Don't you just love to make discoveries? I do. I recently discovered (I probably should say "rediscovered") a book I bought when I was teaching school in CA called Gifts from the Kitchen. It is full of recipes for mixes and food items that you can give as gifts. It also contains some creative wrapping ideas for those gifts. I love all the pictures it also contains to illustrate the recipes and ideas.
They recommended this Shrimp Ball as a hostess gift for somebody who does a lot of entertaining over the holidays. I decided to make and take it to Saturday night's Northland New Neighbors Dinner Group's December gathering. We decided it was too good not to eat right away.
I did make a few changes in the original recipe (I wrote my changes in parenthesis). Even with my changes, everyone thought it was really, really good. Maybe I should explain the major change....leaving out the minced onion but using a smaller amount of onion powder. You see ... raw onions and I don't get along at all and I wanted to be able to enjoy it. I hated leaving out the ground rosemary but I couldn't find any in the stores. It would have been an interested flavor in it.
I found the Harvarti cheese at Sam's Club. I did a little research before I went to the store and was prepared to substitute Monterrey Jack cheese for it if I had to. You could probably find it in the deli department of the grocery store. The canned shrimp can be found with the canned tuna and salmon.
My husband told me I should make it again when I have to bring an appetizer. I am sure I will.
8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese-it's softer)
2 tablespoons salad dressing or mayonnaise (I used salad dressing with olive oil)
1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened
1-1/2 cups grated Harvarti cheese
1-2 tablespoons minced onion (I used 1 teaspoon onion powder)
1/2 teaspoon ground rosemary (I omitted because I couldn't find any)
1 teaspoon dried sweet basil
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 4-oz cans of shrimp, drained and rinsed
1-1/2 tablespoons parsley flakes or whatever it takes to cover it
1 teaspoon paprika or whatever it takes to cover it
Beat the cream cheese, salad dressing, and margarine together in mixing bowl until smooth.
Combine the next 6 ingredients. Add to mixture and mix well.
Add shrimp. Mix well.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill several hours.
Form in a ball.
Sprinkle the ball with the parsley flakes to cover.
Sprinkle the ball with paprika to cover.
(I tried to roll the ball in the parsley flakes and paprika as directed in the recipe, but it left a lot uncovered. I have given you my suggestion as it works better-I had to cover the uncovered places on mine.)
Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Serve with crackers. (Sue says it tastes really great with grapes instead of crackers.)
They recommended this Shrimp Ball as a hostess gift for somebody who does a lot of entertaining over the holidays. I decided to make and take it to Saturday night's Northland New Neighbors Dinner Group's December gathering. We decided it was too good not to eat right away.
I did make a few changes in the original recipe (I wrote my changes in parenthesis). Even with my changes, everyone thought it was really, really good. Maybe I should explain the major change....leaving out the minced onion but using a smaller amount of onion powder. You see ... raw onions and I don't get along at all and I wanted to be able to enjoy it. I hated leaving out the ground rosemary but I couldn't find any in the stores. It would have been an interested flavor in it.
I found the Harvarti cheese at Sam's Club. I did a little research before I went to the store and was prepared to substitute Monterrey Jack cheese for it if I had to. You could probably find it in the deli department of the grocery store. The canned shrimp can be found with the canned tuna and salmon.
My husband told me I should make it again when I have to bring an appetizer. I am sure I will.
SHRIMP BALL
8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese-it's softer)
2 tablespoons salad dressing or mayonnaise (I used salad dressing with olive oil)
1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened
1-1/2 cups grated Harvarti cheese
1-2 tablespoons minced onion (I used 1 teaspoon onion powder)
1/2 teaspoon ground rosemary (I omitted because I couldn't find any)
1 teaspoon dried sweet basil
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 4-oz cans of shrimp, drained and rinsed
1-1/2 tablespoons parsley flakes or whatever it takes to cover it
1 teaspoon paprika or whatever it takes to cover it
Combine the next 6 ingredients. Add to mixture and mix well.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill several hours.
Sprinkle the ball with the parsley flakes to cover.
Sprinkle the ball with paprika to cover.
(I tried to roll the ball in the parsley flakes and paprika as directed in the recipe, but it left a lot uncovered. I have given you my suggestion as it works better-I had to cover the uncovered places on mine.)
Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
This looks delicious :) A great appetizer for the holidays for sure. Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ali. I thought so. Have been enjoying some leftover (we had lots to eat that night). Shared some with my friend Janice earlier today. She really liked it too. Said she was going to tell her daughter about it.
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