Cheese Balls

So with the holidays around Casey and I were talking about cheese balls and how much we like them. So I asked my facebook friends if they could recommend a good cheese ball recipe? I got a few good suggestions but could not decide on one, so I made three!! They were all very simple and I would recommend them all. We even took score as to a favorite and they all scored about the same, so basically you cannot go wrong.

If you want one with a little sweet and savory you may want to go with this one....

Pineapple Cheese Ball (I think it was my favorite! Mmmmm...)

2 (8 ounce) packages softened cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups finely chopped pecans, divided into two one cup portions
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
2 tablespoons grated onions or 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
2 teaspoons seasoning salt (I use Lawry's)
cracker, of choice
Directions:
Mix all the ingredients, using only 1 cup of the pecans listed and form into a ball.
Reserve 2nd cup of pecans for topping.
Refrigerate overnight.
Before serving, roll cheese ball in reserved cup of pecans.
Serve with crackers of choice. I like Wheat Thins

Thanks Food Network! and Jennifer Thomas

http://www.food.com/recipe/pineapple-cheese-ball-79432

If you want a real creamy, easy cheeseball I would go with this one...
2 8oz cream cheese
2 Tbsp Helmans mayo
2 Tbsp parm cheese
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 jar of Kraft old English cheese spread
Mix all ingredients above then roll in....
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Thanks Jennifer and Rebecca!

But if you want a good sharp cheddar cheeseball go with this one....
3 oz. cream cheese
8 oz mile or sharp cheddar cheese
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
dash of red pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
1 T. chili powder
1 T. paprika
Soften cheese.  Add lemon juice, garlic powder, red pepper.  Mix until light and fluffy.  Stir in nuts.  Shape into roll (or ball if you prefer).  Mix together the chili powder and paprika and spread on a sheet of wax paper.  Roll log in mixture until coated on all sides, then refrigerate.  Let stand at room temp 10 minutes before serving.

Thanks Mama C and Tisha! 

Pumpkin Poppy Seed Bread or muffins or cake....

It's that time! Mmmmm... I love me some pumpkin. So I have this REALLY good banana poppy seed bread recipe that I got from my best friend in school's, grandmother. I thought I had lost it, but found it about 7 years ago! Score! when I was cleaning out a drawer. About two years ago around this time I thought I bet I could use the basics of the banana bread recipe, but make a pumkin bread. When I went to the store and was trying to decide what pudding mix I would use I ran across pumpkin jello (around Thanksgiving) but I have done it with butterscotch too! Both are yummy. Not sure I can tell much of a difference so do not feel you are missing out of you cannot find the pumpkin. So here is what I did...

1 pkg spice cake mix

1 pkg instant pumpkin or butterscotch pudding

2 eggs

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup canola oil

1 16oz can of pumpkin

1 tsp baking soda

3 Tbsp poppy seed

1 cup water

*cinnamon and brown sugar

Bake at 375. If you can dump boxes and measure just a little you will have no problem with this. Prep time is about 10 minutes. Depending on what you make it in, that will adjust your cooking time.

Bread Pan-60-75 minutes

Muffins-20-23 minutes

9x13-28-30 minutes

About mid-way through the cooking time, before the bread is done *I sprinkle some cinnamon and brown sugar on top for a little extra yummy goodness.

Dump and Mix in one bowl.

I have done this in a bread pan, muffin tins and a 9x13 dish (almost like a sheet cake). They are all good. I just mix it up depending on what I want it for or how much time I have. I have also used a can of pumpkin pie filling. It is good as well. Just with some extra spices.

* to do the banana poppy seed bread it is yellow cake mix, vanilla or cheesecake instant pudding and 3 cups of bananas mashed.

The final in a 9x13

Cheeseburger Sliders

So, I ran across this, Easy Cheeseburger Slider recipe on pinterest a few months ago and just decided to make it tonight. I am glad that I did. It was SUPER easy and a hit with the family.

