Jalapeño Pecan Cheese Ball

This spreadable Jalapeño Pecan Cheese Ball is made with cream cheese and cheddar. It’s a spicy, creamy, crunchy, delicious, attractive addition to your party table. Watch it disappear!

Growing up I was not a fan of the cheese balls my paternal grandmother adored. But because she loved them, they always made an appearance at family gatherings around the holidays. I think my mom bought them for Gram from Hickory Farms but I’ll have to get back to you on that.

If you’ve been buying them too, I’m here to tell you how easy they are to make at home. The only challenging part is mixing the ingredients together since this makes a fairly firm ball. Roll up your sleeves and apply a little elbow grease to that wooden mixing spoon and you’ll be fine.

Jalapeño Pecan Cheese Ball

The ingredients below make one substantial cheese ball (about 1.1 lbs or 500g) but I can promise it will disappear in no time. We like to spread it on crackers or toast but you just might find yourself licking the knife when all of those are gone. Choose a dull one.

Ingredients

8 oz or 227g cream cheese, softened

4 oz or 113g sharp white cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups or 150g pecans

2 green onions

1 fresh jalapeño

4 soft sun-dried tomato halves (if in oil, drain and pat completely dry with paper towels)

To serve:

Crackers or toast rounds

Method

Grate the cheddar cheese. Finely mince the jalapeño, green onions and sun-dried tomatoes. Separate out about 1 tablespoon each of the vegetables to be used later when we roll the cheese ball. 

Chop the pecans finely.

In a bowl, use a wooden spoon or stiff spatula to combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, one quarter of the pecans (you can just eyeball this) and the bigger piles of jalapeño, green onions and sun-dried tomatoes until thoroughly blended. 

Form the mixture into a ball.

Cover your work surface with cling film. I find this works best if I wipe the countertop with a clean damp sponge first which helps the cling film stick and stay in place. Sprinkle the reserved minced jalapeño, green onions and sun-dried tomatoes onto the cling film. 

Top these with the remainder of the chopped pecans. Transfer the cheese ball to the middle. 

Dampen your hands with a little water to stop the cheese from sticking to them and then roll the cheese ball around on the pecans and veggies until it’s completely covered. You can keep rolling it, applying gentle pressure until most of the pecans have adhered to the ball. 

Pile any leftover pecan/veggie bits in the middle of your serving plate and, using your hands, pop the cheese ball on top, pressing down gently. 

Refrigerate the jalapeño pecan cheese ball, covered, for at least 1 hour to chill.

Serve with crackers or toasted rounds of bread.

Enjoy!

It’s the first Wednesday of the month so that means it’s time for my Foodie Extravaganza friends to get together to celebrate an obscure food holiday. This time it’s National Georgia Pecan Month! I can’t promise my pecans are from Georgia but this recipe certainly showcases my favorite nut. Check out the links to the other recipes below. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. 

• Autumn Flavored Rice Pilaf  by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Autumn Pecan Sourdough  by Culinary Adventures with Camilla 
• Candied Pecans by  Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Chicken & Pecans Sandwich by Sneha's Recipe
• German Chocolate Banana Bread by The Spiffy Cookie
• Jalapeño Pecan Cheese Ball by  Food Lust People Love
• Pecan Chutney by Magical Ingredients
• Pecan Long Grain and Wild Rice (Instant Pot) by Palatable Pastime

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

Pin this Jalapeño Pecan Cheese Ball!

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Meatball, Spinach and Tortellini al Brodo

This bowl of warm comfort is called Meatball, Spinach and Tortellini al Brodo and each spoonful is a light yet cozy delight on a chilly night.

It’s not cold here in Texas yet but I am anticipating those days with soup! The traditional Italian dish of tortellini al brodo – that is to say, cooked in broth – doesn’t have meatballs or spinach but I couldn’t resist the urge take it up a notch by adding both. 

Meatball, Spinach and Tortellini al Brodo

If you don’t have ground turkey, by all means substitute another light ground meat like pork or chicken. You can also skip the meatballs altogether but why would deprive yourself like that?

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

1 lb or 450g ground turkey

1 egg

1 green onion, white and green, minced

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup or 20g panko

olive oil

For the tortellini: 

8 cups or 1.9L chicken stock

1 lb 4 oz or 567g fresh tortellini (I used one Buitoni family-size pack.)

