Thursday, November 26, 2020

When a Cheeseball Leads One Down Memory Lane (Terri's Cheeseball)

 
This holiday was set to be a bit different from the start. Instead of turkey, I bought a ham. Ham is the traditional choice of Cory's family and we thought it would be fun to do something different. I no longer value different. ::snort:: 

Tuesday night Stacia commented I would usually be cooking for 3 days before Thanksgiving - this was different. 

Tuesday night Michael made an off-hand comment that "we need to plan a Thanksgiving meal." 

Obviously, everyone else was putting more thought into a Thanksgiving meal than *I* have been giving it...this too is different.  I have been making pots of homemade chicken noodle soup. I have no taste and very little smell, which is a blessing in my role as chief caregiver in a Covid house. ::snort:: 

It's funny how a recipe can take you back in time. 

Terri S. shared her secret recipe for cheeseball with me over 30 years ago. It's one of the favorite recipes which has not made it to the blog, I promised all those decades ago in Hardin, MT not to share it. 

I gathered the ingredients and began to assemble a cheeseball. There are some in our home who will feel more festive just  seeing the cheeseball - even if they don't want to eat it. 

I was instantly back at our first pastoring experience...remembering fondly youth in our youth and elderly who taught us so very much,  the people....always the wonderful people and the many lessons we learned. Lessons which led to ginormous spiritual growth and have held us well in the past 30 years of ministry. 

I remembered Terry, Terri, Michael, Danny and Kevin and said a quick prayer for them. I remembered Sam, Cara and crew and said a prayer for Cara....I remembered Sam, Ev and kids; Bob, Betty and family, Violet and Caroline, Mary and her Mom, the Whitemans, the Moullets, the Ebens,  the Heiberts, the Gregories, Miriam the librarian, the Dales, the Frieds, the Kirshenmans, the Lachenmeirs, the Enzmingers, Sandra and Shelly, Grams and Uncle Bill, Dick and Judy and so many more...always the people. What a gracious God we serve, One who brings people and situations in and out of our lives to shape us into His image. 

I remembered the years we made 100's of cheeseballs to give away at Christmas. I remembered the open houses and family celebrations this recipe helped us celebrate in Montana, Texas, Oregon, Japan, California and Alaska...and I thanked God for faithfully directing our steps all these many years. 

Fortified with the memories, I made yet another one of Terri's Cheeseballs....and added, the Thanksgiving we were all quarantined with active Covid, to the list of cheeseball memories. 

I also decided I was not up to a cooking a full Thanksgiving meal this year. I called everyone together and we talked about the essentials everyone would like to "make it Thanksgiving." 

Michael - rolls (rising as I type this Thanksgiving morn)
Grandpa and Alex - potatoes (Scalloped ready to go)
Krista - Green Bean Casserole (She assembled it for a class video she made)
Nolan and Stacia - Stuffing! 

I tried to explain it's hard to have stuffing without a BIRD to stuff and thus stuffing goes with Turkey and Scalloped Potatoes with Ham.  They weren't having it....and so I will make stuffing - without the turkey parts I usually throw in; but with apples and pecans and homemade broth. 

Not a single dessert was listed. In year's past I've made 9 pies so everyone could have their favorite...but with no guests coming this year, and several of us barely eating, it was decided we'll spread Thanksgiving Desserts through the weeks to come. 

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