Cheese Ball

2 lb Cream Cheese
1 lb shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 med. chopped Onion
1 tsp. Salt
Silvered Almonds or chopped pecans (optional)

Soften cream cheese. Mix cream cheese with shredded cheese, chopped onion and salt. Coat with silvered almonds or chopped pecans if desired. Serve with your choice of crackers.

Cheese Potatoes AKA Funeral Potatoes

6 or 7 peeled Potatoes
1 pint Sour Cream
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup diluted 1/4 cup Water
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 med. chopped Onion
1/4 cup melted Butter
1 cup Corn Flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil whole peeled potatoes till tender. Cool till you are able to handle them and shred with a cheese grater in greased casserole dish.
In a separate bowl mix together sour cream, chicken soup, water, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped onion, salt and pepper together. Pour over potatoes.
Mix melted butter and corn flakes and cover the potatoes and cheese mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Carbonara - Rachael Ray

Elizabeth (SIL) introduced this recipe to me. It's from Rachael Ray's website at http://www.recipezaar.com/
I made this for dinner today and really enjoyed it. I used regular White Cooking Wine instead of Dry White Wine and I didn't add the red pepper flakes because I'm not a fan and it turned out great!

1 lb Spaghetti or Rigatoni Pasta
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (enough to coat bottom of pan)
1/4 lb Pancetta, chopped (Italian Bacon)
1 tsp. Red Pepper flakes
5-6 Garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup Dry White Wine
2 large Egg Yolks
Romano Cheese, freshly grated
Fresh Parsley, for garnish

1. Boil pasta.
2. Heat large skillet. Add olive oil and pancetta. Brown pancetta for 2 mins. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 2-3 mins more. Add wine and stir up all the pan drippings.
3. In a separate bowl beat yolks, then add about 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water. This tempers the egg and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta.
4. Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with pancetta and oil. Pour egg mixture over pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg. Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper and a little salt to taste. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley and extra grated romano.

Hot Artichoke Dip

2 Jars(6.5 ounce each) marinated Artichoke Hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped Spinach, thawed and well drained
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/2 Mayonnaise
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 Garlic clove, pressed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine artichokes, spinach, sour cream and mayonnaise. Add Parmesan cheese and garlic; mix well and put in a baking dish. Bake 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Serve with desired crackers.

Cheese Toast

4 tbs. Butter
French Bread or White Bread
Parmesan Cheese

Melt butter and brush on bread. Sprinkle cheese on top and grill till golden brown.