Recipes

I thought I would share two more recipes with you that have proven to be favorites here in our circles of friends and family. One is a fruit cheeseball and the other is a dried beef cheese ball.

Fruit Cheeseball

1 8oz. pkg. of cream cheese
1 small pkg of vanilla instant pudding
1 regular size can of fruit cocktail/drained completely

After draining the fruit cocktail....I have even blotted it with paper towels to make sure I get all
of the liquid out.....mix the above three ingredients thoroughly. Then you can either roll the cheeseball in crushed cinnamon graham crackers or pecan pieces.
A couple of variations I've done is it to add pecan pieces to the cheeseball itself. Also, I have rinsed maraschino cherries and dried them to keep the red from bleeding into the other ingredients, then added the additional cherries to the cheeseball. I always add extra maraschino cherries to fruit cocktal or whatever else I'm using them in....*grin*. When I've added the pecans and cherries to the cheeseball, I haven't rolled it in anything because I think it is pretty just the way it is. Also, this year, if I make this cheeseball, I am going to use white chocolate instant pudding so as to keep the cheeseball nice and white. The instant vanilla pudding tends to color it a kind of creamy white color. Just some thoughts.
Oh, and I serve this cheeseball on a pretty platter with cinnamon graham crackers arranged around it.
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Dried Beef Cheeseball

2 8oz. cream cheese
1 pkg. of dried beef cut into very small pieces
1/2- 3/4 cup minced onion
1-2 tbsp. of Miracle Whip
Options:
1-2 tbsp. of Liquid Smoke
1 cube of beef boullion dissolved in just the smallest amount of water
1 envelope of Knorr's vegetable dip mix

Mix thoroughly the cream cheese, minced onion, Miracle Whip and dried beef. I have added all three of the optional ingredients and I have used only one of them at a time in cheeseballs I have made. So have fun and give it all a try!!! Oh, and I roll this cheeseball in parsley flakes sometimes, while at other times I don't roll it in anything because I think it is pretty as is, especially if I include the Knorr vegetable seasoning. Enjoy!