Cheese Trees | Cream Cheese | Cheddar Cheese

Cheese Trees Or Snowman

Serves: 1 Servings

Ingredients:

3 pk (8 oz) cream cheese;

-softened

4 c Cheddar cheese (16 ounces);

-shredded

2 tb Pesto

1 tb Grated onions

1/4 ts Ground mustard

2 dr Red pepper sauce; (up to 3)

Instructions:

-----------------HAVE READY AT SERVING TIME-------------

1/4 c Pine nuts or sliced almonds

2 tb Chopped red bell pepper

Assorted crackers

Kale or Bibb lettuce

Mix cream cheese and Cheddar cheese; divide in half. Mix pesto into 1 half;

mix onion, mustard and pepper sauce into other half. Cover each halh and

refrigerate about 4 hours or until firm enough to shape.

Place cheese mixtures on cookie sheet. Shape each half into cone shape to

resemble Christmas tree. Wrap each tree and freeze..Can be stored up to 1

month...

12 hours before serving, remove trees from freezer. Thaw in wrapper in

refrigerator. Just before serving, roll trees in parsley, pressing parsley

evenly onto trees. Press pine nuts onto trees in string form for garland.

Press bell pepper pieces onto trees for ornaments...Top each tree with star

shape cut from lemon peel.... Dress up the trees with a tree skirt using

kale or Bibb lettuce.

For Snowman: Omit parsley,pine nuts and bell pepper. Mix cheeses together

and divide into 3 equal parts. Combine 2 parts to equal two-thirds pf

mixture; mix in pesto. Mix onion, mustard and pepper sauce into remaining

one-third mixture. Refrigerate as directed. Shape each cheese mixture into

ball; roll in 1/3 cup finely chopped blanched almonds. Wrap each ball and

freeze.

12 hours before serving, remove balls from freezer. Thaw in wrappers.

Arrange balls on serving plate with smaller ball on top for head of

snowman, flatten slightly. Insert pretzel sticks for arms. Decorate as

desired with sliced olives, capers, chopped bell peppers,ect...

NOTES : Makes 2 trees or 1 snowman....

Recipe by: Betty Crocker