When it comes to preparing a Thanksgiving meal, we all have a few staples that we never forget.
The turkey, naturally, is always going to be a part of the menu, but most of us also have a few go-to dishes that we never forget, from the green bean casserole recipe handed down from grandma, to more unconventional recent additions!
And, even if you don't really change up your Thanksgiving offerings very often, there's usually at least a little bit of wiggle room in the "appetizer" portion of the holiday.
If you're having a whole heap of people over, you probably serve veggies and dip or cheese and crackers for people to munch on while you're putting the finishing touches on the main meal.
But this year, let your appetizer get in on the fun with a whimsical and festive take on the classic cheese and crackers combo!
Instead of boring old sliced cheese, make it Thanksgiving extravaganza with our scrumptious Cheese Ball Turkey!
Scroll through below to learn how it's done!
First things first, you'll want to assemble your ingredients.
For this recipe, you'll need:
- 1 8 oz. package cream cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup of chopped mixed nuts
- 2 candy eyes
- 1 jerky stick
- Pretzel sticks
- 1 round chocolate candy
- 1 candy corn
- Chocolate frosting
First, put all of your cream cheese into a bowl and let it soften for about fifteen minutes.
When it's workable, mix in your cheddar cheese until the two cheeses are thoroughly blended together.
You may want to do this by hand, kneading the cheese in as you go.
Once the cheese is thoroughly mixed together, begin to gently roll and pat it into a rounded ball shape.
Wrap tightly in cling wrap and roll several more times to make sure it's a uniform ball shape inside of the wrap.
Now, put it in the freezer to chill for 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove your chilled cheese ball from the fridge and remove the cling wrap.
Gently roll the cheese into a dish of chopped nuts until it's totally covered in bits of nut.
If you want, you can designate one side to be the bottom of the turkey and leave that free of nuts.
Now, plate your cheese ball, preferably on the dish you plan to serve it on.
Take pretzel sticks and begin to stick them into the cheese at the back.
Place pretzel sticks in an arc over the cheese ball to create the illusion of the turkey's tail.
Now, pop the whole plate back in the freezer to chill while you work on the next steps.
Use chocolate frosting to stick a round chocolate candy to a small stick of jerky.
We used a malt ball and stuck it into place just using frosting, but you could also use a solid piece of chocolate and melt it slightly to "glue" it to the jerky.
Let your frosting harden into place.
Use more frosting to "glue" two candy eyes to the round chocolate head.
Then, use an additional dab of frosting to attach a candy corn right below the eyes; this will be the beak.
Now, let the whole "turkey" rest, and freeze it for about twenty minutes to harden the frosting.
Remove cheese and "turkey" from the freezer.
Stick the plain end of the jerky stick into the cheese at the front to complete your turkey's body.
If the cheese is too hard from chilling, you may also want to make a small hole first to make it easier to place the jerky.
Your turkey can go back in the freezer until 1 hour before you want to serve it; at that point, move it into the refrigerator.
When you're ready to serve your turkey, take it out of the fridge and surround it with a "nest" of crackers.
Serve, enjoy, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
If you love the idea of this deliciously adorable new Thanksgiving tradition, be sure to SHARE with friends and family!
