she cooks…he cleans

The new year has arrived, and it is time for us to get cooking again!  While it would have been more helpful, perhaps, to post this cheese ball recipe BEFORE all the holiday parties, I’ll go with the “better late than never” philosophy.  Of course, you don’t have to wait for a party to have cheese!

This cheese ball is a spin-off of pimento cheese- with a little roasted jalapeno pepper added to spice it up.  I didn’t repeat the instructions for roasting peppers, but you can find them here.  Roasting your own peppers is easy, but if you don’t have the time, you can find roasted red peppers or pimentos in a jar at the grocery store.  The jalapenos are nearly effortless to roast, since they are so small.

Ingredients:

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 roasted pimentos or red bell peppers, peeled, seeded, and chopped (or 5-6 ounces of pimentos from jar)
• 2 roasted jalapeno peppers, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 4 ounces sharp cheddar, grated
• 4 ounces Monterey jack, grated
• 4 ounces smoked Gouda, grated
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• smoked hot paprika, to taste
• a few dashes of hot sauce, to taste
• Optional:  toasted nuts (or pumpkins seeds), chopped, to cover the cheese ball

Mix together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, and minced garlic.  Stir in remaining ingredients, except nuts/pumpkins seeds, until well combined.

If desired, form into a ball and roll it in the chopped nuts.  Chill until ready to serve.  Serve at room temperature.

Nothing cheesy about the soundtrack today- the “greatest rock and roll band in the world”- The Rolling Stones. First up is the new reissue of a beloved favorite, Some Girls: Deluxe Edition. Originally released in 1978, this is the last true masterpiece from the Stones. From the punkish “Shattered”, “When the Whip Comes Down” and the great Keith anthem “Before They Make Me Run”, this is a raw and tough record. The reissue includes an extra CD with 12 unreleased cuts, and its pure magic. When the Stones were good, they were very, very good.

And for all their success in the studio, live performance was where the Stones shined. The new dvd of Some Girls – Live in Texas ’78 [Blu-ray] gives ample proof of the claim of the greatest. 17 cuts of pure rock and roll- including a couple of Chuck Berry numbers, and about half the Some Girls album, this a band on fire. Turn it UP!