Cheesiest Odd Couple: Amy Sedaris and Martha Stewart

YumSugar — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 13:18:11 -0700

If you're in need of a little Friday afternoon pick-me-up, I have just the thing for you. Thanks to FourFour, I discovered that entertainer extraordinaire Amy Sedaris appeared on Martha Stewart's show. It was her second visit, and this time she and Martha spent a few minutes making cheeseballs. I love the way Amy - in her adorably childish dress - makes crass jokes about bongwater, while Martha - who is ever so diplomatic - glides right over them with such grace. I think they might be the best odd couple pairing ever, and the video is definitely worth viewing. To check out both video clips, read more

Making Cheeseballs:

Making Veggie Crudites:

AI Food Challenge Recap: Cool-Ade & Cheeseballs

YumSugar — Thu, 17 May 2007 15:38:31 -0700

Well, I guess I was wrong. Turns out us food-folks would rather talk about American Idol, not eat it. I should be bummed out, but I received a great entry from Sarina in Trinidad with a "Paula's Done Lost Her Cool"-ade. It's a really fun name (I <3 bad puns!) and it sounds refreshing - absolutely perfect for the summer. Oh and as Sarina points out, "it's even better because it’s alcohol free and shouldn’t conflict with any ‘medications’ you may or may not be on!" Fantastic drink, thanks for sharing it with us! You should be expecting your YumSugar shirt in the mail soon!

The other American Idol Food creation that I have to share with you is my own. When I think Idol, I think cheeseball and when it came time to create something, I naturally ended up on cheeseballs. I ended up creating three different ones (one for each judge): there's Simon - a sharp pasty-colored English cheddar, Randy - a fresh feeling chocolate mint, and Paula - the sweet and nutty one. To check out my recipes read more

Cheeseballs are actually simple to make, I'm not the biggest fan of them, but sometimes they hit the spot. These ones are actually more like schmears, rolled into balls and go great with a variety of crackers, or on toast or bagels.

American Idol Cheeseballs
From YumSugar

Note: All of these recipes are approximations. I eyeballed everything but these are pretty close. Also, feel free to add different things and experiment. The cream cheese will take on almost any flavor you'd like!

Simon

8oz Cream Cheese, softened
6oz finely grated Sharp White English Cheddar (use something you like, this brings most of the flavor to the cheeseball, so make sure you like how it tastes)
1-2 green onion stalks - chopped super thin/fine
1-2 tsp garlic powder
fresh ground pepper
paprika

Either with a mixer, or by hand, beat cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add in cheddar and mix thoroughly. By hand, mix in green onions, garlic powder and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Mix until all is incorporated. Use the spatula to get all the cheese mixture off the sides and roll into a ball. Dust ball on all sides with a fine coating of paprika.

Randy

6oz Cream Cheese, softened
3 tbsp chocolate syrup (I used an organic dark chocolate)
1 tsp fine sugar (you may want more, add to taste)
2oz of finely grated chocolate (or smashed chocolate chips)
1 tsp peppermint extract
finely grated chocolate (or cocoa powder)

In a large bowl beat cream cheese until smooth, add syrup & peppermint, mix until fully incorporated. Mix in 2oz of grated chocolate. Roll into ball shape (if it's too "loose" you may want to chill it for an hour first). Take ball and roll in grated chocolate, making sure all sides are coated.

Paula

6oz Cream Cheese, softened
3 tbsp dried cherries (make sure they're the juicy kind, not the really dried out raisin kind)
1/2 - 1 tbsp fine sugar (add more/less to taste)
finely chopped nuts (I used a package of "Glazed Almonds & Pecans")

In a large bowl beat cream cheese until smooth - mix in sugar and cherries (the cherries should be juicy enough to infuse juice/color to the cream cheese). Roll into a ball shape, chill for an hour. Once fully chilled, roll ball into chopped nuts, ensuring that all sides are fully coated.

Print recipe with images | without images