Saturday, December 5, 2015

Saturday Recipe

For those of you interested, I cooked the recipe shown yesterday, Braised Paprika Chicken. We enjoyed it. I did make a few changes, I used chicken breasts as that's what I had, also leeks instead of onions. I used both peppers and mushrooms too. Finishing with yoghurt instead of sour cream. I don't think it made a lot of difference. The taste was really good. Oh and I served it with rice. This is definitely a recipe I will be making again.


I thought this recipe was rather cute for the holiday season.

Mr. Snowman Cheese Ball

Ingredients  

1 snowman  
  • 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, slightly softened
  • 4 12 ounces dried beef, diced
  • 1 bunch green onion (4-6 onion, chopped)
  • 12 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 8 ounces whipped cream cheese
  • 3 black olives, pieces
  • 8 -10 dried cranberries
  • 2 rosemary sprigs or 2 pretzel sticks
  • 1 teaspoon horseradish
  • 1 maraschino cherry (optional)

Directions

  1. Mix packages of cream cheese with dried beef.
  2. Add chopped green onions, reserve 1 green top for scarf.
  3. Blend in garlic powder and horseradish; blend well.
  4. Form 2 balls, making one slightly larger for the body.
  5. Roll in dried parsley.
  6. Stack on top of each other with the larger one on bottom.
  7. Spread whipped cream cheese as frosting on the snowman.
  8. Break off irregular pieces of black olive to form 3 buttons down the front.
  9. Wrap the green onion tops around the neck for a scarf and tie.
  10. Use rosemary sprigs or pretzel sticks for arms.
  11. Make a halo from the dried cranberries.
  12. Serve with hearty crackers.
  13. May use 1 maraschino cherry for the mouth.
  14. Allow to chill in refrigerator for 6-8 hours for the flavors to blend.

Have a great weekend
 

27 comments:

  1. My wife loves white rice, but I'm not so much a fan unless I have something flavorful to go with it. That sauce looks just fine.

    Arlee Bird
    Wrote By Rote

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    1. I like white rice too Lee, but maybe if your wife (or you) cooked it the Spanish way by frying some onion in butter, then frying the rice til it is golden, then adding the water, you might like it. However, the white rice is great with the sauce.

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  2. Hi Jo - Paprika Chicken is something I used to make years ago ... rice I simply cannot make! I don't think I'll be moulding snowmen - but they look wonderful on the table. Cheers Hilary

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    1. I don't remember ever doing so before Hilary. It was delicious though. Rice is easy peasy. I always use Basmati. Add it to boiling water, cook it for 15 minutes and then leave it in the pot for 10 minutes. Fluff and serve.

      No don't think I'll be doing the snowman either, unless I do it for the bowling alley, hmmmm.

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  3. The snowman is adorable!!!! I wonder if I should attempt it for Christmas, although he's way too cute to eat!

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    1. It is adorable JoJo. I have just thought about maybe making it to take on Christmas Eve to the bowling alley.

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  4. Hi Jo,

    Mr. Snowman Cheese Ball looks too good to eat. Right then, good morning and good night from England.

    Gary

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    1. Good morning and good night to you Gary. He is cute though isn't he?

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  5. Jo, I'm pleased your chicken recipe was enjoyable. Yogurt is a good substitute for cream or sour cream any time. It's the base for the Indian Korma sauce I love. Now that Snowman Cheese Ball is the only time I'm going to see a snowman at this time of the year, lol!

    Denise :-)

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    1. I didn't have any sour cream handy anyway Denise, but it does reduce the calories. Do you see snow much in the winter where you are? We don't seem to be getting much here.

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  6. I've always wanted to make a cheese ball Jo. This is going in my favourites bar.

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    1. Well make it for Christmas and I'll pop over Pinky.

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  7. OK-I have to make this recipe too! This looks and sounds great!!

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    1. Not sure which one you mean Birgit, the chicken or the cheese?

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  8. I love cheese, Jo, this looks and sounds amazing! Thank you so much for sharing.

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    1. It also looks fun Linda, great for entertaining.

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  9. Jo, I've only recently developed a taste for Paprika. There's a Persian market close by and we eat there and the food is excellent. Had a few paprika chicken meals with rice.

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    1. I love Paprika Stephen. Are you familiar with Kshar? He posts videos of Persian cooking. Interesting stuff.

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  10. Being Hungarian, we eat a lot of chicken paprika. Yum. Though I also like to add a pinch or two of cayenne powder. Shhhh .... don't tell Mamam (my Hungarian gram).

    Thanks for the comments. I was unplugged dealing with house stuff and health. As for setbacks, they happen often. All part of the fun.

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    1. I have eaten Chicken Paprika before Ivy, but I found this recipe somewhat different.

      Not my idea of fun. Stay well.

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    2. Well, if I'm honest, I've gotten far more good from my last year of health issues. Even now, I just took a break (redoing the kitchen), and whipped up a batch of pancakes with Flour A (a combo I wrote), and wow. Had I not gotten sick, Flour A, might not be in my kitchen right this very minute.

      For things like this, I'm thankful. And, years of chronic spinal issues ... gone.

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    3. So glad that things have worked out for you Ivy. As they say, it's an ill wind.

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  11. That cheesy snowman is on the same lines as the cheesy spider I made for Halloween (covered it in black sesame seeds and used pipecleaners as legs). Very tasty! The snowman will have to wait till next year when the grand-children come to us for Xmas.

    The chicken dish sounds good and I could use Spanish sweet Pimenton instead of paprika I guess (much the same).

    Jo .. have you ever tried cauliflower 'rice' - low in carbs/calories and very tasty. Simply blitz the white bits of cauliflower in a mixer for 2 mins or grate it to the consistency of rice. For a quick cook, just put it in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and microwave for 3-4 mins (no water needed). My preferred cooking method is to spread it onto a lightly oiled tray and bake in the over at 200deg for 12 mins (stirring halfway through) this gives a crispier/drier finish. I also sprinkled ground cumin and coriander on mine before cooking. Even David loved it and he isn't a lover of veggies.
    Suex

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    1. You got that recipe from me last year Sue. You certainly could use the Pimenton.

      No never have tried it although I have heard of it. Didn't know anyone who had tried it.

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    2. Yep, I did. Tastiest spider ever! You should try the cauliflower, it isn't as 'absorbent' as rice - probably somewhere between rice and cous cous. I'm making it again tonight with a lamb curry dish I've been cooking all afternoon - smells like and Indian Restaurant just now!

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    3. OK what time's dinner? You are probably eating it right now in fact. Maybe I'll give that cauli a go.

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