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Cheese Ball – The Perfect Thanksgiving Appetizer

Cheese Ball
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Granted, Thanksgiving is all about the main course with the desserts following as a close second. This Cheese Ball, however, really puts the appetizers back in the running. It is super easy to make. It can be made on the day before. This is really is a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving repertoire!

We celebrate Thanksgiving in Germany so it has grown to a massive event over the years. We are usually right around 100 people each year and there are usually some that we have to leave out because we don’t have room. For this reason, we needed an appetizer that people could eat while waiting for everyone to show up. Cheese Ball to the rescue!

On the day before, or even a couple of days before hand, you can quickly mix this together and leave it in the fridge. One year I even made it 3 days in advance. The only problem was that I had to keep my husband and kids away from it! Those are the types of problems that tell you a recipe is a good one.

Naturally, if you are celebrating with less people you can cut the recipe down fairly easily. Salt and pepper are just added to taste and the walnuts are the topping. As long as you reduce the cream cheese and cheddar proportionately you will be good to go.

As always, let me know what you think of the recipe. To do that you can either rate it, leave a comment, or do both! I really appreciate the feedback and can’t wait to hear from you!

Enjoy!

Cheese Ball
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Cheese ball

Even though the appetizer tends to get forgotten on Thanksgiving, this Cheese Ball will have you adding it back in in a hurry!
Prep Time10 mins
Total Time10 mins
CourseSide Dish
CuisineAmerican
KeywordVegetarian
Servings: 1 Cheeseball
Author: Mom Adkins

Equipment

  • Handmixer

Ingredients

  • 800 g Cream Cheese
  • 450 g Shredded Cheddar
  • some Salt to taste
  • some Pepper to taste
  • a bit chopped Walnut

Instructions

  • Soften the Cream Cheese with the hand mixer.
  • Add the cheddar, salt, and pepper and mix very well.
  • Form the cheese into a ball, wrap it in saran wrap and put it in the fridge over night.
  • Roll the ball in the chopped walnuts and it is ready to serve.

Notes

It is best if it is in the fridge over night, but as long as the cream cheese is fairly solid you are good to go.
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Ratatouille – Straight from the Slow Cooker

Ratatouille - Straight from the Slow Cooker
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The movie worked wonders for this versatile dish. A mix of vegetables in a savory sauce makes Ratatouille an appealing dish for people of all ages.

We’ve made it as a casserole, as a sauce over noodles, and now we are having it straight from the slow cooker. The ingredients stay the same, but the way you put them together changes, and each one has it’s own unique flavor to it.

There is no getting around chopping those vegetables. If you have the time it is great to have the kids help out. They have fun cooking and you have less to chop. That’s a win-win! You can even use all that time that you’ve saved to make a Key Lime Pie for dessert!

We try to get the kids involved in cooking as much as possible. Being able to prepare something other than delivery or frozen pizza will come in handy one day. You don’t need to have a class for the kids each time you teach them something. Just having them cook along with you will have them learning more than you think. They usually ask questions on their own to fill in any holes that they might have. Slow Cooker Ratatouille is a great recipe to ease them in since it is “just” mixing up the vegetables and adding in the sauce at the end.

If you struggle to get your kids to eat their vegetables, or to try new vegetables, use this delicious recipe, and that little french rat, to show your kids that healthy can also be delicious!

As always, let me know what you think of the recipe. To do that you can either rate it, leave a comment, or do both! I really appreciate the feedback and can’t wait to hear from you!

Enjoy!

Ratatouille - Straight from the Slow Cooker
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Slow Cooker Ratatouille

Whether serving as the main course or as a helathy appetizer, this version of Ratatouille is going to have the whole family finishing their vegetables and going back for seconds.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time4 hrs
Total Time4 hrs 20 mins
CourseAppetizer
CuisineItalian
KeywordVegan
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 61kcal
Author: Mom Adkins

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients

  • 28 ounces diced tomatoes undrained
  • 1 eggplant cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 zucchini cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 yellow squash cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 red pepper seeded and diced
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 tbsp garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp italian seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley or chives chopped

Instructions

  • In a slow cooker, stir together tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, squash, red pepper, onion, garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper and black pepper. 
  • Cook on HIGH for 3 1/2 hours or LOW for 6 to 8 hours
    Ratatouille - Straight from the Slow Cooker
  • Add tomato paste and parsley and cook uncovered for an additional 30 minutes. 
  • If desired, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with fresh parsley or chives before serving.