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Badg·er [baj-er] – a native or inhabitant of Wisconsin + Food·ie [foo-dee] – a person keenly interested in food.

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Easy Bacon Ranch Cheeseball Recipe

April 18, 2017 By BadgerFoodie Leave a Comment

In celebration of National Cheeseball Day, April 17th, I decided to make my first Cheeseball.

I didn’t have a lot of time to plan, prep, and execute this recipe, so I searched out an easy recipe.  My goal was to find an easy and tasty cheeseball recipe.  Since some of my favorite cheese spreads involve bacon, when I found this Bacon Ranch Cheeseball recipe, I knew it was the one!

Bacon Ranch Cheeseball with Crackers
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Easy Bacon Ranch Cheeseball

A quick and easy bacon ranch cheeseball recipe.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 24 Servings

Ingredients

  • 16 oz Cream Cheese
  • 1 oz Dry Ranch Dressing Mix 1 Package
  • 1 Cup Shredded Colby and Monterey Jack Cheese
  • 3 oz Real Bacon Bits

Instructions

  1. Take 2 8oz packages of cream cheese (softened) and mix until it is slightly whipped. 

    Cream Cheese and Hand Mixer
  2. Add 1 packet of Ranch Dressing Mix and mix until incorporated.

  3. Fold in 1 Cup of Shredded Cheese.  Add extra bacon bits or crumbled at this time if desired.

  4. Pour bacon bits or bacon crumble on a plate.

    Bacon on Plate
  5. Form cheese mixture into a ball with your hands.

  6. Roll ball in bacon bits until covered.  Wrap cheese ball in plastic wrap and place in the fridge.

    Cheeseball on Plastic
  7. When cheese ball feels firm, remove and serve with crackers.

    Bacon Ranch Cheeseball with Crackers

Overall, it was a great success.  Next time I make a Bacon Ranch Cheeseball I am going to use real bacon, a bowl mixer instead of a hand mixer, and make sure I have some better crackers on hand!

Do you enjoy Cheeseballs?  What is your favorite Cheeseball flavor?

Filed Under: Food-Recipes Tagged With: Bacon, Cheese, Cheeseball, National Cheeseball Day, Ranch, Recipe

How Wal-Mart Inspired my Herb Garden

March 18, 2017 By BadgerFoodie Leave a Comment

A couple of years ago I started trying to be healthier. Thanks to my Aunt Mary of Mahaffy Fitness I started working out daily using the Beachbody 21 Day Fix Program and following its nutrition plan. As I experimented with the 21 Day Fix recipes, I discovered a lot of them called for fresh herbs. There was the salsa recipe that called for fresh cilantro, the pizza recipe that called for fresh basil, and a salad that called for fresh mint.

Fresh Herb Cuttings at Wal-MartDon’t get me wrong, I had cooked with herbs before; however, I always turned to dried herbs and spices. They were just easier. Each time I tried one of the above recipes I had to go track down the fresh herb at Wal-Mart and paid $2.38 for a small container that would go bad after a week, even though I often only needed a couple of cuttings.

Why Would I Buy Fresh Food from Wal-Mart?

At this point, you might be asking why I shop at Wal-Mart, especially for fresh food? Well, I live in a small city that has a Super Wal-Mart and a Gordy’s Market. While I would love to avoid Wal-Mart for my shopping, the selection at Gordy’s is limited and I don’t enjoy driving 45 minutes one way to get to a larger grocery store.

I have found that Wal-Mart often has a better selection of fresh produce and it will last longer than produce purchased at Gordy’s.   I do get nervous about what gets added to the produce to make it last so long, but having a growing family I can’t afford to have produce go bad after two days.  I think this is one of the main reasons I am motivated to get our outdoor garden planted this year.

Ok, back to my story…

Fresh Herb Plants at Wal-MartAfter buying packaged fresh cut cilantro and having the remaining cuttings go bad after a week, I was not excited to buy another container the next time I wanted to make the 21 Day Fix Salsa. That is when I found a short rack of fresh herb plants next to the tomatoes. I was intrigued, especially since they were only $2.98, almost the same price as the small containers I had been purchasing. The cheapskate in me realized that as long as I kept the plant alive long enough to make two batches of the salsa I was ahead money wise.

I pulled the trigger and bought a fresh cilantro plant. This plant was placed on our kitchen windowsill and lasted a couple of months before I killed it off. Even though it didn’t last very long, I was excited, as I saved money over buying the individual containers. I’m not sure if my wife was as excited, as she isn’t a big fan of cilantro.

My next purchase was Basil. This plant lasted a lot longer and we still have it today. I enjoyed using fresh basil on the 21 Day Fix pizza recipe, and I love the smell of the basil on my fingers after I trim back the plant. I do get frustrated with myself, as we have made homemade pizza a few times in the more recent months and I forget to add the basil, even though it is right in my face above my kitchen sink.

Based on my success, I couldn’t stop after two… I add a parsley plant; however, this one doesn’t get much use.  It is still hanging in there on the windowsill but is feeling neglected.

My most Recent Wal-Mart Herb Purchase

My most recent Wal-Mart herb plant purchase was Mint. I needed this for a salad, but I had forgotten how much I enjoyed mint. Since the mint plant joined my windowsill garden, I have added mint to salads and occasionally I will add some to my water or just grab a leaf and chew on it for a while. This has brought back memories of picking wild mint at the Boy Scout Camp, Camp Castle Rock (now Ed Bryant Scout Reservation), that I attended as a youth. We used to walk around chewing on fresh mint or adding it to the water to mask the iron taste.

Life After Wal-Mart Herb Plants

Since buying the herb plants at Wal-Mart, I have had high hopes to expand my selection and the quality of my herb plants. I received some seeds as a Christmas gift and attempted to grow some plants from seed; however, I failed due to what I am calling bad soil. As we plan out our vegetable garden, I am trying to determine how I should incorporate herb plants. I am still trying to figure out the best way to do this, as I want access to them year-round, and the Wisconsin winter weather makes this a tad difficult. I might have to keep them in containers outside in order to be able to easily bring them back inside when the temperatures start dropping.

So, thanks Wal-Mart for helping me enjoy fresh herbs!

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Filed Under: Dan's Ramblings Tagged With: 21 Day Fix, Basil, Beachbody, Cilantro, Fresh Herbs, Garden, Gordy's Market, Mahaffy Fitness, Mint, Parsley, Wal-Mart

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March 17, 2017 By BadgerFoodie Leave a Comment

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