My mom learned this recipe from her mother, Alma, who made it every Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was a must-have while the family was together; you couldn’t imagine seeing the card table, Scrabble, marbles, or any other games played after dinner without this snack there, on the table. It just wouldn’t happen.

It’s always been called a cheese log, but a popular alternative was to make two balls, instead of one log. That way, we’d have a couple of variations, such as making one without the nuts (my favorite!).

This will be the first Christmas without Alma (Mima if you’re my age or younger), and it’s going to be hard. Mom left us a few years back, so with both of them gone, while it might sound strange, but we have to make this dish. The things that spark a memory of a loved one – you can’t ever predict. When one of those things sparks memories of so much fun and laughter, well, it just might be a cheese log.

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Ingredients

• 3 8-ounce packages Cream Cheese

• 2 5-ounce jars Kraft Old English Sharp Cheese Spread

• 1 5-ounce jar Kraft Roca Blue Cheese Spread

• 2 tablespoons grated or finely diced onion

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

• 3 tablespoons Tabasco Sauce

• 2 tablespoons dried parsley

• 1 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

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Directions

• Start with the cheese at room temperature, Mix cheese, onion, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco
• Refrigerate for 2 hours
• Sprinkle parsley (and mix in the pecans if you lean that way) on a large sheet of aluminum foil.
• Form the cheese mixture into a log on a clean section of the foil. Roll it into shape over the parsley mix, use the foil to help shape it. You should have a wrapped cheese log when completed.
• Refrigerate the wrapped log until you are ready to serve.
• *Note – can be formed into two cheese balls if so desired. If done this way, the cheese can be rolled over the parsley and nuts instead of forming with foil.
  
  A variation of this is to use Blue Cheese Dressing instead of Roca Blue Cheese Spread. If done this way, you will have a softer dish.