Pimento Cheese Ball with Crostini

Ingredients

½ cup mayonnaise (store bought or homemade(homemade recipe below)
1 4 oz. jar diced pimentos, drained
1 clove garlic, crushed
2T yellow onion, grated
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. salt
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated
½ cup chopped nuts, walnuts, pecans, or almonds
1 T chopped parsley

Crostini:
1 baguette loaf, cut on diagonal into 24 thin slices
¼ cup olive oil

1. In a medium-size bowl, combine the mayonnaise, pimentos, garlic, onion, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and salt. Stir in the cheese. Add more salt or cayenne, if necessary.

2. Line a small bowl with plastic wrap. Place the cheese mixture in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 3 hour.

3. When ready to serve place the nuts and parsley in a medium size bowl, stir until combined. Unwrap the cheese and place in the bowl. Press the nut/ parsley mixture into the cheese.

4. Place the cheese ball on to a platter with crostini. Cheese is best when served room temperature.

Crostini Prep:
1. Preheat the oven to 400º F.

2. Place the sliced bread onto a baking sheet. Brush each slice with a little olive oil. Bake until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside.

Homemade Mayonnaise Prep:
3 egg yolk
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1T vinegar
1 tsp. salt & pepper
1 ½ cup vegetable or corn oil

Preparation:
1. In your food processor, combine the egg yolk, mustard, lemon juice, salt & pepper. Pulse until combined. Slowly, in a steady stream, add the oil. Whisk until the mixture becomes emulsified. Makes 1 1/2cups

TIPS & TRICKS

• The cheese spread can be made a week in advance.

• If you wish you can make 2 smaller cheese balls. I leave my cheese ball flat on the bottom so it doesn’t roll off the platter.

• The spread can also be served in a small tureen or bowl instead of shaping into ball.

• Crostini can be cut, or complete cooked and stored in airtight container until ready to serve. Spread is also fantastic with pita chips, crackers, vegetables, or as a sandwich lie they serve at the master golf tournament!

Tri-Color Blue Cheese Coleslaw

Ingredients

1 small head of green cabbage
1 small head of purple cabbage
5 large carrots, peeled
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup sour cream
½ cup Greek non-flavored yogurt or mayonnaise
1 tsp. celery seed.
1 tsp. salt
1 ½ cup Blue cheese, Roquefort, or Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
½ cup toasted walnuts, chopped

1. Cut the cabbage in half and remove the core. Cut into wedges that will fit in the feeding tube of the food processor. Fit the food processor with a slicing blade, turn the machine on and slice the cabbage. Remove from food processor and place into a bowl, mix together, then measure out 10 cups of the cabbage and place in a large bowl. Reserve any extra cabbage for another use.

2. Change the slicing blade to a grating blade and grate the carrots, then add to the bowl with cabbage.

3. In a small bowl, stir together the vinegar, sour cream, yogurt, celery seed, salt, and cheese.

4. Toss the cabbage mixture with dressing.

5. Top with toasted walnuts and serve immediately.

TIPS & TRICKS

• You can prepare vegetables & dressing ahead. Just assemble right before serving.

• Pull the dressing out of refrigerator 1 hour before serving to allow to warm up, then toss with slaw.

• To roast nuts: preheat oven 350º F. Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes. Watch carefully, they burn very quickly! Once cooled, the roasted nuts can be stored in an airtight container for several weeks.

The Best Dang BBQ Chicken

Ingredients

Sauce:
2 slices bacon
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 cups ketchup
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup molasses
1T dry mustard
2 tsp. paprika
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. dried thyme
salt & pepper
8-10 pieces chicken, or 1 whole 4-pound chicken cut into parts

1. Sauce: In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, sauté the bacon until crisp, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside for another use. Leave the bacon fat in the pan. Add the onions to the pan and sauté until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes more.

2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, dry mustard, paprika, cayenne pepper and thyme. Bring the liquid to a simmer, lower the heat to low and continue simmering for 20 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. Wash and pat dry the chicken parts. Trim off any extra fat that hangs off the chicken meat. Season with salt & pepper, set aside.

