Cheese Spread Pinecone Recipe

Cheese Spread Pinecone Recipe photo by Taste of Home

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folks quickly cluster around this outdoorsy appetizer from Cindy Harrington of Euless, Texas. She turned her super cheese spread into a pinecone—using slice almonds, dill sprigs and a cinnamon stick!

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Cheese Spread Pinecone Recipe

Prep: 20 min. + chilling

Yield: 28 Servings

20 20

Ingredients

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 cinnamon stick
Fresh dill sprigs
Breadsticks, crackers and/or raw vegetables

Directions

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and milk until smooth. Add the feta, mozzarella, onion and cayenne ; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.
On a serving platter, form cheese mixture into a pinecone shape. Beginning at the narrow end, arrange almonds in overlapping rows. Add cinnamon stick and dill for the stem and pine needles. Serve with breadsticks, crackers and/or vegetables. Yield: 3-1/2 cups.

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (2 tablespoons) equals 64 calories, 5 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 14 mg cholesterol, 83 mg sodium, 1 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 3 g protein.

Originally published as Cheese Spread Pinecone in Country Woman January/February 2002, p13

The History of Feta

FETA is a white, salty, semi-firm cheese. Traditionally it was made from sheep or goat's milk but is now also made with cow's milk. After feta is formed in a special mold, it's sliced into large pieces, salted and soaked in brine. Although feta cheese is mostly associated with Greek cooking, "feta" comes from the Italian word "fette", meaning slice of food.