Once I had graduated from college and had my own home in the nineties while working as a TV reporter in the small town of Whiteville, N.C.,  I hosted a Christmas Eve party. This casual but dressy party became a holiday tradition, and many friends would pop in to wish my family Christmas cheer. 

At that stage of my life, it was more about wine than food. To put it simply, I did not cook until I had my first child at 37. One of the first things I learned to make was a Pineapple Cheese Ball from the First Presbyterian Church in Whiteville. I lived two houses directly behind the church, attended the church, and purchased the cookbook in 1994. It was the church's third cookbook to go to press. As I stated, I didn't cook much back then, but I loved to read cookbooks. Consider reading cookbooks like searching for recipes on Pinterest now. This was way before most people had the internet. Believe it or not, we had to rely on cookbooks, newspapers, and magazines to provide us with recipe ideas. 

The pastor's wife submitted a Pineapple Cheese Ball recipe for the book that caught my attention, and I took a big chance and made it for my annual Christmas Eve gathering that year. After that, I began making the cheeseball every year after people said they liked it. Then, in Christmas of 1999, I moved to Raleigh, the end of my holiday parties and famous cheeseball. 

I've not made the Pineapple Cheese Ball since 1998, but I'm bringing it back, baby!!! The cheese ball is being resurrected in 2022. 

Cheeseballs were at the height of their popularity in the forties during wartime for budget-friendly reasons. During my Southern upbringing, cheeseballs were fashionable for parties. But it was a simple ball of cheese covered in nuts. My kids are from the new cheeseball generation, where cheeseballs look like holiday trees, wreaths, and snowmen for holiday parties. 

I'm still that mid-century gal keeping it simple and cheesy. I could make it in the shape of a square for this next generation, toss some red bell peppers into the form of a bow, and call it the gift of Christmas past. Nah, that's too complicated! That's why it is a cheese ball. Simple and easy. 

Pineapple Cheese Ball

1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened

1 small can of crushed pineapple, drained

1/4 cup of finely chopped green peppers

2 TBS of finely chopped onion

2 cups pecans

2 tsp seasoned salt (Lawry's)

2 oz grated cheese

Mix all of the ingredients together except 1/2 of the pecans. Form into a ball. Chill the cheese ball before rolling it in the remaining pecans, then roll the ball in the pecans. Chill before serving. It can be served with crackers or gingersnaps. 

To modernize this cheese ball recipe for our post-Covid years, make two dozen small balls for individual servings with crackers. 

 Updated: Dec. 2022

I've always been a fan of the holiday drink called Wassail, which is made with a hot mulled cider base, and Russian Tea or Spiced tea with a tea base. They are similar in taste and are great on a cold winter's day.  However, the drink Wassil has rich English history, hence, the Christmas carol, "Here come a-wassailing!! Wassailing is an English yuletide drinking tradition where people go door-to-door to spread holiday cheer and good wishes in the new year. 

Edenton is North Carolina's second oldest town, founded in 1722. It has a fabulous recipe for Wassail. It will be a delight for your holidays, too. 

Cupola House Wassail Recipe

Edenton's Cupola House has seen many ships come and go in the Albemarle Sounds. The house is available for tour on one of the town's historic walking tours. In addition, the gardens are open to the public daily.

The Cupola House Wassail Recipe is printed in Recipes From St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Edenton, NC. I found a cookbook published in 1995 in my mother-in-law's storage unit. I brought it back to life in 2002 and have enjoyed many recipes from this collection. It's probably one of my favorite North Carolina cookbooks. 

Learn more about this historic North Carolina town to plan your delightful distancing getaway  to Edenton, NC 

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North Carolinians have celebrated special occasions at Kanki Japanese House of Steaks and Sushi in the Raleigh area for 50 years. My husband celebrated birthdays there as a child. We started doing the same tradition for our son, who will be 17 at the end of the year. Some people don't even have a special occasion to dine there. Instead, they enjoy the hibachi menu after a day of shopping at Crabtree Valley. 50 years in business. That is quite a milestone in the restaurant industry. 

If you've never been to Kanki Japanese House of Steaks and Sushi, you dine at a table with others unless your dining party takes up an entire hibachi grill. A server takes your order then the chef prepares your food in front of you. Each chef always has their own personality. Kids clap. Parents take photos, and it's pretty magical when a young child sees the chef turn the grill into a huge flame. Personally, I always hope I get the Teppanyaki Chef with the "wee-wee" boy who puts out the fire. Of course, not everyone loves the wee-wee boy like my family does, but that silliness, along with the fabulous yum yum sauce and the fried rice, has always made this restaurant a favorite of mine. 

Now that my kids are older, they also want sushi and the hibachi entree. It was less costly when they ate the kid's meal. Those were some good times. I rarely choose anything else but my usual filet mignon and shrimp, with my filet, always being medium-rare. The chef always nods like it's the best choice and typically gives me extra rice because half of it is gone before he can put my shrimp and steak on my plate. I always have the good intention of taking some of it home, but the white sauce mixed with the fried rice, meat, seafood, and vegetables just tastes so darn good that I end up waddling out of the restaurant with about five pounds extra in my stomach. 

Kanki has been locally owned and operated since its flagship location opened at Crabtree Valley Mall in 1972. Since then, Kanki has opened two additional locations - one in North Raleigh and one in Durham/Chapel Hill. Kanki is known for being the Triangle's favorite place for celebrations. Kanki is proud to have been voted "Best Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar in the Triangle" for more than 14 years!

In honor of its 50th Anniversary, Corporate Chef Alex Cordova shared the home-chef version of fried rice with me. I'm thrilled to make this at home because I love Kanki's Fried Rice. This version is a complete meal with chicken. 

Kanki Garlic Chicken Fried Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

Spring and Summer are when you want easy meals.  My family likes alfredo sauce so I always keep a jar in my pantry for quick meal ideas.  I made this soup in early spring and liked it.  However, I would substitute lasagna noodles for rotini pasta or pasta shells. 

Creamy Chicken Alfredo and Spinach Soup Created by Epicure. Photo credit: Epicure

Ingredients

1 tsp oil

1 lb (450 g) ground chicken or chicken breasts 

1 jar of Alfredo Sauce or Alfredo sauce packet

2 cups hot water

5 lasagna noodles or pasta of your choice 

2 cups milk

4 cups of baby spinach

Toppings (optional): sliced cherry tomatoes, grated cheese

Preparation

1. In a large Multipurpose Pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Crumble in ground chicken. Cook, stirring often and breaking up chunks as needed.
2. Add sauce mix and water; stir to combine. Cover; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
3. Once boiling, coarsely break in lasagna noodles. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until noodles are tender about 8 min. Stir occasionally. I am going to switch this out to rotini pasta or shells next time. 
4. Stir in milk. Keep partially covered and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally for 2 min. If using jarred alfredo sauce, I would add some milk to reduce thickness so it is a soup consistency,  but you do not need to do the #2 step except to heat the sauce. 
5. Remove from heat and stir in spinach until wilted.
6. Add toppings just before serving, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Per serving (about 1 ½ cups): Calories 390, Fat 15 g (Saturated 5 g, Trans 0.3 g), Cholesterol 115 mg, Sodium 390 mg, Carbohydrate 33 g (Fiber 2 g, Sugars 3 g), Protein 31 g.