Olive-filled Cheese Puffs -- Great with drinks or for a snack!

 

Paprika-topped Olive-filled Cheese Puffs.

   Back in the 1970s and 80s I used to make a recipe similar to this one. Forgot all about them until our nephew brought them to a holiday gathering. This is a variation of my 70-80s era recipe.

     Although I made these, chilled, and then baked them, I used to fill a tray with the unbaked balls, cover them with foil and freeze them. Once, frozen, I put them in freezer bags, and they went back into the freezer for up to 3 months. This allowed me to pull out as many as needed and bake (from the frozen state) using the directions listed in the recipe below.

  

Olive-filled Cheese Puffs     Makes 40 to 42 appetizers

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 to 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted

About 40 to 42 small pimiento-stuffed olives, drained and patted dry

Paprika for sprinkling tops of puffs

1. Stir together cheese and flour in large bowl.
2. Stir in melted butter thoroughly; work it with your hands to insure that it is well mixed.
   
3. Form about 1 teaspoon dough in a ball and then push your thumb in the center for an olive.
   
4. Insert olive and mold dough around each olive; shape into ball. Continue until all dough s used.
   
   
   
   
5. Place cheese balls about 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheet (I used parchement paper to line the cookie sheet. Sprinkle lightly with paprika if desired.
   
6. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour but no longer than 24 hours.
7. Heat oven to 400º. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until light brown.
   
8. Cool on a rack.

Recipe without photos . . .

Olive-filled Cheese Puffs     Makes 40 to 42 appetizers

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 to 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 

½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted

About 40 to 42 small pimiento-stuffed olives, drained and patted dry 

Paprika for sprinkling tops of puffs

1. Stir together cheese and flour in large bowl.
2. Stir in melted butter thoroughly; work it with your hands to insure that it is well mixed.
3. Form about 1 teaspoon dough in a ball and then push your thumb in the center for an olive.
4. Insert olive and mold dough around each olive; shape into ball. Continue until all dough s used.
5. Place cheese balls about 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheet (I used parchement paper to line the cookie sheet. Sprinkle lightly with paprika if desired.
6. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour but no longer than 24 hours.
7. Heat oven to 400º. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until light brown.
8. Cool on a rack.

Good Luck in a Bowl: Black-Eyed Pea & Sausage Soup

It's traditional and we try to eat a black eyed pea dish on New Year's Day. This year I tried something a little different and for extra luck we had a small bowl today. on New Year's Eve, too. The soup is hearty and features a great combination of flavors.

For another recipe from 2012, click on Good Luck Black-Eyed Pea Soup.

Black Eyed-Pea & Sausage Soup              

½ lb. bulk sausage

1 medium to large onion, diced 


4 cups beef broth 


About 3 cups cooked black-eyed peas, drained or use 3 (15 oz.) cans, drained (I soaked the peas overnight & just followed cooking directions of pkg. of dried peas) 

2 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes                     

1 (4 oz.) can green chilies 


1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 


1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin 


½ to 1 teaspoon salt 


¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 


2 tablespoon ground cornmeal, optional 

1. In a large soup pan or Dutch oven, cook and stir the pork sausage with the onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink, 10 to 12 minutes.
   
2. Pour in the broth and stir to deglaze the pan
3. Stir in black-eyed peas, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and all remaining seasoning; stir to combine.
   
4. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. During this time, stir in a couple of tablespoons of cornmeal if desired. It thickens the soup just slightly.
   

Recipe without photos . . .

Black Eyed-Pea & Sausage Soup               

½ lb. bulk sausage

1 medium to large onion, diced 


4 cups beef broth 


About 3 cups cooked black-eyed peas, drained (equivalent to about three 15 oz. cans, drained)

2 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes                      

1 (4 oz.) can green chilies 


1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 


1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin 


½ to 1 teaspoon salt 


¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 


2 tablespoon ground cornmeal, optional 

1. In a large soup pan or Dutch oven, cook and stir the pork sausage with the onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Pour in the broth and stir to deglaze the pan
3. Stir in black-eyed peas, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and all remaining seasoning; stir to combine.
4. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. During this time, stir in a couple of tablespoons of cornmeal if desired. It thickens the soup just slightly.

Abilene Kansas App News Center: Little Spirit Recipe For The New Year

Abilene Kansas App News Center: Little Spirit Recipe For The New Year: Toasting the New Year – Her Way!    by Meta Newell West As the New Year approaches, it’s traditional to raise a glass of ch...

