Cheeseballs are traditionally served as an appetizer, meant to bring everyone together for conversations and create memories before the main meal. The cheeseball is a savory treat often served with crackers on the side, and a simple yet effective way to get people together, exactly as my grandmother intended.
During any family get-together during the holidays, my grandmother would always bring her famous cheeseball. When I was little, I never tried the dish because of the ingredients that were in it. The flavors of the cheeseball were too mature for me, but I was still able to eat the little Ritz crackers on the side.
But as I’ve gotten older, her cheeseball is the food I look forward to the most before having our main family meal. It’s a simple little recipe that’s also relatively easy to make, which is convenient if you want to spend more time on entrees.
My grandma makes the cheeseball with all types of cheeses along with cream cheese to ensure it is very rich and creamy. Then, she likes to add chopped onions, bell peppers and nuts, and she encases the rest of the ball in more chopped nuts. When you take a cracker and spread some of the cheese ball on it, there’s a nice contrast between the creamy cheese and hard nuts, along with the crunch of the cracker is the perfect appetizer.
This year, I made the cheeseball with my grandmother, and it was nice seeing her in her element. She was quick and experienced in her movements, and at the same time she was flying around the kitchen preparing other dishes. I felt gracious helping my grandmother with her famous appetizer that she normally cooks by herself, and I wanted her to feel as though she didn’t need to always be alone. Without my grandmother’s recipes and her famous cheese ball, the holidays wouldn’t be the same.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 4 chopped green bell peppers
- 2 chopped onions
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups chopped pecans
Instructions
- Mix the cream cheese, bell pepper and onion together
- Then add 1 cup of pecans and mix together
- Shape into ball
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour
- Roll it in with the rest of the pecans before serving
