Shopping for gifts under one roof, such as in a mall, can be a blessing for busy people. But busy malls aren't my favorite places to be during the holidays. In contrast, my sixteen-year-old daughter loves the mall.  I prefer local, intimate mom-and-pop shops. 

A place where some local business owners carefully curated the items in their shop. You get my vibe?  If you have the same shopping style, then you need to browse in the Painted Tree Boutiques in Cary, N.C. 

This store's slogan is "the big way to shop small." It's amazing. You really need to set aside several hours if you are walking into this store for the first time. Literally, lunch at my favorite Cary Sushi restaurant, Kashin Japanese Restaurant, and browsing the Painted Tree Boutiques is a full-day agenda. Once you become a frequent shopper and know the vendors, you can pop in quickly (Maybe). 

I popped into Painted Tree last month to take some photos to help Freedom Ride Rescue market its vendor booth, where 100 percent of all proceeds go to the rescue's operating budget. My chiahuahua, Hannah, was rescued from Freedom Ride, and I volunteer at their adoption events when my schedule allows. 

This would be a quick in-and-out type of thing. I was so naive. It took me 30 minutes to find the Freedom Ride booth. By the time I finally decided to ask a worker about its location, I already had my Mom's Christmas gift in my hand. This store is impressive.  

From local artisans to sports to pet lovers, there is something for everyone in this store. The Home Decor shops are my favorite. That's where I got lost browsing. I skipped the fashion boutiques because my daughter was in the car, running, waiting for me. 

Freedom Ride's booth is adorable with so many affordable finds. The rescue also uses the space to showcase dogs looking for homes. "Painted Tree has given Freedom Ride Rescue an entirely new audience!" explained Freedom Ride Founder, Mollie Doll. Our 'Backyard' space is filled with dog-themed items for sale and general info about our rescue!! The booth is managed by Gwenn Glotnis, one of our core volunteers AND a FRR adopter!"

The Painted Tree Boutiques is open daily from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm at 240 Crossroads Boulevard in Cary, N.C.

Learn more about Freedom Ride Rescue and how you can volunteer, donate, foster, and/or adopt a new family member.

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.