Posted on 02/05/2015 4:15:33 PM PST by Jamestown1630
I thought it appropriate to start with Appetizers :-)
Meals made up of a lot of small, different things are my favorites; I'm very happy at potlucks, or restaurants with wide and diverse appetizer menus. Appetizers are among my favorite things to cook.
I found this recipe over 30 years ago - I think it was in a Junior League cookbook. At the time it was very new to me but I learned later that ladies had been making these for decades, for cocktail or bridge parties. There are lots of variations.
Some people just don't like olives; but usually, when I take this to a party, it gets 'scarfed-up' pretty fast. (It's also make-ahead/freezable.)
Olive Cheese Puffs
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Ingredients:
2 Cups grated, sharp Cheddar Cheese
¼ lb. Butter (one stick from a pound)
1 cup of Flour, salted to taste (I usually don't use salt; the olives and cheese are enough)
pinch of Cayenne
Jar of Pimento-Stuffed Olives
1.Blend together in a food processor the grated cheese, butter, and flour.
2.Process until dough comes together in a ball.
3.Chill, covered, for about 20 minutes before forming puffs. (You don't want it to get too hard. When I've tried making the dough the day before and doing the balls the next day, it's been very subpar. You want to make the balls the same day that you make the dough, and chill just a bit, to get it firm enough to handle well.)
4.Pinch off a ball of dough, about an inch in diameter, and pat it into a thin disc in your palm; then place an olive in the middle. Pinch up the dough to cover the olive, and roll between your palms until smooth. (Or, dough can be rolled out to ¼ inch thickness, cut into 2 inch squares, and each square wrapped around an olive - but that's too much trouble for me, and usually results in too much dough.)
5.Place puffs on a cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes. ( I usually use parchment paper on the sheet.) Then remove to a wire rack to cool.
(To freeze unbaked, freeze on cookie sheet and remove to freezer containers when hard. When ready to bake, allow 3-5 minutes extra baking time.)
Enjoy! -JT
Well, here we go. And be gentle with me; it’s my first time managing a ping list ;-)
-JT
I did a little cooking “experiment” this week and it came out pretty good. I had some leftover chili so I made into a “chili cornbread cobbler”.
I put some refrigerated chili in an oven-safe dish, with some cheese on top, then I mixed up about 2 servings of cornbread batter, spread it on top, and cooked it in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
Once the topping was done, I took it out and put some sour cream “frosting” on it. Delish!
Ooh, that sounds great! I’m going to try that.
That does sound ‘delish’ - a Tex-Mex ‘Shepherd’s Pie’!
-JT
Those olives sound great! I love olives!!
I made double batches of chicken gumbo and taco soup, today, to freeze.
Yummy!
Great minds think a like. I do something similar. My inspiration was shepherd’s pie - replace the shepherd’s pie filling with chili and replace the mashed potatoes with cornbread. Yum.
I used to make those olive cheese balls, too. And yes, they always got scarfed up quickly. They’re great hors d’oeuvres because because they’re good with wine and beer or cocktails.
I just got a Power Pressure cooker a few days ago and had great success with a 3 pound bottom round roast. Never had a pressure cooker before and was a little intimidated but quickly got over it!
Followed the directions that came with it, cooked it for @50 minutes for med./well. Perfect!
Looking forward to doing more.....it has a canning feature that intrigues me as I’ve never canned anything.
P.S. I’ve already printed your Olive Cheese Puffs!
I’ve been intrigued by the modern pressure cookers; but scaredy-cat about pressure cooking in general. Let us know how your experiments go!
-JT
Well, I made a mistake! I didn’t tell when to put in the Cayenne (it goes in the flour; but I’m sure everybody knew that ;-)
I’ll be more attentive in future.
I originally planned on posting this thread on Friday nights, and then I realized that sometimes, I have a date on Friday night!
So the thread will come out on Thursday or Friday each week; and if you want on-or-off, just send me a private reply.
-JT
Ya done good. As long as there aren’t 59 more pings before the sun rises in the AM, all will be well.
Tonight, I made hand-crafted mac and cheese with chicken and tomato. I didn’t use a recipe, I just made it. Good food has been scarce, and I’ve got 20 lbs to gain quickly.
/johnny
Come up on a search, I had to when I lost the original magazine clipping for it.
I love appetizers! I’d rather order two appetizers than a main course. :)
I feel faint. :)
I’m with you; you can make a meal out of them!
Normally, when I go to a restaurant and order an entree, I can’t eat all the food (I’ve never been able to eat a lot at one time, I guess I’m a ‘grazer’. And in restaurants, if you have to leave with a doggie bag, the appetizers hold up better.)
My goal is to have a wide variety of freezable ones in the deep-freeze, and all we have to do when we’re tired and don’t really want to cook in the evening, is to pull them out, and heat them up.
-JT
I hear you. I’m a grazer too. :)
AWWWW Don’t worry Freepers are always gentle..I think LOL
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