Solid Starter: With a unique blend of cheese and a little spice, guest will realize this isn’t their grandmother’s cheese ball.

Note: I have only made this when I halved the recipe. The ingredients below are for the full recipe. Choose what you are making it for. When I halved it was great for a smaller party of people and we still had left overs.

Ingredients:
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon port wine
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped fine.

Your favorite crackers or toasted slices of crusty bread are good with this cheese ball.

Instructions:

1.  Process all of the ingredients (except the pecans) in a food processor until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary, about 1 minute. Transfer the cheese mixture to the center of a large sheet of plastic wrap.

2. Seal the cheese in the wrap and shape into a rough ball (the mixture will be somewhat loose). Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours. (The cheese ball can be refrigerated for up to 2 days). Once the cheese ball is firm, reshape it as necessary into a smooth sphere. Unwrap the cheese ball and roll it in the pecans. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 15 – 20 people.