I Like Balls

Posted: December 10, 2010 at 8:01 pm

Apparently I have lost my mind to title a blog post that. I also have lost my mind from making the insane decision to finally replace all the batteries in M’s toys that previously had died. It’s been a long time coming. I should have just done that for her for Christmas. It’s like they are all brand new. And loud. Very, very loud.

Back to the title of the post. I like balls – Mama Pea’s sugar cookie dough balls and my favorite Oreo balls. I have a holiday party and cookie exchange to attend tonight. I could not decide which treat to make. I really wanted to try Mama Pea’s balls and I always look for a reason to make Oreo balls. What to do? Make both!

I made the Oreo balls with the holiday red creme cookies, which tinted my hands red for awhile, and topped the truffles with a sprinkle of candy cane. How beautiful and festive!

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Since I already had the candy cane look going on and I despise sprinkles, I opted for the snickerdoodle version of Mama Pea’s dough balls.

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Plus, who doesn’t like cinnamon and sugar? You might reply - “Who doesn’t like sprinkles?” Well, I don’t, you smart alec.

I also had to make an appetizer to share with the group. For a holiday party a couple years ago I made these spinach phyllo roll-ups and everyone loved them. Why mess with something that obviously works?   Although, I did go daring and used goat cheese instead of the feta. Heck, why not? They are insanely delicious. And insanely not super duper health food.

Spinach Phyllo Roll-Ups from Kraft Recipes (site has video demonstration)

  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 pkg.  (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
  • 1 cup feta cheese goat cheese
  • 1 tub  (8 oz.) Garden Vegetable 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese
  • 4 green onions, finely chopped (oops! forgot these at the store)
  • 15 sheets  frozen phyllo (14x9 inch), thawed
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted I used butter flavored cooking spray on the Phyllo sheets – its easier and quicker

1. Mix first 5 ingredients together and set aside.

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2. Roll out phyllo sheets flat and place between damp towels or plastic wrap.

3. Lay out 1 phyllo sheet on your working area. Spray with butter spray. Add 2 more sheets for a total of 3 layers, with butter spray between each layer.

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4. Spread 1/5 of spinach mixture along the short side of the phyllo. Fold in edges and roll up to make a log. Spray log with butter and make cuts in top at 1 inch intervals. Repeat process until achieve 5 logs.

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5. Bake in 375 oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cut each log into 6 slices on the 1 inch marks made before baking. Serve!

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Note: You can also freeze some of the rolls in plastic wrap or storage bags and bake them (after thawing) up to 3 months later.

Like I mentioned, these aren’t the healthiest things out there, but honestly I don’t care. When it comes to making things for parties, I usually opt for the tried and true recipes and classic favorites. I do like making healthier recipes and sharing them with friends/family, but rarely do so for special occasions. Plus, I enjoy the recipes as well and its fine by me to have them every once in awhile.

  • What types of things do you like to make and bring to group parties, the office, other social gatherings?
  • Is there a food you don’t like that people don’t quite understand? My hatred for sprinkles is more a texture thing. They get added to things where they just ruin the texture!

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51 Comments to “I Like Balls”
  1. Haha liked the smart alec comment. Cinnamon and sugar cookie dough balls look great- I hadn’t seen that version before.

  2. ha! great title… I’m seeing a whole new group of readers from interesting searches… 😉

    those snickerdoodle balls look SO good… almost like doughnuts, yum.

    my only real dislike that still gets some HUH? is cilantro. many people say things like “oh, you’re one of those” but some are really surprised.

    those spinach roll ups look good!

  3. I love sprinkles, they make boring everyday things fun 🙂

    I usually bring an asian cole slaw recipe to parties. I’ve had the recipe for years and it’s always a hit! The spinach creation looks fantastic!

  4. Julie says:

    Mm, the snickerdoodle ones look good. Where is the dough ball recipe (or is it “secret”)? Are they vegan (or at least dairy-free)??

    *Drool* from my horrible cravings over these past few days.

    • Tina says:

      I linked to the two ball recipes at the start of the post. The dough balls are Mama Pea’s recipe. They are good and I highly suggest trying them.

  5. Mmmm the oreo balls sound great! 🙂 I need to make them for a party! 🙂

    Rather than not liking a food, it’s the food I like that people don’t understand. Come on, how many college students can say they LIKE brussel sprouts and asparagus? 😉

  6. Tatianna says:

    I can’t stand combining chocolate with fruit. Any fruit really, but especially berries. I almost want to gag when I think of chocolate and cherries or chocolate and raspberries or strawberries. Ugh!

    I usually make some type of sweet treat for parties 🙂 Brownies are my go-to because everyone seems to adore them!

