Wondering how to get your New Year's Eve shindig rolling? Start by having a ball. A cheese ball.
While outwardly frumpy, cheese balls are always welcome guests at get-togethers. I have seen, firsthand, their ability to entertain.
A friend once brought a cheese ball to an office party, and you would have thought she had reinvented food. A big schmear of that tasty globe on a cracker was all it took for people to loosen up and start cracking jokes.
Not just that, cheese balls are good. They're loaded with flavor and welcome all types of flavoring agents. I have seen recipes for BLT balls, green chile cheese balls, taco-flavored balls, bacon balls, Buffalo wing-flavored balls, shrimp balls, chutney/curry balls, dried-beef balls, olive and pimento balls, even sweet cheese balls studded with chocolate chips. They can be rolled in fresh herbs, nuts, spices, crumbled bacon, crushed pretzels, raisins and dried cranberries.
It's almost impossible to ruin a cheese ball, and their retro quality reminds people of the good old days when hostesses served cheese straws, celery piped with cream cheese, deviled eggs and onion dip.
If you're looking for a great New Year's Eve ball, we have a few tasty suggestions, thanks to Cook's Country magazine.
