Porcupine Balls

1/2 cup rice
1 pound ground beef
1 TBS onions minced
2 TBS green bell peppers finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp celery salt
1 clove garlic
2 cups tomato juice
4 cloves
1/2 tsp oregano
2 TBS Worcestershire sauce

You can prepare the Porcupine Balls on the stove or in your crock pot.
Mix together tomato juice, cloves, oregano and Worcestershire sauce in
crock pot or skillet. Begin cooking on HIGH in crock pot or over MED heat in skillet.
In a large mixing bowl combine the rice, ground meat, onion, green pepper, salt, celery salt and garlic.
Shape into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
Add meatballs to sauce. Cover and cook 3 hours on HIGH or 5 hours on LOW in crock, or simmer for an hour on stove in the skillet.
Remove cloves before serving.

Serve as an appetiser or as main course for 4.

Tasty Treats for Hoops Fans - Toasted Bacon-Olive Tapenade

I'm posting three tasty treats for your hoops fans, just in case the game goes into over-time here's something to shore-up your defense! (It's also a dandy way to savor your team winning!)

Toasted Bacon-Olive Tapenade

6 slices Bacon fry crisp, drain and crumble
1 cup Olives chopped
1/2 cup Green onion tops chopped
1 1/2 cups Sharp Chedar Cheese shredded
1 tsp Curry powder
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 long baguette of french bread sliced in thin rounds

Mix together all ingredients except bread. Toast baguette rounds on one side until nicely brown. Spread mixture on untoasted side of baguette rounds. Broil until brown and serve hot.

For quick preparation you can use 2 small cans of chopped black olives or 1 can each black and green olives. I like to use a mixture of olive types - black, green, kalamata - and chop them in the food processer with a heaping TBS of capers and another of pimentos if my green olives aren't stuffed with them.

Tasty Treats for Hoops Fans - Baked Artichoke Dip

I'm posting three tasty treats for your hoops fans, here's the second quarter treat!

Baked Artichoke Dip

14 oz Can artichoke hearts - plain or marinated
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach
1 small can sliced water chestnuts
8 oz Parmesan cheese grated or fine shredded
1 cup Mayonnaise
1 cup Sour cream
8 oz Cream cheese
4 cloves Garlic finely minced
1 TBS Dill weed
1/4 tsp Paprika

Defrost spinach in mircowave then place in collander to drain.
Drain artichoke hearts and water chestnuts.
In food processor add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Add artichoke hearts, spinach, water chestnuts and chop until . Place mixture in an oven-proof dish, crock, or souffle that has been greased or sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 20-25 minutes until the dip is bubbly and lightly browned on top.

Serve with rye crisps, crackers, toasted pita or baguette slices.
Keep the artichoke dip warm while serving.

Tasty Treats for Hoops Fans - Three Point Play Snack Mix

Ok, so maybe basketball doesn't have the cachet for tailgating and home partying that goes with football; but, if folks are gathering to watch the NCAA brackets fight to get in the Final Four or the NBA teams trying to grab their place in the playoffs, you might as well make it a party and break out some tasty treats! I'm posting three tasty treats for your hoops fans, here's the first one and it is perfect for the tip-off!

Three Point Play Snack Mix

3 cups thin pretzel sticks
4 cups Wheat Chex
4 cups Cheerios
1 1/2 cups mixed nuts or peanuts
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
2 TBS grated parmesan cheese
4 TBS melted butter

Crock Pot Method:
In crock pot, melt butter on high. Add garlic salt, celery salt, seasoned salt. Add to pot and mix together pretzels, cereals, and peanuts. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the other ingredients and stir well. Cover crock and cook on low 2 to 3 hours. Uncover the last 30 minutes.

Oven Method:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Melt butter in large roasting pan in oven (5 minutes). Stir in seasonings. Add remaining ingredients and mix until coated. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Microwave Method:
Melt butter in large microwave-safe bowl on HIGH. Stir in seasonings, then remaining ingredients until coated. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 5-6 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.

After cooking quickly spread snack mix on paper towels to sop up any excess butter. You can make this ahead of the game and store in airtight container or the winning play is to time it to be ready at game time and serve the snack mix warm!