One year ago..........................I made Tomato Soup.
Two years ago........................I made Honey Butter Pork.
Did you already know............
-The largest book fair in the world is the Frankfurt Book Fair.
-In October, it is held every year in Germany.
-The fair is only open to the public on the last two days.
I figured I needed to make something with the extra Sweet Potato Casserole which my husband would eat. He will not eat Sweet Potato Casserole. It could be the color. It could be the name or that it is a vegetable. However, he will eat muffins. He did ask me what was in it because of the color. I was honest and told him sweet potato. He surprised me by trying one. Maybe he thought sweet potato was a better alternate to a bran muffin. He liked them. My children liked them even our dog liked them. The dog wasn't suppose to try them but he did and he wasn't giving it back.
Sweet Potato Muffins
Muffins:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup sweet potato casserole/ mashed sweet potatoes
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk
Topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp cold butter
1 tsp all purpose flour
1/4 cup pecans
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and butter until fluffy.
- Add the eggs,sweet potato, vanilla, and milk.
- Slowly, mix the sugar mixture into the flour mixture until just incorporated.
- Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full.
- Topping:
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, flour, and pecans until well incorporated.
- Evenly top the muffin batter with the topping.
- Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.
One year ago................................I made Bacon Fontina Panini Sandwich.
Two years ago..............................I made Easy Chocolate Fudge.
Did you already know...................
-The American scientist George Washington Carver developed over 100 products from the sweet potato.
-During WWI, the U.S. government used sweet potato flour to help stretch wheat flour in baked goods.
-Sweet potatoes are not related to potatoes.
Yes, I know Thanksgiving is over. I know I should be blogging about things with peppermint and snowmen but my friend Jessica requested this recipe. Yes, I do take request. Since I can remember as a little girl, my family have made this recipe. My mother gave it to me in my recipe book over 20 years ago. It is one of my favorite childhood recipes. I love it.
Sweet Potato Casserole
Filling:
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes, boiled
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten slightly
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup flour
Directions:
- In a large bowl, beat the sweet potatoes, butter, salt, vanilla, sugar, milk, and eggs.
- Place the filling into a large casserole dish. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar, butter, pecans, and flour until incorporated.
- Evenly spread the topping over the sweet potato mixture.
- Bake the casserole at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes.
Recipe provided from my Mom.
One year ago...........................I made Chocolate Macadamia Nut Clusters.
Two years ago.........................I made Buckeye Peanut Butter Balls.
Did you already know..............................
-Sweet Potatoes originate from Central and South America.
-President George Washington grew sweet potatoes at Mount Vernon.
-The U.S. Department of Agricultural requires canned Yams to have the term sweet potato listed on the label.
At Thanksgiving, I like to serve a similar meal as the previous years. I may change a couple of side dishes but normally our guest knows what to expect. Every year, I look for my Thanksgiving menu and it takes me a while to locate it. I always feel like I'm missing something. So, this year I'm posting it here so next year I will save some time. My favorite Thanksgiving dish is the Sweet Potato Casserole. What is yours?
My Thanksgiving menu:
Roasted Herb Turkey
Apple Cider Gravy
Sausage Stuffing
Stove Top Stuffing (for my sister)
Variety of Rolls: (Brotchen, Seven Cheese Bread, Cloverleaf Rolls, Honey yeast rolls, Butterflake Herb Loaf)
Cranberry sauce
Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Bean/ Broccoli/Squash Casserole
Mashed/ Roasted Potatoes
Carrots/Corn
Squash/Turnips/Rutabaga
Beets
Creamed Pearl Onions
Brussel Sprouts/Asparagus
Macaroni and Cheese
Dulce de Leche Rice Pudding
Pumpkin pie/pumpkin custard/ pumpkin cake
Blueberry/Strawberry/Cherry/ Chocolate Pie
Other desserts: blueberry pie bars
On Thanksgiving, our grocery stores are closed. If I run out of something, well I better make it from scratch, improvise, or order Chinese. So, I figured I would post homemade butter recipe. I will admit I had the children shake,shake, shake, the mason jar. They thought it was cool.
Homemade Herb Butter:
1 cup cold heavy cream
1/4 tsp garlic
1 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme
Directions:
- Place the heavy cream in a mason jar.
- Place the lid on the mason jar and close well.
- Shake the heavy cream until it comes together.
- Drain off the excess buttermilk liquid.
- Gently, run the butter under water.
- Mix in the garlic, parsley, salt, and thyme if herb butter is desired.
Recipe adapted from Chef John.
One year ago...........................I made Smothered Pork Chops.
Two years ago.........................I made Cheesy Potato Gratin.
Did you already know..............
-150 years ago, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November to be a national day of Thanksgiving.
-In 2013, Minnesota raised more turkeys than any other states.
-Wisconsin grew harvested more cranberries than Massachusetts.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Bacon and Cheddar Cheese Ball
Did you already know..........
