Cheesy Bacon Ranch Ball

Source: Cheesy Bacon Ranch Ball by charityUSA on Rumble

There’s no occasion we can think of where cheese isn’t a suitable snack, but frequent trips to the cheese counter at a grocery store – and subsequently getting carried away with trying out all the different kinds – ends up putting a rather large dent in our wallet.

We love cheese, but needed to reign things in a little bit, so we decided to make our own cheese ball instead of overpaying for it at the store. For using just five ingredients and coming together in a matter of minutes, this bacon ranch cheese ball knocked it out of the park! We loved the flavor (and it was demolished by our friends and family!) and the fact that we didn’t pay out the ear for it…win-win in our book!


BACON RANCH CHEESE BALL

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups cooked bacon, crumbled, divided
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon ranch dressing dry mix
1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped

Combine cream cheese and cheddar cheese together in a large bowl and mix together.

Sprinkle in ranch dressing mix, then fold in 3/4 cup bacon and green onions.

Mix until everything is fully incorporated.

Pour remaining bacon pieces onto your workstation and spread them out evenly.

Use your hands to roll cream cheese mixture into a ball, then gently roll cheese ball in bacon bits.


Refrigerate ball for at least 30 minutes, or until firm, then serve with crackers or fresh veggies.

Beef Stew

Found http://americanfood.about.com/od/classicchowdersandstews/r/Beef-And-Vegetable-Stew.htm INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 4 pounds well-trimmed boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil 1 can (35 ounces) Italian plum tomatoes in juice,undrained 1 2/3 cups beef broth 1/2 cup dry white wine or additional beef broth 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves, crumbled 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crumbled 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crumbled 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crumbled 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 bay leaves 1 pound carrots, cut into 1/4-inch rounds 12 ounces small cremini mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and halved 12 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces 4 large ribs celery, chopped 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley Sprigs of fresh herbs, for garnish (optional) Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 150 minutes Total Time: 165 minutes Yield: Serves 8 to 10 PREPARATION 1. Mix the flour and salt on a sheet of waxed paper. Coat the meat with the flour mixture, shaking off the excess. 2. In a 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add half the beef and brown on at least 2 sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate. Repeat with the remaining beef. 3. Return all the meat and its juices to the pot. Stir in the tomatoes, broth, wine, garlic, herbs, pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring 3 or 4 times. 4. Add the carrots, mushrooms, green beans, celery, and parsley. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes longer, stirring once or twice, until the meat and vegetables are tender. 5. Ladle the stew into shallow serving bowls and garnish with fresh herbs. Recipe Notes • This stew will keep in the refrigerator tightly covered up to 4 days. Quickly cool the portion you plan to refrigerate or freeze by putting the pot in a sink full of cold water. Cooling and and getting it put away as fast as possible guarantees fresher flavor. • One reheating is best for the stew. Take out only the portion you plan to eat and leave the rest in the refrigerator for another time. Reheat on the range top or in a microwave oven, adding a little water if too thick. • Freeze the stew in single or family-size portions. Good freezer containers include, zipper-lock food storage bags (stack them flat) and plastic containers. Leave about 1/4 inch at the top of the container for expansion and put a piece of plastic wrap directly on the stew to keep air from getting at it. Label with contents, date, and number of servings. Thaw in the refrigerator or microwave before reheating.

Bacon Spaghetti

Originally this was a what do I have in the house to feed these kids recipe from Sheila. I have modified it with more bacon (of course).

Original
1/4 lb bacon
1 chopped onion
1 can tomato soup
1 can tomato sauce
Ground pepper

Pull bacon apart with forks while frying. Add onion, cook till bacon is crispy. Add Tomato soup and sauce. Grind pepper till you sneeze.

Soft cook spaghetti to Franco American texture. Add noodles to sauce to give really wet texture.

Modified

1 lb bacon
1 chopped large onion
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce, pureed, chopped tomatoes, or whatever red sauce is available. I like the petite diced but have even used spaghetti sauce in a pinch.
Ground pepper

Cut bacon into little pieces with scissors and start frying. (I have also started the bacon in the oven to save time while I chopped the onion.) Add onion. cook till bacon is crispy. Leave a good amount of fat in pan to emulsify with the tomato mixture/ Add tomato soup, sauce, tomatoes and mix well.

Grind pepper till you sneeze or less if you have non pepper lovers. Serve pepper grinder at table.

Soft cook spaghetti to Franco American texture. Add noodles to sauce to give really wet texture.

Note: we have used a grater for onions or white pepper to fool whomever needed it. At times it has been onion powder for the savages who are anti onion but the real deal is the best.

This is great reheated but don't try to cook the bacon ahead and then start cooking again. It just doesn't work out.