Our Family's Favorite Cheeseball

This cheeseball has been a family tradition as long as I can remember.  My mother-in-law makes it every Christmas and it is a favorite of Mr. Devilish Dish.  This past Christmas, she prepared it for the Christmas Eve meal, and the next morning I caught my husband eating the leftovers after breakfast.  When I got together with my college girlfriends for our belated holiday celebration, Jenny said, "I don't care what we eat but can we please have some kind of cheeseball?  I went the entire holiday season without any cheeseballs or dairy-based dips." I knew right away what  I was making.  It's so simple and the ingredients are fuss free.  I think that is what makes it so surprisingly tasty.  No fussy ingredients.  It is simple to make with items we all have on hand.  Everyone loves it.  And yes, Jenny and I ate the leftovers for breakfast.  I hope this becomes a tradition for your family.  I even made it again for a football watch party.  It's definitely ideal for tailgating and game days. And why wait for the holidays to make it?  Why can't we just make a cheeseball and watch TV?  Or eat the leftovers in the morning like we all seem to around here.  Whenever you make it, don't wait until December to enjoy it!

Simple ingredients come together for an appetizer
everyone will love!  Whether it's a holiday tradition or
a game day treat, this cheeseball is sure to be a hit with
your family just like it is with mine.

Roll in chopped pecans.  Or get crazy and
roll in chopped green onions, toasted sesame seeds
or anything else you can dream up!

I used chopped green bell peppers, but red
and green would be perfect for the holiday
entertaining season.  Don't save this tasty
appetizer for just the holidays though!
Vary the bell peppers: green, red
orange or yellow would be ideal too!

Copycat Mellow Mushroom Esperanza Dressing

Mr. Devilish Dish and I recently ate at a Mellow Mushroom restaurant on our return trip from Houston. Since I don't eat gluten I ordered a Greek Salad that was not only huge, but delicious. I brought a to-go box home and enjoyed salad for lunch the next day. The server asked me if I wanted the "House" dressing and on a chance I said, "yes" not really knowing what Esperanza Dressing was. When he said, "Good Choice" I was very optimistic. I'm so glad I opted for this dressing as it was delicious. A tangy, slightly Caesar-type dressing...not only was it fabulous on the Greek-style salad, but when I attempted to duplicate it for this recipe, I just served it over mixed greens with tomatoes and it was equally as tasty. When I asked for a to-go box I made sure to ask for extra dressing and two nights later I had mastered what I think it a pretty good copy. That's how quick I wanted to enjoy this dressing again. Sometimes missing out on gluten is disappointing as I didn't get to enjoy a Mellow Mushroom's pizza. (Don't worry, Mr. Devilish Dish let me know how good his pizza was) in this case I think it worked to my advantage as I got to discover my new favorite salad dressing!

Black Magic M&M Cookies

Halloween is finally here!  It's my favorite holiday of the year.  I normally go all out, but I'm so disappointed I didn't even get my decorations out.  As things would have it, we had a big ice storm in Oklahoma this week and branches and power lines are down every where, so I guess it is a good thing I did not decorate my porch to the nines like I usually do.  I do have one very lovely but lonely little white pumpkin sitting on my porch.  It was too pretty to carve, and I will probably wind up incorporating it into a Thanksgiving centerpiece for my dining table (which is currently serving as a home office for Mr. Devilish Dish.  WHAT A YEAR!) One thing that hasn't changed around here is my love of making Halloween treats for my friends and family.  With the chilly weather outside it has been a perfect time for baking.  Have you seen the M&M's Ghoul's Mix?  They are milk chocolate M&M's in zombie green, orange and my favorite color purple!  The colors are almost too pretty to eat and I knew the minute I saw them they would be ideal for Halloween baking.  I immediately envisioned them in some kind of black dessert (perfectly ghoulish!) and then I remembered my Lump of Coal Cookies from a few years ago.  They were a huge hit at the holiday season, and with lots of special dark cocoa powder the cookies actually looked like lumps of black coal without any unnatural food coloring.  I simply used the same recipe and substituted the M&M's for chocolate chips.  I just love how they turned out.  The bright M&M colors look awesome against the black cookie dough and the taste is spookily spectacular for any chocolate lover.  You still have plenty of time to whip up a batch of these cookies and I bet if you hit the stores Sunday for Happy Half-Priced Halloween Candy Day you can stock up for later too.  Have a happy and safe Halloween and eat all the candy you want...

