Last year when we celebrated my wife’s birthday, I decided to make a bunch of food, surprise her at a resort, and basically just hang out with family. It was a great time to say the least. One of the appetizers I made was the bacon cheese ball. This cheese ball was so darn good that a lot of us were besides ourselves, digging in and wanting more. It was almost ridiculous how good it was, that this year I decided to take a spin off of that, and come up with another appetizer, the ham and cheese ball.
To me, the Christmas holiday has ham written all over it. Not sure what it is, but ham always seems to be around at one of the houses. I often do not cook ham on the holiday, but my kids ask for it, and so it is typically served at my in-laws during this time of year. With that said, I thought it would be a great idea to incorporate ham into this appetizer. I think it was well worth it.
Lets get started.
Ingredients:
- 2 8oz packages of Philadelphia cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 1 inch thick slices of cooked ham, diced
- 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
- 1 cup of shredded cheddar jack cheese
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of cracked black pepper
- pita chips or crackers
Start by adding your ham, garlic, and parsley into a mixing bowl.
Squeeze on the mayonnaise and mustard, along with the worchestershire sauce.
Add in the cheeses, and with a couple of large spoons, begin mixing, incorporating everything together. Â Once everything is mixed really well, shape it into a ball and place on a serving plate.
Place this in the refrigerator for at least one hour prior to serving.
The end result is a cheese ball that is loaded with flavor, and as a matter of fact, I think a bit more flavor than the bacon cheese ball. You get that nice punch of dijon, worchestershire sauce, and garlic, that when spread on a pita chip and getting a bite or two of the ham, well, need I say more? If you are looking for a great holiday appetizer, give this one a shot.
Ham and Cheese Ball Appetizer
Ingredients
- 2 8 oz packages of Philadelphia cream cheese room temperature
- 2 1 inch thick slices of cooked ham diced
- 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
- 1 cup of shredded cheddar jack cheese
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of cracked black pepper
- pita chips or crackers
Instructions
- Start by adding your ham, garlic, and parsley into a mixing bowl.
- Squeeze on the mayonnaise and mustard, along with the worchestershire sauce.
- Add in the cheeses, and with a couple of large spoons, begin mixing, incorporating everything together. Once everything is mixed really well, shape it into a ball and place on a serving plate.
- Place this in the refrigerator for at least one hour prior to serving.