A Cheese Ball Surprise
A couple of months ago, my oldest daughter, Danielle, Matt, and Memphis, had a fall party on their farm. Dave and I arrived a little early and helped with the last-minute details. Danielle has become quite adept at making charcuterie boards. She set to work on creating one.
Someone brought in a cheese ball in one of those clear plastic containers from the grocery. Those are great for transporting but lack in the presentation department. I found a pretty little plate and transferred the cheese ball to it. A few Wheat Thins placed around it made a much better presentation.
Tracking Down The Recipe
Not expecting much from a grocery store, I tried a cracker with a bit of the cheese ball. Dang! It is really good! Expecting that this cheese ball was from a store because of the packaging, I began asking who brought the cheese ball and what store sells these!
Surprised, I found out that Matt’s Uncle Gary made the cheese ball! I wanted the recipe. Seriously! It’s that good. One of the ladies at the party said she would get it from Gary and share it with me on Facebook.
A month or so later, Danielle and Matt had a little birthday get-together and Gary sat right next to me. I told him that his cheese ball is the best I have ever had and really wanted his recipe. There’s a little kick of heat, not over-bearing, just interesting. I found out he uses hot jalapeno slices in a jar. Not a real big fan of jalapenos, but the jalapenos definitely add interest to this recipe.
Gary got up and disappeared for a while and when he came back, he had a paper, and much to my delight, he had written his recipe on it.
You’ll notice in the pictures that I used two different kinds of chipped or dried beef. Familiar with the Buddig brand, I started to buy four of those. Then, the Knauss brand caught my eye. Why not try both? So, I picked up two of each. The Knauss brand has 3 ounces versus the 2 ounces in the Buddig. I used one whole package of the Knauss and another ounce from the remaining package. They are both good and different at the same time.
Gary’s Cheese Ball
Serves 12 – 14
Ingredients:
- (3) 8 – ounce blocks Cream Cheese (room temperature)
- (4) 2- ounce packs Chipped Beef (diced into small pieces)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 of an 11.5-ounce jar of hot jalapenos (diced fine)
- 1 small white or yellow onion
- 3 bunches green onions – sliced thinly
Directions:
Chop the green onions, the white or yellow onion, the jalapenos, and the chipped beef and place in a large bowl. (It’s going to look like a lot in the bowl!) Add the Worcestershire sauce and the freshly ground black pepper.
Before adding the cream cheese, mix the ingredients.
Then, add the three blocks of room-temperature cream cheese and mix well. (You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to mix the cream cheese with the chopped ingredients! Just be sure the cheese is at room temperature.)
Shape into a ball, cover, and refrigerate overnight. I used a serving spoon to shape the cheese mixture into a ball. It’s best if the flavors blend and it’s served the next day.
Gary shapes this delicious mixture into a classic ball to serve. For Thanksgiving, I served it in a small bowl with a decorative pate knife. You might expect that this cheese ball mixture is as firm as most. It is not. It’s delightfully easy to spread.
Gary's Cheese Ball
This has to be the best cheese ball ever! A little kick of heat from the jalapenos make this cheese ball.
Ingredients
- (3) 8 - ounce blocks Cream Cheese (room temperature)
- (4) 2- ounce packs Chipped Beef
- 1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 of an 11.5 - ounce jar of hot jalapenos (diced fine)
- 1 small white onion
- 3 bunches green onions - sliced thinly
Instructions
Chop the green onions, the white or yellow onion, the jalapenos, and the chipped beef and place in a large bowl. (It's going to look like a lot!) Add the Worcestershire sauce and the freshly ground black pepper.
Mix the ingredients.
Then, add the three blocks of room temperature cream cheese and mix well. (You'll be surprised at how easy it is to mix the cream cheese with the chopped ingredients! Just be sure the cheese is room temperature.)
Shape into a ball, cover, and refrigerate overnight. I used a serving spoon to shape the cheese mixture into a ball. It's best if the flavors blend and it's served the next day.
Notes
Gary shapes this delicious mixture into a classic ball to serve. For Thanksgiving, I served it in a small bowl with a decorative pate knife. You might expect that this cheese ball mixture is as firm as most. It is not. It's delightfully easy to spread.
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Gary was gracious enough to share this recipe with me and I am so appreciative! Now I’ve shared it with you just in time for the upcoming holidays! Enjoy!
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