The best cheese ball recipe! For that table that keeps the hungry crowd out from under the cooks feet so the Thanksgiving dinner can be prepared. What do you call the food on that table? Hors d’oeuvres? Appetizers? Nibbles? Pickys? My favorite part of the meal?
This weekend I needed a quick side dish to go with grilled burgers. I had all the ingredients on hand to make this delicious salad. I found the recipe on GreenLiteBites, AND she’s a Weight Watcher. One serving (half the salad – a huge portion) is 6 Points Plus.
Chickpea and Tomato Salad with Fresh Basil
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
25 large basil leaves, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon honey
pinch of salt
Toss all the ingredients together and chill for at least 20 minutes, allowing all flavors to merge.
Enjoy!
So I’m busy making supper and a guy knocks on my door and says, “I’ve finished making my deliveries and have extra steaks. Only $3.00 each. Would you like to buy some? I have filet mignon and ____.”
I didn’t hear the second cut of beef he was selling. My brain was too busy trying to process the fact that this guy showed up out of no where – well, actually New York (and I live in Rhode Island) – and he just happens to have these extra steaks… for $3.00 each.
There was this little mouse in my head scramblin’ around squeaking things like, “Who are you?” “Why my door?” “Is it the house? It’s a perpetual construction zone of unfinished projects. Does it look like I would eat filet mignon?” Maybe that’s the thing. He figured I would jump at the chance to have filet mignon on a ground beef budget. (Which, come to think of it, isn’t cheap either.)
The truck he drove was the size of a small pick-up and had a box refrigerator unit in the bed. (About the size of a small U-Haul truck.) Emblazoned on the side of the white refrigerated box were the words ‘USDA Beef’ in a red and blue diamond logo.
Okay I admit, I was running on instinct powered by that silly mouse and these questions didn’t pop into my head until after I said ‘no thanks’ and closed the door. I’ll never know the answers. But standing there confronted with this mobile meatman, I just couldn’t think this was a good thing. After all, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Right? (I know, I need to be more open to new things – but food poisoning isn’t one of them.)
Filet mignon for $3.00. Each.
It’s been forever since I’ve even seen one. With my frame of reference, he could have passed off almost any cut of meat (well, not a T-bone steak or a lamb chop) as filet mignon and I’m not sure I would have known any better. (I just had to google to be sure I spelled it correctly.) And then I have this magnificent piece of beef, (how many ounces do you get for $3.00. Each.??) and I don’t know that I’d do it justice ‘cuz I like my beef cooked and an expensive (except this time) cut like filet mignon is more of a stick-it-in-the-oven-turn-around-three-times-take-it-out-and-eat-it piece of beef. USDA beef. Butchered who knows where, by who knows who and only $3.00. Each.
I wouldn’t do it justice grilling it either. I know your supposed to use tongs to grill meat, but I lost mine someplace (how does that happen?) so I use my long handled granny fork and, yes, I lose some of the juice and I’m sure grillmasters everywhere are breaking out in hives. Deal with it. I don’t want to buy another pair of tongs when I have a pair around here… someplace. And for filet mignon, I’d feel obligated to buy tongs. (There goes the savings on the filet mignon for only $3.00. Each.)
And here’s the spooky thing. I already told you I was busy making supper when he showed up at my door, right?
I was grilling a (bought-on-sale) steak out on the back deck.
It’s like I drew him in with the smell or something.
So what do you think? Did I say ‘no’ to a good thing? What would you have done if he showed up at your door?
The desire to organize seems to hit me every year in the month of February. Perhaps it’s because I spend more time indoors during the cold months (though that is a bit of a misnomer for this particular snowless winter with its 50 degree weather). Last weekend, I defrosted the basement freezer. The only surprise there was all the room I had once the frost melted.
This weekend, I tackled the long neglected spice cupboard. I tossed a bunch of expired herb and spice mixes. When was the last time I made spinach dip for pete’s sake? We don’t do dip. Not even during the holidays. I think I bought them for my fantasy life where I entertain – a lot – and serve dip.
