My Favorite Cheeseball

As I was making my favorite cheese ball, I was reminded of my favorite cheese story.

My son is now 21 years old, but when he was 4, he was invited to a birthday party at a kiddy restaurant that I consider is the nightmare of all nightmares for parents. There was annoying non-stop singing from puppet characters and over excited kids running in all directions. The decibel level was unbelievable!!

My son was enthralled with the guy in the giant rat costume. He chased him all over the place. The character guy finally left the play area to get away from my son and his playmates. I can still visualize the picture of that small boy with the pink cheeks and glowing eyes as he ran up to me and said, “Oh, Mommy, I just met Chucky Jesus.”

We laugh over that story every time I tell it. Now I DID talk to Andrew later and clear up his misconceptions. There WAS a difference between the guy in the rat suit and the Savior of the world, but for a few glorious moments my son thought this Jesus person he had heard about lived in an amazing place where you could play non-stop and have pizza for every meal.

It was a 4 year olds idea of heaven.

I have an idea of heaven myself and a pretty good imagination, but I don’t think I can grasp just how wonderful heaven is going to be. When I see a beautiful tree blossoming in the Spring, mountains, or an ocean view, I marvel at the ability of the Lord to create such beauty. It reminds me of Him, but then I realize….God has saved the best for last. I have heaven to look forward to.

If you know Jesus as your Savior, you do, too. Hang in there ya’ll….the best is yet to come!!!
Sometimes I roll the cheese ball in nuts, sometimes I pack it in a country style crock. Serve with crackers and garnish with some beautiful grapes and a bunch of parsley for a pretty presentation.

MY FAVORITE CHEESE BALL

10 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
soy sauce, to taste(about 1 Tbs.)
garlic powder, to taste(start with about 1/4 tsp.)
onion powder, to taste
chopped toasted pecans, 1-2 cups

Beat cream cheese until soft and creamy. Add seasonings, then add grated cheese, a little at a time until it is incorporated. Roll into a ball and then into toasted nuts.

Refrigerate, but allow to soften before serving. Can be made 2-3 days before serving.

Toasted nuts

pecans, any amount
salt, optional

Spread onto a cookie sheet and place in preheated 350° oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly toasted. Stir often, every 3-4 minutes and watch closely as they can quickly go from toasted to burned. Remove from cookie sheet immediately after taking out of oven. Season if desired. The nuts will continue to toast if left on hot cookie sheet.

Note: I serve this recipe in shape of a pinecone at Christmastime. Make cheese ball into a tear drop shape. Use whole roasted almonds to simulate the 'petals' of a pinecone. Start at the pointed end of cheese ball and insert one end of the whole or sliced nut. Overlap one row onto the first until the cheese is covered. Use artificial pine greenery to garnish the top.

                                         Confectionately  Yours,

Pleasant Words

Pleasant Words are a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul, & health to the body!!

When I was growing up, my mother cooked dinner every night.  At the end of the meal, my father always addressed her and said, “I enjoyed my supper.” 

It was a phrase that all of us kids echoed, but it wasn’t something required of us.  It was simply learning good manners by example. Oddly enough, I found myself saying these same words as an adult when I was visiting my parent’s home.  It just felt natural to do that.

My husband of 31 years, had a phrase that he repeated every day we were together.  He decided early on in our marriage that he couldn’t read my mind, so he would say to me, “Is there anything I can do for you?”

These few words gave me such comfort.  It told me he cared about the load I carried running our household, and he was willing to share that load, but preferred to do what I felt needed to be done.  It meant he cared about my needs, whether it be a cup of tea, or a load of laundry started.

Those words made me feel nurtured then.  Now that I am widowed, they leave a pleasant memory-Sweetness to the soul and health to the body like the scriptures say.

I often find myself repeating those words to my children and my friends, especially when they are struggling.  I guess just knowing someone would like to lighten the load is comforting.

No food is more comforting than homemade bread.  Since I have shared my roll recipe on a previous segment, I will gladly add the honey butter recipe that takes it over the top.  I made the mistake of taking this combo to work so often that showing up without them leads to mutiny by the staff. 

Start with ½ c. softened butter.  Add 3 T. honey and mix in.  Drizzle a little extra honey on the top. Serve at room temp.

Confectionately  Yours,

Sue

Here is the roll recipe so you don't have to search for it.



BREAD MACHINE ROLLS
(My "go-to" recipe for yeast bread)
1 egg + warm water
3 T. olive oil
4-1/2 c. bread flour
2-1/2 tsp. rapid rise yeast (I use Saf-Instant brand)
1-1/2 tsp. salt 
1/3 c. sugar

Place egg in measuring cup and add enough warm water to bring total amount to 1-2/3 cup. 