To serve: 

Grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and line the bottom of a baking pan with foil or silicone liner to make clean up easier.

In a large bowl, mix the ground turkey, egg, green onion, sea salt, red pepper and a few generous grinds of black pepper together until well combined. 

Add in the panko and mix again. 

Use a small poon or melon baller to divide the mixture into little portions. 

Wet your hands so the mixture doesn’t stick to them and rolls the portions into balls. Drizzle the meatballs with a little olive oil. 

I made 64 mini meatballs. You can make yours bigger, of course, but they won’t be as cute. 

Bake them 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn your oven to broil for 5 minutes to brown them. 

Add the meatballs to a large pot along with the chicken stock. Bring the stock to a simmer. 

Add tortellini and cook until just before al dente according to package directions.

Tip in the spinach and stir. You may have to add it in batches to get it all to fit. 

Divide the broth, tortellini and meatballs among bowls and top with grated Pecorino Romano. 

If you have any leftovers, I suggest you store the broth and the tortellini in separate containers or the tortellini will absorb all of the broth!

Enjoy! 

Today my Foodie Extravaganza friends are all sharing pasta recipes in celebration of National Pasta Month. Check out the links below. Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.

• Baked Mostaccioli by Palatable Pastime
• Blue Evolution Penne by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Casunziei All'Ampezzana (Beet Filled Pasta with Poppy Seeds) by Tara's Multicultural Table
• Chinese Pickled Mustard and Noodle Soup by Pandemonium Noshery
• Grain-Free Garbanzo Beans Pasta and Paneer Soup Magical Ingredients
• Instant Noodles Shots by Sneha's Recipe
• Karen’s Lasagna Bolognese by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Meatball, Spinach and Tortellini al Brodo by Food Lust People Love
• One Pot Lasagne Soup by Our Good Life

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

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Parmesan Bacon Potato Squares

Parmesan Bacon Potato Squares are a tasty appetizer (or side dish) of thinly sliced potatoes layered with bacon, cream and cheese that turn crispy and more-ish when they are baked, cooled then cut into squares and roasted in the oven. 

Fair warning: this dish needs to be started at least one day before you plan to serve it but in a way, that’s the best part because it can be mostly made, if necessary, several days ahead and chilled. Leave the final roasting till just before you are ready to serve. 

Potatoes are sliced thinly and layered with cheese and cooked bacon then pressed and chilled so they can be cut into handy squares. Make sure you don’t skip the step where you secure the squares with toothpicks or you will mightily regret it. 

The original recipe on Taste.com.au skips this step and my first batch out of the oven was a complete disaster. The potatoes were delicious for sure, but they weren’t anything like squares anymore. See the evidence below. Don't let this happen to you. 

This recipe makes enough for an enormous crowd. It’s easily halved but, should you have any leftovers, they are spectacular with scrambled eggs, added to an omelet or reheated and eaten as a side dish. (That is what I did with my disastrous ones.) 

 

Parmesan Bacon Potato Squares

As mentioned, this recipe is adapted from one on Taste.com.au, one of my favorite sites for recipe inspiration. You will need two casserole dishes, one larger for the actual potato dish and one you can fit inside it to compact the potatoes while they are chilling. 

Ingredients

6 lbs or 2.72 kg russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly with a mandoline

6 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked, plus extra for garnish

5 1/3 oz or 150g Parmesan cheese, grated

1 1/2 cups or 355ml heavy cream

3 lbs or 1.36kg thin-sliced smoked bacon, fried (not too crispy) and drained 

1/2 cup or 113g butter, melted and cooled

Optional: Sriracha sauce for drizzling on to serve

Method

If you don’t have a mandolin with which to cut the potatoes, by all means, use a sharp knife but do cut the slices as thinly as possible. 

Use baking parchment to line the base and up the sides of a 9 x 14 in or 23x35mm pan, allowing the sides to overhang somewhat. Put two layers of your thinly sliced potatoes in evenly in the bottom of the lined pan. Top with a little of the cream and thyme leaves. 

Cover those with a layer of Parmesan and cooked bacon. 

