Happy Thanksgiving!!! Post 1: Mom's Cheese Ball

Hey folks! I am cooking today so I am going to bring you as-it-happens cooking right from the kitchen. The first thing I made (apart from the pies I made last night which I'll post about later) is my mom's cheese ball. I love love love this thing and it came out perfectly! It tastes so great right now. Here it is:

Cookie's (my mom) Holiday Cheese Ball

I made a relatively small-sized ball, but you could easily double the recipe

• 12 oz cream cheese (1 pack and a half)
• 1/2 oz an 8 oz can of pineapple chunks
• 1 really big scallion, greens and whites, or use 2-3 small ones
• chopped walnuts to cover the whole thing

1. Make this and any other spreads or dips you are making a day ahead of time (I realize the date/time of this posting prevents that now, but for next year). This allows the flavors to really seep into the cheese.
2. Let the cream cheese get to room temp out on the counter.
3. Finely chop the pineapple and scallion(s) and cream them into the cheese.
4. After it's all creamed in, drizzle in some of the pineapple juice, like a tablespoon or two, just until it is slightly wet so that forming into a ball is a little difficult, but you can do it anyway.
5. Wrap plastic wrap around everything. Form into a ball using the plastic wrap to help.
6. Store in the fridge over night.
7. The next day, finely chop the walnuts and roll the cold ball in the walnuts pressing them into the ball covering the whole thing.
8. Serve it up with Stoned Wheat Thin Mini's.