Southern Made Cheese Ball

Serves approximately 45 (2 cheese balls of 3 cups each)

Note: The flavor of this cheese ball is best after it blends for a few hours or overnight. It also freezes well, which is important since the quantity is so large.

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (I use 2 bars Neufchatel cheese and 1 cream cheese)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon low-salt Creole-style seasoning
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon creamy salad dressing, e.g. Miracle Whip
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans or sliced green onions to coat finished cheese ball

1. In a large bowl, mix by hand cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, green onions, chili powder, Creole-style seasoning, Cheddar cheese, and creamy salad dressing.

2. Form the mixture into one or more balls. Chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving.

Note: I use the Neufchatel cheese because it has 1/3 the fat of cream cheese without the "fat free" texture. You can find it in bar form, right next to the cream cheese. Also, if you are planning to freeze your cheese ball, use the pecans instead of green onions to coat it. One last note--if your cheese ball turns out too salty, try a low-salt Creole seasoning next time.

Recipe from allrecipes.com

Lesley's Frosting

Frosts 1 cake

1/2 of a 32-oz package of powdered sugar
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 and 1/2 TBSP Milk
1 tbs. imitation vanilla extract

1. Mix powdered sugar and butter, then add milk and vanilla. Add more milk for thinner frosting. Color with food coloring if desired.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Serves 10

1/4 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 20-oz can pineapple slices in juice, with juice reserved separately
1 6-oz jar maraschino cherries without stems, drained
1 box yellow cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a 9x13 pan, melt the butter in the oven. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the melted butter. Arrange pineapple slices on top of sugar. Place a cherry in the center of each pineapple slice, pressing gently into the brown sugar.

2. Add enough water to the reserved pineapple juice to measure 1 and 1/4 cups. Make cake mix as directed on the box, using the juice mixture instead of water. Pour the batter over the pineapple and cherries.

3. Bake for 42 to 47 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Immediately run a knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake. Place a heatproof serving dish upside down over the pan, and invert. Leave the pan over the cake for 1 minute, so the brown sugar mixture can drizzle over the cake. Remove the pan. Cool 30 minutes before serving. Store loosely covered.

Recipe from BettyCrocker.com

No Bake Cookies

Makes 2 dozen

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 tbs. vanilla extract

1. Heat cocoa, sugar, milk and butter over medium heat. Boil these VERY slowly--they turn out better. Boil for no longer than 2 minutes.

2. Add oats, peanut butter, and vanilla to the heated mixture. Stir together, and drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper to cool.

Recipe from allrecipes.com

Pan Pierogies

Serves 8

4 onions, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 16-oz package lasagna noodles
16 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
4 cups instant mashed potato flakes
1/4 cup butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking dish.

2. Saute the onions in butter until translucent and soft.

3. Cook and drain the lasagna noodles as directed on their package.

4. Make potatoes as directed on their package for 12 servings. Combine the onions with the potatoes.

5. Place a layer of noodles over the bottom of the baking dish. Cover with a layer of the potatoes, and sprinkle them with cheese and pats of butter. Repeat, ending with the cheese and butter layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Recipe from allrecipes.com

Impossibly Easy Coconut Pie

Serves 6-8

1/2 cup Bisquick
2 cups milk
1 cup flaked or shredded coconut
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
4 eggs
1 and 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. Heat over to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch pie plate.

2. Combine all ingredients and stir until blended. Pour into pie plate.

3. Bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until golden brown, and a knife inserted into the center of pie comes out clean. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

Recipe is from BettyCrocker.com

Triple Chocolate Mess

Serves 6

Note: This recipe requires 6-8 hours in the slow cooker, in addition to the 15 minutes of preparation time.

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 package instant chocolate pudding
1 cup chocolate chips
1 pint sour cream
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
1 cup water

1. Spray the bowl of the slow cooker with cooking spray.

2. Combine all ingredients, and stir to mix.

3. Cook 6-8 hours on low. Check after 5 hours. Do not lift the lid before then. Serve with ice cream.

Recipe is from a church cookbook, but the author's name is missing. If you know whose recipe this is, let me know!

Some 20 minute Meal Ideas

No recipes, just ideas to jog my memory.

Refried Black Bean and Cream Cheese Quesadillas with Peach Salsa

Fettucine Alfredo

Biscuits and Gravy

Refried Bean Soup

Curry Chili with Cornbread

Hot Dogs and Coleslaw

Stroganoff and Green Beans

French Toast

Tortilla Dog (a hot dog wrapped in a tortilla)

Boca Burger BBQ (microwave a few boca patties and mix with BBQ sauce)

Pancakes

Quesadillas and Soup

Recipes I Want

Aunt Carol's Marinated Carrots

Huff Family Potato Salad

Grandma Ogden's Tater-Tot Casserole

Wedding Potatoes

Joy's Almond Frosting

Darn Good Chocolate Cake

Serves 6-8

Note: This recipe uses a Bundt pan.