Then there was the fish seasoning I bought in an open air market on the island of St. Martin. You know how the person who isn’t crazy about fish to begin with is usually the one who ends up finding bones in the ‘boneless fillet’? In my house, that would be Old Roady. So I rarely serve fish. That wonderful blend of spices, now several years old, ended up in the trash – another victim of my fantasy life where Omega 3 is an integral part of our diet.
I was pleased with myself for all the purging and cleaning until I read Sara Noel’s Frugal Living column in my local paper and this statement sent me running back to my cupboard: McCormick’s website states that if their spices are in a tin can, they are at least 15 years old.
Okay, so mine is Durkee brand. Can I fool myself into thinking it’s NOT 15 years old?
I tried to decode the expiration date using Durkee’s FAQ page, but the number and letter sequence doesn’t make sense. Add that lack of information to the price tag still glued to the bottom – $1.67 – and I’m thinking I could have tossed this can of paprika 14 years ago and never missed it.
Now I’m in a quandary – throw out the can or keep it. I found the same one pictured on ebay labeled ‘vintage’. It’s a collectible. A few more years and it will be positively antique. This red tin can would look lovely in my fantasy Country Living kitchen.
During the summer, I’ll start my day with yogurt, berries and granola for breakfast. On cold winter mornings, I enjoy a bowl of hot oatmeal with a sprinkle of cinnamon and dash of vanilla. I’ve often wondered if my fondness for oatmeal is in my genes since oats have been a staple of the Scottish diet since medieval times. 
My great-grandfather Dinwoodie immigrated to the United States from Dalbeattie, Scotland to work in the quarries of Southern Rhode Island. The granite workers tended to live in neighborhoods with fellow countrymen. Here in my town, the area the Scots settled in was known as Oatmeal Alley.
The month of January is National Oatmeal Month – the perfect time to share this moist muffin recipe.
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup milk
2/3 cup applesauce
Mix dry ingredients well with a fork.
In a different bowl beat egg, then add oil and milk. Stir in applesauce and mix.
Stir wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing only until moistened.
Spoon into greased muffin cups and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
My notes:
1. I line the muffin cups with papers instead of greasing them – much easier clean up.
2. I tossed in a handful of raisins.
3. This recipe makes 1 dozen regular size muffins. (Not the super-size muffins the doughnut shops carry.)
photo source: Hershey's Kitchens
A family favorite! This cookie is always served at our Christmas celebration.
48 Hershey’s Kisses Chocolates
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar
1. Heat oven 375 degrees. Remove foil from Kisses chocolate.
2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack and allow to cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.
This cookie is very sweet and cake-like.
Cookie Ingredients:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 cups flour
2 sticks margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 pound whole milk ricotta cheese
3 teaspoons vanilla
Cream sugar and margarine in a large bowl. Beat in one egg at a time. Add vanilla and mix well. Add ricotta and mix well. In another bowl mix dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder); gradually add dry ingredients to sugar/margarine mixture. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 10 minutes until the tops of the cookies are white and the bottoms are golden brown.
Icing Ingredients:
3 cups powdered sugar
5 tablespoons melted butter
4 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
When the cookies are completely cool: Dip top of cookie in icing and place on wax paper. (Add sprinkles now if you like) Let cookies sit at least 5 hours You may refrigerate them. Makes 8 dozen cookies.
I found this recipe last year in the Providence Journal’s cooking section. Not sure why they have to ‘sit at least 5 hours’. Does it have to do with firmness or taste? If you are a baker and know the answer, I’d love to hear it.
The Christmas baking has begun at our house. Rocky Road Fudge. YUM! I can’t resist the combination of chocolate and peanuts. This recipe is great for giving or the bake sale table at the church bazaar.
