Apple Cheese Ball

Ingredients:

8 ounces white cheddar cheese, shredded

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Paprika

1 ½ inch cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

Process cheeses garlic powder, and ground red pepper in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape sides. Chill for 30 minutes.

Shape cheese mixture into a ball, and make an indentation in the top to resemble an apple. Chill ball 30 minutes.

Coat ball heavily with paprika. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Insert cinnamon stick and bay leaf into indentation to resemble apple stem and leaf.

Dried Beef Cheeseball

Ingredients:

5 ounces packaged dried beef (chopped)

2 8-ounce bars of cream cheese

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons accent (optional)

2 teaspoons dried minced onion

Mix together and shape. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Carol's Cheese Ball

Ingredients:

½ pound cheddar cheese

2 3-ounce package of cream cheese

2 ounces of crumbled blue cheese

2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions

½ cup sour cream

1 cup chopped nuts

Cream cheeses together. Add onion and sour cream. Mix well and chill until firm. Place on wax paper and shape. Roll in chopped nuts and parsley.

Cheese Sausage Balls

Ingredients:

3 cups Bisquick

1 pound sage sausage or 1 pound hot sausage

½ tsp sage (if using sage sausage)

8 ounces grated cheddar cheese

Mix with hands, form into small balls. Freeze in plastic bag. Bake 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Magnolia Pimiento Cheese

This is the recipe for the famed Pimiento Cheese at Magnolias in Charleston, South Carolina. It is published in the cookbook Magnolias by Donald Barickman, who incidentally cooked for a while a long time  ago in my father's little restaurant in Charleston, West Virginia. Many years later, we still go to sample his food at Magnolias, Blossom, and Cypress on East Bay Street. I've adapted the recipe a little bit because I don't like parsley, but do go and check out the real thing downtown. It's phenomenal!

This makes 2 1/2 cups, which is a lot of pimiento cheese, so you might want to half it if you aren't having an army over for supper.

Ingredients:
5 large roasted red peppers or 2.5 cups jarred diced red pimientos
1 cup finely chopped green olives
1.25 pounds New York or Vermont sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (I omit this.)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of cayenne pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Season to taste with cayenne pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.