Say Cheese!

I grew up watching sports on television. Back in the "olden days," we didn't have so many choices with our rural antenna, but if there was a game of any kind on TV, we were watching it.

Dad passed along his love of all things sports to his children. (If only my abilities had matched my fervor. I was, however, an excellent bench sitter on a couple of state championship basketball teams. And, as my Dad says, who did those girls practice against?)

We grew up going to high school games - home and away. And my love for K-State football developed early as we made the trek to Manhattan to watch our beloved Wildcats. 

So, I'm not one of the people who watches the Super Bowl for the commercials. Even though I don't have a favorite team in the line-up this year, I'll be just as attentive to the game between the Broncos and the Seahawks as I am to the outrageously-priced, 30-second spots advertising beer and chips. 

I'm also a fan of the Super Bowl spread. If you're looking for a winner in that department, you might want to try this cheeseball recipe. Before Christmas, the kids' piano teacher, Dorothy Trinkle, sent it via email, saying it was the "best cheeseball recipe I've ever found." She got it while cruising the Mississippi on a boat trip.

Dorothy usually halves the recipe when she makes it. However, since I was using it for three different holiday gatherings, I decided to make the full recipe. (The full recipe is below.)

You can make the cheeseballs as big or small as you'd like. For crisper almonds, roll the cheeseballs in the nuts just before serving, but leftovers are good, too. As Dorothy says, "It lasts well ... if people don't eat it!"

Gridley Cheese Ball
Recipe from Dorothy Trinkle

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
8 oz. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip)
1/4 cup milk
2 oz. dried beef, chopped finely
6-8 green onions, chopped
2 tsp. garlic salt (original recipe call for 3 teaspoons)
Toasted almonds

Combine all ingredients except almonds. (The original recipe said to do it with a heavy spoon, but I used my mixer, and it worked great.) Refrigerate at least 6 hours. Shape into balls and roll in toasted almonds, pressing lightly so they stick. You may make the balls as small or as large as you like. I made this at Christmastime and divided the cheese mixture into several  balls so that I could take them to different holiday gatherings. You can also freeze cheeseballs, minus the nuts. When you're ready to serve, thaw one out. Roll in almonds just before serving.

Serve with crackers, vegetables and/or fruit.

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Looking for other recipes for your Super Bowl party? Try these from my kitchen:

Baked Ham Harvest Sandwiches

(aka Funeral Sandwiches)

Million Dollar Deli Slices

Baked Brie

 

Sweet Potato Beef Mash-Up

(The contest is over, but the recipe is still a winner!)

 

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Today, I'm linked to Wake Up Wednesdays, a feature of Wichita blogger (and fellow K-State fan!) Ashley on her Kitchen Meets Girl blog. Click out the link to check out lots of other recipes for the game or for every day.