Easy Cheesy Cheese Ball Party Appetizer

You might not look upon cheese balls with friendly memories, but isn't it about time that should change?

While so many of us tend to associate flavorless balls of cheese with tacky tinsel, we're here to tell you the classic holiday recipe you grew up with has grown up, too.

The key to making a delicious cheese ball is to go gourmet. Instead of settling for generic cheeses, spend the extra dollars for brands that pack lots of flavor. Then, work a balance with the ingredients you use to dress your cheesy ball up.

We're going with the classic cream cheese base here, but experiment with you cheeses! Goat cheese possesses similar properties to cream cheese and will add a whole lot more flavor without much work.

Ingredients:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

1 cup finely shredded cheddar blend

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

1 cup finely chopped parsley

Directions:

Cream together the cheeses, mustard, garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Mix in the pecans. Put the mixture in the fridge until firm (about 30 minutes) and form into the classic cheese ball shape.

Roll the ball around in the parsley until it all sticks to the outside and wrap in plastic wrap until you're ready to present to your guests.

Serve at room temperature with crackers, pretzels, carrots and apples.

Makes:

1 Cheese Ball