Smoky Jalapeno Cheese Ball
November 26th, 2007
Who loves to experiment in the kitchen? I suppose some people really don’t, but I do! The main thing that holds me back from constantly experimenting is that I hate throwing food away and I’m not crazy about serving nasty experiments-gone-wrong, either.
This is one idea that I had which I thought would take a few tries, but I really wanted to make it, so I dug in a few days before Thanksgiving, hoping I would get it right so we could munch on this on Turkey Day. It’s funny, isn’t it, how you imagine one scenario, but the complete opposite happens? Instead of having to try, try, try again to get the result I wanted, this newly-invented recipe turned out great the first time and was completely gone before Thanksgiving! Everyone in the family who tried it loved it and we ended up sort of fighting over it. (We couldn’t convince the littlest ones in the family to taste it and I have to admit we didn’t try very hard.)
Instead of going out and buying one of those “cheesy” plastic-wrapped and nut-covered cheese balls for the holiday season, try making your own… I bet you could even come up with a new flavor or two to suit your own tastes. I’m thinking of making a few for neighbors and friends.
So, here it is, faithful readers…. The Bacon Jalapeno Cheese Ball:
8 oz. Velveeta
1/3 c. water
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2-4 jalapeno peppers
2 cloves garlic
2 t. olive oil, butter, or any kind of oil
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
5 bacon strips
To start, fry up the bacon and let it cool and drain, then crumble it. You can even put it in your food chopper or just have a willing helper cut it up into small pieces with a kitchen shears.
Next, seed the peppers — cut the tops off and remove the inside pith and seeds. Chop them extra-tiny or throw them in the food chopper along with the garlic cloves. These you should saute in the oil in a small skillet. As they cook and soften, add the red pepper flakes.
I did not add any salt or other seasonings to this. Some of you may want to add cumin, chili powder, or other flavors. I decided to keep it simple. I will also mention that I did NOT add SALT, since the Velveeta is already plenty salty and the bacon, too.
So, once the peppers are softened and the bacon is crumbled, you can start on the cheese portion; Place the Velveeta, cut into chunks, and the water in a microwavable, large bowl with high sides (we’re going to be using the mixer in a minute.) Microwave this for a minute at a time, turning and stirring — until the cheese is rather soft. Use an electric mixer to whip this up. It should turn into a smooth, slightly runny cheese sauce, much like nacho cheese. You may have to microwave longer if the chunks won’t smooth out.
Finally, add everything together — dump the jalapenos and the bacon in, mix them in, then add the cheddar cheese. This may seem too soft to make into a cheese ball, that’s OK. Wrap this in some plastic wrap and refrigerate. After a couple hours of chilling, you should be able to mold it into a ball or log for serving.
Serve with your favorite crackers or pita chips. ENJOY!
Entry Filed under: Condiments, Holidays, Recipes, appetizers