The cheese ball may seem a bit retro, but I have found it to be a simple but tasty and elegant appetizer that’s perfect for the holidays since it can be made well in advance. Here is my favorite basic cheese ball recipe. You can very easily add just about any flavor you’d like from a hardy smoked sausage and cheddar, to the more refined Swiss cheese and almonds. Serve it up with a variety of crackers and you have yourself a crowd-pleasing dish.

In my humble opinion, cooking for the holidays should be simple and I should be able to do much of the work ahead of time. I keep both of these in mind any time I look for new holiday recipes. This allows me to make sure that I can spend plenty of time with my loved ones. And that’s really what counts, not how fancy the food is. Believe me, as long as your holiday dishes are tasty, no one will care how much time you did or didn’t spend preparing them.

Rating 3.00 out of 5