Average Jane's Hors d'oeuvre Standby

This time of year, I find myself invited to a lot of parties where I'm expected to bring some sort of snack food.  Here's one thing I make quite often:

Garlic Cheese Ball

1 - 8 oz. package of cream cheese
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 thinly sliced green onions
A splash of Worcestershire sauce
A couple dashes of Tabasco sauce
A few twists of black pepper from the grinder
A shake or two of paprika

Cream together by hand or with a mixer.  Form into the shape of a ball and roll in approximately 1/2 to 3/4 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans.

If you're feeling creative, there are plenty of other things you can add, including:

Finely grated carrot
Finely chopped green and/or red pepper
Roasted red pepper
Grated cheddar
Pesto

I was going to say you wouldn't want to add all of those at once, but why not?  It's going to be tasty no matter what.  Be creative!

I always buy a box of Nabisco Sociables crackers with which to serve this, mainly because they're what my grandmother always used to buy, and this was originally her recipe.

A cheese ball might not be particularly fancy, but it's always delicious and a hit at parties.  If you try it, let me know how it went.

Comments

[cagey]

I LOVE cheese balls. My favorite childhood Christmas treats are my grandma's peanut brittle AND her cheese ball. An odd combination, but I guess that says alot about me as a kid. Luckily, I can make her cheese ball, but failed miserably with the brittle. Sob.