Cheese Ball

This Cheese ball is wonderful, like a scoop of heaven in your mouth.  I had to share it because of all the Christmas parties coming up and a lot of people like to have a pot luck where everyone brings a dish.  That is what we do in my family.  We have family Christmas, usually before Christmas at one of my Aunts or Uncles house, everyone brings something yummy to eat and we open presents and stuff ourselves so much that everyone is having to unsnap their jeans to make room for dessert!!!  It is usually best to wear pants with an elastic waist band so you can eat until your hearts content.  If you can imagine a bunch of Cajuns in a house and everyone bringing something to eat, you know there is going to be some damn good food their!

A co-worker of mine from a long time ago brought this cheese ball to a company party we had; it was devoured in minutes.  It was so good, and she was kind enough to share the recipe with us, thanks a million Beverly!!  I have made it several times now for different occasions and it is always a hit and everyone is always asking for the recipe.  The good thing about this recipe is that you make it the night before serving, because you have to let it chill and harden.  Which is what makes this great as a go to dish to bring to a party!   I so wish I had a picture to share, I always forget to take one and then it is gone.

2 – 8 oz. Packages Philadelphia cream cheese
1 – small can crushed pineapple (drained)
1/4 cup – finely chopped green pepper
2 Tablespoons – finely chopped onion
1 Teaspoon – Seasoned Salt (such as Tony’s or Lawry’s)
chopped pecans as little or as much as you like

Mix together the above ingredients.  Roll or pack into small covered container, in a ball shape, and chill overnight.  Once chilled, take out of container and you may need to form it into a perfect ball by using your hand to form the ball.  Roll in chopped pecans before serving.  Serve with Melba Toast, Bagel chips, or ritz crackers.

* Let cream cheese lay out for at least an hour to soften so that it is easier to mix.

**  Use a fork to press the juice out of the crushed pineapple while draining.  It helps to make the cheese ball a little bit more firm and easier to roll in the pecans.

 

Sushi

I have always wanted to try to make my own sushi.  I made this platter for my husband and I this past summer and it came out very nice.  I purchased all of my fish at Whole Foods Market, they serve the freshest sushi grade fish, in my opinion.

This was so much fun to do and would be great to have as an appetizer for a dinner party or for a little get together with friends.  I also made spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce to go with the sushi as an appetizer.

Of course you have to serve hot or cold sake with it.  I prefer cold sake, it is more expensive but so worth it.  My favorite cold sake is organic and is made by Takara. 

I grabbed this information from their website.

Sho Chiku Bai Organic Nama

It’s totally natural, using OCIA certified rice harvested from the Sacramento Valley with absolutely no preservatives, no brewers alcohol added, no sulfites. It is brewed under the direction of Takara’s master brewer combining the most traditional methods with modern technology to arrive at the Ginjo grade.

Type: Junmai Nama/ Draft(Organic)

Character:

Full, dry and balanced flavor with fruity and fresh taste

Dry/Sweet: +5 (dry)

Texture: Soft and smooth

Aroma: Pleasant ginjo aroma

Suggestions:

Serving: Chilled

Pairing food: Cold or vinegar-marinated

Alcohol: 15%

Size: 300ML

 

Classic French Mussels

I love seafood.  Classic French Mussels are so good and my husband is “the man” when it comes to cooking this dish.  This is such an easy recipe and does not require many ingredients.  You can usually find mussels fairly inexpensive in most stores.  I like buying mine from Whole Foods Market, they always have the freshest ones and every time I buy them, the personally pick through the ones I buy and pick out any bad ones!  How awesome is that!  The grocery store usually has them pre-bagged and just sells you the bag and does not pick through them, so you could end up with a lot of bad ones when you get home.  This dish is very impressive, so if you are having guests over and want to make a “gourmet” appetizer this will blow them away!!!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 pounds mussels, cleaned (click here to learn how to clean mussels)
• 1 cup dry white wine, use same for serving with your dish
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped (do not use dried it does not taste as good)
• Kosher or Sea Salt
• Crusty Bread

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shallots, cook until softened, for about 5 minutes, add in the garlic and cook for about 1 – 2 minutes – do not burn your garlic it will taste bitter and ruin the sauce.

Next add the dry white wine, butter, cream, and once the butter is melted, add the parsley.  Season with Salt and pepper then add the mussels. Give the mussels a good stir, cover the pot, and cook until mussels open and are cooked thoroughly; about 10 minutes for smaller mussels and 15 minutes for larger ones.

When I serve this dish, I will divide the mussels into two bowls, then pour the juice over them.  Also, if your bowls are too small you can put the remaining mussels in a large serving bowl and pour the juice over them so they are at the table with you when you run out of them in your bowl!!

It is a must that you drink the same wine you use in the recipe, it totally brings out the flavor of this dish and I also highly recommend not skipping the crusty french baguette for dipping in the juice.

Bon Appetit!!

 

Caprese Salad

This is a simple salad that will easily impress.  This is a great salad for entertaining and there are several ways to make it.  I like using vine ripe tomatoes, I think these have the best flavor in this salad.

The first way to make this salad is by slicing the vine ripe tomatoes, mozerrela ball and alternatly lay them on each other.

The second way to make this salad is to use small mozerella balls and grape tomatoes.  You can usually find the mozerella balls in a plastic, clear container and they are packed in water or whey and are sometimes referred to as bocconcini.  This is a fun way to make the salad as well because if you are having a party it can be made the day before and taste wonderful.  If you are serving a lot of poeple, you can make as much as you want and put in a really nice container with a spoon for scooping.

Caprese Salad Recipe

• 2-3 vine ripe tomatoes
• 1 lb mozzarella ball
• 1 package fresh basil leaves
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil

Slice tomatoes, slice mozzarella ball.  Alternate mozzarella slice and tomato slices on a plate or a nice serving tray if your having a party.  Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.  You can do what you like with the basil.  I like to take the leaves, stack them and slice them in small strips with kitchen sizzors and sprinkle the strips on top of the slices.  This makes the basil look like long, green confetti which is fun.  You can also just place a leaf with each set of mozzerella and tomato slice.  Serve and enjoy!!

 

Avocado with an Asian flair

I love avocados.  I mostly like to eat them plain with a little bit of Kosher Salt.  I was at the grocery store today and they had avocados on sale for 88 Cents each.  Wow, what a deal.  I loaded a plastic bag full and placed into my cart.

So, got home and thought, what the heck am I going to do with all of these avocados?!?  I was not in the mood for guacamole, not wanting to eat it plain….What could I do?

I decided to experiment with some bold flavors.  I was thinking that I really like avocado rolls at my local sushi restaurant, so why not try some asian flavors…The recipe below is what I came up with.  It is very bold so I warn people who can’t eat fresh garlic or fresh ginger to maybe try a different recipe.

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger root minced
• 1 – 2 teaspoons soy sauce (not the low sodium you need to have the regular)
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Mix garlic, ginger root, soy sauce and lime juice in a small bowl and let this set for 5 to 10 minutes to let flavors incorporate.

Cut avocado in half, take out the pit place avocado on a plate and drizzle the soy sauce mixture over avocado and enjoy!!