Okay, this is a variation of a cheese ball recipe, but instead of forming the cheese spread into a cheese ball, I made it into a cheese football. Yesterday morning, I was excited about getting to watch the Georgia-Florida football game that was going to be on TV at 3:30. I felt pretty good, so I decided to invite some folks over to watch the game with us. I had some party ideas, and, of course, as a true southerner, any get-together has to include some party food, so I began scrambling around the kitchen to see what I could make with ingredients I had on hand. I really didn’t want to go to the supermarket. I had stuff for salsa, some chips, stuff for dips, and some sweets, but I really wanted to make a cheese ball. Did I have enough cheese, I wondered? Yep, along with some other ingredients I could use in a cheese ball recipe. It was a big hit! Like I said, I made the cheeseball into the shape of a football. I used strips of red bell pepper to make a “G” on top, since we’re big Georgia Bulldog fans. This cheese ball would serve great as Super Bowl party food. In fact, if we have a Super Bowl party next year, I’ll definitely serve this cheese ball! If you like, you can roll the finished ball in chopped nuts. Hubby can’t eat many nuts, so I didn’t do this step. Oh, and by the way, Georgia beat the Gators. Go Dawgs!
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup diced red bell pepper
- ½ small onion, chopped
- 8 ouces cream cheese, softened
- ½ stick butter, softened
- 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
- ¼ cup chopped almonds
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons chipotle powder
- 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
- garlic salt, to taste
Instructions
- Place Diced pepper and onion in a large microwave-safe bowl and zap for one minute. Dry the veggies on paper towels and return to the bowl. Add the cream cheese and microwave for one more minute.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Place the bowl in the fridge to get firm. When the mixture is firm enough to hold its shape, form it into a ball, a football, a cheese log, or in any other shape you’d like.
- Keep the cheese ball or cheese log in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Surround with your favorite crackers.