Cheese-Ball Sampler

[chubbyalaskagriz]

Today's avatar is yet another cheeseball I made w/ my niece.

Cheese-Balls are among those stereotypical 70's food items that many love to laugh at and make fun of! But I enjoy the heck outta them! I like making them, giving them as gifts, and eating them! I make a basic softened cream cheese concoction flavored with enhancers ranging from dill pickle juice from the jar- to whiskey. I then add any number of ingredients according to my mood and meal-theme, from smoked salmon to chopped herbs.

This sampler-tray was made for a friend's bachelor-party last winter and the five were: 1.) whiskey/smoked salmon/blueberry, 2.) ham n' pineapple, 3.) pepperoni/pine-nut, 4.) sambucca/shrimp/red cocktail sauce, and 5.) bleu cheese, and brown-sugared walnuts.

They're simple as heck, if you've never made one. They can quickly be packed into a crock and served with crackers, bagel chips or croutons as a spread... or they may be molded and made fancy, deocrated with herb-blossoms, edible flowers, smoked nuts, chopped chives, or any number of items. I've made literally hundreds of these over the years and no two have ever looked exactly the same!

This is also one of the very first "recipes" I introduce kids to in cooking classes. For years I held classes the Friday before Mother's Day and sent each child home w/ a mini-cheeseball they had made themselves to present to Mom on her special day.

[KYHeirloomer]

You're right, Kevin. Folks call them passe, and sneer "how retro can you get."

But I notice that at parties, buffets, and pot-lucks and other gatherings there's still always a cheese ball or six in evidence.

I guess an awful lot of folks just didn't get the word that cheese balls are outre.

[Jafo232]

Hmm, I have always used cheeseballs, well mostly as a pejorative term to my boys.. "Boy, you are such a cheeseball..."..