Holiday Cranberry Kissing Ball Food

CRANBERRY CHEESE BALL

Steps:

• Start by roasting your chopped pecans in the oven at 375 degrees for 5 minutes. Once fragrant, remove from oven and allow to cool.
• Then in a bowl add your cream cheese, 1/4 cup pecans, 1 cup cranberries, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add in your sharp cheddar and stir until combined.
• Then with wax paper dump the cheeseball out and work on shaping it into a ball or log.
• Then take your leftover nuts and cranberries and add green onions on a wax paper or even bowl. Then begin rolling and pressing the toppings onto the cheese ball.
• Then pair with crackers, pretzels, and more.

CRANBERRY KISSING BALL

Steps:

• Wrap wire tightly around diameter of foam ball once. Twist wire at top of ball to secure. Tuck ends into ball.
• Break toothpicks in half. Push cranberry onto broken end of toothpick; push other end of toothpick into foam ball. Continue until ball is well filled with cranberries.
• Fill in open spaces on ball with 1 1/2- to 2-inch cuts of eucalyptus, securing with pins.
• Slip ribbon through wire twist at top; tie ribbon to make loop for hanging ball. The cranberries will stay plump and pretty for about three to four days. To extend its life, hang the ball in a cool spot, such as in an entryway or on a porch.

HOLIDAY CRANBERRY KISSING BALL

Steps:

• Paint foam ball with red craft paint. Set aside to dry.
• Cut an 18" piece of wire and fold it in half. Push folded wire all the way through the center of foam ball, leaving a 1" wire loop extending at bottom of ball and 3" of wire extending at top.
• Using hot glue gun or toothpicks, attach cranberries to ball, covering it completely. Twist wires at top of ball into a simple hook for hanging. Use ribbon to tie mistletoe and other desired holiday trim to wire above and below ball, and hang with hook.
• Kissing ball will last several days. Discard once berries begin to soften. To extend the life of your decoration, you can spray with an even coating of shellac.

KITTENCAL'S HOLIDAY CRANBERRY STUFFING BALLS

Steps:

• Remove the sausage from casings, then place the sausage in a skillet; brown over medium heat breaking up the meat into very small pieces while cooking (about 8 minutes) set aside.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in the same skillet; add in onion and celery; sauté for about 5-6 minutes or until very soft (adding in the garlic the last 2 minutes of cooking).
• Add in the cooked sausage back to the skillet, then add in the chicken broth; bring just to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits in the bottom of the skillet, then place the sausage/onion mixture into a large bowl.
• Add in the stuffing mixture packet along with the chopped cranberries, Parmesan cheese and eggs; mix until well combined.
• Season with lots of black pepper and a little salt.
• Cover and chill the mixture for about 2 hours.
• Using moistened hands form the mixture into small even balls and place the balls into a shallow greased casserole dish.
• If you find that the mixture is too moist and will not hold together well just add in a little dried bread crumbs, if it is too dry add in more broth or water, add in just enough to hold the balls together when shaped.
• Brush or drizzle the balls with melted butter.
• At this point you can cover the balls and refrigerate for up to 24 hours to bake later.
• Set oven to 350°F.
• Bake covered loosely with foil or bake uncovered (the balls with be more crispy on the outside if baked uncovered) for about 12-15 minutes (the baking time will vary slightly, it will depend on the size you shape the balls).