A cheese ball is a great appetizer to serve at your next party. You can easily make one in a variety of flavors in less time than you might think.

One common ingredient you will find with these cheese ball recipes is cream cheese. You should always let your cream cheese soften at room temperature for 20 minutes before beginning your recipe. Once your recipe is prepared, a cheese ball needs to be stored in your refrigerator.

You can find several inexpensive cheese ball containers and servers at your local department store or kitchen shop, for less than $20.00.

I like to serve my cheese balls with a variety of crackers, raw vegetables, party breads and even some shortbread cookies.

The following cheese ball recipes are great for the beginner cook as well as the most experienced cook.

Classic Cheese Ball

1 (8 ounce) pkg. cream cheese
3 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. ground green pepper
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. fresh parsley

Mix all ingredients together (except for parsley) in a large bowl. Roll into a ball. Place parsley in a pie pan and roll your cheese ball in the parsley until its completely covered. Chill your ball for 1 hour before serving.

Chipped Beef Cheese Ball

2 pkgs. (8 ounce) cream cheese
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp. Accent
3 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 pkg. chipped beef

Mix cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, Accent and onion together until blended. Add 1/3 of the package of chipped beef. Shape into a ball. Place the remaining chipped beef into a pie pan and roll your ball into the beef until its covered. Place in refrigerator to chill for 2 hours before serving.

Pineapple Cheese Ball

2 pkgs. (8 ounce) cream cheese
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
1 (8.5 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
pinch of garlic
2 Tbsp. minced onion
2 Tbsp. seasoned salt
chopped nuts

Drain juice from pineapple. Chop green pepper. Mix cream cheese, pepper, pineapple, onions, garlic and seasoned salt together in a large bowl. Shape into 1 large or 2 small balls. Place chopped nuts in a pie pan and roll your balls into the nuts until they are coated. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6-8 hours before serving.

Salmon and Pecan Cheese Ball

1 sm. can red salmon
1 (8 ounce) pkg. cream cheese
2 Tbsp. horseradish
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. finely chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped pecans

In a large bowl combine the salmon, cream cheese, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Shape into a ball. Place chopped pecans in a pie pan and roll the ball into the pecans until its covered. Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.

Note: If you have nut allergies you can try rolling your cheese balls in these toppings: sandwich cookie crumbs, graham cracker crumbs or pretzel crumbs.