Cheese "Globes"

I have never liked the term "cheese balls" and I prefer to call them
" globes"! But no matter what you prefer to call them, they always seem to be a popular item at a party and a nice way to serve cheese....yum! I have also never been a fan of those little cheese food balls coated with nuts that you can buy in the grocery store, or the little packages of things you add to cream cheese. To me they are dry and filled with preservatives.

The nice thing about cheese globes is that they are very portable and a nice item to bring with you to a party. At a recent get together, I served 3 of these on a beautiful oval wooden platter with pewter handles. I just laid a few sprigs of parsley as a bed for them and spiced up the presentation a bit. If you are going to a Super Bowl party this weekend, these would be a great take-a-long.

Here are the recipes for all 3 of my favorites:

Feta Herb Spread Cheese Ball
6-8 ounces Feta cheese
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup mayonnaise
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon dill

Mix all ingredients together and form into a ball. Chill for several hours. Mixture will be rather soft, but you will be able to shape into a ball. Sprinkle top with chopped pistachios and serve with crackers.

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Chutney Cheese Ball
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup Stonewall KitchensOld Farmhouse chutney (This is definitely the best, but if you cannot find it, you any chutney)

¼ cup finely chopped scallions, white and pale green parts
1 medium garlic clove, minced
½ cup shredded Colby cheese
½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

In medium bowl, combine cream cheese, chutney, scallions and garlic. Stir until well blended. Add Colby and Monterey Jack cheeses and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Chill for several hours to firm up. Form into a ball and roll in the chopped pecans. Garnish and serve with apple wedges.
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Blue Cheese Ball
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,
softened
3 ounces crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
3 drops hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™), or to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and blue cheese. Blend in the celery, onion, hot pepper sauce, and cayenne pepper. Chill overnight, or until firm.
Roll the chilled cheese mixture into a ball, and coat with pecans. Wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate until serving.

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My dad's birthday celebration went well. We had a lovely dinner out. I had the most fabulous dinner. It was boneless chicken in a portwine reduction with figs, walnuts and blue cheese. I have to experiment with this as it was so delicious. It was served with creamy mashed potatoes that had tiny bits of pancetta and parsley. The cake that I made came out great too and we had that at home. Back to the old diet routine today!! Or should I say, my regular eating regimen!

It's a good thing I watch portions and food all week so I can splurge on the weekends!

Happy Monday! Ugh...it's 8 degrees here! What's so happy about that?