Click on the link above to read my story about a wonderful recipe for a festive holiday drink and then raise your glass in a toast to a healthy and happy New Year! Also, the recipe can be accessed from this link — Spiced Cranberry Sparkling Cocktail

Grandma Richardson’s Date Pudding

It’s full of dates, nuts and gooey caramel runs throughout the moist cake. Absolutely delicious!

My mother wanted this pudding, made from her mom’s recipe, for Christmas dinner. We found it in the cookbook that I had put together for my mom, her four sisters and their children years ago. It was submitted by Aunt Olive and this is what she said. “I have very few of Mother's recipes. I can not remember seeing her use a cookbook but I'm sure she did some — but most of the times it was from memory. I remember her telling that as a young girl she worked for a German family and that she learned a lot about cooking from this German lady. Grandmother Wolf (this would be my mom’s grandmother; my great grandmother) was an excellent cook so Mother had a good teacher.”

Here’s the recipe with a few minor updates:

Grandma's Date Pudding

Cake Base

1 cup all-purpose flour                                  

1 cup granulated sugar (this is what it called for but could be reduced to 3/4 cup which would cut some of the sweetness)

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup milk

1. Spray an 8x8-inch pan. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Mix together above ingredients and pour into prepared pan. 
   
   
   
   

Topping:

1 cup pitted and chopped dates

2 cups water              

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup packed brown sugar

1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

   

   Ingredients are in saucepan. 

   

   Ingredients at boiling stage, read to carefully pour over the cake.

2. Then, carefully pour liquid over the cake. Do NOT stir or mix.       

   

   Ready to go into the oven.

3. Bake at 350° for 35 to 55 minutes. (The original recipe calls for 35 minutes but my cake was not set. I reset for 10 minute, checked and reset timer until the cake was firm on top and a toothpick inserted into cake came out relatively clean.) 
   

Recipe without photos . . . 

Grandma's Date Pudding

Cake Base

1 cup all-purpose flour                                   

1 cup granulated sugar (this is what it called for but could be reduced to 3/4 cup which would cut some of the sweetness)

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup milk

1. Spray an 8x8-inch pan. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Mix together above ingredients and pour into prepared pan. 

Topping: 

1 cup pitted and chopped dates

2 cups water               

1 tablespoon butter 

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup packed brown sugar

1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Then, carefully pour liquid over the cake. Do NOT stir or mix.                               
3. Bake at 350° for 35 to 55 minutes. (The original recipe calls for 35 minutes but my cake was not set. I reset for 10 minute, checked and reset timer until the cake was firm on top and a toothpick inserted into cake came out relatively clean.) 

Panettone Baked French Toast

The other half of our loaf of panettone became holiday French toast—the make-ahead and bake in the oven variety. It was a variation of my sister's recipe —Marla's Overnight Baked French Toast.
(We made Panettone Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Sauce with the other half.)

Panettone Baked French Toast   About 4-6 servings

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1cup half-and-half or whole milk 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 loaf panettone bread, cut into thick triangles

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped pecans

1.  In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugar, nutmeg, half & half, and vanilla; stir well. 

2.  Fit bread slices in a single layer into a large baking dish.  

3.  Pour egg mixture over bread slices and turn bread to make sure that slices are completely covered with the egg mixture. Let mixture set long enough to absorb liquid or, cover and refrigerate overnight. 

Egg mixture has just been added to the bread.

Next morning, most of the liquid has been absorbed.

4.  When ready to bake, pour melted butter into a jelly roll pan; place bread slices in a single layer.  

To melt the butter, I put it on the baking tray and insert into preheated oven, and watch CLOSELY. Doing it this way means one less dish to wash!

5.  Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Then turn toast triangles and sprinkle with nuts; bake another 10 minutes.  

Recipe without photos . . .

Panettone Baked French Toast   About 4-6 servings

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1cup half-and-half or whole milk 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 loaf panettone bread, cut into thick triangles

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped pecans

1.  In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugar, nutmeg, half & half, and vanilla; stir well. 

2.  Fit bread slices in a single layer into a large baking dish.  

3.  Pour egg mixture over bread slices and turn bread to make sure that slices are completely covered with the egg mixture. Let mixture set long enough to absorb liquid or, cover and refrigerate overnight. 

4.  When ready to bake, pour melted butter into a jelly roll pan; place bread slices in a single layer.  

5.  Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Then turn toast triangles and sprinkle with nuts; bake another 10 minutes. 

Raise a glass of Spiced Cranberry Sparkling Cocktail

This is definitely a perfect drink for the holiday - festive looking and delicious!.It is   is another cranberry recipe from our cousin Judy McMullen. She suggests making the Spiced Cranberry Syrup (which is actually a reduced liquid versus an actual syrup) a day or two ahead; it can then be stored in the refrigerator.

