Cheeseball Appetizer

I've made a lot of different (but very similar) cheeseballs. Once I made cheeseball truffles, rolled in different mix-ins, for a baby shower. For Thanksgiving, Maggie and I made this snowman cheeseball from Betty Crocker. We didn't use the recipe, just the snowman idea. Here's my generic cheeseball recipe with some mix-in/roll-in ideas.

1 pkg cream cheese

2 c. grated cheese

Blend together.

That's it! You can use any kind of cheese for a different flavor. I just use my standard colby-jack. I like to mix chopped green onion in mine, but here are some more ideas for mixing into the cheeseball, or pressing/rolling onto the outside:

1/2 t. dry mustard

chopped walnuts

chopped pecans

sesame seeds

parsley

paprika

diced olives

diced sundried tomatoes

diced red pepper

To make the snowman, we "frosted" two cheeseballs with some cream cheese whipped with milk. We used raisins, a carrot, pretzel sticks, and celery to decorate. I used a peeler to make thin strips of celery for the scarf. Maggie was a really big help.

John's "Deceptive" Andes Mint Cookies

Several years ago, John made and delivered these cookies to his Home Teaching families. Later, at church, one of the ladies told him his cookies were "deceptive!" They look just like chocolate chip cookies, but the Andes Mint chunks provide a much different flavor.

1/2 c. butter

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

1 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

2 t. vanilla

2 eggs

1 pkg Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips

2 2/3 c. flour

Blend butter, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and eggs. Stir in baking chips and then flour. Chill dough 1 hour. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Layered Pasta Salad

I combined two recipes into dinner tonight. John and I both would have preferred a lighter dressing, but I really liked the combination of ingredients I used.

Layered Pasta Salad

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

3 cups cooked small shell pasta

1 cup diced cooked ham

1/2 cup ranch dressing mixed with 1/2 cup mayo

1 cup cheese cubes

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup cashews

2 sliced green onions

Stir just before serving. Mix it up before you serve. Distribute the dressing. Do it.

Maggie helped make dinner and was a BIG help. She was so proud of herself, too. She measured, stirred and poured, and I cut up some strips of cheese for her to cut into cubes with a plastic knife.

Dalton was not a big help. Sorry, boy. He also refused to eat any dinner. Sigh. He's cute, though.