Last night my roommate and I had our new neighbors over for a "get to know you" wine and cheese party. We're all in our mid twenties and thought it'd be nice to actually take advantage of having fun people so close during the freezing winter months in Boston - we don't have to go outside to visit them!
Anyway, back to last night. I have tons and tons of great entertaining recipes. Cheese related dishes are definitely my go-to when I plan parties. For last night I decided to use a recipe given to me by an old roommate (thanks Amy!). You all have heard of it before: The Cheeseball! Creamy, sweet or chived, nutty goodness. Great with any kind of cracker, and definitely a crowd pleaser!
*The little red guy is a mouse made out of marzipan (made red via food coloring)
Tonight I actually used the original recipe and then adjusted it a little to give my guests some variety. This recipe is definitely up to interpretation: try some new ingredients and combinations - you may invent your next party hit!
1 small (squat) can Crushed Pineapple
1 TBSP chopped Onion
1 large bag chopped Walnuts (pecans & almonds are good too!)
*The ingredients above do not exact describe the picture provided. Last night I made two small cheeseballs: one was 1/2 the recipe above. The other I used chive cream cheese (Philadelphia 1/3 the fat) and followed the recipe, minus the onions & pineapple addition.
Place both bricks of cream cheese, room temperature, into a medium mixing bowl. Add onion and a small handful of walnuts. Mix well.
Use a can opener to remove top of pineapple tin. Make sure to remove all juice from the pineapple - excess juice will make your cheeseball watery and it won't set well. Pat pineapple dry and add to the cream cheese mixtures. Mix well.
Spread chopped walnuts on a large plate or large piece of waxed paper.
Use a spatula to create a large ball out of the entire cream cheese mixture. Transfer your ball onto the walnuts and roll around until your ball is covered. This process can be a bit challenging and messy. If you don't mind literally getting your hands into it, you can use your hands to shape the ball & roll it around in the walnuts. Just be sure to wash them first or wear clean plastic cooking gloves.
Refrigerate on a serving place 1 hour before serving to allow the ball to hold its new form. Serve with any type of cracker and enjoy!
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