Deep, Dark Devilish Dough 
with M&M's Ghoul Mix candies...
The perfect Halloween combination!

Check out how dark the batter is.
That's dark cocoa powder and not
food coloring.  

The M&M's bright colors look great
mixed into the black batter.

All bagged up and ready for gifting...

This deep, dark black dough is definitely
Black Magic!

Happy Halloween from The Devilish Dish!

Hatch Green Chile Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adding Hatch Green Chiles to a dessert might sound unusual, but I know for a fact it works!  Several years ago Mr. Devilish Dish and I taught a cooking class and the theme was "Do You Know the Way to Santa Fe?" Because you KNOW I do!  Whenever he taught classes, he always tasked me with the part of coming up with a dessert and presenting that during the class.  He once taught a Tailgating themed class called "Gridiron Gourmet" and I came up with my Browned Butter Pumpkin Pie Spiced Rice Krispie Treats as the dessert.  In keeping with the Santa Fe theme I made Hatch Green Chile Peach Cobbler and it was the hit of the entire class.  You may have noticed I've been absent from the Devilish Dish for the last several weeks.  I wish I could say it's because we were out having fun in our new boat, but alas I was sick the entire month of August.  I'm still recovering from pneumonia, and just getting back into the kitchen the last few days.  I've missed cooking and baking so much.  We've even had a few days of below average temperatures, which really make me feel like baking, so I was finally inspired to get back in the kitchen.  Plus it's time for the famous chile harvest in Hatch New Mexico.  We used to visit every Fall to load up on chiles.  Then we found out there was a chain of grocery stores in Texas that would import the chiles and roast them every August so we would head down to Dallas.  Recently a local grocery store chain here in Oklahoma celebrates the harvest by roasting the peppers on site, so we stocked up our freezer locally, at the end of last month so we can make Greg's Famous Green Chile Stew all winter long.  Since Hatch Chiles mean Fall to me, I'm excited to incorporate them into my recipes.  It's still a little hot for a batch of stew, but I was reminiscing with Mr. Devilish Dish about that Hatch Chile Peach Cobbler and decided to try another savory sweet combination.  The cookies were a total success!  The chiles are not a dominant flavor.  They just add a subtle hint of warmth and make you wonder what exactly is in the cookie besides chocolate chips.  I added a little cinnamon too, because the warmth from that is a great compliment to the warmth and savoriness of the chiles.  I also used vanilla bean paste (a little more than you would in a regular chocolate chip cookie) because I wanted an extra boost of sweetness to balance out the savory flavor of the chiles.  Finally I used Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips because I have to.  Our dog is named Ghirardelli "Elli" lol.  Don't be afraid to mad science a little in the kitchen.  Those delicious Hatch peppers aren't just for stew.  Ring in the Fall season and enjoy the flavors of the chile harvest in cookie form! 

Don't be afraid to try the unusual!
Hatch Green Chiles aren't just for stew...

Be sure to use
quality ingredients in this.
Real roasted Hatch Chiles and
Ghiradelli Chocolate Chips

Bake up a batch today.
You won't be disappointed.

The warmth from the chiles and cinnamon
is a great compliment to the sweetness
of the vanilla bean paste and chocolate chips.
I LOVE the Nielsen MasseyVanilla Bean Paste!

These won't last long I promise!
You'll enjoy watching everyone try to figure
out what makes this cookie so different.

