WILDA DOWNEY DEDRICK (Mobile, Alabama) called this her “party time” cheese ball because it was her go-to appetizer to take to parties. Wilda was known as MawMaw to her grandchildren. Sadly, she passed away in 2007 before ELI MCCOY (Hermitage, Tennessee) was born. According to Eli’s mom (Gwen Dedrick McCoy) and older brother (Gray), though, MawMaw was outgoing, enjoyed making people laugh, and was always ready to be silly with the kids.
1 pound shredded cheese (preferably Cheddar)
2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups chopped pecans
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup evaporated milk
Pinch of baking soda
¼ to ½ cup chopped olives (more or less depending on your preference)
1 Mix the shredded cheese, cream cheese, 1 cup of the pecans, garlic, salt, milk, baking soda, and olives by hand. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours to firm up the mixture.
2 Form into the desired shape or shapes. (It works well in one large football shape for tailgating or in two smaller round balls.) Press the remaining ½ cup pecans into the formed cheese ball(s) for topping and decoration. Serve with crackers.
MAKES 1 LARGE OR 2 SMALL CHEESE BALLS.