Southern Twang Cheese Ball Appetizer

This crowd-pleasing appetizer recipe comes to us from the creators of Southern Twang Dry Rub, an award-winning tangy-sweet rub from North Carolina. This recipe makes 2 cheese balls. Make sure you allow at least 2 hours for the combined ingredients to chill in the fridge before serving

Ingredients
2 packages (8oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple, drained
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans
5 Tbs Southern Twang Dry Rub (available from the Carolina Sauce Company online store)
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 Tbs chopped onion
1/4 tsp salt

Set aside 1/2 cup of the chopped pecans for later use. Mix together the rest of the ingredients and chill for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld. Form into 2 balls, then roll each ball in the reserved pecans. Serve with crackers.

Gloria's notes: You can substitute low-fat (but not fat-free) cream cheese for one or both of the packages of regular cream cheese. For folks who like spicy food, you can substitute part or all of the chopped green pepper with chopped jalapeno pepper. I like to use chopped sweet onion instead of regular white or yellow onion.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria