If you live in the South, chances are almost 100% that you are an SEC football fan, and not just a fan but whole hog– a rabid dog fan for your team. SEC football fans despise any team that has beaten their team even though it was 30 years ago, we have long memories and don’t cotton to folks who aren’t with our team. Whole families who are split in their loyalties, are barely on speaking terms during football season- if a couple happens to have divided loyalties, they rarely even sit in the same room to watch football, particularly if those teams are playing each other. And another thing, please don’t get married during football season, or at least check the schedule to make sure there are no conflicts! I know, it’s crazy! However, one thing we all agree on is – Football Food. Often Football Food is determined by which team you support- for instance here we always have Golden Flake® potato chips and Barber’s® Onion Dip because, they are considered lucky and both products are made right here in Alabama! I made ahead some Football Food today. This recipe would not have been sanctioned until we got past the Tennessee game because the food is Orange- it would be bad luck to serve the other team’s colors on the day we were playing them! But this week, there will be no Big Orange! Football Food like this Fall Cheese Ball-is easy and delicious-and just adorable don’t you think?
This was a quick snapshot- on Game Day, I would plank it as the food stylists are calling-putting food out on a board with crackers, marinated olives, pickles, grapes- whatever you choose. It’s a new style I personally love. This Cheese Ball is crying out for apple slices, don’t you think? I prefer to make two cheese balls (about the size of a baseball per cheese ball) from this recipe. I keep one chilled and serve one- to keep things neat. You can also make one large apple shaped cheese ball from our very own recipe if you are serving a crowd:
Camellia’s Cottage Fall Cheddar Cheese Ball
- 1 – 8 ounce block of sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
- 1- 8 oz block of cream cheese
Let cheeses come to room temperature, then add:
- 2 cloves of garlic- chopped fine
- 3/4 cup of chopped pecans
- 2 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Mix until smooth, shape into either one large ball or two small balls, making an indentation to simulate an apple. Chill until firm. Meanwhile cut a small branch or two (be sure to clean the bottom part of the branch with vinegar and let dry). Sprinkle the tops of the apple shaped cheese ball with mild paprika and carefully insert stick before cheese ball comes to room temperature. Before serving, allow cheese ball to come to room temperature. Serve with crackers or apple slices or even a puddle of strawberry jam. Enjoy!
Whether it’s Football Food or a Fall Celebration, this cheddar cheese ball is great and as an added bonus, the cheese ball wrapped tightly, freezes well. This week, I hope your SEC team wins unless they’re playing mine!
Love y’all, Camiella
It is a Time to Mourn when hearts are broken. In the last few weeks, folks we love have died, Hurricanes have taken the lives of those on our American soil and hundreds have died in Haiti. It is a Time to Mourn. A Candlelight Vigil was held in our county to honor those who lost their lives at the hands of someone who had said ‘I love you’ but whose anger went unchecked in domestic abuse and violence. It is a Time to Mourn. Two notable Alabamians, our friend Lucy Baxley, former Lieutenant Governor of Alabama and Mary Jo McMichael, the friend of Fanny Flagg- Mary Jo fried green tomatoes for decades at the Irondale Café. It is a Time to Mourn as wise King Solomon told us in Ecclesiastes 3:4. It seemed appropriate to show respect and honor for these who have left us- with the beautiful hymn, ‘Nearer My God to Thee’- performed by Andre Rieu’s amazing musicians. Please pay particular attention to how the musicians surround the audience. If you have lost a loved one recently, we honor your loss and mourn with you. We pray that you are surrounded by the loving Presence of God. Love y’all, Camellia
In the South, Fall is usually the shortest season of the year. Summer starts cheerfully in May, then trudges until the end of October. The new magazines are Showoffs with Fat Pumpkins, artful pictures of Fall Fashion, even Autumn inspired Apple and Pumpkin Pies- to be honest, I never say Autumn and I’d take a Sweet Potato Pie over Pumpkin any day! The magazines show Fall Home Décor and stunning photographs of Fall Foliage- it just galls me, here we sit sweltering in the heat! That glow Southern women are known for comes from the heat and humidity that stays with us almost all year round…By Fall? We pine for, we long for cool crisp air- we would dearly love to put on fall fashions, except you cannot go outside – you must be inside under the air conditioner to wear your cute sweater set and boots. The Weather Channel gets a huge Southern audience in the Fall for Hurricanes, First Frost Dates or Scorching Temperatures in the high 80’s. Folks just start runnin’ for the hills. Honestly a Fall like this one is enough to make you willing to give up Iced Tea for one cool breeze! At SEC football games, it has been so hot the players had to have IV’s for dehydration! Alabama often has stunning Fall Color- that means the leaves have turned pretty colors, just not here, this year. This Fall is one of those curl up and die years; giving us the sense that the yard is saying –‘Ok, ya’ll, I give up, I’ve had it with this heat, I’m taking a nap.’ I got up my courage, and decided in the last few days to root around and see what I could find in the Yard and the store that said- Fall.
Camellia’s Cottage cannot aspire to the high level of Chanel™ in this humble dwelling, however we could use some of her sensibility even in our own scheme. The look is crisp and clean, the neutrals add warmth and calm. Let me show you some of what we did:
Camellia's Cottage 