Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball

Tags

appetizers, cheese, cheese ball, chives, comfort food, cooking, cranberries, delicious, easy cooking, eat, entertaining, fall, fall dishes, food, holiday, pecans, retro, simple entertaining, tasty, thanksgiving, winter

I don’t know about you but I love a good cheese ball as part of a charcuterie board. I know it sounds bit retro but I don’t care.

They are creamy, and tasty and SO easy to make. You can whip this up in 10 minutes. I prefer letting it set overnight so the flavours come together but I have also been known to eat this straight out of the bowl… this is a judgement free zone 😉

Here is what you need:

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup white sharp cheddar cheese shredded / of old white cheddar
• 1 cup dried cranberries chopped and divided
• 1 cup pecans chopped and toasted 
• 1/4 cup chives or green onions chopped (I prefer chives)
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp of seasoning salt 

1. To Toast Pecans: Pre-heat oven to 375F. Place chopped pecans on a baking tray and bake for 5 minutes or until aromatic. Remove from oven and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, cheddar cheese, ½ toasted pecans, ½ cup dried cranberries, chive or green onion, seasoning salt and garlic powder until well combined.
3. Place mixture in the center of a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper and cover completely with wrap while forming it into a ball shape. Place in fridge until ready to serve.
4. Just before serving, combine remaining ½ cup pecans, ½ dried cranberries, and 2 tablespoon chives on a flat surface or cutting board. Unwrap the ball and roll in cranberry-pecan mixture.
5. Serve with anything and devour! 

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Not your Mama’s Green Bean Casserole

Tags

christmas foods, green bean casserole, side dish, thanksgiving, vegetables

This is my take on the green bean casserole. It is a classic side dish for the holidays but it is delicious anytime of the year. The key is not using canned soup (blech) but making your own mushroom cream sauce. Trust me… It is easy to put together and only takes 30 mins to make.

Here’s what you need:

1 pound of green beans (cleaned and ends removed)
2 pounds of mushrooms (I used cremini, porcini, oyster and white) you can use a mixture of whatever mushrooms you would like!
1 onion finely minced
2 Cloves of garlic minced
1/4 cup white wine or 1/4 cup sherry
1/2 to 2/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup of real freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I buy it in huge blocks from Costco)
Salt and pepper
1 tbs butter
Fried onions (store bought)

Blanch the green beans in boiling salted water for 3 minutes – drain and place in ice water to stop the cooking process. Cut beans into 2 or 3 pieces (you are looking for bite sized pieces) set aside.

Melt butter in a large pan or 2 medium sized pans and crank the heat. Add mushrooms. You want the heat high so the mushrooms start to caramelize. Cook for 3-5 mins and add onions and after 2 mins add garlic. Once the onions start to color and soften add wine (off the heat) and reduce for 1 minute. Lower heat and add cream and taste. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In an oven proof baking dish toss 1/2 beans with 1/2 the mushrooms and put in the dish. Repeat once more. You want all the beans tossed with the sauce. Top with 3/4 to 1 cup of fried onions. Bake 20-30 mins in the oven and serve.

It is delish!