Lazy Cheese Buttons

When you are dreaming of cheese buttons but just do not have the time to make them, turn to this recipe.  It is easy and fast. And also tastes delicious.  And the leftovers, if any, are great also.

Lazy Cheese Buttons

Ingredients:

Buttons

• 1 large container cottage cheese (22 0z.)
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder

Topping

• 1-2 Onions, sliced
• 1-2 T. Butter
• Cream, about 2 cups or enough to almost cover buttons

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all the ingredients for the buttons together in a large bowl.  
3. Place rounded tablespoons of the dough on a greased baking sheet.  It may take two baking sheets. Bake 15-20 minutes.
4. While buttons are cooking, prepare sautéed onions.  Melt butter in pan and add sliced onions.   Let sauté  until they are carmelized.
5. Place cheese buttons in a roaster or large casserole dish.  Top with sautéed onions and cream.  (Don't be stingy with that cream, the buttons will wallow in all that creamy goodness.)
6. Bake for 20 minutes and enjoy!

Sour Cream Peach Cream Pie

A friend of mine told me her favorite peach pie was sour cream peach pie.  I had never made one before so I found a recipe to try.  It turned out delicious and I will be making it again.  While the pie is baking, mix together the crumb topping for the pie.

Old Fashioned Sour Cream Peach Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 9 inch unbacked pie crust
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 T. all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2-3 cups sliced peaches

• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Whisk together the 3/4 cup sugar, the 2 T. flour and salt. Beat in the sour cream, egg and vanilla.  Stir in the sliced peaches.   Pour the mixture into the pie crust.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking until the filling is set, about 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven.
4. Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees.
5. Whisk together the 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Mix in the butter with a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the pie.
6. Return the pie to the preheated oven and bake until topping is golden, about 10 minutes.  Let pie cool slightly before slicing.

Berry Cheesecake

This is an easy no bake cheesecake to make.  I made one for the Fourth of July and put raspberries and blueberries on the top.  Then I made whip cream stars on top of the berries.  It was an easy festive dessert! Oh the lemon juice is not for lemon flavor but is needed to set up the cheesecake.

Berry Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 1 9 inch graham cracker pie crust
• 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Berries to decorate the top

Directions:

1. Beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Slowly beat in the sweetened condensed milk. Add the lemon juice and vanilla.
2. Pour into the crust.
3. Refrigerate for several hours.
4. Decorate with berries before serving.

Whipped Cream Cake

This is an old recipe of my mothers.  I found it in an old tattered handwritten cookbook of hers. 

Whipped Cream Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cream, whipped
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 cups flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 egg whites, stiffly beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Prepare 2 9-inch round cake pans, or a 9 X 13 pan with either cooking spray, butter and flour, and or parchment paper.
3. Whip cream stiff.  Add salt.  Slowly add sugar.
4. Sift flour and baking powder, 4 times.  Add alternately to cream and sugar with water.
5. Add stiffly beaten egg whites and vanilla.
6. Bake 25-35 minutes.

Easy Grilled Pork Chops

This is an easy quick recipe for grilled pork chops.  You just have to remember to marinate the meat for 1 hour.

Easy Grilled Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 T. vegetable oil
• 1 T. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes 
• Eight 1/2 inch bone-in pork chops (about 3 oz. each)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Begin by making the marinade.  In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, oil, vinegar, cumin and red pepper flakes. 
2. Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper and place in a re-sealable plastic bag with the marinade.  Let rest on the counter for 1 hour.  
3. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium heat.  Remove the pork chops from the bag and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on the grill and cook until the pork chop releases from the grill, about 4 minutes.  Flip and cook on the other side for another 3 minutes. 

These could be made in a pan if grill not available.