April 17: National Cheese Ball Day

We all know I love cheese. And how I have a stack of 52 informational cheese cards that each list facts on them. But cheese balls? I wasn't quite sure what one was. There's a million different cheese ball recipes. I found a really easy and a really good one. That is, if you like paprika and garlic.

Quote from my mom: "I feel like a dragon breathing fire after eating this." While this at first, may not seem like a compliment, it was a compliment. My mom just has a sensitive palate. I accidentally got confused with the garlic. But that's ok. Garlic is good for you!

JazzyJ's Paprika Garlic Cheese Balls:

Ingredients:
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 large garlic clove (Note: This is not the same as a whole head of garlic)
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons paprika


Directions:
1. Let the cream cheese sit out at room temperature for about 15 minutes so it is easy to work with. Mix cream cheese, grated parmesan cheese, and 1 minced garlic clove together with a fork.

NOTE: I got confused and thought it said a whole garlic head. A whole garlic head is a heck of a lot of garlic. My mom noticed what I was doing and panicked. She scraped out a lot of the garlic and added it to tonight's soup. I probably ended up with 2 VERY LARGE cloves worth of garlic and that is why my mom said the quote about breathing fire like a dragon. Anyways.

2. Wet your hands a little and form the cream cheese mixture into a large ball.
3. Sprinkle paprika on a plate. Roll the cream cheese ball in the paprika until it is completely covered. You may have to add more or less paprika to cover your cream cheese ball.

Add some crackers and you are good to go!

Fun addition: Cut a fun shape out of some parchment paper and put the shape on the cream cheese ball before rolling in the paprika. It should easily stick. When the ball is entirely covered in paprika, remove the parchment paper and you have a pretty shape!

I tried to do a Mickey Mouse Ear shape. However, Mickey Mouse shaped ears are hard to cut out. I ended up going with a heart. It looked very eloquent and fancy!

This was my attempt at Mickey Mouse Ears.

Second Note: If you add too much garlic or paprika, your "fire-breathing mother" might have to eat the remainder of your mint Oreo cookie ice cream "to cool down" her breath. In order to prevent unwanted eating of the remainder of your ice cream, I suggest adding less paprika or garlic if your mother, who has a sensitive palate, is going to eat some.