Quick & Easy Enchilada Casserole

So Mr. Devilish Dish and I did a thing this Spring.  We bought a bass boat.  Now that Little Devil has left the nest and we're empty nesters we decided we needed a fun "social distancing" type hobby we can enjoy together.  I grew up on Oklahoma lakes, so I was completely on board with the idea.  We've had a really fun spring and summer so far.  The only downside (and it isn't much of a downside) is we sometimes come home after dinner time.  Again, this isn't a bad thing since we're empty nesters and don't have anyone waiting to be fed but ourselves, but now I'm on the hunt for recipes that come together quickly and easily after day on the lake.  This Quick & Easy Enchilada Casserole totally fits the bill.  Only 5 ingredients and about 25 minutes in the oven to a hearty Mexican feast!  The time saver is the tortilla chips.  No tortillas to soften and roll up, just a short cut with the chips!  You can even use store bought taco seasoning, to speed things up.  I happened to have some of my Homemade Taco Seasoning on hand, which is gluten-free so I used that.  Canned enchilada sauce and pre-shredded cheese make it even easier.  Just brown your ground beef and onions and layer the ingredients together. While it bakes, throw together a simple lettuce and tomato salad and you'll have a comforting, filling meal that comes together in minutes.  The perfect ending to a day enjoying your favorite hobby!

Only 5 ingredients to a quick & easy meal!

Layer crushed tortilla chips in prepared dish.

Brown ground beef and diced onion.

Season with taco seasoning.

Combine ground beef mixture with
enchilada sauce and half of the cheese.
Pour over the crushed chips.

Top with remaining cheese.
Bake 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Serve with a simple
lettuce and tomato salad for a hearty meal. 
Perfect after a day of boating!

Aunt Jenny's Watermelon Salad

My college friends and I recently celebrated our annual girl's weekend at the lake.  Lots of fun was had by all, including a few drinks and lots of good food, mostly prepared by my friend Jenny.  She has been my roommate, sorority sister and all around best friend for many years now.  If you know Jenny then you know she is extraordinarily kind, patient, generous and a fabulous cook.  I'll go ahead and admit I'm not a huge fan of watermelon, but when I tasted this salad I could totally change my mind!  It is colorful, refreshing and an unusual combination of flavors that work perfectly together.  Just like our group of friends.  The first night she prepared this for us she forgot to add the red onion, but we all agreed it wasn't necessary.  Feel free to add it if you'd like but I think the salad is equally delicious without it.  The second night we prepared this we were out of cilantro and again, it was still just as tasty.  We used a store bought raspberry vinaigrette, but feel free to use your favorite homemade too.  This goes together in minutes, the most time consuming part is cubing the watermelon, so get a friend like Aunt Amy to do the work for you. This is an excellent summer side dish, perfect for a hot day, so refreshing! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did.  Good friends, good food, good times.  Here's to Jenny: Aunt to the Little Devil, CEO, incredible mother with a beautiful singing voice, tadpole wrangler, gardener, beekeeper, fabulous cook and best friend!

Aunt Jenny's Watermelon Salad
the perfectly refreshing side dish for
any summer meal!

Here's the Raspberry Vinaigrette we used.
Jenny is so thoughtful to pick a gluten free
dressing just for me!

A colorful and cool side dish
for any hot weather meal.

Marshmallow Fruit Dip

Mr. Devilish Dish golfs and fishes.  A lot.  And when he's been at the golf course or the lake all day, he usually doesn't want a huge, heavy dinner.  Especially when the weather is hot.  Those are the nights we have something like chicken salad sandwiches.  Which I like to think is healthy.  And sometimes I use yogurt instead of mayonnaise so they are a bit healthier. And then I offer fruit as a side dish.  But in order to pass fruit off as a side dish to my family I have to serve it with something yummy like fondue or Marshmallow Dip.  To offset the times I try to feed them healthy things.  Fresh veggies?  NO.  Ranch Dip?  Yes! So on hot days when I serve fruit as a dessert, you can imagine the excitement when they see this dip alongside the fruit! You won't believe how easy this is.  It's only three ingredients.  One of which is marshmallow fluff.  Which could be a meal on it's own.  (Not that I would know, because I would never do something like eat marshmallow fluff from the jar with a spoon.  I mean who does that?  Not people that make healthy chicken salad sandwiches for dinner.  Well okay maybe.  It's called balance.) Whether you consider Marshmallow Fruit Dip a side dish or not, we can all agree it's fabulous.  And spoon worthy! 

It's a side dish, people.

Look how fluffy and yummy it is!

Strawberries, bananas, grapes, and apple slices.
That part is definitely good for you!

Marshmallow Fruit Dip...
Almost as good as eating the marshmallow fluff
out of the jar!