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup roasted peanuts
Melt the first three ingredients over low heat then fold into marshmallows and peanuts. Press into an 8″ x 8″ square baking dish that has been lined with foil. Let cool, then place in the fridge to firm up. Peel off foil before slicing into chunks.
My tips:
1. Line the pan with foil before starting the melting process.
2. For a double batch, line a 9″ x 13″ pan.
Though our Thanksgiving meal is the same traditional menu served when I was a child celebrating at Grandma’s house, we’ve added appetizers to the celebration. The spread of cold finger-foods keeps the men and kids out from underfoot in the kitchen. Shrimp and cocktail sauce. Corn chips and salsa. Mixed nuts. Cheese ball and crackers. I know, Cholesterol Central. I try to undo a little of the damage with a hefty bowl of grapes.
2 packages (8 oz.) cream cheese – softened
1/2 pound cheddar cheese – shredded
1/2 cup green onions – chopped
6 slices of bacon – cooked and crumbled
1 clove garlic – minced
3 tablespoons pimento (roasted red pepper) – diced
3 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley – minced
Blend all ingredients. Form into a ball. Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to blend. Serve with crackers.
Okay, so that’s the basics. Here’s a few other notes about the recipe:
1. The pre-bagged shredded cheese doesn’t mix in as well as block cheese shredded on a grater.
2. I use turkey bacon. I know. Why bother? For the same reason I serve the grapes.
3. The ball can be rolled in chopped pecans to make it look pretty. I don’t, because there are family members who can’t eat nuts.
4. If there are any leftovers, the flavor only gets better the day after Thanksgiving. I could prepare this earlier, but for some reason I resist the idea. I want it freshly made for THE day.
Easy and tasty. Enjoy!
This is the time of year that I feel like a little kid all over again. I have so many sweet memories of Thanksgiving at Gramma Dinwoodie’s with all the aunts, uncles and cousins – the dining/living room so crowded with people and the extended table, you couldn’t move an inch. The family was loud, the food smelled wonderful and as a child, all I had to do was show up to the feast.
Several of us kids would have to duck beneath the table to get to the sofa on the other side in order to take our place. No one cared that we knocked elbows or could barely hear each other over the din. In the small house Grampa built using the lumber from another house he’d torn down, we celebrated our very own Norman Rockwell and Currier and Ives moments.
No, our table wasn’t beautifully set with matching crystal, silver or candles. An open flame in the middle of this crowd could spell disaster. And the turkey never made it to the table beautifully browned and decorated with parsley and kumquats. It was sliced in the kitchen, loaded on platters and set on the table for passing and fast self-service.
After the feast, when the table had been cleared, we would sit around the fruit bowl, each of us swathed in a turkey torpor, cracking mixed nuts or slicing through the tough skin of a pomegranate to suck on the juicy membrane around the seeds. We didn’t have an internet to tell us how to slice and eat a pomegranate without making a mess, but we had fun – mostly because it was the only day of the year we had a pomegranate at our disposal.
My Thanksgivings are still celebrated with family, but it’s not the huge gathering it once was. Now I’m one of the aunts and there aren’t as many little ones underfoot. But the love and the fun and the fellowship is still part of the celebration. There’s still no expensive crystal and the turkey continues to be carved in the kitchen, but I don’t have to climb beneath the table to find my place and there are lovely place cards at each setting and appetizers to enjoy.
So many happy memories, and all of them have melded with, and some how become attached to, the happiness depicted in Norman Rockwell’s painting and modern media’s idea of a perfect Thanksgiving. I see beautiful holiday pictures in home decorating magazines and immediately feel that warm rush of recognition. My real-life experience jumbles with the ideal depicted on the page to create a fantasy Thanksgiving that, though I may never fully live it, serves to enhance the homey, down-to-earth imperfect perfection of my real-life holiday which is truly a time of thanksgiving.
If you want to see bits of a fantasy Thanksgiving mingled with the reality , hop over to my board at Pinterest and take a peek.
Where inspiration, creativity and faith intertwine
Anita K Greene 