  7. Heather says:

    I abhor sprinkles…totally nasty! I’m all for making a dip with chips for parties though…you only need one dish and a bag!

  8. I always bring a dessert of some kind. I can work the oven like magic, but the stove? No way man…

    I like balls, too. And am making some this weekend. YES!

    Btw, I’m curious as to what kind of google searches you’ll start to get after this post… hmmm

  9. Marcia says:

    Nice title… 🙂
    I am wiath ya on sprinkles….they ruin everthing they come in contact with. I loate bananas– texture thing.
    I also can’t eat red jelly stuff- as in cherry pie like stuff. Ick.

    When we attend events- we bring chips and salsa..store bought! haha..lame. I used to make the salsa…not anymore.

  10. I always take hummus to parties! I love holiday foods! Feels so festive and comforting. Have fun!

  11. Can I come to your party! I’d love to try all of those!

  12. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by sylvia elane, Tina Reale. Tina Reale said: I Like Balls: Apparently I have lost my mind to title a blog post that. I also have lost my mind from making the… http://bit.ly/dKD8Cl […]

  13. BIOCHEMISTA says:

    These look fantastic! I have a cookie exchange on Sunday. Want to cook for me? hehe 😉

  14. Natalie says:

    I almost always bring veggies and hummus and a dessert. Your balls look amazing, ha ha 🙂 I may add the oreo ones to my cookie exchange list, they’re so festive!

  15. Sarah says:

    I get requests for oreo balls all the time- even though I have admitted how simple they are! Hey, if it works, why mess with it?
    Oh, and I’m not a fan of sprinkles, either. Unless they are rainbow and covering a cone stacked with frozen yogurt.

  16. Camille says:

    You don’t like sprinkles!? Insanity!
    I passionately despise mayonnaise. I refuse to put it in anything and I wont order a meal if it has it! Blech!

  17. I hate garlic and onions. And curry powder. I could go on and on about how shocked people are about garlic and onions. I just dont like them…they make me stink..for days! And I can smell myself, a ton!

    The oreo balls. I have been seeing these on blogs the past few days. It reminds me that they are a holiday thing that I just need to make. Now!

    Anything w/ using an oven wont happen for another month. Too hot here to turn on the oven!

    • Tina says:

      I’m surprised you don’t like garlic and onions. I guess mainly because I could picture them being staples with all the veggies you eat and yummy dips/sauces you make. But yea, stinking is no fun. LOL

  18. I tend to bring desserts (cookies, cakes) or side dishes (fruit salad, pasta salad, etc.). I, also, tend to bring stuff I can eat. 🙂

    Mushrooms. I totally can’t stand the texture of them, raw or cooked. Slime in my mouth, ick!

  19. chelsey says:

    You are crazy for replacing the batteries. That’s just ASKING for it! 🙂

  20. Priyanka says:

    I know the entire blog world will despise me for saying this but I am not a fan of pumpkins. Never been one and people don’t understand that I don’t have the taste for it!

    I prefer to make salad recipes for parties.

    The snickerdoodle version of the cookie dough ball looks so good, I am going to try it.

  21. missy miller says:

    Oh my.
    Too funny.
    I like balls.

    I am always sort of giggling when I shop for presents for neices and nephews…Im like “Wow! Cool!”….then…”wait a sec…my brother and sister will want to kille me”…

    then…”Cool!”

    Yes, I am guilty of buying the annoying toys cause I am not a parent.
    I used to work for Leapfog…many of their toys come with headphone jacks…(also helps to tune the child in for the best educational experience).

    Those apps look awesome…and actually not un-healthy! Think about some other things out there, you know?
    I bet you could do up a healthified version that would taste just as great for you and the fam at home.

    ~Missy

  22. Love the title, cracked me up! I hate raw tomatoes, even really good ones, and no matter how many times I try uni (sea urchin) I just can’t enjoy it as a delicacy like so many people do.

  23. hahahaha “i like balls”
    im planning on making similar balls. i got the idea from everyone elses and im gonna try a twist on a coconut macaroon thats chocolate covered- these ones are so pretty- gotta love the color contrast of chocolate and crushed peppermint/candy canes <3

  24. OMG, I hate sprinkles tooo!!! Can’t can’t stand them.. they get in the way and just end up stuck in my teeth anyway!!

    I like bringing all sorts of things to events… next week I’ll be bringing stuffed shells to my husbands holiday party… and tonight I brought mini meatballs and caprese skewers to a smaller event!

