Recipes

I know you can eat a cheese ball any time of year…but I always seem to make them more around the Holidays.  They are so easy to make…and do not cost much either. There are 100′s of recipes but here is one my family enjoys.

Bacon cheddar cheese ball

In a bowl combine;

• 1 brick of cream cheese softened
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ( you will need additional 1 cup for outside of ball)
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 cup chopped onion ( green or normal whatever you have)
• 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
• 1/3 cup crumbled cooked bacon

Mix all items listed above till well mixed.

With a spoon pull mixture toward middle of the bowl, and try to form a ball.  Then cover and place in refrigerator till chilled and firm.

After it has chilled, it will be easier to work with. Roll the cheese mixture into a ball, and roll in grated cheddar cheese.  I found the best way to get the cheese to stick it is freeze the grated cheese….it is then hard and sticks to the cheese ball really well.  Other wise it tends to get smashed and does not look as nice.

Roll the ball in the cheese till all sides are coated, press the cheese into the ball.

You can make this days ahead of time, or the day of…..Enjoy!

Are you looking for a thrifty Christmas treat idea?

One way to save money is to always think and plan ahead.  I stock up on items at their lowest price point, and use them to save my family money for months to come.   This summer I was able to get Keebler cookies at a really good price.  Both Target and Albertsons had great promos for  .50 or less a package ( normal price $2.50-$3.99 each).  I checked the sell buy date, they do not expire till Oct 2010, so I knew I had plenty of time to use them.  I wanted to show you one way to make these thrifty summer deals a great Christmas treat.
I used 3 packages of cookies, 1 cup of white chocolate chips and some Christmas sprinkles.

Melt the chocolate ( per melting instructions on package)

Dip just the tip of the cookie into the white chocolate, and place on wax paper.

I then let my daughter sprinkle them with red and green sprinkles.  Which she thought was SO much fun!

I found it was easier for me to just dip the tip into a pile of sprinkles.

We did the same think with the circle cookies as well.  Let them dry on wax paper.  These look so cute….and did not take much work at all!

This weekend Mckeely my 4 year old daughter, and I spent lots of time in the kitchen making treats.  Every year I make a few treats that require smashed up bits of candy cane.  Normally I take a rolling pin or hammer and try to break up the candy…but tend to make a huge mess.  This year I got the idea to try to chop them up in my little coffee grinder that I use to grind spices.  I was not sure if it would work …but thought it was worth a try.

I broke up the candy cane a little, put the lid on, hit chop ……I opened it up and Mckeely giggled and said ” Mom you made candy cane dust”  It worked like a charm…. I was so excited!  It took me less than 5 min to chop the whole box, a job that normally would have taken much longer!  Maybe this is a trick that everyone already knew about?  But I thought I would pass it on…in case I wasn’t the only one out there beating candy canes with a hammer?

Remember the thrifty deal we got on Crescent rolls a few weeks ago?  Well I thought I would pass along one of my favorite ways to use them.

• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 1 8oz cream cheese
• 3 green onions chopped
• 1/4 cup celery chopped fine
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon salt, pepper, garlic powder

You will need one package of crescent rolls,

Mix the items listed above in bowl, and spoon 2 TBS into each crescent roll.

Bake at 350 degrees for 13-16 minutes till golden brown.
If you find the triangle  hard to work with you can make larger ones buy using two rolls, in a rectangle shape folded in half.  Just add twice the amount of filling since you are using two rolls.

We eat them with chicken gravy on top.  ( Can of Cream of Chicken soup, thinned down with a little bit of milk)

Hope you enjoy!

I thought I would share with you one of my favorite fall Crock Pot meals.  The original recipe called it Taco soup, but  we just call it chili at our house.  Matt says “taco soup” just sounds wrong.  He said ” who wants to drink a taco?”  He makes me laugh….so at our house it is Chili.

I like to make this meal on a day that I know I am going to be busy, prep only takes a few minutes.  Plug it in and a few hours later you have a yummy hot meal.  My whole family enjoys this meal.  Plus you can do the prep work the  night before if you want, keep it in the refrigerator and then cook it the next day.

Start out with 1 lb of ground beef,  break up into bite size pieces on the bottom of the crock pot.

1 medium sized onion- diced

Add one Taco Seasoning packet any brand ( normally I sprinkle it over the meat, but I did it this way so you can see it in the photo)

Add 2 cans of beans (15 oz)  any kind will work we use black beans because that is what my family likes.  You could cook your own beans it would cost less,  2 cans equals about 3-4 cups of cooked beans.

Add 1 can of whole sweet corn (15 oz)

Add 1 can of Tomato soup ( 10 oz)  and also add 1 small can of tomato sauce ( 8 oz)

If you want it thick like chili add one cup water.  But if you want it a little thinner like soup add 2 cups of water.

Put the lid on and cook on high for 2 hours.  After two hours stir, and turn down the temp down to low, cook another 1-2 hours.  Or you can just cook it on low for 4-5 hours  till done.

Eat with cheese, sour cream, dices tomatoes, onions and chips!  Hope you enjoy!

When I was little I was addicted to sugar…but now that I am an adult I am more excited about a good salad, than dessert.  But this recipe is one of those that still makes me want to eat the whole pan, I LOVE them!

Start out by smashing one package of graham crackers ( not the whole box just one of the clear packages inside)

Once you get the crackers all smashed up, put in the bottom of a 9X13 pan

pour one stick of melted butter on top

Take a fork and make sure the cracker crumbs are well coated with butter

Then press down in a flat even layer in the bottom of the pan.

Place in an oven at 350 degrees for 12 min

this will create a crust

While still hot out of the oven pour one can of sweet and condensed milk ( not evaporated)

Pour in a thin even layer over the whole crust

Top with what ever you like, I use about 1/2 a cup of the following

• chocolate chips
• peanut butter chips
• nuts or ( i use sunflower seeds, my friend who had a daughter allergic to nuts made it this way and I LOVE it so, I have never switched back)
• coconut
• M&Ms candys

While still hot place back in a 350 degree oven and bake for another 25-35 mins till edges are golden brown.  Let cool at least 30 mins…..and enjoy

This is what Matt and I did to the pan in ONE night……I am telling you this is one of my favorites!  Hope you enjoy them too.

Thanks to Terri who sent me her favorite pickle recipe to share with all of you.

GRAMMIE’S SWEET PICKLES

Wash small and medium sized cucumbers and pack into half gallon jars.  Add one tablespoon of pickling salt.  Fill jar with cold vinegar, screw on the cap, and turn the jar up and down until all the salt is dissolved.  Set away until ready to use.  This may be one month or one year.

When ready to use, open jar and pour off vinegar.  Split cukes ( cucumbers)  and pack in half gallon jar.

Make syrup:  3 cups sugar

2 cups water

small handful of pickling spices

small amount of green food coloring (optional)

Boil syrup for ten minutes and over split cukes.  Screw cap on jar and let stand 2-3 days.  Ready to eat!

“This is an OLD recipe and the only sweet pickles I make.”    -Lucille Teilmann (1912-1978)