Add another double layer of sliced potatoes. Continue building your casserole until you’ve used all of your potatoes and bacon and thyme, making sure you finish with a couple of layers of potatoes on top, along with the last of the Parmesan and cream. 

Finally, pour the melted butter over the top. Fold the baking parchment in and cover the top with some cling film. 

Place a smaller casserole dish on top of the dish and fill with something heavy. I used eight cans of various vegetables. Leave to rest for about 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Remove the weights and cling film. Cover the large casserole top in foil and bake for about 1 hour or until the potatoes are tender. Remove the foil (save for later) and bake for another 20 minutes to brown the top. 

Put the foil back on the dish and put the smaller casserole dish back on top. Leave to cool until it can be put in the refrigerator. When cool, put it (casserole dish still on top) in the refrigerator to chill overnight. 

When you are ready to make the squares, start your oven preheating to 400°F or 200°C.

Loosen the sides of the potatoes from the pan and turn the whole rectangle out onto a cutting board so your top is now your bottom. Remove the parchment paper and discard. 

Trim the edges with a sharp knife so you have straight sides. (These scraps are great reheated in a non-stick skillet. Add some eggs for a delicious weekend breakfast.) 

Cut the chilled potato into squares.

 Skewer each one with a toothpick, top to bottom. Put them on their sides on two or three large baking pans (with sides) and roast 10 minutes in your hot oven or until lightly golden. 

Turn the squares over and roast until they are crispy and deep golden, about 10-15 more minutes.

Drain on paper towels. 

Serve warm with sriracha sauce to drizzle, if desired, and some sprigs of thyme for garnish. 

Enjoy! 

It's the first Wednesday of the month so that means it's time for our Foodie Extravaganza celebration of National Potatoes Day which is August 19th this year! Many thanks to our host, Karen of Karen's Kitchen Stories. 

• Baked Potato Ragada Chat from Magical Ingredients
• Chorizo Stuffed Hash Browns from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Lemon & Dill Potato Salad with No Mayonnaise from Faith Hope Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Parmesan Bacon Potato Squares from Food Lust People Love
• Potato Lollipops from Sheha's Recipe
• Potato Puffs from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Salt and Vinegar Skillet Potatoes from Palatable Pastime
• Schupfnudeln (German Potato Noodles) from Tara's Multicultural Table
• Tartiflette with Fromage Fort from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

Pin these Parmesan Bacon Potato Squares!

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Homemade Pub-Style Pickled Onions

Homemade pub-style pickled onions are easy to make, crunchy and sour with a hint of sweetness, perfect with sharp cheddar cheese or in a dirty martini. 

Any pub in the UK worth its salt will have jars of pickled onions to serve with a ploughman’s lunch of cheese, bread and ham. The better ones will offer you pickled onions they’ve made themselves. Honestly, it’s so easy, they really all should. 

The only fiddly thing is peeling the tiny onions and that is made easier by covering them in boiling water and then refreshing them in iced water. The skins just slip right off. Save them to throw in your next stockpot so they don’t go to waste. 

Homemade Pub-Style Pickled Onions

Ideally, you should make this using genuine Sarson’s Malt Vinegar or, failing that here in the States, at least make sure you use malt vinegar. This recipe is adapted from one on the Sarson’s website.

Ingredients

2 cups or 475ml malt vinegar

1 lb or 450g small pickling onions 

2 tablespoons fine sea salt

1/2 cup or 100g granulated sugar

10 peppercorns

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

1 teaspoons coriander seeds 

2 bay leaves

Method

Put the onions in a large heatproof bowl. Cover them with boiling water and stir for about 30 seconds. Drain them in a colander them return them to the bowl and cover with iced water. Drain again. 

To peel them cut off the stem end and squeeze the little onion out of its peel. Or if you tend to lose another layer of onion this way, you can cut off both end and use a sharp knife to remove the skins. 

Once the onions are peeled, put them in non-reactive bowl and sprinkle them with the salt. Cover the bowl with a upturn plate or some cling film and leave overnight or up to 24 hours. When you think about it, give the onions a good shake to make sure they are all equally as salted.

Meanwhile pour the vinegar and sugar into a large saucepan with the peppercorns, mustard seeds and bay leaves. My bay leaves are fresh but you can certainly use dried ones. The Sarson recipe didn't specify. 

