My balls are getting firm

I made two cheese balls for Thanksgiving dinner (and in the spirit of the season, I'm not going to rant -- much -- about how my MIL always tells us to bring dessert and then always goes out and buys dessert as well. Which is a little annoying. At least I found out this year before I actually made the pie.) and I'm thinking they came out really well. They're in the fridge firming up so I can roll them in their respective coatings, but I sampled the wares quite extensively, and in the interests of being able to reproduce them, here's the recipe and variations:

Main Cheese Ball Base
1 1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c. (1 8 oz. pkg) lowfat cream cheese
2 tbsp. nonfat mayonnaise or mayonnaise style dressing (e.g., Miracle Whip)

Blend all ingredients together in food processor until creamy and well blended, along with variation ingredients (see below). Empty contents of food processor onto large square of plastic wrap. Holding all for corners of plastic wrap, twist plastic closed. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm. When firm, remove from plastic wrap and shape into sphere. Roll in desired topping (see suggestions in variations, below). Serve with crackers (I like the Club cracker stix).

Variations:

Irish:
1 1/2 tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream
1/2 - 1 tsp seasoned salt (to taste)
Roll ball in chopped pecans

Savory:
1 packet onion soup
Roll ball in chopped green onions, or chives, or shredded cheddar

Also, I exercised today for the first time since I got laid off, and it feels pretty good. I'm a little sore, but it's a good sore. We'll see how that works out for me tomorrow. Ideally, I'll keep doing the cardio pretty much every day (weekdays), with some yoga and conditioning thrown in for good measure. I've been gaining a little weight back since I'm home every day, which is partly because I'm here around yummy food all day, and partly because in winter I like to eat warm food (no salads, though last week and this week I got back on the salad horse), and partly because now I don't have 20-30 minutes of walking as part of my commute every day. I would go out and walk, but I live in the northeast and (prepare yourself for an understatement of grand magnitude) am a bit of a wimp about the cold. But I do have a Tony Little Gazelle, and while I don't believe it will give me six pack abs in 3 weeks, I do believe that it's a decent cardio workout. It's actually very similar to the ellipticals I used to use at the gym.

posted by Laura Y. @ 1:31 PM