Southern Artistic Touch: December 2009

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Kat's Famous Smoked Almond Cheese Ball

Kat's Famous Smoked Almond Cheese Ball

1 8 oz. bar of Cream Cheese

1/2 cup grated Cheddar Cheese

1/2 packet of dry Ranch Dressing

1/2 cup Smokehouse Almonds (chopped fine)

*For extra garnish roll in a few more chopped almonds

Kneed all above till blended.Make sure the Cream Cheese is firm.Store in Ziploc bag up to a week.

This will not last that long so make sure you make two of them!

Serve with crackers or veggies

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Rugelach

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins

1.Cut cold butter or margarine and cream cheese into bits. In food processor pulse flour, salt, butter or margarine, cream cheese and sour cream until crumbly.
2.Shape crumbly mixture into four equal disks...wrap each disk and chill 2 hours or up to 2 days.
3.Roll each disk into a 9 inch round keeping other disks chilled until ready to roll them.
4.Combine sugar, cinnamon, chopped walnuts, and finely chopped raisins (may substitute miniature chocolate chips for raisins).
5.Roll each disk into a 9 inch round keeping other disks chilled until ready to roll them. Sprinkle round with sugar/nut mixture. Press lightly into dough. With chefs knife or pizza cutter, cut each round into 12 wedges. Roll wedges from wide to narrow, you will end up with point on outside of cookie. Place on ungreased baking sheets and chill rugelach 20 minutes before baking.
6.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
7.After rugelach are chilled, bake them in the center rack of your oven 22 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on wire racks. Store in airtight containers...they freeze very well.
8.Variations: Before putting the filling on the dough, use a pastry brush to layer apricot jam as well as brown sugar. Then add the recommended filling. You may also make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar and roll the rugelach in this prior to putting them on the cookie sheets.
*Note: I made pinwheels