Score a touchdown with this delicious & festive Jalapeno Popper Football Shaped Cheeseball!
Hello, friends! Those of you who follow me on Instagram got a sneak peak of today's post. Watching football at my parents is a family tradition. On any given Sunday you'll find a handful of our clan watching men in tight pants toss the pigskin. The funny thing is, Dad usually ends up watching the game with all of us girls because my brothers are either working or fishing.
This is my second stab at a cheeseball. My first was a sage infused white cheddar pomegranate cheeseball that I affectionately named Million Dollar Cheeseball after my Nana made a comment about how much it must have cost me to make it.
This is my second stab at a cheeseball. My first was a sage infused white cheddar pomegranate cheeseball that I affectionately named Million Dollar Cheeseball after my Nana made a comment about how much it must have cost me to make it.
While the Million Dollar Cheeseball was a savory salty-sweet combo, I wanted to come up with one that had a little bit of kick reminiscent of a jalapeno popper.
Mission Accomplished.
Ingredients:
8 oz of cream cheese, softened 4 oz of shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1/3 cup of green onion, divided 1/4 cup of pickled jalapenos, or more if you want to spice it up a bit 3 slices of bacon, prepared and finely chopped 1/6 cup of breadcrumbs 1 fresh jalapeno, finely chopped 1 slice of white cheese of your choice (I used Pepper Jack)-- if you're making yours into a football like mine Assortment of pretzels and crackers for serving
Instructions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar, pickled jalapeno, and about 2 tbsp of green onion. Mix well with a hand mixer.
2. Remove the mixture from the bowl with a spatula and shape the yumminess into a ball with your hands. Place it on a sheet of wax paper or a cutting board. Cover it with plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes so the cheeseball has a chance to firm up a bit.
You'll notice that my cheeseball isn't your standard ball shape. Since I made it for the game, I formed mine into a football.
3. While the cheeseball chills, prepare your bacon. Once fully cooked, remove the bacon from the pan and wipe clean. Leave behind some of the bacon grease...you're going to need it!
4. Add your breadcrumbs to the pan and lightly toast it in the bacon grease. Oh yes, I did! Allow it to toast for a minute or two or until it is golden.
5. Remove the seeds, veins and stem from your jalapeno and dice it finely. Be careful not to rub your eyes, you'll need them for the rest of this project.
Combine the remaining green onions, bacon, and breadcrumbs into a scrumptious little mixture. Begin applying the mixture to your cheeseball pressing firmly so the ingredients stick.
How cute is my little football?? All it needs now is laces...
I sliced a piece of pepper jack cheese to form the laces so that people would *hopefully* notice they were eating something containing jalapeno. You could also use mozzarella, white cheddar or any other white cheese you have on hand.
So what was the verdict? Well, my mom asked for the recipe to use at her bar at work. My brother called it "Awesome" and even my 10-year-old niece loved it. The great thing about this ball is you can make it as spicy as you would like. If you follow the measurements as posted it will just have a little kick to it. The bacon and cream cheese help balance that out. If you're looking for something with a little more punch, simply add more jalapeno.
It's all things football on the blog this week. On Monday I'll share Superbowl Decorating Ideas, Wednesday's post is all about Football Food and on Saturday I'll be sharing some of my favorite drink recipes. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter so you don't miss the updates.
Don't forget to use the #mandmcooks if you make this dish so we can see how it turns out!