Mid Century cocktail parties required plenty of food and drinks. This fast, fun and tasty chipped beef cream cheese ball was always the life of the party!
Get The Party Started Right
Back in the days before an app was something on your smartphone, people crowded around the appetizer table with a cocktail in hand to mingle, talk and graze before the main meal. Or maybe they were waiting for the big game to start. It was an opportunity to talk a little shop or catch up on the latest neighborhood news. So it was important to have a well stocked appetizer table near the bar for guests to snack a little--but not too much!
When Nancy and I got engaged, her mother gave her "THE" famous cookbook of the time so she could expand her culinary skills. Then they sat down together and wrote out many family favorite recipes and added them to the book. Many are written on local stationary that have both her and her mother's notes on them. This recipe card was one Nancy herself wrote out while her mom dictated. I remember we served this often at the holidays and at several football parties over the years -- there was never any left over. We hadn't made it for a long time, but we just revisited it recently and I was surprised to remember how good it really was!
Simple Ingredients Make this a Go-To Appetizer
Whether you have unexpected guests or are planning a big party, you'll appreciate how quick and easy this is to prepare with only a handful of ingredients:
- Cream Cheese
- Smoked, chopped, pressed beef lunchmeat (We use Buddig Beef)
- Mayonnaise
- Lemon Juice
- Garlic Salt
- Green Onions
Tips for a Successful Cream Cheese Ball
In just a few minutes you'll have a crowd-pleasing appetizer that will free your time to focus on the main dish or the game. Just keep these things in mind:
- Slice the lunch meat in short, thin strips for easy mixing
- Juice a fresh lemon rather than using bottled lemon juice for the best flavor
What was your go-to party appetizer? Was it sour cream and onion soup mix? That one always made the mid century party circuit!
The Cream Cheese Ball was an Easy Mid Century Cocktail Party Starter
Ingredients
- 8 ounces smoked, chopped, pressed beef lunchmeat we use Buddig Beef
- 5-6 green onions
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 6-10 dashes garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- Serving crackers
Instructions
- Slice the lunch meat into thin strips
- Cut the green onion into small slices and set aside
- Mix all of the ingredients except the green onions and form into a ball
- Roll the ball over the chopped green onions to cover the ball
- Place on party platter in center and surround with crackers
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