Dad's Christmas Cheese Ball

This cheese ball recipe was given to my Dad by his mother-in-law in North Carolina, and it has been enjoyed at Christmastime for many years. Each year, my Dad makes 20-30 cheese balls and gives them to his (very lucky) friends. My personal preference would be to substitute garlic powder for the curry powder (sorry, Dad!). 

2 8-oz packages cream cheese
4 oz blue cheese

4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, diced

¼ teaspoon curry powder 

1 tsp paprika

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 tablespoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 c pecans, chopped fine

Allow cheeses to soften at room temperature. Combine all ingredients (except pecans) in a food processor. Blend well. Chill for 30 minutes. Roll into two balls. Cover balls with chopped pecans. Chill for at least 30 minutes. 

Remove the cheese balls from the fridge and let soften a bit. Grab a knife and your favorite crackers.

The Cookbooks of lizzycooks: A Love Story

I love cookbooks. I currently have 56 in my ever-growing collection.

My first cookbook purchase was in the 1970s. Betty Crocker, of course.

When I was growing up my Mom had the classic Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook with the red and white checks on the cover, what I now call "every Mother's cookbook". I have an updated version of it in my collection. I have antique cookbooks; soup cookbooks; cookbooks from TV chefs; vegetarian cookbooks; garlic cookbooks; Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Greek, and Vietnamese cookbooks; two versions of The Joy of Cooking; and more.

Something that strikes me when I look at the older cookbooks, even the ones from the 60s and 70s, is the change in the type of ingredients compared to what we use now. I see recipes that call for lard, oleo margarine, and shortening.

Something else I've discovered is that just because I buy a cookbook, doesn't mean I will make any recipes from it. I just like having it. It's comforting in some way, the way that cooking is comforting to me. I often look at recipes to get ideas about potential ingredients or see what temperature something should be cooked at, and then make my own modifications. But not for baking, with baking you need to be exact. I don't like recipes that have hundreds of ingredients--in my book, these recipes are only for special occasions! People give me cookbooks as gifts, and just to clean out their kitchen I think. No matter, I love getting cookbooks and buying new ones. I was recently given a 1935 silver-covered Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, the antique version of the previously mentioned "every Mother's cookbook".

I find some of the photographs in the older cookbooks quite interesting. This photo is from the 1969 La Cuisine Cookbook and is called "Glazed Ham Doulce France". It looks like a piece of art, and as I always say, food is art.

You never know what you will find inside of cookbooks either. I recently found this vintage Macy's ad for a groovy 1960s dress inside of an older cookbook.

Some cookbooks have beautiful artwork on the cover.
I will continue my love affair with my cookbooks and hope I have inspired you to love your cookbooks too!

Dad's Three Cheese Risotto with Walnuts

Gourmet comfort food. I had never made risotto until this past Thanksgiving when I was visiting my Dad and Aleta. He suggested I go to his computer recipe files (he's a gourmet cook) to find something I wanted to make for dinner. I chose recipes for bruschetta and risotto and was happy I did. Here's my take on bruschetta. The risotto is beyond delicious and I was told it was the best they'd ever had--high praise! 

5 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup walnut halves 

4 tablespoon butter 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 small onion, finely chopped 

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice 

¼ cup dry white wine 

¾ cup Parmesan or Pecorino cheese 

¼ cup mascarpone cheese 

2 oz gorgonzola cheese 

salt and pepper 

Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium pot. In a small pan, saute the walnuts in 1 tablespoon butter; set aside. 

In a deep pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and 2 tablespoon butter. Saute the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir until the rice is well coated, about 3 minutes. 

Add the wine to the rice mixture and stir until the liquid has been absorbed. Begin to add the broth one cup at a time, stirring until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 20-25 minutes. It is important to continually stir the rice so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and add 1 tablespoon butter. 

Add the walnuts and the cheeses and stir until the cheeses are melted. Salt and pepper to taste. By the way, there are specially made risotto bowls which you can see in the photo--who knew?

Virginia Wine Jelly

This recipe is a bit of a mystery. I don't know how this jelly got its name but I'm pretty sure you don't have to use wine from Virginia to make it. Use small, glass, jelly jars with a ring & seal for the lid. This red wine jelly make a great gift and even better, its homemade.

