Cheesy Garlic Bread

My family loves to have pizza and movie night. We do it fairly frequently - like several times a month but not quite every week. I frequently make the pizza but we occasionally buy it from somewhere cheap. And then we get the cheesy, garlic bread, too. Yum! So, I was making pizza for us one night and figured that I could make the cheesy bread, too. It can't be that hard, right? Fortunately, I was right! And I had all that lovely pizza dough right there in front of me, so I used enough dough for one pizza (recipe here) and turned it into cheesy garlic bread.

 

Cheesy Garlic Bread 

dough for one pizza, recipe here

1/8 c. butter, melted

1 Tbsp. garlic paste

2 tsp. Pizza magic other seasoning you like

1/2 c. mozzarella cheese

Roll dough out onto greased jelly roll pan. Mine was on the thick side because that's how I like it but you can make it as thin or thick as you want. Cut the dough with a pizza cutter. This makes it easy to pull apart when it's baked. Don't separate the pieces, only cut the dough. Add garlic to melted butter and stir. My local grocery store sells garlic paste in the produce section and I love to use that, but you can use fresh garlic, garlic salt, whatever form of garlic you like. Spread the butter/ garlic mixture over the dough. Sprinkle the seasoning over the butter, then sprinkle the cheese over all. Bake at 375 degrees 10-12 minutes. Baking time will depend on how thick you rolled your dough - thinner dough will cook faster. Keep an eye on it while it's baking. It's done when the edges turn golden brown.

Strawberry Brownie Kebabs

I made these for my son's return from his missin to Brazil! They were a hit and disappeared really quickly. Plus, they are really simple to put together and you don't even have to heat up your kitchen!

 

Strawberry Brownie Kebabs

16 skewers

16 store-bought brownie bites

16 large marshmallows

32 large strawberries

1/4 c. milk chocolate chips

You can use the store-bought brownie bites or you can make your own using your favorite recipe, but I opted for store-bought since I was making a LOT of food for the party and  didn't want to heat up my kitchen more than I had to. Wash your strawberries and take the hull out. On each skewer, put on a strawberry, hull-side down so it will be against the marshmallow. Add a marshmallow, then the brownie bite, then another strawberry, hull side toward to brownie. Place the kebabs on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave and put into a baggie. Snip off one corner and drizzle the chocolate over the kebabs. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set.

Garlic Cheese Balls

I make these to go with our dip nights at times. The boys LOVE them! I do, too. They aren't supposed to leak cheese like in the picture, but I apparently didn't seal them very well this time. Oh well. They still tasted good!

 

Garlic Cheese Balls

1 tube biscuits (10)

20 cubes of cheddar cheese, I like sharp cheddar the best

3 Tbsp. butter

garlic

Parmesan cheese

Open the tube of biscuit dough.  Tear the biscuit each in half. Flatten each bit of dough slightly and then wrap around a cheese cube. Try to seal all the edges so you don't end up with cheese everywhere. Roll the dough covered cube in a ball and set aside until all of them are done. Place the butter in a microwave safe bowl and melt it. Add the garlic to the bowl and mix well. I found a tube of garlic paste in the produce section of my grocery store and I squeeze a bit of that into my butter and stir. Place the Parmesan cheese in another bowl. Roll each dough ball in the butter, then the Parmesan and place on a lined cookie sheet. You can line with either aluminum foil or parchment paper. I sprayed it with non-stick cooking spray as well. When all the dough balls are coated, bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese balls are golden brown.

Chili Dip

This dip is super easy and delicious! A friend of mine brought it to Bunco night years ago and then again to book club. It was so yummy that I had a hard time staying away from it so I asked for the recipe. She assured me I could remember it and told me right then and there. She was right. It is easy enough to remember the recipe.

 

Chili Dip - adapted from Colleen Douglas

8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

1 can chili with beans

cheddar cheese

 Spread cream cheese in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate. Pour the can of chili of the top of the cream cheese. Cover than with cheese. I probably use 1 1/2 - 2 cups, but you can use as much or as little as you like. I bake this in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until it is heated through but you could also do that in the microwave. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

Cheese Ball

I love cheese and I love cheese balls. This is one of my all-time favorite cheese balls. My kids love it, too, and ask for it when we have parties. This is one of those recipes I have had forever and have no idea where I found it. I don't care. It's delicious and I love it!

 

Cheese Ball

18 oz. cream cheese, softened

8 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese (I have used a variety of cheddar cheeses, but sharp is the best)

2 tsp. grated onion

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. minced garlic

finely chopped pecan or peanuts

In a large bowl, combine everything but the nuts, mixing well. Form into a ball. I usually make two balls from this as it makes a really big ball. We have one for the party and freeze one for later - because I always want more the next day! In which case, I don't really need to freeze it, but I tell myself I'm going to wait.... Anyway, roll the ball(s) in the nuts and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until serving. It's best to let it sit overnight, but I have made it and served it immediately. We eat this with Wheat Thins and Triscuits.

Cheesecake Cheese Ball

I got this recipe a few years ago from a friend of mine. We were in nursing school together. Actually, there was a group of us who decided to have Thanksgiving together since none of us had family around to celebrate with. This is the cheeseball she brought. It was SO GOOD! My kids loved it, too, although that might have been partly for the Scooby-Doo graham crackers she brought with it.

 

Cheesecake Cheese Ball

2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened

1 c. butter, softened. DO NOT SUBSTITUTE

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

4 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

1 1/2 c. chopped pecans

graham crackers

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and brown sugar and mix in. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for two hours. Place on plastic wrap and shape into ball. I made two balls with this and they were both good sized balls. One ball would be huge. Refrigerate for another hour. Roll ball in pecans just before serving. I rolled this one in the remaining chocolate chips. Serve with graham crackers.