As a young girl growing up in the south and watching my mother and her friends entertain, I realized that hostessing could be a tricky business. You needed to be the first to come up with the latest new dish before it was served at every bridge circle and ladies club in town. Now that we live in the age of pintrest, food TV, etc. new ideas and recipes come and go so quickly it’s hard to even keep up with the latest trends. But back in the 60’s and 70’s you had to BE the latest trend. I think that’s how cheese balls came to be. I don’t quite know if it was a regional thing, but interesting combinations of cheeses covered with nuts, or pineapple, or green onions were rolled into balls approximately the size of a baseball to be served with crackers and the new “must have” appetizer was off and running. Many a lady had her own version, but this being the south nothing was ever a secret and so these recipes became a part of southern entertaining lore.
Cheese balls don’t often appear at parties anymore, but being a lover of all things cheesy including, with all humility, my own pimento cheese, I wanted to reinvent some of those flavors of the past as a new cheese dip. My mother served one with cheddar cheese, green onions and bacon that was hard to beat so that’s where I started. Almonds, sundried tomatoes and a tiny splash of sherry are where I ended. This was too easy because I used the “cheater method” for the crumbled bacon. If you don’t already know this I promise it will change your life – just buy those packages of real bacon bits and microwave what you need on a paper towel until they are crispy – about a minute. That works for dips, salads, and soups – truly amazing.
If you find yourself entertaining a crowd, maybe it’s spring break at the beach or just friends dropping by, you can make this appetizer in under five minutes and no one will ever doubt your fabulous hostessing skills. Now what to call this? How about “Sammy’s Cheese Spread” because I assure you it’s become his new and not so secret cheese addiction. Looks like I’ll be making a new batch today. Make your own and enjoy the compliments!
Ingredients
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
5 green onions, thinly sliced (grocery store salad bar)
½ cup slivered almonds
1.5 oz real bacon bits (jar or package)
3 Tbsp minced sundried tomatoes packed in oil (julienned come in jars)
1 Tbsp sherry
1¼ cup mayonnaise (I used the canola oil version)
Directions
Just mix it all together.
Directions for crisping bacon are in the blog (microwave on a paper towel for a minute).
Serve with crackers, corn chips, and/or celery sticks.
*Keeps at least a week covered in the fridge.
