Secret Family Recipe Just For You

My parents loved to entertain. Until I was in the sixth grade, I thought being surrounded by a lot of people all the time was normal family life. How surprised I was to discover that my family was an exception. How I figured that out isn't important. The thing was, I realized that our home was like an open house nearly all the time.

Holidays always found extra people around our dinner table. Sometimes they were people I knew to be my folks friends; other times they were strangers known only to mom and dad. Many a time they were invited to stay overnight. That was the only part I hated. Not because they stayed, but because my middle sister and I were sent up to the attic to sleep because the visitors always got our beds. One day I questioned mom as to why she didn't send the visitors to the attic. I was informed that the dark attic with it's assorted junk and one double bed, wasn't fit for visitors. It was then that I discerned how much she thought of my middle sister and me. We were attic kids. How mortifying.

All told, I loved the parties. Mom loved to entertain and I have to say that she was probably the best home cook I ever knew. She taught all three of us girls well. The fact that only the youngest sister enjoyed cooking was not mom's fault. At least we all know how to set a grand table. During Christmas, there were certain recipes mom fixed that were "once a year" goodies. And while I had many favorites among the sweets, my favorite savory was her wonderful cheese ball rolled in minced nuts and parsley. To this day I've never tasted a cheese ball anywhere near as good. I'm not saying there isn't one out there someplace, I'm just saying I haven't found it.

As far back as I can remember, the cheese ball recipe was a secret. The story goes that the one who gave the recipe to mom insisted that she share it with nobody. I don't know the story behind that. What I do know is that over the years, I heard so many women ask for that recipe, only to be told it wasn't to be given out. The only reason I have it is because after I was married, I went over to mom's and copied a bunch of her best recipe cards. The cheese ball was one of them.

Mom's been gone ten years now. I'm sure whoever gave her the recipe is gone too. Without one iota of guilt, I'm passing it on to you. I figure anyone who reads a blog that rambles as much as mine does, deserves a nice Christmas present. So this is for putting up with all my rememberings. My stories. My thoughts. My take on any given subject. I pray you enjoy eating the cheese ball as much as I love having you as my loyal followers. Merry Christmas and God Bless You.

SECRET CHEESE BALL RECIPE

9 oz. cream cheese

1 lb. Old English Cheese (a sharp to extra sharp Cheddar), shredded

1 lb. Blue Cheese, crumbled

1 c. parsley, finely minced

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

1 tsp. grated onion

Let the cheese stand until it comes to room temperature. There should be NO coldness left at all. Put the cheese in the mixing bowl of your stand mixer. You can use a hand mixer, but it will take longer to combine the cheeses.

When all the cheese is blended, mix in half of the nuts and half of the parsley. Form into a ball, roll in the remaining nuts and parsley. Wrap in aluminum foil or plastic wrap.Set in the refrigerator to harden. This cheese ball gets better the longer it sets. Mom always made it at least three days before the party.

To serve, allow the ball to come to room temperature. Surround with assorted crackers.

Decide whether you will pass the recipe on or not. Your choice. As simple as the ingredients are, I have yet to taste another cheese offering as good as this one.

P.S. DO NOT try to make this low calorie. Use the ingredients called for. Anything low calorie will disappoint you and you'll think I handed off a bad recipe. Make it once a year and enjoy every morsel. Trust me on this. I tried making it more figure friendly. It tasted terrible.