Pour into bread machine pan. Add rest of ingredients in order given. Set machine to dough setting. This cycle should run about 80 minutes. 

When cycle is complete, remove dough. Punch down dough to remove air bubbles. It should be smooth, elastic, and easy to shape. If handled too much the gluten will activate and
make the dough tough to manipulate. If difficult to shape, allow to rest 5 minutes for the gluten to relax. 

Roll dough into long tube shape and cut 24 pieces for rolls or 16
pieces for sandwich buns. Roll dough into an oval shape for deli style rolls or round or hamburger buns. 

Place dough on greased cookie sheet. Spray with nonstick baking spray and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm draft free place and allow to "proof" or rise for 45 minutes or until doubled. 

Preheat oven to 350° and bake rolls for 13-17 minutes until light brown. Brush with melted butter immediately after
removing from oven. This will soften the surface of the rolls. Store in airtight container when completely cool.

--You may refrigerate dough after shaping and let it "cold rise" in the refrigerator overnight (up to 16 hours). Remove from fridge and allow rolls to come to room temp while oven preheats.

--Dough may also be frozen after shaping. When completely frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. When ready to use dough, preheat oven to 200°, then turn oven OFF when it reaches set temp. Place rolls on greased cookie sheet, spray with nonstick spray, cover with plastic wrap and place in the warm oven to rise for 60-85 minutes or until doubled. 

Remove from oven, then preheat to 350° and continue as directed above. Remove plastic wrap before baking. (I use this oven method for my initial proofing also-it takes about 30 minutes for dough fresh from the machine to rise.)

Note: Try not to be intimidated by yeast breads. I had some failures early on when I didn't know what the dough was supposed to look like when risen or what was
"doubled." I didn't attempt bread again until the bread machine came along. It kneads evenly & the instant yeasts of today make the most of our limited kitchen time and
yield great results.

Lost Keys & Prayer Answered

 Keys to the Kingdom

Yesterday the Lord answered a fervent prayer with a ‘yes.’  The result was a sense of well- being that I still carry with me every time I look at my extra set of keys.  Yes, you read it right. Keys!!!

You see, since my husband’s death, I have been carrying 2 sets of keys with me at all times. 

It’s one of those quirky things widows do as a coping mechanism.  

In the past, if I locked my keys in the car, I simply called my husband, and he bailed me out of trouble.  It’s not like it has happened often in my life, but knowing he was my go-to guy and protector was a secure thing for me.

My keys had been missing for 5 days.  I knew the last time I had them, but simply could not remember where I mislaid them.  I prayed, I made phone calls to places where I had been, and searched my pockets, purse and work bag numerous times to no avail.

I still had one set, so life continued on, BUT that sense of anxiety came back every time I saw my single set of keys. Prayers continued.  I talk to the Lord throughout the day.  I knew He knew where my keys were.  HE knows everything!!

Honestly, it was literally minutes after that last prayer when I walked into my workplace and saw my keys sitting on a counter.  I just felt relief flood my being that the Creator of this world cared enough for this absent-minded speck of dust, the HE would lead me to those keys.  He cares for the very minute details of our lives.

I was reminded of the verse, “I sought the Lord and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”

I brought cookies for my co-workers that day, & I am happy to share the recipe with you.  :-)

GERMAN CHOCOLATE
THUMBPRINT COOKIES


Topping
1 c. sugar 
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 c. evaporated milk 
1-1/2 c. coconut
1/2 c. margarine 
1-1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla
In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, combine milk, margarine, vanilla, and egg yolks; blend well. 
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 10 minutes or until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in pecans and coconut.
Reserve 1 & 1/2 cups topping and set aside for adding to the cookie batter.


Cookies
1 pkg. German chocolate cake mix 
1-1/2 c. topping 
1/3 c. margarine
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, margarine, and the reserved topping. 
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes for easier handling. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Shape dough into 1 inch balls; place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. 
Make indentation in center of ball; fill indentation with 1/2 tsp. of topping. 
Bake @ 350° for 10 minutes or until set. Cookies will spread a bit. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheet. Yield: 4 dozen cookies.
Note: This is like a mini German chocolate cake. Feel free to use the topping as the frosting for German chocolate cake, because that is exactly what it is.

                                    Confectionately  Yours,

Sue

Keep Your Fork

Hi,

Today's Segment was a repeat.  Please go to February 25th post for the original posting & a recipe for Chocolate Velvet Cheesecake.

                                         Confectionately  Yours,

Sue