Cheese Balls

To make a basic cheese ball you need 8 ounce of cream cheese, soften. You can do it by setting out a room temperature or unwrapping and placing in a microwave bowl for about 10 seconds on high or until soften. Add any kind of shredded cheese you like and seasonings such as garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper and Dijon mustard to suit your taste. You can add other ingredients such as bell pepper, chopped, onions, bacon bits, roasted red peppers, olives or dried fruit. Once everything is combine, refrigerate for several hours or overnight. After shaping in desire shape, you can roll into chopped nut, parsley, paprika, fresh shredded Parmesan cheese or your favorite shredded cheese.

Ingredients for Heavyset Cheese Ball: 1 1/4 cups whole natural almonds, 1 (8-ounce) package of cream cheese, 1/2 cup real mayonnaise, 3 crispy cooked bacon slices, crumbled, 1/2 teaspoon dill weed, Salt and pepper, 1 tablespoon chopped green onion and Sprigs, for garnish.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Place and spread all the almonds on a cookie sheet or in a shallow pan, stirring the almonds around until they turn color, about 20 minutes.

Mix together the cream cheese and the mayonnaise. Add the bacon, salt and pepper, dill, and onion. Chill overnight. On a serving platter, make 2 pine cone shapes with the cheese. Begin to press the almonds at a slight angle into the cheese, starting at the narrow end of the pine cone shape. Do this in rows, continuing to overlap rows until all the cheese is covered. Serve at room temperature and spread on crackers.