Christmas Series Day 9 - Homemade Cheeseball

On the 9th Day of Christmas

Santa brought to me

CraftyNightOwls - Mom Kristine 

Her gift to us is a post on

 "homemade cheese ball"

Favorite Family Cheeseball

Many years ago I played around with a couple cheeseball recipes until I came up with this one that has become a family favorite.  Christmas around our house isn't the same without this yummy munchie.
We like it best with "Wheat Thin" crackers, but you can use any kind you like.  One of these cheeseballs, along with a bag of crackers, makes a great holiday food  gift, also.
                       
                                            FAVORITE FAMILY CHEESEBALL

                                            2 oz crumbled blue cheese
                                          * 1 [8 oz.] jar Kaukauna sharp cheese spread
                                             2  [5 oz.] jars Kraft pimiento cheese spread
                                             2-3 [5 oz.] jars Kraft Old English cheese spread
                                             2 [8 oz.] pkg. cream cheese, softened.
                                             6 TBS. dreid parsley leaves, crushed
                                             4 tsp. dried minced onions
                                             1 cup finely chopped walnuts

                                              2 TBS. dried parsley leaves, crushed
                                              1 cup finely chopped walnuts

*If you can't find the "Kaukauna" sharp cheese spread [or an a similar brand container of sharp cheese] , then substitute another kind as we did here. Thie sharp cheese tubs are usually found in the deli or refrigerator cheese section.  For these balls we substituted a "cheese whiz" type brand, but my preference of taste is a sharper cheese]  Also, the small jars of cheese can be very expensive so watch for them to go on sale. Super Walmart sometimes carries these at the lowest prices.
If you're not a big fan of blue cheese, don't be afraid of using it here. People can't even tell it's there, but it certainly adds to the wonderful flavor of this cheeseball.  I always add some crumbles, mix and then taste.  You don't want the blue cheese to over power the other cheeses, but to just compliment the overall flavor.

In a large bowl, blend cheese sperads, cream cheese, the 6 TBS. parsley leaves, onion and 1 cup chopped nuts. [I usually mix this together with my hands] This picture shows the bowl of second cup of chopped nuts mixed with the 2 TBS. crushed parsley leaves to roll the balls in later.

Shape into six round balls. [they may flatten out a bit at this stage] Place these balls on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Cover loosely with foil and place in the frig for a few hours or overnight.

Remove cheeseballs from the refrigerator and with your hands, shape into a round ball.  Roll the ball around in the nut/parsley mixture. Wrap each ball in a square of plastic wrap and store in frig until ready to serve.
[wrap a second time in foil if they are going to remain in frig for a few days to make them air tight.]
They can be refrigerated for up to a couple weeks and stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.

We hope your family and friends will love this cheeseball as much as our family does