pumpkin cheese ball

I'm obsessed with fall and halloween. Have I made that clear yet?! Here's an easy and quick appetizer idea for your halloween spread! I was inspired by this blog post I found via pintrest. Such a fun idea! She's got a ton of great ideas, BTW. The only problem was in my mind, the cheese to cracker ratio was way out of proportion. 

There's not really a recipe here. I used my favorite sharp cheddar cheese spread and rolled it into a ball. With the back of a butter knife, I made the lines down the pumpkin. I inserted a giant pretzel rod and some cilantro (that's what I had on hand) and served it with pretzel crisps (again, that's what I had on hand). Make sure you insert the stem right before you want to serve it. Otherwise, it will get soggy. You can make the mold a few days before your party. I love things that can be done beforehand!

improv style:

use your favorite cheese spread. smoked, with bacon bits and chives, pimento cheese, even a brie round, goat cheese  or white cheddar spread to mock a white pumpkin would be super chic. you can even add your own fresh herbs and fixins (think salami chunks or bacon, hello) to spice it up. 

for the stem and leaves you can use pretzels, celery sticks, a bell pepper stem, or green onion. For leaves you can use anything leafy think spinach, herbs (cilantro, flat leaf parsley), celery leaves, kale, the list goes on

if you want to get extra halloween-y, you could put cut veggies to make it look like a jack-o-lantern. about a month after i saw the food bloggers post, i saw this idea on food network magazine. they took it up a level and served it with blue (looked black) tortilla chips and rolled the cheese ball in nacho doritos. hello! such a great idea and it was orange and black! very festive!

i would serve with your favorite crackers, bread slices, pretzels, or even chips! anything you like cheese on! serving it on a chalkboard platter would be great way to show the halloween theme too! you can roll the bottom of the cheese in chopped or slivered nuts. 

what are you going to be for halloween this year? and more importantly, what are you going to make to nosh on for the big day?! 

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