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Okay, on to the post.
I LOVE cheeseballs. Love them. They're just so yummy and pretty looking. Well, they're pretty looking until you dig into them and then it's just a pile of cheese...but then they taste awesome, so it makes up for the look. You pretty much can put just about anything in a cheeseball, and some people even get super creative with theirs. Take for example this one:
The Original Pin
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| http://lessthanperfectlifeofbliss.blogspot.ca/2010/12/sure-hes-cheesy-but-hes-oh-so-cute.html |
Cute, isn't it?! When I first looked at it I thought it was a sweet cheese ball with coconut on it (to dip cookies in), but then I read the link and saw that it's a mozzarella garlic cheeseball, and that sounds heavenly too. Mel saw this and decided to give it a go.
Mel said, "My pinstrosity occurred last year!" (small interjection...I love that she had a picture of this saved months before Pinstrosity ever came into creation) "I needed something to bring in to work for our Christmas get together. I found instructions to make a fabulous cheese ball and with my limited skills, thought even I could make it. Nope."
The Pinstrosity
"The first photo I have attached shows how mine turned out.
The second photo shows are remarkable resemblance to a cockapoo, don't you think?"
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| http://www.lancasterpuppies.com/puppy-for-sale/cockapoo/danny-1 |
Bahahaha, I love it. I love the resemblance to the cockapoo too.
So let's dissect this thing. It's really just a few small things actually that would have taken this from a cockapoo to a snowman.
First, from my limited experience with making cheeseballs, it can be so hard to get those dang things really round! In the original one the bottom ball is kinda squished, but the head is pretty dang good (or at least that could have been the good side of the cheeseball and so that's why she used it for the face). So a rounder head would have upped the presentation, but I know that's not the easiest. I found I get rounder cheeseballs if I just work it with my hands and I don't try to roll it in a bowl or on the counter (both tips I read online with the various cheeseballs I've made). Your hands get gooey, but you get a better "sphere".
Second, the sizes of the cheeseballs. You've got to have a larger snowman body than head to get it to look like a snowman. Just a little smaller of a head on Mel's and the shape would have been perfect.
Third, the cheese. The recipe calls for finely shredded mozzarella for the outside, and I think the finer you can get it the better. In the original you can see that the cheese is grated pretty thin. This will help give it the right look. Too thick of grated cheese and your snowman goes from snowy to hairy. And then as much mozzarella as you can get to stick, the better.
Fourth, if you want to be nit-picky...the hat. If you do one large circle and two small circles of toast you'll get more of a top hat look and less of a beanie look. But the beanie look is cute to!
So go forth and create awesome snowmen...or cockapoos, because either way I'm sure they taste great.
I'm definitely going to give this a try for any Christmas parties I have. Hopefully it turns out more snowman than cockapoo with these tips.
ReplyDeleteI love cheeseballs! I've made about 10 in the past year! The best way to get a great spherical shape AND keep your hands clean is to use plastic wrap! After mixing your cream cheese and ingredients together, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge from 30 mins to an hour to firm up the cream cheese. Don't worry about making a perfect sphere at this point. After 30 mins to an hour, take it out and unroll it and use the plastic wrap as a shield for your hands to help shape the cheeseball. The plastic wrap can also be used as a "base" for coating your ball with chopped nuts, crushed crackers, shredded cheese, etc.
ReplyDeleteWhen we make Cheeseballs at our house we mix everything in the kitchenaid so it can get really really runny sometimes. So we freeze it for about half an hour give or take. Its still pretty sticky but it is WAY WAY easier to shape into a ball. then we roll it in the topping and place it back in the freezer for 10 minutes to help hold the shape. Then in the fridge it goes till we serve it.
ReplyDeleteI just want to say that in a world of sarcasm and mockery this sure is refreshing. You have found a way to laugh at things that are funny without hurting feelings. And then you give helpful hints to solve the problem. It would have been easy to just make a site with mean posts. Thanks for taking the higher road. I'll be sure to send you my pinterest mistakes and feel comfortable knowing I won't be mocked!
ReplyDeleteOMG I have not had such a good laugh in a long time.. I can.t stop... I was doing ok until I continued reading and hit the snowman being hairy part, that was it, tears were streaming, nose running.. OMG Thank You so much ! That was the best laugh in a long time.. Keep Pinning
ReplyDelete