1 package Devil's Food plain cake mix (no pudding in the mix)
1 3.9-oz package chocolate instant pudding
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream (low fat or fat free may be used)
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil (1/2 cup applesauce is a fat-free substitute)
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Spray the Bundt pan with flour spray ("Pam for Baking"). In an electric mixer, combine cake mix, pudding, eggs, sour cream, warm water, and vegetable oil/applesauce in a mixer and beat for 1 minute.

2. Increase speed to medium, and beat 2-3 minutes. Reduce to lowest speed, and fold in chocolate chips.

3. Pour batter into the Bundt pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes, and invert onto cooling rack. To serve, lightly dust with powdered sugar.

Apparently, this recipe can be made fat-free, by using fat-free sour cream and pudding, and substituting applesauce for the oil. I have had it prepared this way before, and it is so rich you would not believe it!

Easy Pot Pie Casserole

Serves 6

1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, green beans, etc.)
1 small onion, chopped
2 cans of Aunt Penney's White Sauce (they're small)
1/2 cup milk
1 can refrigerated biscuits

1. Saute the onion. While it is cooking, defrost the veggies in the microwave.

2. Mix the onion and veggies with 1/2 cup milk and the two cans of white sauce. Stir until blended. Pour into a casserole dish, and top with a layer of the biscuits.

3. Cook the casserole at 350 degrees until the biscuits are golden.

Chickpea Pasta with Almonds and Parmesan

Serves 4

1 tbs. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
7 cups low-sodium or home-made broth
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound angel-hair pasta
1 15.5-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup roasted unsalted almonds, chopped coarsely
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
salt to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth, red pepper, and 3/4 teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil.

2. Add the pasta and cook, stirring, until the broth is nearly absorbed and the pasta is al dente, about 6 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and parsley.

3. Divide into bowls and top with the almonds and Parmesan.

Recipe from "Real Simple" Magazine

Lemon Poppy-seed Cake

Serves 6-8

Note: This recipes requires 2 hours, 30 minutes of baking in the slow cooker, in addition to the 30 minutes preparation time.

15 inch sheet of parchment
1 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 and 1/4 cups, plus 6 tbs., granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cups sour cream
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tbs. lemon zest
3 tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tbs. powdered sugar (for garnish)

1. In a bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1and 1/4 cups of the sugar on medium-high until smooth. Add the eggs and beat until fluffy, 2 minutes. Add the sour cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and poppy seeds, and beat to combine. Reduce speed to low, and slowly incorporate the flour mixture.

3. Place a 15 inch piece of parchment paper in the bowl of the slow cooker, letting the excess come up the sides. Transfer the batter into the bowl of the slow cooker. Set the cooker to high and cook, covered 2 hours and 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

4. Combine the lemon juice with the the remaining 6 tbs. of sugar and drizzle evenly over the top of the cake. Holding the parchment paper, transfer the cake to a rack. Let cool for at least 15 minutes. Dust with the confectioner's sugar, and serve with whipped cream if desired.

Recipe from "Real Simple" Magazine

Slow Cooker Lasagna

Serves 6

Note: Prep Time is 30 minutes, but it takes 2 more hours in the crockpot to cook.

2 28-oz cans diced tomatoes, drained
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped
16 oz fresh ricotta (cottage cheese is good too)
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
12 oz dry lasagna noodles
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and torn into pieces (spinach would also work)
12 oz mozzarella, grated
Salt and Ground Pepper to taste

1. In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper.

2. In another medium bowl, combine the ricotta, parsley, Parmesan, and 1/4 tsp. pepper.

3. Spoon 1/3 cup of the tomato mixture into the bowl of the slow cooker. Top with a single layer of the noodles, breaking them to fit as necessary. Add half the Swiss chard. Dollop with a third of the ricotta mixture and a third of the remaining tomato mixture. Sprinkle with a third of the mozzarella. Add another layer of noodles, and repeat with the other ingredients. Finish with a layer of noodles and the remaining ricotta mixture, tomato mixture and mozzarella. Set the slowcooker to low, and cook, covered, for 2 hours, or until the noodles are tender.

Recipe from "Real Simple" Magazine

Jason's Creamy Chicken and Chile Enchiladas

Serves 4-6

1 pound uncooked chicken breast strips
1 8-oz package of cream cheese, cut into strips
1 4.5-oz can chopped green chilies
12 soft taco or fajita-size flour tortillas
2 10-oz cans green chile enchilada sauce
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Lightly grease a 13x9 baking dish. Cook chicken in a 10 inch skillet over medium high heat, until no longer pink in the center.