Easy Oven-Baked Cheeseburger Sliders

2 pounds, 93% lean ground sirloin

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

3/4 cup chopped onions

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 package (12-count) Kings Hawaiian Savory Butter rolls (or slider buns)

6 slices cheddar or Velveeta slices

Heat oven to 400 degrees.   In a bowl, combine beef, bread crumbs, onion, and salt.  Gently press mixture into a 9-by-13-inch pan so that it makes one large patty of even thickness.  Use the tines of a fork to poke holes throughout the meat.  Bake for 30 minutes.  As it bakes, the meat will shrink away from the sides and liquid will accumulate around the edges of pan.  When fully cooked, remove the pan from oven (keep oven turned on) and carefully drain off the liquid.

Top the meat with an even layer of sliced cheese; return pan to oven for about 2 minutes or until the cheese melts.  Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes.  Cut into 2-inch squares (or the size of the buns used), making 12 mini- hamburgers.  Serve with dill pickle slices and ketchup.  Serves 6 at 2 sliders each.

I served it with pasta salad, pickles and chips. Quick and easy for sure!

I am just a cheese and ketchup girl myself

A hit with little and big hands.

Thanks to...http://www.betterrecipes.com/blogs/daily-dish/2013/05/29/easy-cheeseburger-sliders/

Yummy appetizers...

This post kind of became a Part 2. 
Here at the appetizers from tonight....

BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breast, shredded
• 1/4 cup of ranch or blue cheese dressing
• 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce (I used Franks)
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• Preheat oven to 350°. Mix cream cheese, chicken, wing sauce, cheese and salad dressing into an ungreased shallow 1-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with Tortilla Chips, Carrots & Celery or crackers.Yield: about 4 cups.

I think chips were my favorite!

AND lastly I made...

                 Cheddar Ranch Cheese Spread:

This was SUPER simple. A great thing to have on hand and whip up for a party. Obviously I love this stuff. I highly recommend serving it with Triscuits. The creamy cheese spread with crunchy Triscuits are fantastic. I prefer the ranch flavor, but you can also make this with Italian dressing mix. Equally as good and equally as addicting. It’s four ingredients, mix them together, and go. This could also be rolled into a cheeseball and covered with nuts if you want to get fancy. You can make this with low fat cream cheese and sour cream, but why bother? Serious snacking deserves the real stuff. Don’t even think about making this with fat free ingredients. It’s not the same taste at all.

Ingredients:

8oz cream cheese

1/2 c sour cream

0.7oz ranch dressing mix packet

1 c shredded cheddar

Mix all together and serve. I served it with Wheat Thins, Triscuits and Club Crackers

Thanks to So, how's it taste for this quick, easy and yummy recipe.There blog

Yummy Desserts from party tonight...

So it has been SO long since I have posted. Tonight I tried 4 recipes that I wanted to share. I had a 31 party  for a friend tonight and I had run across a few recipes I had been wanting to try so tonight was the perfect opportunity because whatever is left I will take to Mrs. Sandy's for our Wednesday swim day tomorrow. Everything was yummy and 2 thumbs up! I had a few even ask for recipes! That's when you know it is good. Here are the desserts...

• So tonight I made...                                              CHOCOLATE LASAGNA

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package regular Oreo cookies (Not Double Stuff) – about 36 cookies
• 6 Tablespoon butter, melted
• 1- 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cold milk
• 1- 12 ounce tub Cool Whip, divided
• 2 – 3.9 ounce packages Chocolate Instant Pudding.
• 3 1/4 cups cold milk
• 1 and 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Begin by crushing 36 Oreo cookies. I used my food processor for this, but you could also place them in a large ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin. When the Oreos have turned into fine crumbs, you are done.
2. Transfer the Oreo crumbs to a large bowl. Stir in 6 tablespoons melted butter and use a fork to incorporate the butter into the cookie crumbs. When the butter is distributed, transfer the mixture to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator while you work on the additional layers.
3. Mix the cream cheese with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add in 2 Tablespoons of milk, and sugar, and mix well. Stir in 1 and 1/4 cups Cool Whip. Spread this mixture over the crust.
4. In a bowl, combine chocolate instant pudding with 3 and 1/4 cups cold milk. Whisk for several minutes until the pudding starts to thicken. Use a spatula to spread the mixture over the previous cream cheese layer. Allow the dessert to rest for about 5 minutes so that the pudding can firm up further.
5. Spread the remaining Cool Whip over the top. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips evenly over the top. Place in the freezer for 1 hour, or the refrigerator for 4 hours before servings
6. Chocolate Lasagna! Thanks to centercutcook.com

LEMON SQUARES

I also made some Lemon Squares. I had gotten this recipe from Sandy after eating them last week at the pool. They were so easy and yummy as well. I think I may add more lemon next time though. I like the tart lemon taste!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups of All Purpose Flour, divided

2 cups of sugar, divided

2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

Juice of 2 lemons

powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Whisk together 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of sugar and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Work softened butter into dough just until combined. Press the dough evenly into the greased 9x13 baking dish.