Ingredients:
2 gelatin envelopes
1 cup cold water
l cup sugar
juice of 1 lemon
2 cups boiling water
2 cups red wine

Soak gelatin in cold water. Add sugar, lemon juice and 2 cups boiling water. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add wine. Stir, pour into jars, and chill in the fridge overnight. This soft, textured jelly is delicious served with the ever popular fruitcake or other cakes. Makes 5 glass jars.

Apple Walnut Salad with Balsamic Dressing

Today, I'm sharing recipes for a tasty and simple salad and salad dressing I made for dinner last night. You can find the recipe I used for Ingrid's 4 Ingredient Balsamic Dressing here.

2 cups fresh spinach leaves
2 cups butter lettuce
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup apples, chopped
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

Wash and drain the spinach and lettuce, chop it up, and put it in a bowl. Put in fridge for about 30 minutes to chill. Remove from fridge and add the cheese, apples, walnuts, and Ingrid's dressing, or your own. Toss & serve the salad. It is best served cold. Enjoy your food!

Apple Coffee Cake & Brown Sugar Topping & Glaze

I made this apple coffee cake recently and as it was baking the house smelled wonderful--just like fall. I was surprised to discover one large apple made two cups of chopped, and I threw in an extra 1/3 of a cup. This coffee cake would go well with hot apple cider...and a roaring fire. 

Ingredients:
1 stick plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup light sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups apples, cored & chopped 

Brown Sugar Topping:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 

Brown Sugar Glaze:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease a 13" x 9" glass baking dish with 2 teaspoons of the butter. In a large bowl, cream together the remaining stick of butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after the addition of each. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the apples. Pour into the prepared baking dish, spreading out to the edges.

To make the topping, in a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake until golden brown and set, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. 

To make the glaze, in a bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla, and water and mix until smooth. Drizzle the cake with the glaze and let harden. 

Chocolate Pudding for Grown-Ups

This stuff is pretty good when your sweet tooth is acting up AND it's healthy. I modified it from a Dr. Weil recipe and he says, "this high-calcium "pudding" has the benefits of cocoa and cinnamon — and the flavor of Mexico. Experiment with different brands of ricotta — they have different textures and flavors." Who wants pudding?!

1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Scoop into small dessert dishes and serve.

Baked Onion Rings

Do you like onion rings but resist the temptation due to the grease? Try this lower fat version.

1 cup cornflakes

1 cup plain dried breadcrumbs

1 large egg

1/2 cup low fat buttermilk

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1 large sweet onion, sliced into rings (I don't use the smaller center rings)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 450. In a food processor, pulse cornflakes and breadcrumbs until fine crumbs form, then transfer to a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, flour, cayenne, and salt and pepper.

Dip onion rings in egg mixture (letting excess drip off--this is very important to prevent a gloppy breadcrumb mess!) and dredge in cornflake mixture; place on a large plate. Pour oil onto a rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven and heat 2 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and tilt to coat evenly with oil. Arrange onion rings on sheet. Bake, turning once, until onion rings are golden brown, about 16 minutes. Season with salt.

Butternut Squash Soup

Ahhh, fall is finally here...the time of year when apples, cider, pumpkins, and squash come to mind. This is a perfect fall soup, and so easy to make. It will warm your soul.

Ingredients:
1 (2 to 3 pound) butternut squash, peeled and seeded
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups chicken stock
nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut squash into 1-inch chunks. (I recommend buying it pre-chunked if possible. If not, have a sharp knife and be careful). In large soup pot melt butter. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add squash and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove squash chunks with slotted spoon and place in a blender and puree. Return blended squash to pot. Stir in the squash with liquid remaining in pot and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Serve.

Zucchini-Carrot Walnut Bread

Got zucchini coming out your ears? Here's a healthy recipe that will put that zucchini (and those carrots) to good use. Use a larger zucchini to get one cup. Serve this with a cup of good coffee and enjoy the weather.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup canola oil

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup oat bran

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded zucchini

1 cup shredded carrots

2 teaspoons grated orange peel

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat over to 350. Spray 8" x 5" loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. 

In large bowl, whisk together honey, oil, egg & vanilla. In another bowl, stir together the flours, oat bran, baking powder, cinnamon & salt. Add dry ingredients to honey mixture with zucchini, carrots and orange peel. Stir to blend well. Add walnuts. Spoon into pan. 

Bake 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack. Makes 16 servings. This recipe is slightly modified from one by the American Heart Association.