By Chloe Gaudet When I try to recall the first time I had my grandmother’s recipe which we call cheese ball, passed down through generations, nothing comes to me. I just remember it suddenly being something we ate at every family gathering, every Christmas, every birthday, and even on random Tuesday nights. It’s always been there. Up until this project, I had always assumed that this was a recipe from my great grandmother, but I recently discovered that this wasn’t the case. This recipe actually came from my grandmother’s childhood best friend, but my mother and I had no idea! It feels like the origin of this recipe was a mystery for all these years, most of my family just presuming that it had been around for decades. Nonetheless, cheese ball is still a family favourite for us all. This recipe carries so many memories for my family. I can still vividly remember waking up during the Christmas break in elementary school, my nose immediately being filled with the scent of turkey cooking and coffee brewing. My mom would ask me to help her out around the kitchen, so of course the task I offered to help her with was making the cheese ball. I always enjoyed preparing it with her, it was something I grew up with, which always brought a feeling of familiarity and nostalgia. We would listen to music together, talk and gossip about school, and my dad would even come down and join in from time to time. Once all the food was ready and set on the table, everyone would just immediately go in for the cheese ball. My brother shoving me aside to get some first, my grandfather getting a plate of it to bring to my grandmother, and everyone causing havoc for the cheese ball! It would be gone within a few minutes, leaving all the other appetizers untouched. In my opinion, there’s really nothing better than a good, simple, childhood recipe, and for my family, that’s cheese ball!
Ingredients: -1 block of softened cream cheese -1 cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese -⅓ of diced red onions -⅓ of red pimentos (chopped and drained) -¼ of chopped green peppers -1 tablespoon on lemon juice -1 dash of worcestershire sauce -1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley
Recipe: First, place a block of cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on low for 45 seconds. Set aside. Next, grate 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese and set aside as well. Prep your onions and green peppers by dicing them. Place them in a paper towel to absorb the moisture. Dice your red pimentos and strain them in a paper towel to get all the liquid out. Place all your ingredients in a bowl and mix them together thoroughly. Now add in your worcestershire sauce and lemon juice. Using disposable gloves, scoop the mixture onto a piece of tin foil paper. Using the tin foil, roll the mixture into a log shape and close the foil tightly. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours. Once taken out of the refrigerator, sprinkle the cheese ball with your chopped parsley. Serve with crackers and enjoy.