"Trick or Treat" Nacho Pumpkin-shaped Cheese Ball

      Forget the trick, everyone at our birthday dinner club thought Betty Krenger’s Nacho Pumpkin-shaped Cheese Ball was a treat! She found the recipe in a magainze and bought the Halloween colored chips locally.  

     It’s the perfect Halloween appetizer or snack. But, if you saved some of the orange chips, it could be made for Thanksgiving too, and served with either regular tortilla chips or with crackers.

Nacho Pumpkin-shaped Cheese Ball

2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, room temperature


1½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese

3 tablespoons minced onions


1 teaspoon jalapeño, seeded & minced


2 teaspoons ground cumin


2 tablespoons salsa

1 nice-looking stem from a squash or pumpkin, or use the stem from a green pepper

12 orange colored tortillas, crushed


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Black colored tortilla chips, for serving

1.     Put all ingredients, except black tortilla chips, into the bowl of a mixer, and blend thoroughly.

2.     Form into a pumpkin-like shape, and refrigerate until firm, about two hours.

3.     Before serving, roll the cheese ball in the crushed orange colored tortillas.

4.     Arrange the cheese ball on a plate, and press the stem into the top.

5.     Serve with black colored tortillas