A "Turkey" Cheese Ball

Hello and happy Monday to ya! Man did we have a busy weekend. Yesterday we opened our home to almost everyone on my husband's side of the family. It was so wonderful! All the siblings and cousins and great grandkids gathered around the amazing patriarch of the family (Grandpa) to give thanks for all our blessings in life. It was a great day. There were 33 people total...not including when we dragged the neighbor over to take a huge group picture :)

The funniest thing about the day was people kept coming up to me and asking if I was ok or if I was freaking out yet or if I needed anything. Truthfully being around big crowds of family is where I feel most comfortable. I've mentioned on here before that I'm from a very large family, but I forget my Hubby's family doesn't know/remember that. Not only do I have 6 siblings, but my dad has 6 siblings, and some of those siblings have 6 kids and those kids have 6 kids. I have more second cousins then I know about!

Before my grandparents passed away, we ALL always got together for the holidays. It was the only time of the year I got to see a lot of my family. I'll never forget the year after my grandpa passed (grandma went two years before) we all stopped getting together. Sure my dad's siblings still make an effort to see each other and some random cousins will come, but it's not the same. There aren't 15 grandbabies near the same age running around, or stories being shared, or football games being played in the backyard, or card games after card games being played throughout my aunts awesomely big house. I miss it terribly.

Which is why I was jumping all over the idea to host my husband's entire family. It was so much fun. The kids were so well behaved, the adults were laughing and talking about Thanksgivings past, and everyone was gobbling up my Turkey Cheese Ball!

Isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen?! I just love how he turned out! Not sure why I'm calling it a He. Anyway. Here's what you'll need to make this little guy:

This recipe is soo easy to do! Just make sure your cream cheese has softened for at least an hour, maybe two. Mix the cream cheese, shredded cheese, green onions, Worcestershire sauce and half the taco seasoning together in a bowl. I use my hands for this part!

Once everything is combined really well, place onto parchment paper and form into the body of a turkey. I had no idea what I was doing and just went with whatever I thought would resemble a turkey. The recipe itself is awesome, so if it comes out looking like a duck, no one will care!

Once you have your shape, sprinkle more taco seasoning on it to give it a darker color. Put the turkey ball in the refrigerator and chill overnight. Need the ball today? Put in the fridge for at least two hours before the guests arrive. The next day, line the back with a layer of crackers, then another layer in front of that, then just start sticking in crackers until it looks like a turkey. Add the beef stick, clove eyes and candy corn nose and you've got a happy little turkey!

I promise all of your guests will love it as much as mine did!

Ingredients:

2 packages of cream cheese, softened (8 oz)

1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 Cup green onions, thinly chopped

2 T Worcestershire sauce

1 package of taco seasoning, divided
1 Slim Jim
2 whole cloves
1 candy corn
Black icing to use as glue

Directions:
Combine cream cheese, shredded cheese, onions, Worcestershire sauce, and half the taco seasoning together into a bowl. Form into the body of a turkey, sprinkle on more taco seasoning until it's the color you desire, and place in the fridge overnight. The next day remove the "bird" and line with crackers until it's as "fluffy" as you want. Stick two whole cloves at the top of a Slim Jim to resemble eyes and use the black icing to glue the candy corn "beak" on right below that. Stick the beef stick near the front of the cheese ball, away from the cracker "feathers" and you're done. Serve with whatever you like to enjoy cheese balls with.

Come back soon and I'll show you how I managed to host this many guests in my home and not lose my mind!. Almost done with my master shopping list from my crockpot meals and will be posting that soon with my broccoli cheddar soup recipe you'll love! What are you looking forward to the most for Thanksgiving? What are you most thankful for?

Thanks for stopping by!

*I was featured on mommy on demand
**I linked up to 733 blog and housewives of riverton and someday crafts and the winthrop chronicles and made in a day and not just a housewife and hope studios and funky polka dot giraffe and mommy on demand and anyonita nibbles and nap-time creations and a to zebra celebrations and between naps on the porch and dwellings-theheartofyourhome and the dedicated house and homecoming and our delightful home and cedarhill farmhouse and feeding big and rain on a tin roof and a pinch of joy and flour me with love and i should be mopping the floor and diyhshp