Put the lid on the pan, bring to the boil then remove from the heat and set aside to allow the spices to infuse.

The following day rinse the onions with cool running water and then pat them dry.

Pack the onions into a sterilized 20 oz or 600ml jar with the bay leaves. 

Pour over the vinegar, along with the mustard, peppercorns and coriander. Completely cover the onions with the liquid. Seal and leave to pickle in a cool place for 6 weeks. Since it’s a warm summer where I am right now, I left mine to pickle in the kitchen for three days and then refrigerated the jar for the rest of the time. 

Enjoy these pub-style pickled onions with cheddar and ham or in a dry martini. 

It’s the first Wednesday of the month and that means it’s time for our Foodie Extravaganza party. This month we are celebrating National Pickle Month. Check out of the great pickle recipes below. Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. 

• Haitian Pikliz by Magical Ingredients
• Homemade Pub-Style Pickled Onions by Food Lust People Love 
• Lemon Pickled Lotus Root by Palatable Pastime
• Pickled Ramps by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Pickled Rhubarb by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Quick Pickled Zucchini and Red Onions by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Stuffed Gunda / Lasoda Pickle With Mango by Sneha's Recipe

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

Pin these Homemade Pub-Style Pickled Onions!

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Jersey Royal Potato Salad

This Jersey Royal Potato Salad is a family favorite, made with those special new potatoes only grown on Jersey in the Channel Islands. Sub your favorite new potato if you can't get them! 

The Jersey Royal story begins in 1880 when a farmer named Hugh de la Haye planted a 15 sprouted pieces of a seed potato and one grew into a plant with papery skins. The slanted hillsides get lots of sunshine and the vraic – a seaweed used for fertilizer on the island – gives the Jersey Royal its unique taste. 

Sadly, we haven’t been able to fly back to Jersey because of the pandemic but I found this recipe with photos in files and decided to share for National Egg Day, if only to remind myself that someday things will be better COVID-wise and we will be able to travel again. 

Jersey Royal Potato Salad

This recipe makes enough for two servings with a little left over. It is easily doubled, trebled or even quadrupled, if you are serving a crowd. If you don’t have access to Jersey Royals, another new potato can be substituted. I’ve also made this quite successfully with the little thin-skinned red ones we can get here in States.

Ingredients

8 1/2 oz or 240g Jersey Royals, boiled till just cooked through

2 eggs, hardboiled

1 teaspoon grated onion, plus any onion juice

2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 teaspoons yellow mustard

fine sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Cayenne, optional

Green onions to garnish

Method

Mash the egg yolks with a fork and mix in with the grated onion, mustard and two tablespoons of mayonnaise.

Chop the egg whites into the bowl. Follow those with the Jersey Royals, also roughly cut into halves or thirds, depending on the size of your Royals.

Mix everything together and season to taste with fine sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne, if desired. 

If the mixture seems too dry, add the extra tablespoon of mayonnaise. Garnish with some chopped green onion. 

Enjoy! 

It’s National Egg Day tomorrow so my Foodie Extravaganza friends are sharing recipes you can use for your own celebration! Many thanks to our host, Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla.

• BBQ Deviled Eggs by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chorizo Scotch Eggs + 2016 Bodegas Jorge Ordonez Málaga Moscatel Old Vines by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Fluffy Omelette by Sneha's Recipe
• Italian Frittata by Our Good Life
• Jersey Royal Potato Salad by Food Lust People Love
• Mexican Baked Eggs by Making Miracles
• Sous Vide Ham and Cheese Egg Bites by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Tuxum Barak (Khorezm Egg Dumplings) by Tara's Multicultural Table
• Yoda Avocado Deviled Eggs by Simply Inspired Meals

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

Pin this Jersey Royal Potato Salad!

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Simple Strawberry Vodka

This slightly sweet simple strawberry vodka is best served well chilled in shot glasses or as a cocktail ingredient. It makes a fabulous sparkling libation with Champagne or soda. 

One of the easiest ways to preserve the fresh taste of strawberries is to “pickle” them in alcohol. The strawberries transfer their sweet flavor and gorgeous color to your alcohol of choice in just a couple of weeks. 

Speaking of preserving fruit, jam is one of my favorite things to make with whatever fruit is in season. And I always wash and freeze strawberries and blueberries in a single layer then pop them into a Ziploc bag to extend their seasons. But I wanted to challenge myself to do something different this time. 

