Holiday Cheese Ball

Ingredients:

16 oz Cream Cheese (do not use reduced fat), room temperature

10 oz Crushed Pineapple, drained

3 T Chopped Green Onions

1 1/2 C Chopped Pecans, divided

1/2 C Finely Diced Green Pepper

1 T Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Directions:

Mix together cream cheese, crushed pineapple, green onions, 3/4 C pecans, green pepper and seasoned salt. 

Form into a ball. 

Refrigerate for 1 hour. 

Roll in remaining 3/4 C pecans. 

Serve with crackers using a cheese knife!

Note: If any ingredients seem particularly moist, dab with paper towel before mixing in. 

* Adapted from my aunt Karen's recipe

Black Currant Scones

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C All-Purpose Flour

1 T Baking Powder

1/2 t Salt

1/2 C Sugar 

1 1/2 C Dried Black Currants (or other dried fruit)

1 C Heavy Cream (or Plain Milk Kefir)

3 T Unsalted Butter, melted, optional 

Extra sugar for dusting, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Pour dried currants into heavy cream and let soak while mixing dry ingredients. 

In a large mixing bowl, sift or or whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. 

Stir in currant and milk mixture and mix until combined. 

Roll out dough to 1 in thickness and cut into circles or triangles or scoop into spoonfuls. Place desired shapes onto parchment-lined baking sheet.

Paint scones with butter then sprinkle with sugar, if desired.

Bake in center of oven until golden, about 15 min. 

Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving. 

Top with lemon curd and clotted cream and serve with black tea!

Yield: About 2 dozen small scones or 18 larger scones 

* Adapted from my friend Sarah's recipe

Norwegian Spice Cookies

Ingredients:

3 C All-Purpose Flour
2 t Ground Cinnamon
2 t Ground Ginger
1 t Ground Cloves
1/2 t Ground Nutmeg
1/2 t Ground Cardamom
3/4 t Sea Salt
1 C Butter, room temperature
1 1/2 C Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 t Vanilla Extract
1 Egg White (optional)
1 T Water (optional)

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.

Add eggs, one at a time mixing in between, and add vanilla and mix several minutes until slightly fluffy. 

Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients.

For cut-out Cookies: Cover and refrigerate dough for one hour before rolling out and cutting with cookie cutters.

For softer, round cookies: Skip refrigeration step. Roll into 1-inch balls.

For either shape, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place dough shapes or balls on parchment-lined cookie sheets. If desired, mix egg white and water to create egg wash and brush on tops of cookies. Bake 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden. Remove to cooling rack.

Serve with coffee or black tea.

* Adapted from http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/norwegian-spice-cookies