4. Pre-heat oven to 350º F. and preheat your BBQ grill to medium-high.

5. Place the chicken on the grill skin side up and grill for 5-7 minutes, then flip the chicken and grill for an additional 5-7 minutes until skin is nice and brown.

6. Remove the chicken from grill and place skin side down on a cooling rack on top a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Spoon the BBQ sauce on top of the grilled chicken pieces; you will have some sauce left over.

7. Place in a 350º F oven for 25-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°.

8. Remove the chicken to a platter and serve with the extra BBQ sauce.

TIPS & TRICKS

• This BBQ is sauce is fantastic on beef and pork. I love to make a double batch; it can last in your fridge for weeks.

• I prefer to cook chicken on the bone whenever possible. The bone insulates the meat so that it doesn’t dry out when cooking and they are so flavorful. If you want to use boneless thigh, follow the timing of the recipe. If you wish to use boneless breast they will cook completely on the grill, no need to cook in oven. Top with BBQ sauce before serving.

• Cooking time for bone in thighs & legs are about 35 minutes, bone in breast 25 minutes

• We are going to start the chicken on the grill then finish it in the oven, so we get the smoky grill flavor and a sauce that isn’t burnt.

• Start by preheating you grill. Pat dry your chicken pieces and trim off any excess fat that is hanging off the side of the meat. This prevents the fat from catching on fire on the grill.

• Season with salt & pepper right before cooking so that the salt doesn’t bring out any moisture in the meat.

• When cooking the chicken, if the flames should flare up around the chicken, with your tongs simply pick the piece up and allow the flames to subside then place back on grill. If your fire gets to hot, lower the temperature to medium.

Raspberry & Peach Short Cake

Ingredients

Pastry
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1T baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. zest of orange
4 oz. butter cut into pieces, chilled
1 cup heavy cream
1egg, beaten
sugar to sprinkle on top

Topping
2 cup raspberries berries, washed
2 cups peaches peeled and sliced
3T granulated sugar
½ cup Amaretto Liquor
2 cups heavy cream
¼ cups Confectioner’s sugar
1tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.

2. Pastry: In a large bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest mix, until combined.

3. With a pastry blender, a fork or your fingers work the butter into the dry ingredients until it is small pieces

4. Add the heavy cream and stir just until the mixture come together, don’t over mix.

5. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface; roll dough out ½ inch thick. Cut with a 3-inch biscuit cutter and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.

6. Bake at 400° F for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

7. Topping: In a small bowl, toss the berries and peaches with the sugar and Amaretto and allow to sit and hour.

8. In a mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form.

9. Assemble: Spilt the short cake biscuits in half, place the bottom on plate or platter, top with boozy fruit, whipped cream and then the top with biscuit top.

10. Serve and enjoy!

TIPS & TRICKS

• Shortcake is best made the day you will eat it.

• I like to stir in the heavy cream with a spoon, but finish incorporating it with hands which seems to work better for me.

• Rolling out the dough to a ½ inch thick will yield 10 cakes, then gather the remaining dough bits and shape into 2 additional cakes. If you wish thicker short cakes, just roll out the dough not as thin.

• I topped the short cakes, with Swedish pearl sugar, which doesn’t melt in the oven. It adds a nice crunch and looks pretty. You can purchase it at: www.kingarthurflour.com You can also top the cakes with turbinado, demerara, or even plain granulated sugar. It will give you a little sweetness to the top of the cake but will melt away and not add the pretty white crystal.

• The fruit is best tossed with the liqueur and sugar 1-2 hours before serving, any longer and the fruit will macerate into small pieces, which tastes good but isn’t really attractive, any left over fruit/sauce is great on yogurt or ice cream.

• Substitute any summer fruit for this recipe. Berries and stone fruit are wonderful.

• You can also use frozen fruit. Defrost on a baking sheet, this way the fruit keeps its shape.

• You can substitute different liqueurs too. Cointreau, Cassis, or rum are delicious.