Nutty Bacon Cheese Ball

Ingredients 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese , softened 1/2 cup milk 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1/4 cup (1 ounce) blue cheese , crumbled 1/4 cup finely minced green onions (white part only) 1 jar diced pimento , drained 3/4 cup Fisher pecans , divided (Of course, any nut will do!) 10 slices bacon , cooked, drained, finely crumbled and divided Salt and pepper 1/4 cup minced parsley 1 tablespoon poppy seeds Directions Place cream cheese in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater to mixer. Turn to Speed Two and mix 1 minute. Stop and scrape bowl. Turn to Speed Two and gradually add milk, mixing until well blended about 1 minute. Stop and scrape bowl. Add cheeses, onions, pimientos, half of the bacon and half the pecans. Turn to Speed 4 and beat until well blended, about another minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer mixture to a large piece of plastic wrap. Form into a ball and wrap tightly. Refrigerate (or freeze) at least 2 hours. Combine the remaining bacon and remaining pecans, parsley and poppy seeds in a pie plate. Then, remove the plastic wrap and roll the cheese ball lightly in the bacon/nut mixture until evenly coated. Wrap it back up in plastic wrap and refrigerate again until ready to use. Paula Deen

Holiday Cheesecake Bites

Yield: 24 bite-sized desserts Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 20 min Ingredients: One 9.5-ounce box Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Cups (24 count) 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream pomegranate arils 24 small mint leaves Directions: 1. Bake the Puff Pastry Cups according to package directions. Use the rounded end of a wooden spoon to poke down the hole in the middle of each pastry immediately after baking. Let cool. 2. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to whip the cream cheese. Then mix in the sugar and vanilla. Add the whipping cream and mix until thick. Transfer the mixture to a plastic baggie. Snip off the corner of the baggie and squeeze the filling into each of the Puff Pastry Cups. Garnish with POM arils and a mint leaf. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. TIPS: Bake the cups up to 24 hours ahead. Assemble the desserts up to several hours ahead of serving time. They'll keep just fine in the refrigerator. Tips: *If you prefer, you can make these in larger- one serving- dessert form. Use a box of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Shells (6-count) instead. *This recipe can be easily doubled- just double all of the ingredients listed. recipegirl.com

Crock-Pot Crab Rangoon Dip

Ingredients 2 8oz Cream Cheese, softened 1/2 Cup Sour Cream 4 Green Onions, chopped 1 1/2 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder 1 12oz Package Imitation Crab Meat, pulverized Instructions Add ingredients to crock-pot. Stir as well as you can. Cook on low for 2 hours stirring at least once. Serve with crackers crockpotladies.com

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

Yield: 2 1/2 dozen cookies Prep Time: 30 min Cook Time: 12 min When the fall holidays arrive, the Candy Cane Kisses begin to appear on supermarket shelves too. These are an incredibly delicious flavor delivered by the Hershey’s Kisses people. And they’re amazing tucked into a cookie too. Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1 1/4 cups butter, at room temperature 1 teaspoon peppermint extract, optional 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 large egg 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup Candy Cane flavored Hershey's Kisses, finely chopped granulated sugar additional, unwrapped Candy Cane Kisses- about 30 Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Make room in either refrigerator or freezer for your cookie sheet. 2. In large mixer bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, extracts and egg. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until creamy (2-3 minutes). In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to wet mixture and beat, scraping bowl often until well blended (1-2 minutes). The mixture will be a bit crumbly. Stir in chopped Kisses. 3. Shape dough into 3/4-inch to 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place 1-inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. As soon as they come out of the oven, press a Candy Cane Kiss in the center of each cookie. They'll crack a little around the edges, so just use your fingers to kind of hold the cookie together while you set the kiss inside. Put cookie sheet (with cookies) immediately into the freezer (preferred) or refrigerator so that the Kisses will set quickly. As soon as you press them into the cookie, they will begin to soften... so if you can get them into the freezer then they will keep their Kiss shape. 4. Store in a covered container- at room temperature for up to a week. In the freezer they should be ok for a couple of weeks. Tips: *The addition of peppermint extract is completely optional. The cookie gets plenty of peppermint flavor from the addition of the chopped kisses, but if you’d like it really minty then go ahead and add the peppermint extract. *I’ve spotted these Kisses at Target and CVS Pharmacy. Source: RecipeGirl.com