3. Add cream cheese and chilies, reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir until blended, and cream cheese is melted.

4. Spoon chicken filling into tortillas, roll up, and place seam side down in baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over top, sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

5. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until hot and cheese is melted.

Smoky Cheese Pizza With Artichokes and Mushrooms

Serves 4 (with a salad, or on it's own for a light meal)

All the ingredients can be found at Trader Joe's

2 ounces of Oak-Smoked English Cheddar
2 packages refrigerated pizza dough
5 Tablespoons of bottled Artichoke Antipasto Spread
5 or 6 whole cremini mushrooms

1. Roll out each bag of pizza dough on a floured surface until ½ inch thick, to make two pizzas. Begin preheating the oven to 450 degrees.

2. Place on a cookie sheet. Spread dough rounds with artichoke spread. Slice the mushrooms and sprinkle them on top of the spread.

3. Slice the cheese into about 1/8 inch slices, and cover the pizza with them.
Bake in a 450 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese bubbles.

This also can be baked on a barbeque grill for a truly sublime, crispy crust.

This is Allison's recipe.

French Apple Pie

Serves 6-8

1 ready to bake pie crust
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
6 cups cored, peeled and thinly sliced tart baking apples (approx. 4-5 med. sized apples)
1 cup flour (King Arthur's White Whole Wheat is actually the best.)
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup butter or margarine, room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix sugar, starch, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt into a large bowl. Stir in sliced apples. Dump apple mixture into prepared crust.

3. To prepare the crumb topping, mix together flour and brown sugar. Blend in the butter or margarine until crumbly. Sprinkle crumb topping over pie.

4. Bake pie on a sheet pan for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Recipe from Safeway.

Grandma Avilla's Linguisa and Beans

Serves 6

2 large cans pinto beans
1 stick linguisa
1 chopped onion
cumin
allspice
salt (optional)
pepper
garlic powder

1. Fry linguisa and onion together, drain.

2. Add pinto beans--drain one can, use the other undrained.

3. Season with spices, and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Mom Brown's Corned Beef Hash

Serves 6

6-8 cooked potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 can corned beef
1 chopped onion

1. Saute onion in a small amount of oil. Add potatoes and corned beef.

2. Brown on both sides until slightly crisp.

3. Pepper to taste.

This recipe is courtesy of Judy Greaves.

Cheesy Garlic Bisquits

Serves 4

2 cups baking mix ("Bisquik")
2/3 cup milk
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar or Colby-Jack cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder

1. Mix baking mix, garlic powder and cheese. Add milk and stir until blended.

2. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden.

This recipe is courtesy of Judy Greaves.

Watergate Salad

Serves 8-10

1 small box instant pistachio pudding
1 large can crushed pinapple, undrained
1 large canton non-dairy whipped topping
1 cup chopped cashews
1 cup miniature marshmallows

1. Mix pudding with pineapple juice, add pineapple and whipped topping.

2. Add remaining ingredients and chill.

This recipe is from Judy Greaves.

Mom Brown's Corn Bread

Serves 6

1 and 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup oil
(If desired, add 1/4 cup sugar)

1. Mix cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt.

2. In another bowl, mix together milk, egg, and oil. Add milk mixture to cornmeal mixture. Stir only enough to mix.

3. Fill greased baking pans half-full. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

This recipe is courtesy of Judy Greaves.

Chili Lime Grilled Corn

Serves 8

8 ears fresh corn on the cob, husked
4 tbs. butter
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp. ground chili powder
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
lime wedges for garnish

1. Melt butter, stir in lime juice, chili powder and crushed red pepper.

2. Make foil packets for each ear. Brush the mixture on and seal the corn in the foil.

3. Grill 25 minutes on the barbeque. Add lime wedges for garnish.

This recipe is from Judy Greaves.

Fresh Pasta Sauce

Serves 4

1-2 diced fresh tomatoes
fresh herbs: basil, thyme, rosemary--in any combination
1-2 cloves minced fresh garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
crushed red pepper flakes to taste
ground black pepper to taste

1. Mix together and let rest while pasta cooks. Toss with hot, thin pasta. Top with Parmesan cheese.

This recipe is from Judy Greaves.

