Posted on 05/19/2017 3:47:18 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
Well, we’re back!
I thought we’d do something different this week, and post the recipes that our friends and family like the most and always request.
I have two that I’ve routinely taken to potlucks and parties that are always asked for again. The first is Olive Cheese Balls – a pimento-stuffed green olive wrapped in cheesy pastry. This is a very old recipe that has always remained popular, and is very easy to do. It’s one pastry that I do make in the food processor rather than manually cutting the fat and cheese into the flour , and I make the balls/puffs the easier way, by just pinching a bit off of the dough and forming it around the olive. (The pic above comes from Betty Crocker; but the recipes for this are almost all identical; sometimes a modest pinch of cayenne is added to the dough.)
Olive Cheese Puffs
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Blend together in food processor:
2 Cups grated Cheddar Cheese
½ Cup Butter (or Margarine)
1-1/4 cup of Flour, salted to taste
Process until dough comes together in a ball. Chill before forming puffs.
You will need a jar of small to medium sized pimento stuffed olives.
Puffs can be formed by pinching off small balls of dough, patting into a circle, and forming the circle around a green olive. Or, dough can be rolled out to ¼ inch thickness, cut into 2 inch squares, and each square wrapped around an olive.
Place Puffs on a cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes.
To freeze unbaked, freeze on cookie sheet and remove to freezer containers when frozen. When ready to bake, allow 3-5 minutes extra baking time. These are every bit as good when frozen this way and baked later.
There is always the odd person who doesn't like olives, and in that case you can just form the dough into balls, leaving out the olive. You will want to double the recipe in that case, and might add the good pinch of cayenne.
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The other recipe that I receive repeated requests for is Chicken and Dumplings. I use the America’s Test Kitchen recipe, and make the dish the night before. I do this on the stove-top, and once the dumplings are done I take them out and store them separately. At the party, I carry the chicken mixture in a crockpot, and add the dumplings to heat up about ½ hr. before serving:
Here, step by step, is the recipe from ‘A Feast for the Eyes’:
http://www.afeastfortheeyes.net/2010/12/chicken-dumplings-american-classic-from.html
(My husband would like credit for being the one who actually executes this recipe – he’s got a great ‘quenelle’ technique going on, when making those dumplings ;-)
-JT
This Week: post the recipe that your friends and family love the most!
(If you would like to be on or off of this weekly cooking thread ping-list, please send a private message.)
-JT
That looks delicious! I love olives.
That recipe looks like a keeper. I always put some sour cream in my dumplings. Smooth dough and tender.
I have been making Chicken Marbella for years and it always popular with guests.
There is a modernized version that I like very much as well.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/8752-the-silver-palates-chicken-marbella
http://www.food.com/recipe/modernized-chicken-marbella-cooks-illustrated-493445
My best bud hates Asperagus!.”, a world famous guitarist and Vegan, he stopped by whilst I was making a late lunch salad of raw young asparagus and oil and vinegar. He said, “Gawd I hate asparagus.!” Well. his Mom cooked it the same way mine did; boil it until it turns gray, then dump cheese sauce on it. Yuck! He’d never consider eating raw asparagus, so strong was his revulsion. I Chinese roll-cut some chilled young asparagus, added a bit of oil and vinegar, and practically had to force him to try it! He went nutz! Victory for me!
Shrimp Dip
8 oz. cream cheese
½ C. chile sauce
2 T. green onions
Worcestershire, garlic salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste
Soften cream cheese and mix all ingredients together. Cook shrimp
in usual way (about 1 lb.). Cut shrimp in small pieces and add to
other mixture.
LOL! I think a lot of us learned to hate all sorts of veggies because our mothers boiled ‘em to death ;-)
I will remember that.
Tonight its Chicken Fried Steak (CFS) Mashed Taters, Ceaser Salad and Chocolate Cake at the VFW.
That packs em in
That sounds very good!
(I could make a meal out of mashed potatoes and Caesar Salad alone...;-)
Sour cream rocks, in noodles, cakes..it just rocks
Yogurt too on shishka bob
BLUEBERRY BUCKLE
STREUSEL: Elec/mixer on low 1/2 c flour, 1/2 c br/sugar/2 tbl sugar, 1/2 tea cinnamon, pinch salt. Add 4 tb softened butter; mix on low til crumbly; set aside.
CAKE: Elec/mixer cream 10 tb butter, 2/3 c sugar, 1/2 tsp ea salt, lemon zest until light and fluffy. Beat in 11/2 tsp vanilla. Add 2 lge eggs singly til incorporated. Gradually add sifted 11/2c flour/11/2 tb b/pwder til almost incorporated.
FINAL Finish by hand (heavy/thick batter). Gently fold in 2 pints fresh blueberries. Place in sprayed/floured 9" pan; add streusel; bake golden 350 deg 55 min; cool a bit on rack. Loosen sides w/ knife; invert on server. Drizzle Glaze over.
SERVE warm in wedges. Gild the lily---add a scoop of ice cream.
GLAZE Mix conf/hot water/vanilla.
The Womens Auxillary does a very good job
Everyone in the family loves "Chicken Fried Steak and mashed taters"
I was fortunate enough to pick up one of these Cube Steak machines.
I use it all the time.
Look up “Pig Pickin Cake”
Its like crack LOL
My Mom used to make those olive cheese balls for her parties! I forgot all about them until now. I’ll have to print this out and give it to the wife!!!
Well, my family is Welsh. They cook everything until it turns gray! Meat? Vegetables? Turn them gray!
I think the recipe goes back to the 1950s, if not before. Great with drinks.
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