Harvest Cheese Ball

It’s the Holidays!!! I adore this time of year! Sorry I missed y’all during Thanksgiving…I was so very busy. I hope you had a great holiday giving thanks!  I made this yummy cheese ball, one for a friend, one for our fire department and one for us.

It was a hit and I hope you take the time to make one…it isn’t hard, I promise!

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Looks like a pumpkin,  but tastes like cheesy goodness!!

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Note: this recipe makes 3 cheese balls

You will need:

7 blocks of 8 oz cream cheese ( softened)

3 bell peppers with the steams ( any color)

1 1/2 cups chopped green olives ( chopped)

3 Tablespoons dry ranch dressing

6 cups of cheddar cheese ( shredded )

plastic wrap and rubber bands

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Add the cream cheese to a VERY large bowl…doesn’t that look divine!?

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slice and clean your peppers

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Save these lil guys, you’re gonna need ’em.

Keep them in the fridge until you are ready to use them

 

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Dice your peppers and  olives rather small. Watch them olives, they roll.

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling, man them olives are rolling…. okay sorry, I had to sing.

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Add ranch.

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Using a potato masher, mix and mash all of the ingredients until well combined.

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Should look like this when you are done…

Now, spread a long sheet of the plastic wrap on your counter and add about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese to it … then divide the cheese mixture into 3 even mounds and set on the cheddar cheese. sprinkle the top and the sides with more cheese and bring the sides of the wrap up around the ball and seal it good. you will see the cheddar start to stick. It will be REALLY stuck after it chills ….add another  layer of plastic wrap around the ball and shape it into a circle…. add the bands, crisscrossing them to look like pumpkin dents… watch below as my daughter made them ….

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Allow them to chill at least 6 hours, overnight is best.

To serve: remove the balls from the wrap and gently add the bell pepper stem to the top of your ball, to get that fresh picked pumpkin look !

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 Serve with your favorite crackers, veggies or toasted bread.

I can not wait to get started showing you more of my Holiday Favorites! Stay tuned!!

 

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I do not know who invented the shaping of the cheese ball, that is all over the internet, however the ingredients, are to my knowledge, my own.

 

 

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