Karen's Holiday Cheese Ball

Ingredients:

3 - 8 oz packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
3 - 6 oz packages of Buddy Ham, chopped
3 tablespoon fresh chopped chives or scallions
1 tablespoon (or less) minced garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups pecans, chopped


Directions:

Prep all of the ingredients and place in large mixing bowl, except the pecans.
Place the chopped pecans on a large dinner plate, covering the plate but not to the edge.

Wash your hands and mix the cheese, garlic and chives thoroughly.  Leave hands slightly damp for easier results.

Form a ball and roll in chopped pecans until slightly covered.  Wash your hands again and return to rolling the cheese ball in the chopped pecans until completely covered.

Wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate 1-2 hours before serving.
Serve with your favorite crackers.

BLACKBERRY COBBLER

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup white sugar 2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoon cinnamon 12 tablespoons cold butter 1/2 cup boiling water   2 tablespoons cornstarch 1/4 cup cold water 1 cup white sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice 5 cups fresh blackberries,    Rinsed and Drained

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2.	In a large bowl, mix the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/2 cup boiling water just until mixture is evenly moist.
3.	In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in cold water. Mix in 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, and blackberries. Transfer to a cast iron skillet, and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Drop dough into the skillet by the spoonful. Place skillet on the foil lined baking sheet.
4.	Bake 20 - 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until dough is golden brown.

 

Scotch-Irish Potato Salad with Bacon

Ingredients:

5 pounds red potatoes 1 cups chopped celery 1 cups chopped red onion 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and coarsely chopped 1 cup sliced black olives 1 cup sliced green olives with pimentos

1 cup dill pickle relish 1/2 cup sweet pickle relish 1 teaspoon smoked paprika ½ cup prepared mustard, or as needed ½ cup apple cider vinegar, or as needed 1 1/2 cup mayonnaise, or as needed salt and ground black pepper to taste ½ cup crumbled cooked bacon

Directions:

1.	Place potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and allow to cool.
2.	Remove skins from potatoes and cut into chunks. Place in a large bowl.
3.	Lightly stir celery, red onion, eggs, black olives, green olives, dill pickle relish, sweet pickle relish, and paprika with potatoes until thoroughly combined.
4.	Mix in mustard, vinegar, and mayonnaise; stir lightly until all ingredients are coated and moist. If salad isn't moist enough, stir up to 1/2 cup more mayonnaise into salad.
5.	Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste. For best flavor, make the day before and refrigerate overnight.

Semi-Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

3 large boneless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
½ celery head, leaves removed, cut into bite size pieces
1 quart chicken broth
1 quart water
2 teaspoons black paper or more to taste
2 teaspoons salt or more to taste
1 teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon or less minced garlic
½ bag or 6oz Yoke Free noodles/dumplings(12oz)
1 15oz can sliced carrots, drained
2 10.5oz cans cream of chicken soup

In a large pot add broth and water.  Dice chicken and celery and add to pot along with all the spices.  Cook at a medium high heat for 30 minutes.  Add noodles and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add carrots and stir in cream of chicken soup.  Simmer for 10 minutes.   Enjoy

German Kielbasa, Kale & Potato Soup with Red Beans

14 oz. kielbasa, sliced into 1/4 inch thick disks on the bias
2 teaspoons vegetable oil, as needed
8 cloves garlic minced
2 quarts chicken broth 
2 cans (15oz) red kidney beans, drained
2 cans (15oz) diced potatoes, undrained
6 oz. fresh kale washed, rinsed and torn into 1 inch pieces
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Brown the kielbasa in a 7-quart Dutch oven and set over medium low heat until it has rendered most of its fat, approximately 15 minutes. Remove the kielbasa from the pan and set aside. If you do not have at least 2 teaspoons of fat, add enough vegetable oil to make 2 teaspoons of fat.

Cook the garlic in the fat for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from burning. Add the chicken broth and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Stir in the potatoes and beans and simmer for 15 minutes.

Toss the kale into the pot, cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes or just until it is tender, but not mushy.

Sprinkle with the red wine vinegar, salt, and black pepper and stir to combine. Return the kielbasa to the pot and cook just until heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning.

SHORT CUTS:  Use two 15oz cans of diced red potatoes
Additional note:   The more Kale the Merrier.  I use a whole bunch, just the leaves, no stems

Uncle Bob Anderson's Chili

 

INGREDIENTS:
2 lb. ground beef
2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans diced tomatoes

2 cans of one of the following (or mix):
Dark Red Kidney Beans**most popular
Black Beans
Pinto Beans
Great Northern Beans

1 cup sweet onion (hold back ½ cup for garnish)
2 cups finely chopped celery
2 cups finely chopped carrots
2 cups finely chopped green bell pepper

2 packs McCormick Chili

Garnish with:
Chopped onion
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream

Broccoli Salad

INGREDIENTS:

5 cups fresh broccoli florets
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon
1/4 cup of red onion, chopped

• Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 cup sugar


Preparation:

Combine broccoli florets, dried cranberries, pecans, crumbled bacon, and chopped onion in a large serving bowl. In a separate bowl or large cup, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar. Add dressing to the salad and toss to mix well; chill thoroughly before serving.

Broccoli salad serves 4 to 6.