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
There is a chocolate company making reddish and bluish candies similar to m&ms that don’t have the dyes. I’m gonna look for them so I can make this (white chic haystacks) for the 4th. Very cool idea. I have one son who is crazy for white chocolate. One child needs gf pretzels but THEY EXIST. This is a great yummy idea, maybe even to leave them in the freezer until serving, if it’s hot.
And I’m on to make your blueberry buckle tonight. This is Liz day at my house, lol.
Cute....”Liz Day” at Yaelle’s house.
The haystacks are very tasty. I hope you can find the dye-less additions to carry out the r/w/b theme.
You could even use dried cranberries and blueberries for the r/w/b theme——if consuming them isn’t a problem at your house. They probably use chemicals in the drying process.
Some of the gourmet markets carry all types of g/f stuff.....and online, of course.
Mmmmm.....the thought of that blueberry buckle makes my mouth water.
White Chocolate Candy Bars
All it is is melted white chocolate with dried apricots, splash of orange juice,
some orange zest, and chp pistachio nuts added. An easy confection; just mix
together, spread into pan; set.
Makes 8x8" pan of squares--or cut into any size you like. The thin long bars
(shown in picture) or small squares are very nice. Store in refrigerator.
He would totally love this.
Please look at my stomach right now. It is sticking out from the two pieces of your blueberry buckle I had tonight. Oh my gosh. So good. We all loved saying buckle. Which was almost as fun as eating it. I made whipped cream with it which I didn’t even eat but it was loved. It was delicious.
Sounds like my fave dessert is now your fave dessert——the “buckle” part of Blueberry Buckle is fun. A classic New England dessert. Adding the dollop of cream was a good idea.
The best part of the candy bar recipe is that it’s healthy.....just fruit and nuts embedded in luscious wh/chocolate. I love the Ghiradelli wh/chocolate.....so creamy.
Someday soon I’ll post the method I invented to temper chocolate w/out all the mess usually involved.
Love your stuff. Does your tempering involve a microwave?
No...never tried tempeeing in a micro.....mine’s done in an oven.
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