Gary's Cheese Ball

My husband is becoming quite the recipe saver from the internet.  He found this cheese ball recipe and it turned out to be really good.  If you are a bacon lover you will love it.  I do this only in December for Gary.  He really loves cheese balls and he is a snacker so he enjoys being able to go to the frig and pull out his cheese ball with some crackers and have a snack.  It is also good to have on hand for company who stops by.  You can add some some carrots, sliced cucumbers and celery with a vegetable dip and have a great little snack for friends.

This recipe also suggested making the cheese mixture into small bite size balls and sticking a pretzel into each ball to pick it up.  I thought this was a great idea for parties.  It takes more time to make individual cheese balls but it's a great idea.

12 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder, (I used 3 medium size garlic cloves and minced them)
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
8 slices of bacon, cooked and finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh chives
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

Mix together cream cheese, cheddar cheese, garlic, paprika and salt and pepper.  (I also added the chives and pecans because I wanted them on the inside of the cheese ball instead of a garnish for the outside.)  When this is well combined shape into 18 small cheese balls or one large one and refrigerate for one hour.

In a shallow bowl or on a plate, stir together cooked bacon, chives and pecans.  Roll the balls in this mixture and insert a pretzel stick.  If not serving immediately, wrap loosely with plastic wrap and keep in the frig.  Let these sit at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.