We are invited by our good friend’s to join them and their family for Thanksgiving. And when I asked what contribution we could make to the dinner, MaryLou said “Cheese Ball for an appetizer.” Okay! Now which recipe do I want to make that will be tasty, but not too addictive. We’ll all want to save room for Mike’s brined turkey!
Before we get to the recipes, I must share with you how I crush nuts. Oh I think a few men winced at that phrase. Well, THAT kind of nut crushing is a whole other “Oprah” as we used to say when she had her talk show. Today’s method is an easy way to crush any kind of nut you are using in a recipe.
The two main things you need are a ziplock bag and an attitude adjuster. My attitude adjuster is really just my rolling-pin (brought back from Italy years ago). It is quite large and actually works to adjust human attitudes as well when necessary. I think of it as my Italian baseball bat – and believe me – I have a pretty good swing!
Back to smashing the nuts. I just put the amount of nuts I need chopped or smashed into a ziplock bag, seal it and hit away! It is great for getting out any frustrations or aggressions you may have pent-up inside. I always feel so much better after cracking a few nuts with the attitude adjuster. By the way, my hubby usually leaves the room for safety when I do this.
And if one cheese ball is good, two is better, right? Here are two easy recipes to make in minutes. Both yield 2 balls. Crackers, bread toasts, or carrot sticks are perfect accompaniments.
- 12 ounces (1 1/2 8-oz packages) cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 cup feta cheese crumbled
- 5 green onions chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3/4 tablespoon dill weed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
- Beat cream cheese and oil until smooth.
- Stir in feta cheese, onions, garlic, dill, oregano and pepper.
- Form into 2 medium sized balls. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- I usually make this the day before so that all the flavors can marry together. You may prefer to save the dill and roll the balls in dill instead of adding to the internal part of the cheese ball. Either way it is great.
- Lasts in the fridge for 5 days or so.
Serves 2
Save RecipeIngredients
- 3 4-oz packages cream cheese
- 6 ounces blue cheese crumbled
- 6 ounces cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon seasoned salt
- Dashes of salt and pepper
- Garnish: parsley or chopped nuts
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together (except for garnish).
- Form into 2 or 3 balls.
- Roll cheese ball in parsley or chopped nuts.
- Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Notes
Video on crushing nuts http://christinascucinablog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_5391.mov
Nutrition