Judy's Cheese Ball

Just in time for the holiday season, I thought I would add this wonderful recipe. I got this recipe from a member from my misson, Judy Lubinski. This cheese ball is very easy to prepare and it is by far the best cheese ball I have ever tasted. I will post pictures the next time I prepare one of these babies.

Cheese Ball

2 Packages Cream Cheese (softened)
8oz can of Crushed Pineapple (well drained)
¼ cup Onion (extra fine chop)
¼ cup Green Pepper (extra fine chop)
1/2 t seasoned salt
2 cups Walnuts (1 cup fine chop, 1 cup rough chop)
1 Maraschino Cherry

Combine Cream Cheese, Peppers, Onions, Pineapple, seasoned salt and the cup of fine chopped Walnuts. Make sure the pineapple is very well drained, and get as much moisture out of the onions and peppers as possible by letting them sit out or pressing them. Form into a ball and roll in the rough chopped Walnuts. Garnish the very top of the cheeseball with the Maraschino Cherry. You can substitute Walnuts for Pecans or sliced Almonds. Low Fat Cream cheese also works very well for a lo-cal Cheese Ball.

Tools of the Trade

Having the proper cooking utinsils is vital to taking you cooking and baking to the next level. Specifically using non-reactive cookware. I want to taste the food, not the pan or a chemical reaction. This is one of my favorite pots. It's an All-Clad combination pasta pot. It has an inset for cooking pasta and an additional insert for steaming veggies. It is made of stainless steel so cleanup is easy and it is dishwasher safe. It's a great pot.

Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars have always been an Evans family favorite. Last year for Grandma Evans 90th birthday celebration 4 people brought lemon bars and we had another brought lime bars. Somewhere we must have a genetic predisposition for lemon bars and all things sour. I tried all of the different variations at the party and they were all very distinct and good in there own way. For instance, Tyler likes his lemon bars with a very thick crust. Personally, I like my lemon bars to be flaky and lemony to the extreme.

A couple of points need to be brought up before cooking a lemon bars. Because lemon bars contain lemon, special precautions need to be taken. While it may not seem like a big deal, it is imperative that you use a non-reactive pan to bake the lemon bars, preferably glass. It is also imparative you use a non-reactive bowl when preparing the filling. This will prevent you lemon bars from tasting like a battery.


Crust:
2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 cup Butter Flavored Crisco
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, Crisco and sugar. Gently combine until the mixture is crumbly and then gently press into a 9x13 glass pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 350F.

Filling:
4 Eggs well beaten
1 1/4 cups Granulated Sugar
1 cup Lemon Juice
1/3 cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 t Baking Powder
Lemon zest of 1 whole lemon

In non-reactive mixing bowl combine all the ingredients and mix for 2 minutes. Pour the mixture over the prebaked crust and bake for an additional 20 minutes at 350F.

Allow the lemon bars to cool for several hours and dust with powdered sugar.

My aunt Judy posed the question, "do you have a recipe for a breakfast casserole that includes eggs?"

Sure can do on the breakfast casserole. I have ductch oven casserole recipe I have been using for years. While the recipe does use eggs, it uses them is a sunny side up form instead of the traditional scramble form you see in most breakfast casseroles. I will include this recipe and pictures the next ime I prepare it.


Just for fun I think I will create a totally original breakfast casserole recipe. I think I have some tricks up my sleeve and flavor combinations that would make an amazing breakfast dish.

Real Cornbread

Corn Bread is one of Amberly's favorite foods so I have become quite the corn bread expert. The secret to making a great corn bread is creamed corn and buttermilk. I like my corn bread moist and with little bits of corn. I know this recipe calls for baking it the traditional way, in a pan, but I ussually make muffins and I spray the muffin tin really well with Pam and just reduce the cooking time. I also like to smother them in my special honey butter but I will share that recipe later.
Corn Bread

2 cups cornmeal, yellow or white
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup buttermilk
3 large eggs
1 can ( 15 ounces) cream-style corn
4 tablespoons butter, melted



Preparation:
Grease a 9-inch square baking pan. Heat oven to 425°.
Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs; stir in the cream-style corn and melted butter. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until blended. Spoon into the prepared baking pan.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and the cornbread springs back when lightly touched with a finger