Over cheeseball season?

The Best Cheeseball
(from melskitchencafe.com)

*Makes 4 cheeseballs

• 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
• 1 cup pecans, finely chopped for rolling

Place finely chopped pecans in a shallow dish and set aside. In a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), mix the cream cheese until smooth. Add the cheddar cheese and mix until just combined. Lightly sprinkle all the seasonings and sauces over the cheese mixture and mix until thoroughly combined.

With lightly greased hands, portion the cheese mixture into four pieces and roll each section into a round ball. Coat in pecans. The easiest way to do this is to hold the cheeseball in one hand and scoop up the pecans and press them onto the cheeseball with the other, turning the cheeseball as you go and letting the excess pecans fall back into the dish (this also helps the pecans to go a little further). Cover each cheeseball in saran wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

I halved this recipe.  It was easy to make and delicious.  

Have I really not posted this apple syrup recipe?

Apple Cider Syrup

• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 T. cornstarch
• 1/4 t. cinnamon
• 1/4 t. nutmeg
• 2 c. apple cider
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 1/4 c. butter

In a saucepan, combine first four ingredients.  Stir in cider and lemon juice.  Cook and stir until boiling.  Boil for one minute, remove from heat and add butter.  Serve over pancakes, waffles, or french toast.


This is delicious!  My mom's famous recipe, maybe minus a little sugar and butter?  Anyway, it's a definite winner and a nice change from maple.

A fast hot fudge cake using yellow cake mix

Hot Fudge and Vanilla Cake Bars

• 1 white cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil

Mix the above together.  Pour 2/3 of mixture into greased 9x13 pan.  Preheat oven to 350.  Now combine:

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat-free)
• 1 cup chocolate chips ( I used half semi, half milk- it doesn't matter)
• 2 T. butter

Combine in a glass or microwavable-safe bowl and cook for 1 minute.  Stir until mixture is all melted and combined.  Pour over cake batter mixture, then top with remaining dough, placing it evenly (or unevenly, like me) over the top.  Bake for 25 minutes or until the jiggle in the middle is mostly absent.  A little hot-fudginess never hurt anyone, right? 


We like it served with ice cream.  

So easy and a bit different- a quick snack or lunch!

English Muffin Wowza

• 1 English Muffin, toasted
• 1 slice American cheese or Cheddar
• Strawberry Jam

As soon as the English muffin is perfectly toasted (make it crisp!), throw that cheese on one side.
Spread the jam on the other, preferably strawberry freezer jam, which tastes most fresh!
Put them together and EAT.


When I was a youngun', my mom would make a loaf of white bread.  Warm out of the oven she would put homemade apricot jam on it and top it with "orange cheese".  I can't remember if she did strawberry, but that is what I do because strawberry freezer jam is a staple at our house.  So if you like to pair your cheese with apples (good!) or other sweet things to get that savory/sweet thing going on, then you should give this a try.  Most of my kids like it too!  

Pepperoncini Beef- crock pot

Pepperoncini Beef
(allrecipes.com)

• 1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 (16 ounce) jar pepperoncini

Directions

1. Make small cuts in roast, and insert garlic slices in cuts. Place roast in the slow cooker, and pour the entire contents of the jar of pepperoncini, including liquid, over meat.
2. Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

We enjoyed this beef.  It wasn't too spicy, but it had a definite pepperoncini taste, if you're familiar with those yellow peppers you can put on your sandwich at Subway!  I love 'em.  Anyway, I added sliced onions to the crockpot and we served these in rolls.  

Dulce de Leche- 1 ingredient in the crock pot!

Dulce de Leche, or caramel dipping sauce

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk

Remove paper label from can.  Don't open can. Place in crock pot, then fill crock pot with enough water to cover the can.  Cook on low for 6-8 hrs.  

This is obviously super-easy, and who would have thought the sweetened condensed milk would turn into a perfect caramel dip?  I did read somewhere that there could be a danger of cans bursting, but that is usually with the stovetop method.  By cooking on low in the crock pot and keeping an eye on it you should be fine, right?  Well- mine worked great.  

Maple and Brown Sugar Ham

Maple Brown Sugar Ham in the Slow Cooker

(from melskitchencafe.com)

• 7-8 pound bone-in spiral-cut ham
• 1 cup dark brown sugar (I used regular)
• 1/2 cup all natural maple syrup (yes, please use pure maple syrup and not pancake syrup)
• 2 cups pineapple juice

Use a 6-7 quart slow cooker. Unwrap the ham and discard flavor packet. Place the ham into the slow cooker stoneware, flat-side down. Rub brown sugar on all sides. Pour on maple syrup and pineapple juice. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. An hour before serving, baste ham with the collected juices from the bottom of the slow cooker. When cooking is done, remove carefully and let it rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before carving.

Delicious!!  I used a 5 qt slow cooker and I had to split the ham in some places to fit but it was okay.  I also realized my ham was already cooked, but I put it in the crock pot anyway to warm it up and give it good flavor.  It was great!  I cooked it on low for 5 hours.  Tastes great with a mustard sauce as an accent flavor. I love you ham!