Pecan Date Cheese Ball

Ground mustard, cream cheese, mayonnaise, and nutmeg combined with cheddar cheese and dates. Mixture is chilled before being shaped into a ball. Cheese ball rolled in chopped pecans before serving.

Ingredients -

1 teaspoon Ground Mustard
1 teaspoon Water
2 (8 ounces each) packages Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 cup chopped Dates
1 cup chopped Pecans
Crackers

Preparation:

1. Dissolve ground mustard in water in a small bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes.

2. In a medium-mixing bowl, stir cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth.

3. Add nutmeg and mustard to cream cheese mixture.

4. Stir in Cheddar cheese and dates.

5. Chill at least 15 minutes.

6. Shape into a cheese ball.

7. Roll in pecans.

8. Chill, covered, until ready to serve.

Variations and Recipe Ideas:

Cooking Tip

Ground Mustard

Ground mustard is made from ground black and white mustard seeds with flour, turmeric, sugar, salt and spices to create a tasty colorful blend.

Cooking Tip

Cream Cheese

High quality, brand name cream cheese is the cream cheese of choice. Soften cream cheese by placing on a plate and microwaving for 15 seconds on high, or by placing on the countertop for 30 minutes.