Ball of Heaven

I love Christmas Eve. Wanna guess why? Nope, it's not the anticipation of Christmas day. Naw, not friends and family. The beautiful church service? Don't be silly.

No, I love it because I get to make and consume a cheeseball. It's the only time of the year I can get away with making a 6" diameter sphere of cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and other seasoning and then devour it with crackers. It's like a dream come true!

My husband's family has a wonderful tradition of feasting on all the wonderful finger food goodies that they like, and I have happily taken this tradition to heart. Most the items come back every year, and the reason is that they are so good. This year we ate:

• Crab legs
  
• Smoked salmon (excellent with cheeseball)
  
• Finger deli sandwiches
  
• Veggie crudite with ranch dip
  
• Big purple grapes
  
• Sliced Gouda, cheddar, and pepperjack with crackers
  
• Cookies (which we didn't touch)
  
• Sparkling Red Wine
  
• And of course... cheeseball with crackers

Happy holidays indeed!


Cheeseball
From my Mom

• 11 oz. Cream Cheese
  
• 8 oz. Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
  
• 1 Tbsp. Onions, Shallots, or Green Onions, chopped
  
• 2 Tbsp. Blue Cheese or Roquefort Dressing
  
• 1 tsp. Tabasco Sauce
  
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
  
• Crushed Walnuts

1. Mix together all ingredients except the walnuts in a large bowl. Blend well.
   
2. Remove mixture from bowl and form into a delicious large ball of joy with your hands. Or, you can make a log or multiple cheeseballs.
   
3. Roll/ press cheeseball into small ball of walnuts to coat completely.
   
4. Place on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour before serving.