Chile Rellano Bake

Serves 8-10

1 26-oz can whole chiles, drained and split (in other words, a 1 lb, 10 oz can)
2 cups jack cheese, grated
2/3 cup flour
1 and 1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
3 cups skim milk
3 eggs, separated

1. Layer chiles and cheese in a 13x9 pan.

2. Mix egg yolks, garlic powder, flour and milk.

3. Ina separate bowl, beat egg whites until slightly stiff. Fold the beaten whites into the egg mixture. Pour over the chile and cheese layers.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

This recipe is from Judy Greaves.

Grandma Avilla's Rice Stuffing

Serves 8-10

6-8 cups cooked white rice
1 chopped onion
3-4 stalks chopped celery
pepper
salt (optional)
cumin to taste

1. Saute onion and celery in a little oil, until tender-crisp.

2. Mix all ingredients. Stuff or bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

This recipe is courtesy of Judy Greaves.

Lemon Pasta

Serves 4

1/2 pound thin spaghetti, cooked
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. marjoram leaves
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. parsley flakes

1. Toss thoroughly.

This recipe is from Judy Greaves.

Baked Pears with Cream

Serves 4

4 pears, use Anjou or another firm baking pear
1 tbsp.sugar
8 tbsp. cream
2 tbsp. butter

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel each pear, cut in half lenghtwise, and remove seeds.

2. Generously butter a glass baking dish just large enough to hold the pears. Sprinkle dish with half the sugar.

3. Put pears cut side down in the dish, radiating from the center. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and bake for 20 minutes.

4. Remove pears from oven. Pour cream over the pears and return to over for 15 minutes. Serve pears hot from the oven.

Recipe from my friend Alfreda Baroni.

Flan with Cardamom, Honey, and Pistachios

Serves 8

6 eggs, beaten well
3 cups milk
1 cup honey, divided
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup diced pistachios

1. Beat the eggs and add the milk, then add half the spices and 1/2 cup honey.

2. Pour the remaining honey and spices into 8 custard dishes. (When made in 1 large baking dish, it just doesn't come out right.)

3. Add the egg mixture to each dish. Place the custard dishes in a larger baking dish and pour in boiling water to 1 inch depth. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the center of the flan.

4. Once done, turn each dish upside down onto a plate and garnish with pistachios.

Recipe from "Edible East Bay" Magazine

Fresh Milanese Pesto

Recipe yields one cup pesto, enough for 2 1-pound packages of pasta. See note.

2 bunches of fresh sweet basil leaves (2.5 ounces of leaves)
1 big or 2 small fresh garlic cloves (I add more)
A scant 1/4 cup of pine nuts toasted for a few minutes in a dry skillet
1 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 cup (about 2 ounces) aged Parmigiano cheese, freshly grated
A scant 1/2 cup (about 1 ounce) Pecorino cheese, freshly grated (I used a mix of freshly-grated Parmesan and Asiago cheeses to approximate the total amount of cheese. It was what we had, and it was still delicious.)
1/4 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1. Wash the basil leaves in cold water and carefully blot them dry (bruising ruins the flavor).

2. Mince the garlic and the toasted nuts in a food processor. Add the salt and the basil leaves, and process again. When the basil drips a bright green liquid, add the grated cheese. With the processor running, slowly add the olive oil through the feeding tube. Process only until blended.

3. Serve immediately over pasta or gnocchi, or freeze in half-cup portions.

Note: We divide the pesto into half-cups batches, eating one immediately, and freezing the other. It is a beautiful bright green color, and looks very cheerful in the middle of winter when vegetables are scarce. Also, with frozen pesto and those shelf-stable gnocchi, you can make an amazing dinner in literally 15 minutes.

Recipe from "Edible East Bay" Magazine

Japanese style One-Pot Supper

Prep and Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

3 oz dried bean thread noodles (also called saifun or cellophane noodles)
5 cups reduced sodium or home-made broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp. sugar
3 to 5 slices peeled fresh ginger
12 oz boned, skinned chicken thigh meat, trimmed and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 small red bell pepper, cut into thin slices
4 oz sugar snap peas or snow peas
4 oz button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
8 oz firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 green onions, cut into 1 inch lengths
Sriracha, as a condiment (Sriracha is a very spicy sauce from an Asian grocer. It comes in a bottle with a rooster on it.)

1. In a small bowl, soak bean thread noodles in boiling water until soft, about 5 minutes. Drain and cut into 6- to 10-inch lengths.

2. In a 5 or 6 quart pot, bring broth, soy sauce, sugar and ginger to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.

3. Arrange noodles, chicken, bell peppers, peas, mushrooms, tofu, and green onions in separate piles in the pot. Cover and simmer, without stirring, until chicken chunks are no longer pink in the center (cut one to test), about 5 minutes. Set pot on the table so people can serve themselves, with Sriracha on the side as a condiment.

Recipe from "House Beautiful" Magazine