Thanksgiving Turkey Cheese Ball

It's definitely time to start thinking about Thanksgiving dishes and what you will take to serve your family and friends next week.  When it comes to holiday dishes/appetizers, I don't just like to make mine, I like to make them festive.  Thoguht I woud share the festive turkey cheeseball I made for Thanksgiving last year. To make this cute little critter, I started with a basic pecan cheeseball recipe:

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 teaspoons grated onion
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
• finely chopped pecans

I formed it, cooled it, and rolled it in the chopped pecans. Next, I sliced red, orange and yellow peppers to make the colorful turkey tail. They stuck right into the back of the cream cheese ball.  I used orange pepper pieces for his beak and feer, and a red pepper piece for his gobbler. For his head, I used a TownHouse FlipSides cracker pretzel. Little balls of cream cheese with peppercorns stuck in the middle formed his eyeballs. WARNING: never bite into the peppercorns :)

To dip in the turkey cheeseball, I sliced sweet potatoes, salted and baked them to make sweet potato chips. I also served with regular pretzels and crackers. Who couldn't smile about this cute and delicious little critter? Enjoy!