Barry raises a glass of Spiced Cranberry Sparkling Cocktail in a holiday toast!

Spiced Cranberry Syrup (make ahead and store in the refrigerator)

2 quarts cranberry juice cocktail

8 slices peeled ginger (each about the size of a quarter)

2 cinnamon sticks

2 star anise

Pour the above ingredients into a saucepan and simmer over the lowest temperature until reduced by about one-third—this should take about 2 hours and will result in about 5-6 cups of remaining liquid. Remove the ginger and pour liquid into a jar (Judy leaves the cinnamon sticks and star anise in with the liquid). Refrigerate until ready to use.

Ingredients are heated on a low temperature to reduce the amount of liquid, both concentrating and blending flavors.

Spiced Cranberry Sparkling Cocktail     Makes 16 servings

Granulated or fine sugar for rimming glasses (red sugar adds another festive touch) + a little cranberry juice cocktail

Brandy — ½ to 1 cup (vary amount according to your preference)

Spiced Cranberry Syrup (see previous recipe)

Cranberries, fresh or frozen, for garnish

3 (750 ml) bottles of sparkling wine, Champagne (such as Brut), or Prosecco (Wine containing significant amounts of carbon dioxide is referred to as sparkling wine. Champagne is the classic example of a sparkling wine but it is produced exclusively in the Champagne region of France. Other countries and regions produce their own versions, such as Italy’s Prosecco.)

1.  Rimming glass—Place sugar and a little cranberry juice cocktail in shallow containers that are wide enough to accommodate dipping the rim of a champagne glass. Rim glasses by dipping in a little cranberry juice and then into the sugar (make sure the cranberry juice for dipping is very shallow; if too deep, the sugar runs down the glass). Ideally do this ahead of time so the sugar can harden. 

After dipping the glass rim in cranberry juice, it goes into a bowl of red sugar.

2.  Adding Brandy to Spiced Cranberry Syrup—Add ½ to 1 cup of brandy to the chilled Spiced Cranberry Syrup; stir. Once the brandy is added, this mixture can continue to be refrigerated for several weeks.

3.  To Prepare Individual Glasses for Serving— Add 3 cranberries to the prepared glass.  Pour a jigger (about 2 tablespoons) of the Spiced Cranberry Syrup (with added brandy) into a glass, and then fill with sparkling wine. Stir carefully and ENJOY!

Glass is ready to add syrup-brandy mixture & sparkling wine. 

Barry tops the Spiced Cranberry Syrup mixture with sparkling wine/ 

Recipe without photos . . .
Spiced Cranberry Syrup (make ahead and store in the refrigerator)
2 quarts cranberry juice cocktail
8 slices peeled ginger (each about the size of a quarter)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise

Pour the above ingredients into a saucepan and simmer over the lowest temperature until reduced by about one-third—this should take about 2 hours and will result in about 5-6 cups of remaining liquid. Remove the ginger and pour liquid into a jar (Judy leaves the cinnamon sticks and star anise in with the liquid). Refrigerate until ready to use. 

Spiced Cranberry Sparkling Cocktail     Makes 16 servings

Granulated or fine sugar for rimming glasses (red sugar adds another festive touch) + a little cranberry juice cocktail

Brandy — ½ to 1 cup (vary amount according to your preference) 

Spiced Cranberry Syrup (see previous recipe)

Cranberries, fresh or frozen, for garnish

3 (750 ml) bottles of sparkling wine, Champagne (such as Brut), or Prosecco (Wine containing significant amounts of carbon dioxide is referred to as sparkling wine. Champagne is the classic example of a sparkling wine but it is produced exclusively in the Champagne region of France. Other countries and regions produce their own versions, such as Italy’s Prosecco.)

1.  Rimming glass—Place sugar and a little cranberry juice cocktail in shallow containers that are wide enough to accommodate dipping the rim of a champagne glass. Rim glasses by dipping in a little cranberry juice and then into the sugar (make sure the cranberry juice for dipping is very shallow; if too deep, the sugar runs down the glass). Ideally do this ahead of time so the sugar can harden.                              

2.  Adding Brandy to Spiced Cranberry Syrup—Add ½ to 1 cup of brandy to the chilled Spiced Cranberry Syrup; stir. Once the brandy is added, this mixture can continue to be refrigerated for several weeks.

3.  To Prepare Individual Glasses for Serving— Add 3 cranberries to the prepared glass.  Pour a jigger (about 2 tablespoons) of the Spiced Cranberry Syrup (with added brandy) into a glass, and then fill with sparkling wine. Stir carefully and ENJOY!