Sunflower Cheese Ball with Olives

Sometimes I find a recipe, make it,  and my family loves it.  It becomes an instant hit.  Then I make it just about every week, or at least every month, until another recipe comes along and replaces it.  Sometimes, there is no replacement, but the recipe just doesn't fit as well in with the season.  As it is made less frequently, I might forget about using it.  Then one day, something reminds me of that favorite recipe.  I ask myself, "Why haven't I made that in forever?"  This is one of those recipes.

Cheese balls may seem so out dated, but this is really a good combination of flavors.  The olives are a great accompanying taste to the mild cheese.  The thing I really like about this cheese ball is the coating of roasted sunflower seeds.  Most cheese balls are covered with pecans or walnuts that are coarsely chopped.  The sunflowers are tender, both in texture and taste.  This is a terrific treat to make and have on hand for a spring time snack or for nibbles with some friends.  It is a great make ahead recipe for a shower, too!

Sunflower Cheese Ball
original recipe from allrecipes.com
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 c shredded Monterey~Jack cheese
1/2 c sliced green olives with pimentos
2 tbsp chopped green onions
1/2 c salted, roasted sunflower seeds
crackers {recommend pretzel thins}

Beat cream cheese and mustard until smooth.  Stir in the cheese, olives and green onions.  Shape into a ball.  Roll in sunflower seeds.  Refrigerate until time to serve.  Great with crackers, pretzel things and crisp veggies.

1.  Place the combined ingredients for the cheese ball on plastic wrap {makes it easy and neater}.

2.  Using your hands, gently shape into a ball.  Quick transformation from blob to ball.

3.  Sprinkle toasted sunflower seeds around ball.  Gently roll around to cover cheese ball with seeds.

4.  Refrigerate cheese ball til time to serve.  Transfer to serving plate.

5.  Surround with crackers or pretzel thins.

Tips and Tricks~
*Work with the cheese on plastic wrap.  Sprinkle seeds around and roll to easily cover cheese ball.
*Serve with carrot and celery sticks for a gluten-free or low-carb treat.
*Substitute other herbs in place of the green onions.  Try parsley or chives.
*Instead of a cheese ball, mix up the ingredients without the sunflowers.  Top pieces of toasted bread that have been cut into spring shapes with cookie cutters for a spring tea sandwich.

TJ's has my favorite pretzel thins, Everything Pretzel Thins!  Great with a cheese ball.