Miss Dorothy's Pimento Cheese

When I started my job eons ago our receptionist's name was Dorothy. She was a prim and proper lady from the top of her perfectly coiffed bun to the tips of her high heel shoes. Like we do now, we have gatherings for birthdays, showers, retirement parties and the like. Miss Dorothy always made her pimento cheese. I have to admit that I have never been able to completely match hers, but this is a close second. We always called her our Yellow Rose of Texas and she was a special lady. We had a wedding shower Friday and I decided to take this. Pardon the picture because I took it last minute before we made sandwiches out of it.

MISS DOROTHY'S PIMENTO CHEESE

12 oz. mild cheddar cheese, grated
2 green onions chopped fine
4 oz. jar diced pimentos (no need to drain)
About 1 cup mayonnaise
2-3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
2 boiled eggs, chopped very fine
2-3 tablespoons milk

Grate cheese into a bowl. Add pimentos, onions, eggs, and pickle relish. Stir in mayonnaise. Take a knife and cut through mixture making the mixture creamier. It helps to put a few tablespoons of milk and stir to make it even creamier. Can be served as a dip with chips or spread on bread for sandwiches.

Hidden Valley Oyster Crackers

I went to a boat parade last evening. The boats were so pretty all decorated with lights and Christmas carols playing. My friends who hosted the party have a beautiful home and had a wonderful spread of food but I couldn't go empty-handed so I took these little crackers along. Easy little something to take along.

HIDDEN VALLEY OYSTER CRACKERS

16 ounces plain oyster crackers
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil

You can add any kind of seasonings you like. Dill and lemon pepper are often used. Or you could add anything you like.

Mix all ingredients in a roasting pan and place in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove and stir and put in for an additional 10 minutes.

White Queso Dip

I'm almost embarassed to post this picture, but I think the recipe is worth posting. I took this to a birthday party last week and the picture taking was done in a hurry as an afterthought.

Queso dip around here is usually just a block of Velveeta and a can of Rotel tomatoes. I wanted to try something new and went on a quest to find a new recipe. I never knew that white queso was such a sought after recipe to try and replicate, but I found lots of information about it. So here is my version.

WHITE QUESO DIP

1 pound Land O'Lakes white American cheese (in Wal Mart deli case)
1 to 1-1/2 cups half and half
1/4 cup finely diced white onion
2 Tablespoons butter
2 cans chopped green chiles

In a small frypan saute the onion in the butter until translucent. In the microwave or on top of a double boiler, melt the cheese with the half and half. You can judge how much to use on how thick or thin you like it. Add the onion and chiles and stir until all incorporated. Serve with tortilla chips.

Stuffed Strawberries

This recipe comes from the Deen Brothers Cookbook . Paula also made this on her show recently. These were a good addition to the strawberry shortcake (see below).

STUFFED STRAWBERRIES

32 whole large strawberries, hulled
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
2/3 cup chopped pecans

Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each strawberry so the berries stand upright. Place berries, cut sides down, on a serving platter. Carefully, cut the berries into 4 wedges, cutting almost to, but not through, the bottoms. Fan the wedges just slightly, taking care not to break them. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until combined but still stiff. Using a teaspoon or pastry bag with decorative tip, fill the strawberries with the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of the stuffed strawberries. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cheese Ball

My grandson turned 2 last week. Gosh, where does the time go, seems we were just celebrating his arrival into the world! We had a family party on Saturday. This is a quick and easy recipe if ever you need something to take to a party.

CHEESE BALL

2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
2 green onions diced real fine, tops and all
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Hidden Valley Ranch Dip mix
Dried parsley
Crushed pecans

Mix the softened cream cheese and all other ingredients until well incorporated. Roll in pecans to make a ball (can also make a loaf or log if you choose). Chill until firm. Serve with crackers. I've also made this with chopped black olives or bacon bits mixed in. You can also use dill if you like. Use your imagination for whatever things you like. It's a good base for a cheese ball.

Chicken Salad Puffs

One of the girls in the office has been asking for these. I made some pate choux and filled with chicken salad. The first batch of these did not turn out and I only had 2 chicken breasts for the salad, so it made a small batch. They were good though!

PATE CHOUX
1 cup water
1 stick butter cut into pieces
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon flour
4 eggs

Combine the water, butter and salt in a saucepan and heat until the butter melts and the water boils. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour all at once. With a wooden spoon, beat until a thick mixture forms. The mixture will pull away from the pan. Cool slightly. Stir over low heat until the mixture pulls away from the pan. Cool slightly. Add eggs one at a time until blended well into flour mixture -- this can be a workout for your arms! I've never used a mixer at this point, but I guess you could. After all eggs are incorporated. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheet. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes and reduce heat to 375 for 15 minutes. Fill with mixture of your choice -- either savory or sweet. I just filled these with my basic chicken salad recipe. I've made them filled with pudding and drizzled with chocolate, even a no bake cheesecake filling is good.

Sausage Cheese Balls

I also took something savory to the meeting.
I'm sure everyone has made these at one time or another.
Easy for sure.

SAUSAGE CHEESE BALLS
3 cups Bisquick baking mix
1 pound Jimmy Dean bulk sausage (or any kind you like)
2 cups shredded cheese of your choice

Mix all ingredients by hand. It will take some time to get this all incorporated. Roll into walnut-sized balls. Spray a baking pan with Pam. Place balls onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until light brown. These can be frozen ahead of time and baked later, but will take a little extra time.