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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Spa Mask Cheese Ball

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I have been wanting to blog about this recipe for a while now. I first saw it on the Hungry Happenings website and thought it was the coolest thing ever. Not necessarily the recipe itself – it’s a simple yet flavourful cheese ball – but because of the ingenious way Beth Jackson (creator of the blog and all around super genius when it comes to crafting really, really clever food thingies) presents it.
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Sue and I encourage you to check out her website. (Click here) It’s awesome. We have found so many ideas to steal....We mean.....borrow....*cough cough* we totally don’t claim they are our ideas at all.....
Anyway.... if you want the full tutorial and instructions then go to her site HERE. She has wonderful photos and easy to follow step-by-step instructions.
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Taco Flavoured Spa Mask Cheese Ball
Ingredients
2 X 8 oz blocks cream cheese, softened
1 generous cup of aged cheddar cheese, shredded
1 generous cup of Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
1 – 2 Tbsp of Taco seasoning (to your own taste, we used 1 Tbsp)
2 large slices of white cheese – we used Swiss
½ cup sour cream, tinted green with food coloring
1 roasted red pepper
2 slices of cucumber
Dark tortilla chips
 Directions
Mix cream cheese, cheddar cheese, Monterrey Jack cheese, and Taco seasons together until well blended.
Press into mask lined with plastic wrap. Chill until firm.
Unmold onto serving plate.

Before the sour cream "mask" is applied

Carefully cover face shape with the tinted sour cream, leaving some of the color of the cheese ball showing around the edges of the face, eyes, and mouth (so it looks like a bit of skin showing through)
Carefully lay long cheese slices on top of the mask so they look like a towel wrapped around the head. Gently hold the cheese to the face while you use a sharp knife to trim around the bottom.
Cut red pepper into lip shape and lay on top. Place cucumber slices over eyes.
Chill until ready to serve. It is a good idea to let it sit at room temp for at least a little while so the cheese ball has time to soften a little.
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(Again, if you want step-by-step instructions with photos then please click HERE)
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 We had to improvise on a couple of things as some of the ingredients listed in the Hungry Happening’s recipe are unavailable in Lillooet. (Oh the joys of living in a small town!) We also changed the guacamole “mask” to a green sour cream “mask” as we had to prepare the mask ahead of time for a friend who was not going to serve it until later that evening. We didn’t want the avocado / guacamole going a funky color. I would like to make it again with the guacamole as I think it might enhance the flavour of the cheese ball.
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You can serve it with whatever your favourite cracker or chip is..... Our friend, Angel, served it with black tortilla chips because she thought it looked like the “spa lady” was laying in a mud bath.
 I think she is right. Good call Angel.

(Update - click HERE to see how we turned this into a Medusa cheeseball for Halloween!)

8 comments:

  1. Great job with the cheese ball. I'm so happy you like my ideas and made this recipe for your friend's party. I like the idea of using green sour cream so it can keep in the refrigerator longer. It also gives the woman's facial mask a fun glow.

    I'm going to add one of your pictures and a link to your site on my blog post.

    Beth @ Hungry Happenings

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  2. Thank you :) That means a lot coming from you! And, thank you so much for the link on your blog!

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  3. Oh my goodness - That first picture gave me an awful fright!!! SO life like it's scary!

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  4. Isn't it though?! A few people had that reaction. I showed a picture at the office and had someone ask - Oh, who is that?
    They thought it was a person lol

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  5. I am planning to make this a Medusa at my sons' mythology birthday party! They will love it!!!

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  6. Great idea! I never would have thought of Medusa - I may have to try that for Halloween!

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  7. how far ahead can i put on the guaccamole before it goes funny in colour.....dont want to go to party and have to do face there.

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    1. Unfortunately, it turns color pretty fast. You will probably want to wait until at the party.

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