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This is THE CHEESE BALL of my youth, my young adulthood,
my marriage and my life.
If this Cheese Ball didn’t show up every year on Christmas day, I’m not sure I’d know what to do with myself and my neglected taste buds. It’s one of those treasured family recipes that keeps reappearing throughout the years, because everyone loves it so much.
The recipe has been on my site for quite some time, as it was one of the first recipes I posted. However, there was only one, very unappetizing picture included in the original post.
I think I snapped it at my Mom’s Christmas party one year, only to hear my teenage nephew say…
“Um. Why. Are you taking pictures of Grandmas food? That’s really weird.”
“Um. Why. Are you taking pictures of Grandmas food? That’s really weird.”
I felt this Cheese Ball Of My Life deserved a bit better than one dark and ugly picture. So, here I am re-posting it today just for you,
with step by step photos and all.
It would make a great appetizer for your New Years Eve celebration!
Come right a long and let me show you how it’s done.
1. Toss 2 packages of softened cream cheese into your stand mixer, or large mixing bowl.
2. Drain the 20 ounce can of pineapple over a cup, or into the sink. Scoop out 1 C of pineapple, pressing it with your fingers to allow any extra juice to drain off. Add it to your mixing bowl.
3. Chop your green pepper into small pieces and add it to the bowl.
4. Add 1 Tablespoon of dried onion…
and 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt.
5. Mix all ingredients together until combined.
6. Pour the sliced almonds onto a plate and lay some plastic wrap next to the plate.
7. Spray your hands with cooking spray and scoop out half of the cream cheese mixture.
8. Form it into a ball and set it in the middle of the nuts. Cover the cheese ball with the nuts.
9. Set it in the center of your plastic wrap, cover it and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
10. Scoop the other half of the cream cheese mixture out of the mixing bowl, roll it in the nuts, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Serve with Wheat Thins and Ritz Crackers.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 C (about 1/2 of a 20 ounce can) crushed pineapple
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 T dried onion
- 1 t seasoning salt (I used Johnnys)
- 2 C sliced almonds (or chopped pecans)
- Crackers (Wheat Thins and Ritz Crackers work best)
Instructions
1. Toss 2 packages of softened cream cheese into your stand mixer, or large mixing bowl.
2. Drain the 20 ounce can of pineapple over a cup, or into the sink. Scoop out 1 C of pineapple, pressing it with your fingers to allow any extra juice to drain off. Add it to your mixing bowl.
3. Chop your green pepper into small pieces and add it to the bowl.
4. Add 1 Tablespoon of dried onion and 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt.
5. Mix all ingredients together until combined.
6. Pour the sliced almonds onto a plate and lay some plastic wrap next to the plate.
7. Spray your hands with cooking spray and scoop out half of the cream cheese mixture.
8. Form it into a ball and set it in the middle of the nuts. Cover the cheese ball with the nuts.
9. Set it in the center of your plastic wrap, cover it and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
10. Scoop the other half of the cream cheese mixture out of the mixing bowl, roll it in the nuts, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Serve with Wheat Thins and Ritz Crackers.
Enjoy!
I love this cheeseball but hadn’t made it in a long time. When I ran across this recipe, I knew I had to make it. I used the whole 20 oz. can of pineapple (well drained) and followed the rest of the recipe, to a T. Honestly, it was a little bland. It needs more onion and/or more seasoning salt. I also think, it could use a little more pineapple. The other option, would be to only use 1 8 oz. cream cheese. Even though it was a little bland, it did get eaten quickly. Thanks for the recipe.