3. Bake 20-25 minutes or until dough is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

4. Combine 1 1/2 cups of sugar and 1/4 cup of flour in a medium bowl, Whisk in eggs and lemon juice until smooth. Pour mixture over crust. Bake 20-25 minutes just until filling is set. Topping will firm up as bars cool. Cool completely.

5. Dust with powdered sugar, cut into 2-inch squares. Store in refrigerator up tp 3 days.

Easy 1 dish dinner

So I found this recipe on Pinterest, but the person who pinned it did not link it to a blog or anything just a picture with the directions and I thought sounds super simple not to try. So this is what I made. It was good, but the second time I made it I used a bag of frozen broccoli and it was the BOMB!! So good. We definitely recommend the broccoli. This is a weekly staple almost in our house

Before putting it in the oven with green beans

4-6 raw chicken breasts, new potatoes, green beans (fresh or canned-really any green veggie would work. Broccoli is our fav). Arrange in 9x13 dish. Sprinkle with a packet of Italian dressing mix and then top with a melted stick of butter. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Cooked and with broccoli

Seriously? Quick, Delish and One Dish

Honey Bun Cake

 If you love cinnamon and melt in your mouth cake, you will love this coffee cake.  This is made with a box of yellow cake mix and couldn't be any easier.  You could serve this cake as a coffee cake for breakfast, or as a dessert with a big scoop of ice cream.  Either way, you can't go wrong.  Yum!

1 package plain yellow cake mix
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs

1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon or pumpkin spice

2 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, sour cream, oil and eggs on low speed of an electric mixer for 1 minute.  Increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more.  Pour into prepared pan.

Drizzle honey on top of batter, then sprinkle on the brown sugar and cinnamon or pumpkin spice.  With a knife, swirl topping to blend.

Bake 38-40 minutes.  Whisk together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.  Pour over warm cake.  Allow cake to cool at least 20 minutes before cutting. 
Thanks to plainchicken.com for this fabulously de-lish recipe

Mock Cheddar Bay Biscuits from Red Lobster

See how yummy they look!!

I am still not 100% convinced they taste exactly the same, but they are a close second for sure and very yummy!!

2 cups Bisquick baking mix

2/3 cups milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

1 tsp Garlic Powder

Mix all ingredients just until mixed (over mixing will cause tough biscuits)

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden brown

Topping:

1/2 stick butter melted

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix and brush on top of biscuits when they come out of the oven!

Enjoy!

Best Ever Buckeye Brownies

Gooseberry Patch's Buckeye Brownies. A "must-have" recipe. This will be your favorite "go-to" for any potluck, family get-together or holiday party. I promise!! They were a HUGE hit at our Christmas party. Grab a glass of milk and enjoy!! Thanks to an office potluck at Gooseberry Patch this recipe is here for us all to drool over! Gooseberry Patch shared it on their Facebook page!  They kindly shared the recipe from their, Almost Homemade cookbook.

Buckeye Brownies

19-1/2 oz. pkg. brownie mix I used Duncan Hines Double Fudge
2 c. powdered sugar 
1/2 c. plus 6 Tablespoons butter, softened and divided 
8-oz. jar creamy peanut butter 
6-oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips 

Prepare and bake brownie mix in a greased 13"x9" baking pan according to package directions. Let cool. Mix powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter and peanut butter. Mix well and spread over cooled brownies. The recipe said "Chill for one hour" but I didn't have an hour so I did about 25 mins and it was fine. Melt together chocolate chips and remaining butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Spread over brownies. Let cool about 15-20 mins, cut into squares. 
Makes 2+ dozen, since you cut them pretty small because of the richness.
ENJOY!!!

Thanks to cafescrapper-scrapsoflife.blogspot.com for this recipe.