Sunday, 28 November 2010

• Recipe: Rockin' Holiday Cheeseball

  I'm constantly on the alert for delish recipes!  When I'm at a party or dinner with friends and I taste something extraordinary, I will track down the person who prepared it and hound them for the recipe.

  Amongst the glorious recipes that I have accumulated in this manner (and for which I am constantly complimented and double sure to give credit where credit is due) are my friend Karen's heart-shaped cheese scones, Perry's mom's (sorry, I can see your face, but can't remember your name) convert-you-to-carrot-cake-lover carrot cake passed down from her mother, Tom's mother's baklava recipe, Mike's mother's kick-ass tomato orange salsa that burns when in comes out the other end, and my ex-sister-in-law's mother's corn and avocado salsa.

  But those will have to wait for another day as today, I want to impart Tara's sumptuous cheeseball recipe.  To build a little suspense, however, I'm going to tell you a bit of the story behind the woman who gave me the recipe.

  We met when I was living in New Jersey and we both had 3 children under the age of 5.  She and her family had moved from Atlanta, Georgia, where they are now.  I had moved recently from Phoenix, Arizona and we had a lot in common with the ages of our children and our general outlook on life.  However, She was pretty dead-set on moving back to Georgia, which made me sad, but she left me with the cheeseball in her stead.

  To this day, my handwritten recipe calls it Tara's Cheeseball.  I find this recipe particularly relevant for the holiday season because it's generally a time when we're preparing humongous meals while friends and family members loaf aimlessly around the house wondering what to do.

  So, one must give their hands and mouths something productive to accomplish in the meantime.  Perhaps, this is why the French so aptly have named appetizers an "amuse bouche" (something to amuse the mouth).

  Tara's Cheeseball does just that.  In fact, it amuses many mouths and this particular recipe creates at least 2 cheeseballs, both of which can be used or one used, one frozen for the next party.

  And so I give you....

  Tara's Cheeseball

  1 8oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
  2 8oz. pkgs cream cheese
  1 cup grated parmesan cheese
  1 cup cheddar cheese
  (I add 1/2-1 cup crumbled blue cheese as well)
  2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts
  1/4 cup green or red pepper, chopped
  1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  1 tsp Lawry's Seasoning Salt

  1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce

  Mix all ingredients (I used my hands) except 1 cup chopped nuts.  Form into ball(s).  Roll in remaining nuts.  I also save a couple perfectly preserved walnut or pecan halves to press lightly into the top of the cheeseball.  Serve with crackers.

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