Here Comes Peter Cottontail. . .

As I've mentioned before, Shrike & I have been hosting the family Easter party for the past few years, since we bought our house. The photos are from last year. I'll post some from this year soon.

I'm all about the party planning, and tend to obsess with getting everything just right - down to which food is served on which color plate (for maximum contrast and visual impact, of course).

I've put together our niece and nephew's baskets but there's really not a lot more that I can do until tomorrow, so instead, I'll blog about what's going to be on the menu, and who's making/bringing what.

• Small Sandwiches
  • Deli-Sliced Meat - Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef (me)
  • "Cracker Cuts" Cheese - 2 kinds (me)
  • Potato Rolls (Shrike's (ex) bro-in-law)
  • Condiments
  (Shrike's parents)
• Toni's Baked Potato Salad (me)
• Mama's Cheese Ball / Crackers (me)
• 7-Layer Mexican Dip / Tortilla Chips (me)
• Broccoli / Ranch Dip (me)
• "Green Fluffy Stuff" (jello/fruit salad) (Shrike's parents)
• Deviled & Pickled Eggs (Shrike's Grandma)
• A Side Dish to be Named Later (Shrike's sister/sil)
• Brownies (me)
• Candy (me)
  • M&Ms - 2 kinds
  • Jelly Beans
  • Cream Savers

The cheese ball is something that I make for pretty much every party that I host, and it's yummy, yummy, yummy!

Whozat's Mama's Cheese Ball (Dip)

Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese - brick or tub
(See note below.)

2.5 oz jar dried beef, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely minced onion

2 Tablespoons finely chopped green pepper

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Blend all ingredients well.
2. Serve with crackers.

Note – even with the “brick” cream cheese it’s hard to make it stay in a “ball” shape, but if you do manage, roll the ball in parsley or more chopped nuts before serving. I prefer to use the softer “tub” cream cheese, and just serve it as a dip. I still called it a "cheeseball" though. Which is confusing.