We’ve posted about cheese balls many times before, but spring is coming soon, in spite of the snow some of us are still dealing with, and spring is the season of all kinds of pitch-ins, potlucks, and open houses – St. Patrick’s, Easter, graduation. . . . etc, and at these events, people look for cheese balls.

Now, this recipe might seem a bit different. That’s because it is! It’s different in that it’s a lot yummier than plain old cheeseballs people stop by the grocery store deli to run in and buy because they don’t know how to make a cheese ball from scratch.

That won’t be you this spring! Our spicy cheese ball is easy to throw together and will be easy to find on the food table. Just follow the crowd.

Cheese Ball Ingredients:

• 5 ounces of blue cheese, room temperature
• 2 ounces of shredded Gouda cheese
• 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
• 10 ounces of sharp processed cheese (Velvetta)
• 1 tbsp. of Feta cheese
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1.5 ounces of any flavor of Texas Pepper Jelly you have on hand
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

How to create the perfect cheese ball:

In a large bowl, combine all of the cheeses, the garlic salt, onion, and the Texas Pepper Jelly. Mix well. Cover bowl tightly with Saran Wrap and put it in the refrigerator for a few hours, or overnight.

When the mixture is firm, shape it, with your well-washed hands, into a log or ball. Roll the log or ball in the chopped nuts.

Put the cheese log/ball on a pretty tray, and surround it with assorted crackers. Put the tray on the table and stand back. You might get trampled in the mad rush that will surely follow!

(You can shape this into any form you like, actually; you can even put it in a mold and turn it out onto the plate-shaped like a clover or whatever, but we think it’s easier to scoop it up with crackers if it’s shaped like a log.)