Every year on Christmas Eve my family and I all gather for a big dinner and a gift exchange. It didn’t take us long to learn that if we wanted rolls with our dinner, we better have an appetizer to satisfy our munchies while we waited for dinner to be ready. One of my aunts usually brings a veggie platter and cheese ball with crackers. The cheese ball was ALWAYS gone first. This is just one of my favorite recipes that’s been passed around in my family. It is a bit of nostalgia for me as I won’t be going to see my family for Christmas this year.

Print Christmas Cheese Ball Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Yield: 2 cheese balls Ingredients 2 8oz packages cream cheese, softended

1 1/2 TBS hot sauce, use a little more if you like some kick (I used Frank's Red Hot)

1/4 tsp miced garlic

1/4 tsp onion powder

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup pecans, chopped Instructions Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl Mix ingredients with beaters for about a minute Divide the mixture into two balls Place each ball on to two separate squares of plastic wrap, wrap the balls up and form into smooth, round balls Freeze for 15 minutes Remove fro plastic wrap and roll in pecans 3.1 http://eggrollsandsauce.com/christmas-cheese-ball/