I had no idea how easy it would be to make strawberry vodka!

As it turns out, it’s really not much of a challenge at all. You can make straight strawberry vodka by cutting up the strawberries and tipping them into vodka but I chose to add some sugar too so I wouldn’t have to add simple syrup for cocktails. It was a good decision.

Simple Strawberry Vodka

This fruity vodka can also be made with other berries like blackcurrants or cranberries, or any soft fruit really, come to think of it.

Ingredients

9 oz or 255g fresh strawberries

2 1/2 cups or 590ml vodka

1/2 cup or 100g sugar

Method

Hull and chop the strawberries into four or five pieces.

Put them in a sterilized jar with the sugar. Add the vodka and strawberries and shake gently till the sugar has dissolved.

Leave for at least two weeks in a cool, dark cupboard. Give the jar a gentle shake at least once a day.

Strain through several layers of cheesecloth or a single ply of paper towel and decant into a decorative bottle. Discard the poor pale strawberries which have given their all that we might have fruity vodka. 

Seal and label.

Isn’t it a beautiful color?

Enjoy!

It’s time for another Foodie Extravaganza party and we are celebrating National Strawberry Month with all sorts of great recipes. Check them out! Many thanks to our host Kelley of Simply Inspired Meals for the theme and to Sneha of Sneha's Recipe for her behind-the-scenes work. 

• Barbecued Strawberry Chicken from Making Miracles
• Fresas con Crema from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Korean Strawberry Milk from Tara's Multicultural Table
• Simple Strawberry Vodka from Food Lust People Love
• SOP Mocktail from Sneha's Recipe
• Strawberry Marshmallows from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Strawberry Shrikand from Magical Ingredients
• Vanilla-Macerated Berry Shortcake From Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

Pin this Simple Strawberry Vodka! 

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Duck-fat Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

Duck-fat Roasted Carrots and Parsnips are simple yet flavorful. The duck fat adds richness and roasting brings out the natural sweetness of the vegetables. 

This dish can be made, in fact, with a wide variety of vegetables and lends itself particularly to those in the root vegetable category. I’ve made it with potatoes, onions, carrots, parsnips, Jerusalem artichokes and sweet potatoes, just to name a few.

I’ve also been known to throw in some non-root veggies towards the middle of the cooking time, like cauliflower, broccoli or Brussels sprouts and even wedges of cabbage. 

I would say to you in all sincerity that duck-fat, like bacon, makes everything better. 

Duck-fat Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

If you’d prefer to use all carrots or all parsnips, by all means do. Not a fan of fresh thyme? Switch it out for your favorite herb. Rosemary would also be nice. The weight of the carrots and parsnips is approximate. You want to throw a couple more in and your pan is big enough? Go for it. 

Ingredients

About 2 lbs or 907g mix of carrots and parsnips

3 tablespoons duck fat

fine sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

fresh thyme

Method

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C. Put half of the duck fat in your roasting pan and pop it in the oven until it melts. Keep an eye on it because this doesn’t take long. 

Peel your carrots and parsnips and cut them into manageable lengths for your pan. Add them to the pan and roll them around in the melted duck fat. 

Distribute the rest of the duck fat around on top of the vegetables and sprinkle with salt, pepper and fresh thyme leaves. 

Roast in your preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until the vegetables are lovely and golden and a fork pokes into them easily. You might want to give them a shake halfway through if your oven doesn't heat evenly all round. 

Give them another toss in the pan and garnish with extra thyme leaves, if desired. 

Enjoy! 

This month’s Foodie Extravaganza party celebrates International Carrot Day which happens to be April 4th. Many thanks to our host Sneha of Sneha's Recipe. 

• Carrot Fries from Magical Ingredients
• Carrot Salad with Feta and Pistachios from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Duck-fat Roasted Carrots and Parsnips from Food Lust People Love
• French Carrot Slaw From Palatable Pastime
• Gajar Halwa With Khoya/Mawa from Sneha's Recipe
• Pasta Salad with Roasted Carrots and Kale from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Roasted Carrots with Vinaigrette from Making Miracles
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Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

Pin these Duck-fat Roasted Carrots & Parsnips!

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