    I also love love love baking and sometimes have to contain myself from always bringing a baked good — have to try and set an example as an RD 😛

  25. Becca says:

    People think I’m insane because I cannot stand marshmallows (unless they’re in something, like Rice Krispie Bars). I also hate canteloupe, musk melon, olives, raisins, and anything ending in “berry” (except strawberries!! Those are my favorite!). Mostly it’s a texture thing, but it’s also a taste thing for some of them. One of my friends calls raisins “humiliated grapes.” 😛
    I also have a problem with gummy stuff—bears and worms are just… weird. I’ll eat them, but they’re not the first things I’ll grab. Ironcially, fruit snacks are amazing. But they have to be the right brand. 🙂

    I <3 fudge. My uncle made white chocolate fudge a few years ago for our family Christmas party and I fall in love. No joke. I have to ask him to make it again this year…

  26. Nicole says:

    I might just copy your baked goods for my party tomorrow, they’re so simple!

  27. NO sprinkles?! Sprinkles are my fave. But you can’t go wrong with a little cinnamon and sugar either – that’s for sure.
    Hope you had a good time!

  28. When baking for others, I’ll either make one family favorite and one “healthified” version of a dish, or just the family favorite.
    I don’t really like sprinkles either….they ruin perfectly good candies and cakes if you ask me!!!!

  29. Now that you mention it, I don’t really like sprinkles either. I think they looks pretty on things those, but they don’t taste good.
    I usually am the one who brings a beautiful veggie platter to parties, the parties we go to never seem to have veggie platters. I like to put red bell peppers, green bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery, broccoli and pea pods, it looks so pretty on a platter with homemade ranch dip (greek yogurt mixed with a ranch packet).
    Or, I also like making a shrimp scampi with cut up whole wheat baguette (b\c ww tastes better with the shrimp). You get to dip the bread into the scampi sauce and it is so heavenly and sinfully delicious! It is always a hit as well!

  30. Kelly says:

    I always make the most unhealthiest yet tastiest dish to parties. I bake a brie block inside pillsubury crust and serve it with a variety of fruit chutneys…holy yum!!

  31. While your phyllo roll-ups look delicious, I wouldn’t have judged if you just served the dough balls as appetizers 😉

  32. Jess says:

    Mmmm I’m now officially drooling and dying for chocolate after reading this. 😉 I LOVE holiday parties and cooking or baking fun treats to bring. I usually bring my fan-favorite guacamole if it’s an app, or if it’s a baked treat, I make a mean peanut butter “push”. My husband’s favorite…aside from regular old chocolate chip cookies made with chocolate chunks instead of chips.

  33. Leashieloo says:

    LOL! I tend to get juvenile too with those ball desserts but they are too delicious! Those phyllo wraps look awesome, I love spanikopita so I’m sure I would dig those as well.

  34. Oh I LOVE snickerdoodles! We I was little (well & grown actually) my job was to roll the dough in the cinnamon & sugar! I miss those days!

  35. Lauren says:

    How were the doughballs?? I’m planning on making a huge batch to bring to work/school this week because yes, we still have class parties in college.

  36. Heather says:

    Haha!! I love the title!! I need to make some of those dough balls stat.

  37. you’re a nut! Look at all of those balls! And bold, mom, for changing all of those batteries out! 🙂 The phyllo recipe looks great!

    I’m a huge fan of bringing dips or pasta salads!

  38. I’m making balls today too! Hee hee.

    To parties I like to bring recipes that have been on my “to make” list… because usually the recipes that stay on that list are realllly bad for you. This way I get to try them and then unload them on other people’s thighs. (Does that make me a jerk?!) 🙂

  39. I like to make taco dip: cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning – that’s it (served with tortilla chips). Always a hit, though not healthy 🙂

    I am also trying Mama Pea’s dough balls this weekend as a trial run before my cookie exchange next week. Can’t wait to see how they turn out.

  40. Anna says:

    I love oreo balls! They have become a staple of mine whenever I have friends over for a party (at their request). I am inspired to try new variations of them now and see what my friends think 🙂

  41. Melodie says:

    YUM! Those all look delicious!!

  42. I also tend to not make healthy items when going to a party. One of the top requests I get is for my peanut butter and chocolate rice crispy treats (who doesn’t like reese’s peanut butter cups and ghirardelli chocolate?!?).

    Friday night we had a party to go to and I took a new recipe, peppermint brownies. They were a HUGE hit.

    I don’t like a lot of red meats so if I say I don’t like steak, people think I’m crazy… It’s more because of the texture than the taste.

  43. Holly says:

    I LOVE oreo balls. They are probably my favorite “non-cookie” dessert of all times. I can’t stop once I have one!

    I always bring desserts to gatherings, or sometimes a small side. I love to bake so that’s my first preference, but I manage to do sides without messing them up too badly. 🙂

  44. Haha..I like the how feisty this post is!

    Hmm, what do I not like? Seafood. I think it’s disgusting in every way, shape, form. Blech!

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