A very simple cheese ball

Two ingredients. When I began making these years ago there were things like garlic salt and Worcestershire sauce in the recipe. Being 20-something and not having settled down yet, I didn't have any of that stuff around. So the cheese ball was simplified to 2 ingredients. Well, walnuts too. Oh, and maraschino cherries. But those really don't make the cheese ball.

I bring the Phila cream cheese to room temperature. The jarred cheese does not have to be refrigerated until after it is open so it is usually already room temperature. The grocery store workers can be real devils. They just love to hide these little jars. I have found it a personal challenge to know where they hide them in each and every store I frequent.

Sometimes they are in the refrigerated area with the other cheeses and sometimes they are on a shelf with Cheez Whiz and Velveeta. Sometimes they stick them on an end cap where you think they would be obvious, but they aren't.

Do not attempt to substitute another flavor (such as pimento) for this cheese ball. Trust me on this. Some folks say they like pineapple in their cheese ball. That is just wrong. I feel the same way about my pizza. Aw, I'm just kidding. Do what you want.



I mix the two cheeses together with a spatula. I form a ball as best I can while it is in the bottom of the bowl. I don't use a plastic bowl any more. I believe that food absorbs odors and a bad taste from the plastic. I always use glass or a corning ware bowl. I let it sit in the refrigerator over night (uncovered). No longer than 8-9 hours because it will begin to dry out.You do not want tiny little crusty pieces in your cheese ball. Gross.



I chop walnuts. Yes, I used to cut them up with a knife, but since I have settled down I now use Pampered Chef's chopper. Love it! That is about the only thing I use it for but since I make so many cheese balls it gets a lot of use.

I spread the chopped walnuts out on a cutting board. I like my walnuts chopped so fine they are almost a powder. I scoop the cheese ball out of the bowl (use a spatula because this puppy can get very messy). I plop it down on the walnuts.

Your hand is going to get messy. I roll the cheese ball around in the nuts. Now, here is the thing. Sometimes the ball will come out perfect and sometimes it will come out like goo. I have found what I believe are two reasons for this.

One - the weather. If you bake a lot or have made fudge, you know that rain can really mess with your end result. I was recently proved wrong with this fact when on a nice beautiful sunny and dry day my cheese ball came out like mush. WTF?!

Two - How long I mix the two cheeses together or if I let the cream cheese soften too much. I have found that the less I mix them together, the better the ball seems to form.

Once you have rolled the gooey mess in the walnuts, plop it into a bowl. Oh, yeah. Have the bowl ready BEFORE you roll the ball. You don't want to be rummaging around for a paper bowl or any bowl with that goo on your hands!

Top with a maraschino cherry or two.

Serve with crackers of choice. Another tip I have found. Club crackers are the strongest. When spreading a cheese ball on crackers it is very frustrating when the cracker snaps in two. Ritz just crumbles. Townhouse breaks easily, but the Club crackers are the strongest.

My daughter and I spent the day together yesterday. We shopped for graduation and party supplies. What fun. Then we ate at Outback steak house. I go weak in the knees....

We watched Twilight. Netflix sent it next, even though I had moved other movies ahead of it in my queue. My daughter had seen it before. A lady at work told me I really should watch it and read the books. No thanks. Not my cup of tea. The main characters are 17 years old. And vampires. I do not like vampire movies. And high school angst? Been there. Don't care to go back. Not even in a movie.

I have seen the female lead character before in Panic Room. I loved that movie.

Well, now. It's off to bake my cake and start the Calico beans. Sayonara.