Since arriving in the United States nearly 7 years ago I have tried many new types of food that I had not tried while living in Mexico. If you take a quick look at the recipes that I share here on my blog, you will see that I share recipes from all over – not just from Mexico. That said, I do try to incorporate as many Mexican flavors into my recipes as possible.

One such food that I had never tried before coming to the United States was the famous cheese ball. To be completely honest the idea of a cheese ball didn’t sound too appealing to me at first. That all changed the first time that I tried it! One of my brothers-in-law makes his version of a cheese ball every year around Christmas. Last year I decided to try it, and I loved it! I am so glad that I decided to give it a try, because I was missing out!

I don’t have his recipe, but I did decide to come up with my own and I want to share it with you today. As you probably know, Mexican food is known for being spicy, so I definitely wanted to incorporate that characteristic into this recipe. That is why I decided to include shredded pepper jack cheese, and chopped jalapeños in this cheese ball recipe.

Another thing that I have learned here in the United States is that bacon makes everything better. With that in mind, I also decided to add some delicious bacon bits to the cheese ball to give it that extra crunch and smokiness. Finally, to give it a bit of sweetness, I also included some freshly chopped pineapple.

This recipe is really easy to make, and I promise that it will be a big hit!

Of course in order to enjoy a cheese ball you have to have something delicious to eat it with. My cracker of choice to go along with this cheese ball are RITZ Original Fresh Stacks. I have always loved RITZ Original crackers, and now they are even more convenient because RITZ Original and all varieties, including RITZ Ultimate Butter (which is available for a limited time only) come in Fresh Stacks so they are easy to take on the go – or to enjoy with this delicious cheese ball.

You can find RITZ Original Fresh Stacks and other varieties at Walmart in the crackers section.

I made this yesterday while my husband was at work, and I have to say, once he got home and we started eating it, this cheese ball did not last very much longer!

I hope that you enjoy it, and let me know how it turns out in the comments below!

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Bacon Jalapeño Cheese Ball Recipe

Author Charbel Barker

Ingredients

• 16 Oz of Cream Cheese
• 1 Cup of Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
• 1 Cup of Fresh Pineapple chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 cup of bacon bits
• 1/2 cup of chopped jalapenos
• 1/2 Cup of Chives
• 1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon of Paprika
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 Cup of Chopped Almonds
• RITZ Original Fresh Stacks - 5 Cracker Serving Size

Instructions

• Remove the cream cheese from the refrigerator so that it is at about room temperature.
• Combine the room temperature cream cheese, and all of the rest of the ingredients except for the almonds in a large bowl.
• Mix well with a mixer or by hand.
• Remove and form a ball and then wrap in plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Remove from refrigerator and coat in chopped almonds.
• Serve with crackers and vegetables.

The post Bacon Jalapeño Cheese Ball Recipe appeared first on My Latina Table.

Today I am going to share this recipe for a delicious Cheddar and Jalapeno soup. Spicy you ask? No. Creamy and delicious? Definitely! This is a recipe that you are not going to want to miss – even my kids loved it!

The first time that I tried this soup was in a restaurant called Kneaders when we were living in Utah. It was one of our favorite restaurants primarily because this soup was on the menu. When we moved, I was sad because they didn’t have that restaurant in the new city we were moving to, so I didn’t get to have it again for awhile. Where we live now they have it, so I was able to try it again after a long time. Since I don’t like to go out to eat all the time, I came up with this copycat version and I have to share it with all of you! It is delicious, creamy and full of flavor. The main ingredient is jalapeno, which for me is always a good start! Believe it or not, this recipe is not spicy at all, but you should put some plastic gloves or a plastic bag over your hands when you are cutting them up to keep your hands from burning later. Trust me, I learned this trick the hard way and there have been many times when I have forgotten and regretted it later! All of that isn’t supposed to scare you – this is an easy recipe and that is the only complicated part.

A few days ago I went out with some girlfriends and we were able to have a good time talking, laughing and enjoying his soup – and it was great.

After cutting the jalapenos, you can combine it with the rest of the ingredients in a food processor if you want a thicker consistency, or in a blender if you want a more creamy and smooth consistency.

This soup is definitely a good one to serve as either an appetizer or the main dish, and it goes especially well with freshly baked bread on a cold afternoon. It doesn’t matter how you enjoy it, I am sure that you will love it! Don’t forget to tell me in the comments how it turned out!

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Copycat Kneaders Cheddar and Jalapeno Soup

Author Charbel Barker

Ingredients

• 3 Jalapenos de-seeded and chopped up.
• 1.5 Cups of grated mild cheddar cheese
• 1 Cup of whipping cream
• 1 can of Chicken Broth
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped onions
• 2 T of flour
• 1 T of butter
• Cilantro
• Salt Cumin, Pepper, and Garlic Powder

Instructions

• De-seed the jalapenos and chop into smaller pieces.
• Add the jalapenos, the cilantro, the cheddar cheese, and the chicken broth to a blender and blend until smooth.
• In a saucepan, add a small amount of olive oil, and when hot add 1 tablespoon of butter and saute the onions until translucent.
• Add the jalapeno mixture to the saucepan and let boil for 2 minutes.
• Add seasonings.
• Add the whipping cream and let boil for 5 more minutes.
• Add the flour and whisk quickly to avoid lumps until it is the desired consistency.
• Serve immediately with freshly baked bread.

The post Copycat Kneaders Cheddar and Jalapeno Soup appeared first on My Latina Table.