Recipes

Ranch Cheeseball

2
February 11, 2012
by jayysenn in

My grandma always had a cheeseball at every family gathering. By the time I was 10, she had to make two: one for my cousin Kellie and me, and one for everyone else. To this day, the flavor is instant euphoria for me. Here’s how to make your own:

Ingredients:

  • 2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1 packet dry ranch dressing mix
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • Crushed nuts or additional Parmesan for coating
  • Desired garnishes
  • Crackers or mini bread slices for serving

Cheeseball Snowman

Cheeseball Snowman

Directions:

  1. Combine cheeses, ranch mix, and paprika in bowl until thoroughly incorporated together.
  2. Spread the crushed nuts or Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish.
  3. Use a spoon to form the mixture into a ball in the bowl, then turn out into the coating.
  4. Coat the ball well, then add any embellishments desired.
  5. Chill for at least two hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Be creative! The picture here is a snowman I made, using a baby carrot nose, peppercorn face and buttons, pretzel arms, Parmesan snow, and a slice of a Fruit Roll-Up for a scarf. My grandmother always rolled hers in pecans and served them simply as a traditional cheeseball. But you can use the mixture like a soft clay and make all kinds of creative things themed for a party. And of course, this isn’t far beyond an empty canvas for flavor. Change up the cheeses you add, throw in some bacon, maybe even add a little heat with ground chiles – it’s all up to you. Now – get creating, and let me know what YOU made!

 

Ham and Turkey Quiche

4
January 22, 2012
by jayysenn in

When I was a kid, there were certain foods that I always hoped I’d see when I went to a family gathering. One of those was my Aunt Kay’s quiche. I woke up yesterday craving quiche, so I made one and took some pictures along the way. Here is my recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 prepared pie crust
  • 1 1/4 cup cubed ham
  • 1 1/4 cup cubed turkey
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried onion

Ham and Turkey Quiche

Ham and Turkey Quiche

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Add the ham and turkey to the pie crust, then top with cheese.
  3. In a bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, then add spices.
  4. Pour egg mixture over ingredients in pie crust.
  5. Bake on the center rack for about 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, slice and serve.
Quiche Before Baking

Filled and Ready to Bake

This is another recipe that you can really customize to make it your own. It’s awesome with a variety of vegetables, meats, cheeses, and spices. Imagine sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and gouda or feta. Or perhaps sausage, bacon, and cheddar. Asparagus, mushroom, and swiss/provalone? Quiche is comfort food at its best, as it conforms to your individual taste as you put into it whatever will make you happy. All you need to do is place whatever fillings you want into the crust, top with cheese, and pour over the egg mixture. It works best if you place the largest pieces (for instance, broccoli) on bottom, followed by smaller pieces. This will fill in the space between the larger pieces and make sure your fillings don’t take up too much space and burn above the egg mixture. Filled, it should look about like this picture with a little bit of space between the top of the fillings and the top of the crust. If yours has more filling in it, just place it on a cookie sheet before baking in case it bubbles over (otherwise you may be cleaning burnt cheese and egg from the bottom of your oven).

Oil-Based Pie Crust

Oil-Based Pie Crust

For the crust, I use an Oil Pie Crust Recipe from AllRecipes.com. Now – I love a crust made with butter as much as the next Southerner, but quiche is very rich with the eggs and cheese, and the oil-based crust really does complement it well without stealing the show. If you use this recipe for crust, take the recommendation of the reviewers and roll it out between plastic wrap or wax paper. Since it’s oil-based, you don’t want to get the oil all over your rolling pin and yourself, and if you add enough flour to soak up all the oil, you’ll have way too much flour and it will be tough (speaking of which, make sure you sift the flour before measuring or it will be too much).  The best thing about this recipe is how forgiving it is. It is much easier to press seams together if you rip this dough than a traditional pastry is.If you don’t want to make your own crust, there’s nothing wrong with buying a pre-made crust.

With that, I’ll leave you to your own devices to create your perfect quiche. Come back and let me know what you put in yours and how it tasted!

Super-Simple Baked Artichoke Dip

1
January 5, 2012
by jayysenn in

I approach cooking in a way similar to how I approach many things in life. I tend to strip things down to a pattern or template, then rebuild them in my own style. Such was the case this New Year’s Eve when I came up with a recipe for Baked Artichoke Dip that I can’t wait to make again.

It started as a recipe for pizza dip, where you press cream cheese into the bottom of a glass pie pan, top with a jar of pizza sauce, then the pizza toppings you like, finish with cheese and bake. Thinking about the people that would be at the party, I realized my friend Coral was bringing her mom, who is allergic to tomatoes, chiles, and bananas. Matthew suggested an artichoke dip instead, so I thought I’d make it in the same format and see what happened.

Ingredients:

  • 2 8-oz. packages cream cheese
  • 1 7.2-oz. jar artichoke hearts
  • 1 16-oz. jar garlic Alfredo sauce
  • 2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • Tortilla chips, crackers or bread for dipping/serving

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Press the cream cheese into the bottom of a baking dish.
  3. Drain and chop the artichoke hearts. Spread evenly over the cream cheese.
  4. Mix half of both cheeses into the Alfredo sauce. Pour over artichokes and cream cheese.
  5. Top with remainder of cheeses.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese on top is melted and the sides are bubbly.
  7. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then serve with tortilla chips.

I used a baking dish slightly larger than a pie pan for this, so if you’re trying to follow this recipe exactly, pay attention to how much of each ingredient you think will fit into your dish. As all of these ingredients taste great on their own, and there aren’t any spices added, all of the amounts are versatile. That being said, don’t be afraid to add some kick with herbs and spices you enjoy. The great thing about making a dish like this is how personal it can be. Don’t like artichokes? Replace it with something you do like. Or, use the artichokes, but add spinach and mushrooms. Perhaps make your own Alfredo sauce, and add some roasted garlic. The possibilities are endless. All you need to remember is to (1) press cream cheese into a baking dish, (2) top with a sauce and some toppings you like, (3) add cheese, and (4) bake. Adding the things you like means you’ll be able to enjoy something truly yours, or share something with someone made especially for them.

What would you do different to this recipe to make it perfect?

Go to Top